Experiential Learning as a Tool for Deep Collaboration Between Business and  Engineering Majors

Philip Appiah-Kubi; Melissa McCabe; Vincent Lewis; Rebecca Blust; James Brothers; Phil Doepker

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Conference: 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Publication Date: August 23, 2022
Start Date: June 26, 2022
End Date: June 29, 2022
Conference Session: Cooperative and Experiential Education Division Technical Session 1
Page Count: 13
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--40434
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/40434
Download Count: 282

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Paper Authors

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Philip Appiah-Kubi University of Dayton

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Dr. Appiah-Kubi is an Associate Professor at the University of Dayton (Department of Engineering Management, Systems, and Technology). He has a Ph.D. in Industrial and Systems Engineering and a master's degree in Aviation Systems and Flight Testing from Ohio University and The University of Tennessee, respectively. He also has a graduate certificate in Engineering Management. His research interests lie in engineering pedagogy, data analytics, and supply chain management.

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Abstract

WIP: Collaboration in higher education has seen many improvements in recent years. Programs that used to operate in silos incorporate some form of collaboration in their curriculum. However, there is still the need to expand interdisciplinary collaborations through experiential learning. The University of XXX(blinded) received a generous donation from an alumnus to support multidisciplinary collaboration between engineering and business majors through experiential learning. Consequently, the XXX(blinded) program was instituted to allow students to engage in multidisciplinary collaborations. The focus was to acquire and enhance their entrepreneurial and innovation skills. Through the XXX program, startup companies provide projects for multidisciplinary teams of students to execute. Each student puts in10 hours (paid by the XXX(blinded program) each week. The startup companies have no financial obligation as the students are paid from the XXX(blinded) fund. The students also take a 2-credit hour course which incorporates lecture series and other weekly academic engagements. This course's goal is to help the students understand the engineering and business needs of bringing out a product and starting and running a company. From his experience in managing a family-owned business, the donor was convinced that supporting such deep collaborative efforts may help break the silos and create value for startup companies in the community. This work in progress paper discusses the XXX (blinded) experiential learning program at the University of XXX(blinded). We will present a narrative of the framework used in developing the Program, initial assessment, and feedback from various stakeholders, which may be helpful for institutions that may want to start a similar program. Generally, the experience has been positive and impactful for the students, the donor, and the industrial clients. The initial feedback from the clients shows that the program is creating value for their startup companies. Consequently, the program received an additional donation of $100,000.

Citation
Format

Appiah-Kubi, P., & McCabe, M., & Lewis, V., & Blust, R., & Brothers, J., & Doepker, P. (2022, August), Experiential Learning as a Tool for Deep Collaboration Between Business and Engineering Majors Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN. 10.18260/1-2--40434

TY - CPAPER
AB - WIP: Collaboration in higher education has seen many improvements in recent years. Programs that used to operate in silos incorporate some form of collaboration in their curriculum. However, there is still the need to expand interdisciplinary collaborations through experiential learning. The University of XXX(blinded) received a generous donation from an alumnus to support multidisciplinary collaboration between engineering and business majors through experiential learning. Consequently, the XXX(blinded) program was instituted to allow students to engage in multidisciplinary collaborations. The focus was to acquire and enhance their entrepreneurial and innovation skills. Through the XXX program, startup companies provide projects for multidisciplinary teams of students to execute. Each student puts in10 hours (paid by the XXX(blinded program) each week. The startup companies have no financial obligation as the students are paid from the XXX(blinded) fund. The students also take a 2-credit hour course which incorporates lecture series and other weekly academic engagements. This course's goal is to help the students understand the engineering and business needs of bringing out a product and starting and running a company. From his experience in managing a family-owned business, the donor was convinced that supporting such deep collaborative efforts may help break the silos and create value for startup companies in the community. This work in progress paper discusses the XXX (blinded) experiential learning program at the University of XXX(blinded). We will present a narrative of the framework used in developing the Program, initial assessment, and feedback from various stakeholders, which may be helpful for institutions that may want to start a similar program. Generally, the experience has been positive and impactful for the students, the donor, and the industrial clients. The initial feedback from the clients shows that the program is creating value for their startup companies. Consequently, the program received an additional donation of $100,000.
AU - Philip Appiah-Kubi
AU - Melissa McCabe
AU - Vincent Lewis
AU - Rebecca Blust
AU - James Brothers
AU - Phil Doepker
CY - Minneapolis, MN
DA - 2022/08/23
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Experiential Learning as a Tool for Deep Collaboration Between Business and Engineering Majors
UR - https://peer.asee.org/40434
DO - 10.18260/1-2--40434
ER -