KEENzine2

7 EML ISSUE TWO opportunities, and interact socially to initiate, organize and manage ventures.” “[Entrepreneurial learning] is a dynamic process of awareness, reflection, association, and application that involves transforming experience and knowledge into functional learning outcomes (Rae 2006).” “Entrepreneurial learning is hence complex and interconnected with a somewhat ad hoc approach to formal learning and a heavy reliance on experiential learning (Warren 2004). … This learning cannot and should not be divorced from the specific context, including organizational context, within which it takes place.” This student-centered pedagogy allows students to learn through the experience of identifying opportunities to create value. They develop both thinking strategies and domain knowledge. This approach originates from a school of thought where engineering, business, and societal interests converge. EML encompasses all modes of opportunity identification, including gap analysis, recognition of a mismatch between supply and demand, creative use of new or existing technologies, new opportunities arising from societal and economic trends, etc. One EML learning mode redefines problems as opportunities to create valuable solutions for a new or existing market (perhaps incorporating problem-based learning). The goal is to help students develop methods of integrating knowledge, identifying opportunities, performing self-directed and continuous learning, and learning effective skills that support enterprising behavior. EML is a style of constructivist and active learning, and the constructs differ markedly from traditional classroom teaching. Is there really a need for another pedagogical approach? Definitely. EML fills an important gap in the suite of tools available to engineering instructors. Emphasizing the creation of value in engineering students’ education provides a much needed bridge to a bright future, both for students and for the society they will inhabit. PEDAGOGY EMPHASIS SBL Subject-Based Learning Students learn in a variety of settings, but the focus is mastery of domain knowledge. EL Experiential Learning Students learn through direct experience in a domain (learn by doing). PBL Project-Based Learning Students learn domain and contextual knowledge from an instructional approach utilizing multifaceted projects as a central organizing strategy. ACL Active/Collaborative Learning Students learn through peer interaction. CBL Case-Based Learning Students learn domain knowledge and decision-making processes employed by experienced professionals in a historical case. PBL Problem-Based Learning Students determine the information, strategies, and domain knowledge required to solve the problem. EML Entrepreneurially Minded Learning Students learn to create value, gathering and assimilating information to discover opportunities or insights for further action.