MGT/ENGE/IDS 4094: Startup: Commercialization of Innovation
Led by professors from Management, Engineering, and Industrial Design, students taking MGT/ENGE/IDS 4094 - StartUp: Commerciation of Innovation work in an experiential learning environment in interdisciplinary teams to engage in real world innovation commercialization opportunities. This includes working with inventors, scientists, entrepreneurs, and other potential collaborators to integrate design thinking, lean startup methods, ethical reasoning, and business model development.
Why take it?
With individual experiences and projects involving actual inventions, innovations, technologies, intellectual property, and market opportunities, the course provides students with the skills they need to succeed in a job market that is increasingly interdisciplinary.
This course fulfills a requirement in the Innovation Pathways Minor.
Requirements
There are no prerequisites for this course.
This course fulfills requirements in Reasoning in the Social Sciences and Ethical Reasoning.
How do instructors feel about teaching the class?
"I enjoyed teaching The Startup class because it aligns well with my multidisciplinary background. I was particularly excited teaching the course because I could use my business degree but also apply my industry experience and particularly my expertise in engineering design. What was also appealing to me is, that the course is part of the innovation minor and to me that creates an opportunity to offer learning environment that supports developing and enhancing students creativity."
What are student perceptions of the class?
Students in the class describe it as “unique” and “interactive” and “collaborative” when asked to reflect on their experiences for course evaluations. Some even note their changing perspectives over the course of the semester:
“The length of class can seem daunting at first. Then as we develop our startup throughout the semester we begin wishing that we had more time.”
Who is this class for?
Open to students from all majors, the course explores how innovation and development of new technologies require collaboration across different fields. Dr. Bairaktarova highlights this as one of the strengths of the course:
“I loved the diversity of the students in the Startup class. My class represented a beautiful tapestry not only because students were from three different colleges at VT, but because they were mixed from around the globe. It makes it easier to discuss and work on global issues and learn about commercialization of new technologies."
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