2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Work in Progress: Examining the KEEN 3Cs Framework Using Content Analysis and Expert Review

Presented at Entrepreneurship & Engineering Innovation Division (ENT) Technical Session 5: Exploring and Re-Examining Ideas in Engineering Entrepreneurship and Innovation Education

The KEEN 3Cs (Curiosity, Connections, and Creating Value) framework for entrepreneurial mindset was developed by the Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network (KEEN) to guide curriculum development, faculty professional development, and student-related initiatives when seeking to integrate entrepreneurial mindset into engineering education. The KEEN 3Cs have also been used to characterize the attributes associated with an entrepreneurial mindset (EM). Despite growing popularity and acceptance in the practitioner community, there is a lack of explicit connections between the included constructs and broader theoretical literature.

The current study is part of a larger project to provide a theoretical foundation for the KEEN 3Cs framework and the operationalization of its constructs. A content analysis of the Curiosity, Connections, and Creating Value pages on the KEEN Engineering Unleashed website was conducted to characterize the state of the 3Cs as defined by KEEN contributors. Artifacts consisted of KEEN cards (i.e., faculty-created, dynamic resources that share modules, projects, classes, and labs), academic research papers, and videos on the website. Themes for each C were identified based on this content analysis resulting in a list of key terms that were subsequently used in interviews to obtain reactions from KEEN legacy leaders. Participants were first asked to provide their definition of each C as it pertains to the entrepreneurial mindset. They were subsequently shown the list of emergent key terms to elicit feedback and reactions about which themes resonated with them as related to the 3Cs and which themes they believed may have less alignment. The preliminary findings identified consistencies as well as variations between the key terms generated for each C and the opinions of the participating KEEN legacy leaders. These findings reinforce the necessity of building a theoretical grounding for the 3Cs framework to benefit stakeholders within and outside the KEEN community.

Authors

Mr. Sanjeev M. Kavale http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3338-8526 Arizona State University [biography]

Sanjeev Kavale is currently a Ph.D. student in Engineering Education Systems and Design (EESD) at Arizona State University (ASU). His research interests are mindsets and their applicability in engineering, outcomes-based education, and problem / project-based learning. He is having a teaching experience of 11 years and an industry experience of 2 years prior to joining PhD.
Ms. Alexandra Mary Jackson http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4662-6653 Rowan University [biography]

Alexandra Jackson is a second year PhD student at Rowan University seeking a specialization in Engineering Education. She began her research in Rowan's Experiential Engineering Education Department in the Fall of 2019, and has developed interests in entrepreneurial mindset and student development. In particular, she is interested in assessment of entrepreneurial mindset through quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods, and is currently working in survey, concept map, and narrative inquiry assessment. She was awarded an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship in April, 2022, and aspires to continue in the research field and work for a university as a research professor and advisor.
Dr. Cheryl A. Bodnar Rowan University [biography]

Dr. Bodnar is an Associate Professor in the Experiential Engineering Education Department at Rowan University. Her research interests relate to the incorporation of active learning techniques such as game-based learning in undergraduate classes as well as innovation and entrepreneurship.
Dr. Samantha Ruth Brunhaver http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8607-5959 Arizona State University [biography]

Samantha Brunhaver, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor within The Polytechnic School of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University. Her primary areas of research include engineering career pathways and decision-making, undergraduate student persistence, professional engineering practice, and faculty mentorship. Brunhaver graduated with her B.S. in mechanical engineering from Northeastern University and her M.S. and Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Stanford University.
Dr. Adam R. Carberry http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0041-7060 Arizona State University [biography]

Dr. Adam Carberry is an associate professor at Arizona State University in the Fulton Schools of Engineering, The Polytechnic School. He earned a B.S. in Materials Science Engineering from Alfred University, and received his M.S. and Ph.D., both from Tufts University, in Chemistry and Engineering Education respectively. His research investigates the development of new classroom innovations, assessment techniques, and identifying new ways to empirically understand how engineering students and educators learn. He currently serves as the Graduate Program Chair for the Engineering Education Systems and Design Ph.D. program. He is also the immediate past chair of the Research in Engineering Education Network (REEN) and a deputy editor for the Journal of Engineering Education (JEE). Prior to joining ASU he was a graduate research assistant at the Tufts’ Center for Engineering Education and Outreach.
Dr. Prateek Shekhar http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6552-2887 New Jersey Institute of Technology [biography]

Prateek Shekhar is an Assistant Professor - Engineering Education at New Jersey Institute of Technology. His research is focused on examining translation of engineering education research in practice, assessment and evaluation of dissemination initiatives and educational programs in engineering disciplines. He holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, M.S. in Electrical Engineering from University of Southern California and B.S. in Electronics and Communication Engineering from India.

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