A new course on sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship
Loading...
Files
Accepted version
Date
2021-06-14
Authors
Pritpal, Singh
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University College Cork
Published Version
Abstract
The UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) provide a number of challenges in addressing poverty worldwide. To create momentum towards achieving these goals and the sub-goals (or targets), in many cases developing entrepreneurial solutions may be the best approach. We have developed and offered a new course based on an experiential learning pedagogy to educate students on creating entrepreneurial solutions to the UN SDGs. The course begins with an overview of the UN SDGs and an introduction to entrepreneurship. The course then focuses on ideation and opportunity identification for solutions addressing one of the SDGs. The students are then introduced to the business model canvas, including the Presidio graduate school extension that enhances the Business Model Canvas by adding questions specifically related to sustainability considerations of the business model development. The next step in the course development is teaching the students how to develop minimum viable products through a process of rapid prototyping. In parallel with the formal teaching and activities in the classroom, the students are required to develop a venture concept outside the classroom. This concept is posted to a discussion board where the students’ peers and the professor are asked to provide feedback to the students posting their venture ideas. The next step in the course is to go through a customer discovery process in which students are asked to learn from potential customers what are the customers’ pains, difficulties that they are looking for solutions. Again, the results of these interviews with potential customers are posted on the course discussion board for peer and professor review and feedback. The business model and concept is refined by the students and then the students move into a customer validation phase where the talk to a number of potential customers/early adopters to refine their prototype solution. Finally, the students are then taught how to develop a sales strategy and to actualize some sales of their products. The course work is supported by local expertise including a sales consultant, a logo design/branding expert, a supply chain expert, and experts in corporate structures, venture financing and intellectual property. The students present their final product/service design, their venture strategy, and sustainability metrics that they will use to gauge the performance of their ventures specifically against the sustainability aspects of the solution. This paper will present more details of the activities conducted in the class, a description of the student outcomes and how well they were achieved and plans on further developing the course based on student feedback.
Description
Keywords
UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) , Engineering education , Sustainable design , Sustainability , Experiential learning , Business Model Canvas
Citation
Singh, P. (2021) ‘A New Course on Sustainable Innovation and Entrepreneurship’, EESD2021: Proceedings of the 10th Engineering Education for Sustainable Development Conference, 'Building Flourishing Communities', University College Cork, Ireland, 14-16 June.