Playing in the Sandbox: Developing Entrepreneurial Mindset Communication Skills in Introductory Programming Students

Stephany Coffman-Wolph; John K. Estell

Download Paper | Permalink

Conference: 2022 ASEE - North Central Section Conference
Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Publication Date: March 18, 2022
Start Date: March 18, 2022
End Date: April 4, 2022
Tagged Topic: Diversity
Page Count: 12
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--39256
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/39256
Download Count: 310

Paper Authors

biography

Stephany Coffman-Wolph Ohio Northern University

visit author page

Dr. Stephany Coffman-Wolph is an Assistant Professor at Ohio Northern University in the Department of Electrical, Computer Engineering, and Computer Science (ECCS). Research interests include: Artificial Intelligence, Fuzzy Logic, Game Theory, Teaching Computer Science, STEM Outreach, Increasing diversity in STEM (women and first generation), and Software Engineering.

visit author page

biography

John K. Estell Ohio Northern University

visit author page

Dr. John K. Estell is Professor of Computer Engineering and Computer Science at Ohio Northern University, where he teaches first-year programming and user interface design courses. He earned his BSCSE in computer science and engineering from The University of Toledo and both his MS and PhD in computer science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He believes that effective learning occurs when students are provided with active, hands-on experiences that tie real-world practice with theory. Much of his current research involves design education pedagogy, including applying the entrepreneurial mindset to first-year programming projects by developing educational software applications for real-world clients, and streamlining outcomes assessment processes.

Service to others plays a large role in his life; currently, Dr. Estell is a member of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Board of Directors as Chair of the Professional Interest Council (PIC) III. He has previously held multiple ASEE leadership positions within the First-Year Programs and Computers in Education divisions, and with the Interdivisional Cooperation and Interdivisional Town Hall Committees. Dr. Estell was elected in 2016 as a Fellow of ASEE in recognition of the breadth, richness, and quality of his contributions to the betterment of engineering education. He has received multiple ASEE Annual Conference Best Paper awards from the Computers in Education, First-Year Programs, and Design in Engineering Education Divisions. He has also been recognized by ASEE as the recipient of the 2005 Merl K. Miller Award and by the Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network (KEEN) with the 2018 ASEE Best Card Award. Dr. Estell received the ASEE First-Year Programs Division’s Distinguished Service Award in 2019.

Dr. Estell is also active within the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). He has been an ABET Expert since 2010, starting as a Program Evaluator (PEV) for both Computer Engineering and Computer Science. He served as a Computing Accreditation Commission (CAC) Commissioner from 2013 to 2021, including being on the CAC Executive Committee from 2016-19, and commenced serving as an Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) Commissioner in 2021. He has been on the Accreditation Council Training Committee since 2016, including serving as the PEV Training Subcommittee Chair since 2018. Estell has also been a regular presenter at the ABET Symposium since 2003, being an invited speaker on assessment and accreditation practices on several occasions. Dr. Estell was elected in 2021 as an ABET Fellow for his sustained contributions focused on harmonization across commissions.

Dr. Estell is a co-founder and Vice President of The Pledge of the Computing Professional, an organization promoting the notion of computing as a recognized profession at the time of graduation for students in computing-related programs.

visit author page

Download Paper | Permalink

Abstract

As one of the charter institutions of the Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network (KEEN), the College of Engineering has been at the forefront of incorporating elements of the entrepreneurial mindset (EM) into all of its programs’ curricula. EM is a multi-faceted concept comprising a wide range of attitudes, characteristics, skills, and traits such as adaptability, creativity, critical thinking, curiosity, empathy, innovation, risk-taking, and value creation. As with other competencies, EM is most likely to accumulate if encountered throughout the curriculum instead of presented as a single activity in a single course. Accordingly, multiple first-year courses were selected for introducing various EM competencies, including the second introductory programming course (CS2) taken by both computer engineering and computer science majors.

