INCORPORATING ENTREPRENEURSHIP INTO MECHANICAL ENGINEERING AUTOMOTIVE COURSES: TWO CASE STUDIES

Engineering programs are often criticized for focusing solely on technical education while ignoring industry and business needs. In order to address this situation, entrepreneurial ideas were incorporated directly into existing engineering classes. Because many faculty members are not well versed in the "entrepreneurial mindset," Kettering University offers a series of entrepreneurship/innovation classes over the course of a term to faculty from all disciplines and departments. Armed with their newfound confidence and knowledge, these faculty members are then expected to incorporate these concepts and projects into existing courses. This paper provides information on the training and entrepreneurial techniques taught to the faculty and then on the incorporation of entrepreneurial ideas and assignments into two automotive courses offered in the Mechanical Engineering Department. The techniques used to convey the entrepreneurial ideas primarily come from the " Need-Approach-Benefits Competition" or NABC approach espoused by Carlson and Wilmot. 1 The successes and failures of the approaches are discussed. Examples are provided to illustrate how these ideas have been used to enhance the undergraduate learning experience. Since the university has a strong automotive focus, many of the examples cited pertain to that industry, but the concepts can be easily applied to other fields such as aerospace, power production, and alternative energy. In addition to enhancing undergraduate education, there are significant other benefits to this approach. For students, these ideas can be much more engaging than traditional classroom material and the exposure to the ideas of the " entrepreneurial mindset" helps to prepare them for careers in the fast paced society in which we live.