2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

The tenets of entrepreneurial-minded learning (EML) facilitate the connection between the understanding of fundamentals and applying such knowledge to develop solutions generating economic or social value. As a result, EML is a promising candidate for integrating entrepreneur and industry-oriented thinking into engineering education materials, which currently primarily provides a more research-oriented mindset. Current biomedical engineering (BMEG) pedagogies consist of problem-based learning (PBL) content. However, industry trends are beginning to necessitate increasingly quick and innovative thinking from engineers. The incorporation of EML, which was adapted from the Kern Foundation's existing framework, is of recent interest to provide students with relevant skills and develop their ability to use fundamental course concepts to create economic or societal value. We previously designed a semester-long EML project for a sophomore-level Biomechanics course and compared projects explicitly soliciting EML skills to a traditional project description. The resulting impact of the project demonstrated a significant increase in the target skills conferred by EML-specific content: the ability to make connections, create value, and curiosity.

The incorporation of entrepreneurship skills in biomedical engineering curricula is critical for promoting discovery and broadening student perspectives on industry applications. However, representation among inventors and engineers both in leadership positions in biomedical industries and in engineering education positions is heavily biased toward White and Asian males. Underrepresented minorities (URM), including women and first-generation college students, have been historically and are currently underserved in upper-level education systems. The consequences of such systemic bias, including the unintentional usage of exclusive educational materials, have a particularly negative impact in the biomedical engineering field because education inclusivity and the patients to which the field serves are limited for URMs.

To diagnose the impact of current EML course materials on URM students compared to well-represented groups, we distributed the EML-oriented version of our project to a new cohort of students and examined whether a significant differential in effectiveness was conferred. The study was approved by the University of Arkansas Institutional Review Board (IRB protocol #2012306631). Preliminary data qualitatively suggests that the development of EML skills is reduced in URM and FGC groups. Due to the broad overall impact of the project on developing student EML skills, we are continuing to incorporate this project into our coursework and will further analyze the impact of current EML implementations on a larger sample size of underrepresented groups. These data will inform the types of improvements that are needed to best promote diversity within BMEG students and increase the availability of EML skills for URMs. Following analysis of a larger sample size, course material inclusivity will be further examined on a larger scale in multiple course modules intending to impart EML skills. This work will broadly investigate and seek to improve entrepreneurship across URM groups in engineering education. With the guidance of this study, we will enrich the BMEG curriculum and develop supplementary extracurricular activities targeted for URMs. These efforts will serve to decrease disparities between the value URMs derive from a college education.