KEEN 2020 Annual Report

7 “Using the Makerspace, students were responsible for all of the elements of the projects, not just the design portion. They now know how to implement a design from idea to fabrication.” SPOTLIGHT ON CULTURE KEEN Workshops Motivate Faculty Through the efforts of a very active core KEEN leadership team, the University of New Haven (UNH) has approached integrating entrepreneurial mindset (EM) with both curric- ulum modules and student activities as its main ingredi- ents since joining the Network in 2011. UNH uses material from and contributes to the Network in order to strength- en its programs and influence. UNH has led the way in integrating EM into student cul- ture. In addition to EM-infused course work, engineering students can take advantage of a living learning commu- nity (E2LLC) where they can build a portfolio of work that leads to recognition during graduation. UNH leaders also created a multi-day hackathon that ensures students “sit” A student in University of New Haven’s Intro to Engineering course works on an early stage prototype. in the opportunity space before jumping into design, and they adapted an extra-curricular activity called Imagina- tion Quest from fellow KEEN partner, Villanova University. For faculty engagement, UNH leverages the power of KEEN conferences and workshops. The UNH KEEN leaders encourage faculty to attend KEEN events and there is a plan when faculty return. As faculty come back bursting with multiple ideas and at peak levels of enthusiasm, the UNH team coaches them to quickly implement what they’ve learned. After the faculty taste the success of their efforts, many become “EML Champions” within their departments. For example, in 2019, Dr. Goli Nossoni attended an Engi- neering Unleashed Faculty Development National Work- shop. Returning to UNH, she incorporated a small scale “P3 EPA” project (People, Prosperity, and the Planet) into her Sustainability, Ethics, and Professional Issues course. In the project, students had to design and build “some- thing” in the makerspace to improve the living quality in remote areas. As a warm up to using equipment in the makerspace, the students made environmentally-friendly shopping bags. The project was well-received as it was fun and provided several educational insights. Dr. Stephanie Gillespie also attended a National Work- shop in 2019, which inspired her to redesign the UNH first- year Introduction to Engineering course to incorporate a making component. The exercise to design and build a prototype of a solution for a transportation challenge was a hit with the students and made them comfortable with learning by doing. The students used CAD, Ardui- (Continued on page 8)