Nifty Assignments
in Entrepreneurship Education
facilitated by
Clif Kussmaul
Muhlenberg College
clif@kussmaul.org
Michael Lehman
Lehigh University
mil312@lehigh.edu
http://kussmaul.org/na.html
Every
educator
wants
good
materials
to adopt or
adapt.
Conference sessions describe
programs, courses, and
materials, often at a high level.
Colleagues describe individual
experiences, often anecdotally.
Great ideas may go unreported
or lack enough detail
to be ideally useful.
Epicenter-PA Meeting
May 29-30, 2014
Lehigh University
Bethlehem, PA
Epicenter-PA Meeting
May 29-30, 2014 · Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA
Epicenter’s goal is to unleash “the entrepreneurial
potential of undergraduate engineering students across
the United States to create bold innovators with the
knowledge, skills and attitudes to contribute to economic
and societal prosperity” (epicenter.stanford.edu).
Epicenter-PA is mobilizing to allow that mission to
happen on a regional scale through networking and
collaboration of Pennsylvania faculty.
Epicenter-PA Meeting
May 29-30, 2014 · Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA
Target audience: faculty from PA schools teaching
in undergraduate engineering curricula
Goals
• Meet and reconnect with regional colleagues
• Share ideas, share materials, and collaborate
as related to the Epicenter goal
• Integrate and weave practical takeaways
into one’s approach on their campus
Epicenter-PA Meeting
May 29-30, 2014 · Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA
Nifty Assignments
help us to share
these ideas and experiences
easy to adopt and adapt
broadly relevant
thought provoking
fun for students and teachers
The Melting Pot – Cooking for One
• brainstorming, creativity
• Michael Lehman, Lehigh University
mil312@lehigh.edu
1. Each student lists 5-10 things they like to do.
Be specific.
2. Randomly select 3 things from the list.
3. Combine 3 ideas and blend them to form
a product, service or business idea.
Bake Some Cookies
• scheduling, Gantt charts, critical path
• team classroom activity: http://cspogil.org
• Clif Kussmaul, Muhlenberg College
kussmaul@muhlenberg.edu
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
study cookie recipe (& samples)
find missing steps (=hidden requirements)
find dependencies between steps
find & sketch optimal sequence of steps
consider impact of multiple cooks, etc
Think Like an Ant
• idea generation, creativity
• Michael Lehman, Lehigh University
mil312@lehigh.edu
1. Student spends 1 technology-free hour in nature.
2. Repeat.
3. Based on observations, develop 20 ideas for
new or enhanced products and/or services.
4. Collaborate with classmate on creating 20 more ideas.
5. Present.
Build a Pyramid
• story point estimation
• team classroom activity (http://cspogil.org)
• Clif Kussmaul, Muhlenberg College
kussmaul@muhlenberg.edu
1.
2.
3.
4.
estimate size, effort, time required
initial estimates & projections
revised estimates & projections
equations & spreadsheet models
Roll the Dice…
• business models, presentation skills
• Michael Lehman, Lehigh University,
mil312@lehigh.edu
1. Obtain giant foam dice.
2. Number 1-6 (or 1-12) on a whiteboard.
3. List an element of the business model canvas beside
each number. WILD CARD and PICK A CLASSMATE
options keep the class lively.
4. Students go to the front of the room, roll the die
(dice) and address the topic rolled…
Crazy Restaurant
• brainstorming, warmup, pitch practice
• Alyssa Boutelle, Univ. of Oklahoma
alyssa.m.boutelle@ou.edu
Form groups, and brainstorm:
1. What makes a restaurant good?
2. What would make it the best in the world?
3. What would make it terrible?
4. Rotate to next group’s list of terrible features,
and pitch a restaurant that uses them.
Stalking Exercise
• observe people & needs in different contexts
• Alizabeth Sanchez, Universidad del Turabo, PR
alizabeth@amsconsultinggroup.com
1. Focus on an individual for 30 minutes
at work, shopping, home
2. Report on individual’s characteristics,
context (where observed), actions.
3. Consider how to help or improve what they do,
and what products/solutions might help them
Entrepreneurial Improv
• Stephan Brand, Olin College of Engineering
stephen.brand@olin.edu
• Game using Business Model Canvas
1. Form teams of 2-4 (even # of teams)
2. Choose groups of 3:
objects, trends, target markets, brands, catastrophe
3. Each team gets one trend, two markets, to design product.
4. Replace one of 3 given elements and redesign.
5. Redesign for new brand (you were bought out)
6. Redesign for new brand (again)
7. Redesign in response to catastrophe
8. Trade product with another team and redesign again
(you were fired and rehired).
Mind Workouts for Teams
• Nicole Rosskopf, KEEN coordinator,
St Louis Univ
rosskopf@slu.edu
• eBook: Innovation Challenges:
Mind Workouts for Teams (download or PDF)
Know Me, Know You
• team forming, presenting
• Sena Agyepong, Ashesi University, Ghana
sagyepong@ashesi.edu.gh
1. Given list of basic objects/tools:
watch, screwdriver, clothing items
2. Pick 2 tools that describe yourself
3. Pluses & minuses of their choices
4. Present to class – learn about other people
5. Look for teammates with complementary skills
Football + ?
