Improving entrepreneurial skills through problem-based learning on sus-tainability

Engineering success comes not only from technical prowess but also through a spirit of innovation and an awareness of the business context of engineering ventures. Thus it is vital that engineering students are prepared for this environment and given opportunities to develop a fuller set of skills necessary to contribute to business success. This paper discusses a problem-based learning (PBL) module on the topic of sustainability which sought to develop students' abilities in and sense of the importance of collaboration, market analysis, innovative problem solving, as well as other entrepreneurial skills. Sustainability is an ideal topic for such a study, providing timely and meaningful means for exercising these skills. This module, supported by a grant from the Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network (KEEN), was co-developed and implemented by mechanical engineering faculty at four U.S. universities. The effectiveness of the module was assessed in part using a pre- and post-survey in which students rated the importance of and their own ability in a number of facets of entrepreneurial skill. A description of the project and analysis of survey results is included.