scholarly journals ASSESSMENT OF ENTREPRENEURIAL SKILLS: EXPERIENCE FROM A JOINT ENGINEERING-BUSINESS CLASS EXPERIMENT

Author(s):  
Zbigniew J. Pasek

 Abstract –This paper discusses selected preliminary results from a collaborative efforts between undergraduate engineering and business students working together on a joint semester-long project. The project, though common for all students, was simultaneously a requirement in two, parallel run courses, one in engineering and another one in business. The cohort of participating students was fairly large, and involved about 240 second year students from engineering and 50 fourth year from business. The information about students’ attitudes and project teams dynamics was collected by means of two surveys, one at the beginning and the other at the end of the courses, and also through a peer-evaluation software platform. This experiential learning efforts is one of the first in North America of this size to combine multidisciplinary entrepreneurial teams at the undergraduate level.  

Author(s):  
Marja-Liisa Kakkonen

Entrepreneurial competences consist of attitudes, knowledge and entrepreneurial skills. In the autum 2017, a new curriculum emphasizing entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial behavior was launched in the business department of a Finnish university of applied sciences. In order to verify the development, a follow-up study with three annual sub-studies was planned to examine students' attitudes towards entrepreneurship, generic competences and subject-specific competences of entrepreneurship during the degree studies.This article presents the results of the development of the students' entrepreneurial attitudes between the first and third semester. According to the findings, the attitudes towards entrepreneurship were quite positive in the beginning of the studies, and it seems that they remained at the same level during one year. Based on the findings, as a practical implication there is a need for monitoring pedagogigal approaches and methods of the programme to make sure that they support enough the development of entrepreneurial attitudes. The entire development of entrepreneurial competences will be revealed by the next annual studies.Keywords: Attitudes; Entrepreneurship; Business students; Perceptions


Author(s):  
Italo Testa ◽  
Raffaele De Luca Picione ◽  
Umberto Scotti di Uccio

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to analyse Italian high school and university students’ attitudes towards physics using the Semiotic Cultural Psychological Theory (SCPT). In the SCPT framework, attitudes represent how individuals interpret their experience through the mediation of generalized meaning with which they are identified. A view-of-physics questionnaire was used as an instrument to collect data with 1603 high school and university students. Data were analysed through multiple correspondence analysis and cluster analysis. We identified four generalized meanings of physics: (a) interesting and important for society; (b) a quite interesting, but badly taught subject at school and not completely useful for society; (c) difficult to study and irrelevant for society; and (d) a fascinating and protective niche from society. The identified generalized meanings are significantly correlated to the choice to study physics at undergraduate level and to the choice of attending physics-related activities in high school. Implications for research are discussed.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kayo Sugiyama ◽  
Hirotaka Watanuki ◽  
Yasuhiro Futamura ◽  
Masaho Okada ◽  
Minori Nishimura ◽  
...  

Abstract Background There is currently a chronic shortage of surgeons, particularly cardiac surgeons, in Japan and worldwide. Additionally, the number of female medical students has been increasing worldwide; half of our university’s medical students are females. We assessed the attitudes of medical students regarding preferred lifestyles and specialties, aiming to identify strategies for increasing the number of surgeons in Japan. Methods We conducted a questionnaire survey among second- and fifth-year medical students at Aichi Medical University, to assess their career priorities and ideal lifestyles when choosing specialties. In total, 71 second-year (male:female, 36:35) and 55 fifth-year (male:female, 27:28) students were surveyed. Differences were compared between school year and sex. Results Few students considered becoming general surgeons (19%) or cardiac surgeons (14%). Most students were more interested in how interesting (92%) and rewarding a particular field (88%) would be, rather than in dedication to work (7%) or career advancement (6%), regardless of school year or sex. Females were particularly concerned about a heavy workload (79% vs 68%) and were less likely to prefer surgery (9% vs 27%) compared with males. The importance of acquiring useful skills (77% vs 95%) and wanting to train in the neighboring Tokai area tended to increase (21% vs 60%) with increasing grade. Conclusions Most students had decided their ideal career path in the lower grades and desired controlled lifestyle. To increase the number of surgeons, it is necessary to improve surgeons’ lifestyles, reduce their workloads, develop medical students’ interest in surgery, and ensure development of useful skills.


2013 ◽  
Vol 759 ◽  
pp. 73-82
Author(s):  
J.V. Abellán-Nebot ◽  
G.M. Bruscas ◽  
J. Serrano ◽  
F. Romero

Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia, is one of the most visited websites on the Internet and it is a tool which students often use in their assignments, although they do not usually understand the basics underlying it. To overcome this limitation and promote the active learning approach in our courses, last year an educational innovation project was carried out that was aimed mainly at improving students skills in technical writing as well as their ability to review the technical contents of the Wikipedias. Additionally, it sought to explore new opportunities that these tools can offer both teachers and students. This paper describes the experiment carried out in a second-year undergraduate engineering course, the results of which show that introducing activities such as edition and revision within Wikipedia is an interesting way to enhance transversal competencies as well as others related to the main contents of the course.


