Entrepreneurially Minded Learning: Incorporating Stakeholders, Discovery, Opportunity Identification, and Value Creation into Problem-Based Learning Modules with Examples and Assessment Specific to Fluid Mechanics

Abstract

A variety of pedagogies have become well-established and widely used in engineering education including problem-based learning (PBL), project-based learning, case-based learning, and inquiry-based learning. All of these classroom techniques certainly emphasize skill-based learning outcomes (e.g., determine the size of a pump), but they do not always emphasize mindset-based learning outcomes (e.g., identify an unexpected opportunity). Incorporating elements of the entrepreneurial mindset into these pedagogies, sometimes referred to as entrepreneurially minded learning (EML), can enhance student learning and produce a more realworld experience. Entrepreneurially minded learning emphasizes discovery, opportunity identification, and value creation with attention given to effectual thinking over causal (predictive) thinking.