The Way Entrepreneurs Learn: Migration from Supercoach Instructor-Led Entrepreneurial Education Curriculum to Blended Learning Technology

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I research project will lay the groundwork for an Entrepreneurial Education (EE) simulation/exercises infrastructure. Researchers have uncovered that training simulations indispensable in closing the gap between gaining knowledge in the classroom and application of that knowledge in the field. The operational gap will be closed by using a simulation exercise in conjunction with the proven EE training program already in place. Using the e-Learning modules, students will interact with exercises that introduce worksheets and models to create an arsenal of tools that become available resources for continuing use by the entrepreneur. Use of these electronic forms and frameworks create new opportunities for 'virtual' mentor/learner one-on-one interaction. EE has been identified as a key building block in the entrepreneurial process for scientists and engineers. The project is based on the premise that technology can be used to develop scaleable, compelling, inter-disciplinary curricula and delivery methods providing broader access to the target audience and compression of the entrepreneurial process duration from 'innovative idea to market implementation'. The project will adopt proven entrepreneurial education (EE) curriculum and by moving it to an interactive web-based infrastructure, significant efficiencies will be provided to both the facilitator and the entrepreneur. The commercial potential of the product(s) resulting from this project is significant because of the nature of the EE market and the range of potential customers for this product. The EE marketplace is best described as fragmented with multiple student cohorts, service providers and funding agencies. This marketplace characteristic is, of course, both a challenge and an opportunity. It is a challenge because of the difficulty is making available effective and consistent coaching in a cost-effective manner. The proposed innovation captures that expertise and bundles it with appropriate methodologies, tools and techniques required for successful entrepreneurship. The fragmented marketplace presents an opportunity because strategic alliances can be undertaken to provide critical mass and momentum for a transition to innovative curriculum and advanced delivery tools.