Student Entrepreneurs: A Reality-Based Video Series following the STEM Virtual Enterprise

Building on a successful track record to infuse soft-skills and entrepreneurship into STEM courses, Advanced Technological Education Television (ATETV), Baruch College, the Institute for Virtual Enterprise (IVE) at the City University of New York (CUNY), and Pellet Productions, Inc. are developing a series of web videos that depict students from four community colleges creating science and technology businesses, using the NSF/ATE-funded STEM Virtual Enterprise (STEM-VE) pedagogy. In this model, students assume the roles of members of business enterprises and operate their businesses face-to-face in teams. STEM-VE is a modular, active-learning pedagogical framework for delivering the content of existing IT, biotechnology and electronics courses and teaching technical, business and interpersonal skills within the context of an entrepreneurial experience.

The videos being developed have three primary audiences and serve different purposes: 1) as a catalyst for interest in STEM entrepreneurship among STEM and business students, 2) as an instructional tool for entrepreneurial education within the STEM classroom, and 3) as a professional development series for faculty seeking to incorporate entrepreneurial components into their STEM classes. The first set of videos consist of dramatic and engaging reality-TV style videos showcasing students in STEM-VE classes engaged in various hands-on, real-world STEM business enterprise activities within their virtual firms. These videos are designed to stimulate other students' interest in and excitement about working with STEM enterprises. The project is also producing professional development videos showing faculty how to incorporate similar VE content and activities into their curricula, that students can also view in those classrooms.

Formative assessment guides video development in the project using input from both students and faculty. The project adds to the body of evaluation results on effective practices in STEM-VE entrepreneurship education by tracking the gains in students' learning. Wide dissemination is accomplished through high visibility with other ATE Centers (many of whose directors serve on the advisory board) and through the websites of ATE TV.