Taking Entrepreneurship 101 Online

Entrepreneurship 101 (COMM 280) is a university-wide initiative in its first year that teaches entrepreneurial skills to students across the campus and encourages student innovation and business savvy. This project developed the e-curriculum of the course into an innovative mixed mode format, with half the work being done in person and half-done online. The project involved cross-faculty collaboration in the creation of course content, and student learning was customized to their unique knowledge history and their own entrepreneurship ventures. The mixed mode format also allowed for future course scaling.

Elizabeth Newton, Marketing, Sauder School of Business

Products & achievements: E101 mixed--‐mode curriculum; E101 videos; a personalized learning approach (self--‐ assessments); E--‐Simulations and Cases; UBCe (a gathering place for entrepreneur--‐ related advances at the university).

Intended outcomes/themes:

1. Enriched course experience – more in-­‐depth, class-­‐coherent course, engaging class materials allows for a more seamless relationship between what happens in and out of class -­‐ benefit for students and the instructor.
2. Cross--‐Faculty Learning Personalization: Students from different faculties/backgrounds taking advantage of different learning opportunity choices, e.g.: in the Custom Modules where they can choose two from a list of different options.
3. Community Building – maintaining ties with ‘e101’ alum after they leave and with the entrepreneurial community: Number of alum who indicate they are using the site and those who return to tell us of their entrepreneurial experiences on our alum wall. Referring the site to members of the Vancouver entrepreneurial community and inviting speakers to feature on our speaker wall with their insights.

Evaluation approach: The PI worked with a large student team in developing the site and they would meet throughout to discuss their experiences (as e101 alum and as students in touch with other students) and to tweak the site as necessary. Feedback from entrepreneurial outsiders was also solicited. Once the courses started, the team had many sections involved and students were asked (or they would offer!) for their input on what was working well and what could be enhanced. The team tweaked and continue to tweak. Course evaluations were analyzed – which have been very good - to see if there were any common themes that came through in terms of how the site could be enhanced.

Findings: The project goals have most definitely been achieved to date and the team will continue to gather feedback from students and entrepreneurs and tweak as they go along. This is most definitely an ongoing, non-static project but the development of the base was the most significant element and the TLEF allowed for this to happen.

Dissemination: The project has been subject of different Sauder presentations (entrepreneurial group meetings, presentations to future entrepreneurial students etc.). There are ongoing conversations about doing media more broadly on it for the UBC population as a whole.

Sustainability: The PI will continue to update the website and to incorporate student input (e.g.: photos) moving forward. Some technological overhauling and resources may be needed to keep the site updated and growing in the future. The PI is considering developing the e-simulation someday, but realize that that might be quite complex and would need to be done with a mix of dedicated, expert resources and student input.