News - 3E-Learning at the USASBE conference 2007.

On January 20, eight professors of entrepreneurship from universities across North America received awards for their innovative methods of teaching entrepreneurship education using classroom experiential exercises. These eight excellent educators met with loud applause from a large contingent of educators, practitioners, businessmen, and students at the U.S. Association of Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE) in Orlando, Florida.

“It was amazing!” enthused one attendant. “I’ve never seen so much energy from an audience over teaching ideas. And after each presenter, they just got even more excited!”

The first place prize went to Dr. Sherrie Human at Xavier University for her exercise, “Entrepreneurial Ethics: Is It Posturing or Is It Lying?” Her idea begins with a board-based exercise in which students experience the complexities of ethical decision making in entrepreneurial organizations, including differences in perceptions on what is considered posturing or "just doing business" versus what is lying. The exercise incorporates readings and a scenario-based questionnaire prior to the exercise and an in-class debriefing, concept development, and discussion afterwards. This is followed by entrepreneur interviews to solidify the experience and lessons the students just had.

Another exciting idea came from Dr. Reg Litz from the University of Manitoba called “Kitty Hawk in the Classroom.” For this exercise, students must design a new paper aircraft capable of both flying further and staying aloft longer than any created by their classmates. Students must 'sell' their aircraft design to their fellow classmates. Each student then ‘invests’ in a design by voting for the design they believe will fly further and/or stay aloft longer than any other. The students then compete in a 'fly-off.' The one catch is that students much incorporate a dollar worth of coins into their designs. The exercise concludes with by connecting what the students did with the nature of creative and entrepreneurial endeavors.

If you want more detail on these and other exciting exercises relating to entrepreneurship, small business, and new venture creation, visit 3E idea catalog. If you have ideas you wish to submit, 3E Learning has opened its second round of the competition. Submissions are due no later than May 1, 2007. Please visit  http://www.3e-learning.org/about.asp to learn more.

Article written by: David Tomczyk, Ph.D student at the George Washington University.