T3 - Innovation and Accessibility in STEM

Room: H-421

Developing an Entrepreneurial Mindset in Engineering Students Through New Modules Integrated Within Existing Courses

Innovation and entrepreneurship (I&E) are seen as the primary drivers of economic growth. “Engineers are and must continue to be at the forefront of innovative solutions in order to help Canadians meet the environmental, social, and economic challenges of the 21st century.” (Engineers Canada national position statement on research, development, and innovation). There is an ever-present desire for engineering graduates to possess skills and mindsets that go beyond technical topics covered in traditional engineering curricula. Because the latter is typically full with predetermined credits that limit the students’ course selections outside of their majors, this project will develop new modules covering I&E concepts to be incorporated within existing engineering courses. This project will help develop an entrepreneurial mindset and culture in our engineering undergraduate students while enhancing their engagement, learning, retention and produce a more real-world experience. Entrepreneurial mindset (EM) is a multi-faceted concept comprising a wide range of characteristics, skills, and attitudes, hence definitions vary. Based on a recent literature survey (Jackson et al 2021), different stakeholder groups, namely, students, faculty, and entrepreneurs all agree that EM is something that can be nurtured through education and growth. The study also found that integration of EM education in engineering curricula is a powerful tool for allowing the development of skills that are expected for engineers upon their graduation, both by the students themselves and by future employers. Certain EM skills identified in another study (Gabriele and Dougherty, 2015) include ability to: identify an opportunity, investigate the market, evaluate the technical and economic feasibility of a project, evaluate the customer value and societal benefits of the project, test concepts via customer engagement, and assess policy and regulatory issues. The key framework for EM that we will be using for this project will be the one developed by the Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network (KEEN) namely the 3 C’s: curiosity, connections, creating value. We want our engineers to be curious about our ever-changing world and its relationship to rapidly advancing technology, where such curiosity will lead to new discoveries that can benefit society. New insights can also emerge by students learning to connect information and ideas from disparate sources. And finally, they can learn to seek and develop solutions that create value for themselves, their future employers, and society in general. These I&E modules will include lectures, videos, real-world problem-based activities/exercises, case studies, in-class group discussions, reflection exercises, polling questions, and quizzes on multiple pertinent topics, including: intellectual property, market research, design thinking, customer discovery, pitch presenting, systems thinking, etc. In this first part of this new project, we will focus on creating the learning modules and implementing them. We envision a second part to this project in a subsequent year, where more emphasis will be placed on faculty training in order to enable them to run the modules themselves or create their own EM learning activities/exercises in the future and ensure sustainability. The intent longer-term is to increase the number of faculty who employ EM learning concepts in their courses. The EM learning problem-based activities/assignments we will develop will prompt students to look beyond the technical aspects of the problem, to include the stakeholders and the economics in the evaluation of the problem being solved. The main methods of assessment are the Engineering Student Entrepreneurial Mindset Assessment (ESEMA, Brunhaver et al, 2018) along with quizzes and reports tied to the Entrepreneurial-Minded Learning Outcomes (EMLOs). Examples of curriculum alignment, accreditation, and faculty training for integration of the EM framework in syllabi will also be provided.

Presenters: Katya Marc, Zinan He, Amanda Saxe, and Michael Avedesian

Empowering Faculty for Inclusive STEM Instruction: Insights from a University Initiative

A supportive community is essential for fostering equity, diversity, and inclusion in university classrooms. Navigating departmental hierarchies, as well as knowing where to begin can hinder meaningful action. McGill University’s Faculty of Science Inclusive Teaching Initiative addresses these challenges by providing a platform for instructors to exchange ideas, while building on existing practices and areas of interest. We will outline the initiative, highlight participant’s strategies to enhance classroom inclusivity, and reflect on key insights gained.

Presenters: Victoria Marie Glynn, Diane Dechief, Charlene Lewis-Sutherland and Andrea Miller-Nesbitt

Teamwork and EDI in Engineering: Building Interpersonal Skills Into Technical Courses

The increasing value placed on effective, diverse, and globally minded engineering teams calls for universities to embed interpersonal skills development into engineering education. In McGill University’s Faculty of Engineering, the E-IDEA Teamwork Program has developed a unique framework to integrate the development of teamwork learning into technical courses. By offering tools, coaching, and targeted material to support student learning, the Teamwork Program aims to build capacity for inclusive teamwork and collaboration among students and instructors.

Presenters: Renee Pellissier and Shay Heans-Moreyra