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Title: Impact of an I-Corps Site Program on Engineering Students at a Large Southwestern University: Year 3
In today’s global market economy, equipping engineering students with a broader set of skills associated with an entrepreneurial mindset will empower them to create value for the companies they join or to launch their own startups. In recent years, institutions across the nation have been investing resources in developing maker spaces plus curricular and extracurricular programs to provide opportunities for students to acquire knowledge and skills, and pursue innovative ideas in a safe environment – while still in college. This study presented assessment data from a NSFI-Corps site program at a Southwestern university to understand the impact of the program on undergraduate and graduate engineering students’ knowledge, perceptions, and practice of entrepreneurship. In the four-cohort assessment data, participants indicated significantly increased confidence in value proposition, self-efficacy in entrepreneurship, and customer discovery, while maintaining high interest in entrepreneurship. Furthermore, the data indicated that participants with a GO decision (to continue pursuing their technology) had significantly higher perception on the current status of technology and business model than did participants with a no-GO/unsure decision. In addition, this study presented a new pilot program to be offered in spring 2020 and aimed to further enhance the I-Corps Site efforts on campus for broader impacts.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1644743
NSF-PAR ID:
10314843
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ;
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Zone 1 Conference of the American Society for Engineering Education
ISSN:
2332-368X
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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