This card presents the instruction materials that simultaneously build students’ entrepreneurial mindset (EM) and the skillset of Design of Experiments.  Direct and indirect assessments of the EM outcomes are also presented.

In engineering, many complex processes cannot be modeled with simple mathematical equations derived from theory.  Design of Experiments is an approach that allows engineers to develop a phenomenological model describing the empirical relationship between the effects and results. I usually use a two-project sequence or “DOE Take 2” approach in teaching DOE.  In the first project, students are given a catapult system and follow a tutorial to develop a DOE model.  Using the DOE model, students can predict the effects of setting parameters of the catapult on the throw distance of the projectile.  In the second project, often as a final project of the semester, students must propose another complex system/process and apply their newly acquired DOE skills to a new context.  I usually post a list of DOE applications to show the scope of practical problems that DOE can solve.  Over my years of teaching DOE, I observed that students struggled to develop their original DOE ideas.  They often chose some worked-out examples on my list, among which baking cookies and making paper airplanes are the most popular. 

To inspire students to come up with their original DOE ideas in the second DOE project, I developed an entrepreneurial-minded learning (EML) module that aims at cultivating students’ mindset of opportunity recognition.  The module includes (1) A motivational talk on EML to introduce three ways to recognize an opportunity, with in-class activity focusing mainly on ‘pain-storming.’ (2) a Canvas discussion board assignment on ‘pain-storming,’ where students post a photo essay of one’ pain point’/problem they observe in the local community or surrounding environment and their proposed solution to the problem.  They also need to comment on at least two other students’ posts.  I also add the requirement to the second DOE project that students must solve a real-life problem by serving a customer/sponsor using their DOE skills. 

The two DOE projects and the EM module were integrated as a part of a junior-level Engineering Physics course focusing on metrology and experimental design.  I ran the Situational Motivation Scale (SIMS) surveys to assess the types of students’ motivation at two points in a semester: after the ‘pain-storming’ discussion board assignment and after the proposal assignment for the second DOE project.  Initial results show that students’ motivation shifted from externally driven to intrinsic types, which is a positive confirmation of mindset change toward curiosity, connection, and creating value.  I also witnessed increased original ideas for the second DOE project.