Fostering and Establishing an Engineering Entrepreneurial Mindset through Freshman Engineering Discovery Courses Integrated with an Entrepreneurially Minded Learning (EML) Pedagogic Approach

Abstract

It is recognized worldwide that first-year engineering education is critical for new entry-level engineering students to obtain a clear vision and direction for their future. The engineering discovery courses developed at Marquette University -Opus College of Engineering offers freshman engineering students the opportunity to discover and explore their potential through various course topics, contents and activities integrated with entrepreneurially minded learning (EML). As a result, the students are able to develop and explicitly show their value as future engineers by gathering and assimilating information to discover opportunities or insights for further action. This is the first step that new engineering students take in fostering and establishing an engineering entrepreneurial mindset. The primary outcomes obtained by implementing the EML in the Freshman Engineering Discovery courses are shown in this paper.