2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

There are many underserved communities in Ecuador where there is an opportunity to provide support for further economic development. During a Fulbright grant from April to August 2023, the author developed and implemented a short course on sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship. The author laid the groundwork for the course by visiting communities in Barcelona and Sinchal, on the coast of Ecuador about two hours from Guayaquil. The course was then taught over a four-week period to students at XXX University during July 2023. Students were introduced to topics such as value proposition, the business model canvas, the KEEN 3 C’s framework on entrepreneurial mindset. The students made a trip to the communities of Barcelona and Sinchal following the second week of the course to explore possible business development opportunities within these communities. After brainstorming ideas, developing business concepts, refining their business concepts, the students went back to the communities in the fourth week of the class to present their ideas. Two business concepts were selected by the community members for further development. The author is now working with the students remotely from his home institution to help with the implementation of these new businesses.
A description of the course, how it builds on other sustainable development course approaches, and reviews and feedback of the course from the students will be presented in this paper.