Entrepreneurship and Innovation Curricular Thread: A First-year Experience Pilot Course at Kettering University USA

Innovation to Entrepreneurship Across the University (i2e-AU) is an initiative at Kettering University in Michigan, USA to promote entrepreneurial mindset in teaching and learning. In 2012, i2e-AU ran a pilot programme, sponsored by the Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network (KEEN), for a new class titled „Innovation-101‟. This multidisciplinary course was designed to introduce freshmen to entrepreneurially minded learning(EML) that combines science, engineering, innovation, entrepreneurship, and business principles with a focus on a selected important societal need derived from the National Academy of Engineering Grand Challenges; specifically, “Reverse Engineering the Brain.” Faculty members from different departments lectured for two weeks, introducing students to the problems and how they might begin to address them. By using “hands-on” exercises, including the actual design development and implementation of neurofeedback systems, students learned to use a systematic approach to surveying assessment and testing of neurofeedback electroencephalogram (EEG) data. In addition, students gained knowledge of developing business models, commercialization, and humanity aspects of a dynamic, modern neurofeedback system. With an emphasis on gainful employment opportunities and entrepreneurial skills, students could learn about institutional and clinical needs for „reverse engineering the brain‟. Weekly feedbacks were collected from students to assess how they felt about this new teaching method. As final project, students used their newly acquired knowledge to create or improve a brain-based EEG system to address some society issues. A student expo was held at the end of the course for students to present their final projects and pitch their design ideas to a panel of judges.