For many years, CS2 has had a culminating design experience focused on educational software application development. When the decision was made to incorporate EM-based learning, this term project was modified to include real-world clients with educational outreach needs. This incorporated three critical aspects of EM: the curiosity associated with an open-ended problem, making connections through a variety of informational sources, and creating value for others. However, this course modification exposed an unexpected complication: students experiencing significant discomfort when communicating with clients. To address this, a series of communicative tools were added, being introduced to the students before any meaningful client interactions by using a “sandbox” approach. Among the tools are two models originally developed for use by entrepreneurs. The NABC (an acronym for Needs, Approach, Benefits, and Competition) model is used for identifying important needs and proposing methods of value creation, and can be used as the basis for forming elevator pitches. The Minimum Viable Product (MVP) model is used as a visual form of engagement where the bare essentials of an early prototype are shown to clients for soliciting feedback, allowing for design misconceptions to be caught and corrected early on in the development process. By “playing in the sandbox,” students can apply these EM models along with other tools in a judgment-free environment, having the freedom to fail gracefully and in private before meeting with their clients.

The paper associated with this abstract will first provide background on competency-based education and the incorporation of EM into undergraduate engineering curricula. Following an overview of the CS2 course, the various communication tools will be presented along with how they are utilized in the sandbox through means of a project case study where instructors play the role of clients. Results in the form of both quantitative and qualitative assessment data will be provided, including student comments and instructor reflection. Finally, a materials repository will be made available for those readers interested in adopting developed materials.

Citation
Format

Coffman-Wolph, S., & Estell, J. K. (2022, March), Playing in the Sandbox: Developing Entrepreneurial Mindset Communication Skills in Introductory Programming Students Paper presented at 2022 ASEE - North Central Section Conference, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 10.18260/1-2--39256

TY - CPAPER
AB - As one of the charter institutions of the Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network (KEEN), the College of Engineering has been at the forefront of incorporating elements of the entrepreneurial mindset (EM) into all of its programs’ curricula. EM is a multi-faceted concept comprising a wide range of attitudes, characteristics, skills, and traits such as adaptability, creativity, critical thinking, curiosity, empathy, innovation, risk-taking, and value creation. As with other competencies, EM is most likely to accumulate if encountered throughout the curriculum instead of presented as a single activity in a single course. Accordingly, multiple first-year courses were selected for introducing various EM competencies, including the second introductory programming course (CS2) taken by both computer engineering and computer science majors.

For many years, CS2 has had a culminating design experience focused on educational software application development. When the decision was made to incorporate EM-based learning, this term project was modified to include real-world clients with educational outreach needs. This incorporated three critical aspects of EM: the curiosity associated with an open-ended problem, making connections through a variety of informational sources, and creating value for others. However, this course modification exposed an unexpected complication: students experiencing significant discomfort when communicating with clients. To address this, a series of communicative tools were added, being introduced to the students before any meaningful client interactions by using a “sandbox” approach. Among the tools are two models originally developed for use by entrepreneurs. The NABC (an acronym for Needs, Approach, Benefits, and Competition) model is used for identifying important needs and proposing methods of value creation, and can be used as the basis for forming elevator pitches. The Minimum Viable Product (MVP) model is used as a visual form of engagement where the bare essentials of an early prototype are shown to clients for soliciting feedback, allowing for design misconceptions to be caught and corrected early on in the development process. By “playing in the sandbox,” students can apply these EM models along with other tools in a judgment-free environment, having the freedom to fail gracefully and in private before meeting with their clients.

The paper associated with this abstract will first provide background on competency-based education and the incorporation of EM into undergraduate engineering curricula. Following an overview of the CS2 course, the various communication tools will be presented along with how they are utilized in the sandbox through means of a project case study where instructors play the role of clients. Results in the form of both quantitative and qualitative assessment data will be provided, including student comments and instructor reflection. Finally, a materials repository will be made available for those readers interested in adopting developed materials.

AU - Stephany Coffman-Wolph
AU - John K. Estell
CY - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
DA - 2022/03/18
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Playing in the Sandbox: Developing Entrepreneurial Mindset Communication Skills in Introductory Programming Students
UR - https://peer.asee.org/39256
DO - 10.18260/1-2--39256
ER -