• analogy, brainstorm
• Doug Ayers, University of Alabama
dayers@uab.edu
1. Present a challenge
(e.g. low attendance at football games)
2. What are competing activities?
3. How to incorporate them into the game day?
(bring dirty laundry for washing, etc)
Speed Innovation Workout
• soft innovations, divergent thinking opportunities,
• Jorge Vanegas, Texas A&M
jvanegas@arch.tamu.edu
(course with diverse student backgrounds)
1. Form small teams
2. Identify something that bugs you, you love, you hate,
3. Identify things you like, don’t like, don’t have time for
4. Identify emotions you like, don’t like
5. Share in team
6. Brainstorm products to overcome problem,
leverage love/hate, emphasize good emotions
Wolff Fest
• Ken Jones, Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship,
Univ of Houston, kenjones@uh.edu
• “Wolff Fest” 3-day event: teams must sell food
–
–
–
–
Rent space, get capital & cash flow
Recruit, brand, web apps,
Measured: bottom line, top line, acquisition, quality
Rotate roles: CEO, CFO, …
• Other ideas
– Mentor prison inmates “prison entrepreneurship program”
– “Your Business at the Improv”
local businesses on hot seat, students solve their problems
Applications for Patent
• Rob McNamee, Fox School, Temple Univ
robert.mcnamee@temple.edu
• Part of 2 evening workshop
on tech commercialization
• Group work: given patented technology
(e.g. from university researchers)
• Identify alternative applications & jobs
• Using worksheets, etc. – website coming soon…
• (LES: Licensing Executives Society)
Don’t Fall in Love with Your First Idea
• brainstorming
• Heidi Neck, Babson College, hneck@babson.edu
• 3 alternative uses for pencil, paperclip
1. 3 min for as many uses as possible
2. Count – who came up with the most?
3. What is 1,2,3 on list? Who else had the same?
4. What is 25? Who else had the same?
5. Takeaway: Don’t fall in love with first idea,
since many others have it too.
How to Make Toast
• systems models
• Cathy Hill, Skidmore College, chill@skidmore.edu
1. Give index cards, draw how to make toast.
2. Critique each others’ instructions.
3. Develop business plan on index cards,
drawings (no words).
4. Critique each others’ plans.
5. Low investment 
more willing to critique and rearrange.
Mythical Creature
• Jay Krysler, JR Shaw School of Business, NAIT
(Northern Alberta Institute of Technology)
jkrysler@nait.ca
1. Invent a mythical creature.
2. Describe in 3 sentences.
3. Have other student draw from description.
Accounting Lists
• Mike Lehman, Lehigh University
• Create 3 lists:
– startup expense items
– monthly expense items
– Monthly income
(long)
(medium)
(very short)
• Visual reminder of business realities
Make a Duck
• multiple perspectives
• Marc de Vink,
Lehigh University
mad312@lehigh.edu
1. Provide small set of Legos to make a Duck
2. Each person creates a duck.
3. Explain why/how it is a duck (consider differences).
• Also: False Facts / Opposites
– Pick industry, list attributes
– Pick one, false fact it – do the opposite
Engineering & Branding at the Mall
• Mall with high & low rent districts
• Spend all day exploring (smell, taste, touch)
– Look up, down,
• Compare stores with different feelings,
target markets, etc.
• See materials, branding, etc
Six Hat Pizza
• Susannah Howe, Smith College
(via Mike Lehman, Lehigh University)
• Based on DeBono 6 Hats: lateral thinking
• Teams with 6 hats, bike, pizza
• How to deliver (using 6 hat perspectives)
Bag of Fun
• Jay Krysler, JR Shaw School of Business, NAIT
1. Provide bag of objects, tools (eggbeater)
2. Students draw items randomly
3. Address a challenge, e.g.
How can you use (or be inspired by)
this object or idea for Valentine’s Day?
Pain Points
• Ariel DuChene, Syracuse University
adduchen@syr.edu
1. During week between 2 classes,
journal all pain points.
2. Share with others, hone in on one.
3. Pick random dictionary word(s).
4. Use word(s) to address pain point.
Deserted Island
• Event icebreaker @ capstone design conf
1. Get comfortable, meditate,
imagine you are floating or drifting.
2. You are stranded on desert island,
find team & tools to survive & escape.
3. Pitch solutions to entire group.
4. Vote with $$$ for best ideas.
Pain Relief
• Mike Menefee, Univ of North Carolina, Pembroke
(formerly Purdue) michael.menefee@uncp.edu
1.
2.
3.
4.
Split into groups.
Draw name of commercial product to research.
Consider positive & negative effects.
5 minutes to convince instructor that
their product will solve his/her headache.
Wallet Design Revisited
• market research
• Tom Westbrook, OK State Univ,
tom.westbrook@okstate.edu
1. Tried rapid prototyping of wallet,
but it was too shallow & quick.
2. Use wallets to introduce to each other.
3. TA walks through wallet contents,
asks detailed questions about contents.
4. Repeat wallet exercise – much more effective.
 market research to reduce risk
• Mike Lehman, Lehigh University
• Global 5 Personality Test (free, vs MyersBrigg)
Creative Desserts
• Danner Friend, Norwich University,
rfriend@norwich.edu
• Based on Idea Box, DaVinci Box
– List sets of attributes: shapes, materials, etc.
– Pick one from each list & combine for new idea.
• Creative desserts.
– Different ingredients, presentation, etc.
– Recombine elements to pitch new dessert.
Idea
Generation
Intellectual
Property
and
Technology
Marketing
Finance
and
Accounting
Nifty Assignments
help us to share
these ideas and experiences
easy to adopt and adapt
broadly relevant
thought provoking
fun for students and teachers
http://kussmaul.org/na.html