2010 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juha Kansikas ◽  
Anne Laakkonen

AbstractThe aim of this qualitative research is to analyze university students’ attitudes toward family entrepreneurship. The theoretical framework of the study analyzes the interaction between family business, ownership, and entrepreneurship education. 211 students from the University of Jyväskylä participated in the study during the basic business study course “Introduction to Entrepreneurship and Business Operations” in September 2007. 143 of those wrote a one page essay, either in Finnish or English, on family entrepreneurship and family business ownership. The students were told to write about the phenomena in their own words. The results were analyzed with content analysis in order to understand how to improve the development of family business entrepreneurship education. The results of the study show that family businesses are perceived through the concept of family: a family owns, works in, and manages a family business. Students perceive family businesses as small businesses that employ people locally. Entrepreneurship motivates students, but owning a family business was perceived as unattractive. The results of the study can be utilized in family business entrepreneurship education.


2018 ◽  
Vol 140 (03) ◽  
pp. 42-45
Author(s):  
John Kosowatz

This article discusses that to better engage students, professors are integrating active learning methods into their biomedical classes. The goal is for students to develop entrepreneurial skills to aid students in thinking outside the box, using their developing technical skills to develop innovative solutions. Engineering programs are bringing the entrepreneurial mindset to younger students, often based on the definition used by the Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network. Sponsored by the Kern Family Foundation, KEEN is a collaboration of 31 U.S. universities with the goal of supporting entrepreneurial skills in undergraduate engineering and technical students. KEEN says the entrepreneurial mindset has three critical components: curiosity, connections, and creating value. At Clarkson University in Potsdam, New York, mechanical engineering assistant professor Laurel Kuxhaus is working with a KEEN grant to integrate active learning into sophomore-level studies.


2012 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 759-763 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paolo Leombruni ◽  
Marco Miniotti ◽  
Andrea Bovero ◽  
Lorys Castelli ◽  
Riccardo G. V. Torta

2009 ◽  
Vol 24 (S1) ◽  
pp. 1-1
Author(s):  
S.M. Samimi-Ardestani

Background:The attitudes of medical students toward psychiatry have been studied extensively in other countries. A positive attitude to psychiatry may make future doctors more responsive to the psychological needs and comorbidity of patients in all branches of medicine.Purpose:The purpose of this study was to examine whether attitudes toward psychiatry improved during psychiatric attachment as well as the relationship between attitudes to psychiatry and intention to pursue psychiatry as a career.Methods:On the first and last day of their psychiatric attachment 109 fifth year medical students of SBMU were asked to participate in the study. They completed a demographic form and “Attitude toward Psychiatry Questionnaire”. They also responded to two questions which measured their intention to pursue psychiatry as a prospective career.Results:Students had favorable attitude toward psychiatry before the attachment with mean score of 84.14 on Attitude to Psychiatry Questionnaire (neutral score 72). These attitudes become more positive after attachment. Students’ intention to pursue psychiatry as a career increased during attachment (t=-4.85 df =107 p=0.000). Improvement in attitudes was related to an increased intention to pursue psychiatry as a career (rho=0.170 n=109 p=0.032).Conclusions:The study confirms earlier reports of a significant positive impact of undergraduate psychiatric attachment on medical students’ attitudes toward psychiatry and their intention to pursue psychiatry. Thus, teaching psychiatry at an undergraduate level may well have important implications.


2008 ◽  
Vol 102 (3) ◽  
pp. 791-796 ◽  
Author(s):  
James E. Weber ◽  
Paula S. Weber ◽  
Barney L. Craven

As service-learning projects have spread throughout academia, efforts to assess the service-learning experience have assumed a greater importance. The BERSI scale (Business Education's Role in addressing Social Issues) was developed as a measure of business students' attitudes toward social issues being addressed as part of a business education. As such, it was intended to be useful in assessing attitudinal outcomes of service learning. In order for the BERSI to be useful for nonbusiness students, the scale would need to be reconceptualized and revalidated. This study modified the BERSI items with a focus on college students in general rather than business students, making the resulting scale, College Education's Role in addressing Social Issues (CERSI), potentially helpful to service-learning researchers in a broader setting. The CERSI scale was then validated using standard techniques and normative data were reported.


1994 ◽  
Vol 75 (3) ◽  
pp. 1123-1129 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald J. Burke

This investigation examined gender-role orientations and attitudes towards women as managers among a sample of 194 Canadian business students. 71 female and 123 male undergraduate and graduate students provided data using anonymously completed questionnaires. The men exhibited significantly more negative attitudes towards women as managers than did the women. Students scoring higher on the Masculinity scale of the Bern Sex-role Inventory also had more negative attitudes towards women as managers. Potential costs of such attitudes as well as needed educational reforms in university business programs are mentioned.


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