Course Instructors:
Tamie-Jo Dickinson, tdickinson@cvsdvt.org
Laurel Butler, lbutler@vtsbdc.org 802-922-3692
Entrepreneurship Across the Curriculum, Fall 2020
FULL COURSE DESCRIPTION & SYLLABUS
Full Course Description:
This course is for 8th grade – 12th grade (CTE/Secondary Educators) who want to integrate entrepreneurship education and financial literacy into the work they do with students. Participants will learn how to facilitate/teach students core business and financial literacy skills necessary for starting a business and becoming better informed consumers, citizens and/or members of the workforce. They will experience the provided curriculum, tweak it to meet the needs of their students, deliver the curriculum, and reflect and share the experience with others in the cohort.
As educators enter an uncertain schedule for the fall, this course will help support teachers as they move curriculum online. Through this class, teachers will enhance their ability to deliver curriculum in an online format, with the opportunity to share with and learn from one another. With all this said, the main goal is to integrate a curriculum that creates an “entrepreneurial mindset” in our students, empowering them to follow their passions. Course Topics to include: Innovation and Creativity (ideation); Marketing; Design Thinking; Finance (personal and business); Operations (managing, hiring, leadership, etc.); Building a Network (both business and colleagues); Effective On-line Teaching; Business Plan Development (Inc. business plan and pitching; and more.
Why learn and teach the entrepreneurial mindset?
- Those with an entrepreneurial mindset tend to:
- Believe in their ability to succeed and influence their own outcomes, empowering them to take ownership of their lives;
- Have compelling goals that keep them future-focused and intrinsically motivated, driving them to be self-directed, action-oriented, and highly engaged;
- Have an optimistic interpretation of adverse events and see problems as potential opportunities, becoming highly resilient, resourceful, and solution-oriented even within highly uncertain, resource constrained environments;
- Be lifelong knowledge seekers with a focus on micro-experiments as learning opportunities to test ideas, cultivating curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking;
- Display a high-level of reliability, understanding that following through on simple solutions can lead to unforeseen opportunity;
- Have a humanistic outlook, being other-focused and understanding that one creates value by looking to solve problems for others; and
- Surround themselves with an intentional community of positive influence and critical guidance
Entrepreneurship education benefits students from all socioeconomic backgrounds because it teaches students of all ages to think outside the box and nurtures unconventional talents and skills. Furthermore, it creates opportunity, ensures social justice, instills confidence and stimulates the economy. We cannot predict exactly what our students will need to know after they graduate. Entrepreneurship-focused programs teach students crucial life skills that will help them navigate this uncertain future. Furthermore, entrepreneurship education does not just benefit those entering the fields of science, technology, and business. Students of art, music, and humanities or any career pathway can develop their imagination and learn how to apply creative thinking skills to real-world problems.
Course Details:
- Number of Credits: 3
- Level: Graduate
- Audience: Educators, 8th-12th grade educators/CTE in all disciplines
- Course Code: EDU 5515 C06
- Dates: October – Mid-December 2020
- Format: Online with five remote meetings
- Saturday – October 3, 2020 at 9:30AM-12:00PM
- Thursday – October 22, 2020 at 6:00-8:00PM
- Saturday – November 7, 2020 at 9:30AM-12:00PM
- Thursday – November 19, 2020 at 6:00-8:00PM
- Saturday – December 12, 2020 at 9:30AM-12:00PM
*Dates & times are subject to change based upon student needs
Cost Structure:
3 Graduate Credits – $825
45 Hours of Professional Development (course only) – $500
Course Goals:
- Hone the ability to deliver curriculum in a remote/online format
- Learn how to view problems as opportunities and breakdown perceived obstacles to starting a business venture
- Acquire skills in idea generation, target markets, and the “value proposition”
- Learn how to develop strategies in sales and marketing, operations and financial projections
- Increase confidence as an entrepreneurial leader
- Grow a support network
Course Objectives:
By gathering like-minded teachers from around the state interested in helping their students learn how to navigate the entrepreneurial process, the teacher facilitators and guest presenters will incorporate highly effective, fun interactive learning experiences that can be integrated into their classes and/or programs of study using:
- Best practices in online content delivery
- REAL (Rural Entrepreneurship thru Action Learning) experiential learning curriculum & lesson activities
- The “Business Model Canvas” and Design Thinking
- Pitch Presentations, VtSBDC advising materials
- Documents of the team’s own personal design, many open source materials and more!
Whether your student’s goals are centered on future college success, preparation for the workforce, or enhancing their high school/career tech experience, learning to think like an entrepreneur has value for all. There is a business side to every career pathway: engineering, technology, design, health care, the arts, hospitality, education, agriculture, building and other trades and all other areas; the skills and confidence one gains from learning about and creating an “entrepreneurial mindset” will help them now and along their career pathway.
The course will help educators infuse in their teaching many of the elements that the VTAOE indicates make up the “Vermont Portrait of a (secondary) Graduate” as:
- Learner Agency
- Students take ownership of their own learning.
- Students develop their own voice and the ability to use it in a variety of settings.
- Global Citizenship
- Students recognize that our world is increasingly complex and interdependent.
- Academic Proficiency
- Students understand essential concepts in academic domains and apply this knowledge in authentic situations.
- Students ask questions effectively to acquire knowledge.
- Students acknowledge their growth and identify possibilities for continued learning.
- Well-Being
- Students have the knowledge necessary to make financially responsible decisions that are integral to their everyday lives.
- Critical Thinking & Problem Solving
- Students use inquiry to solve real-world problems with innovation, creativity and curiosity.
- Students participate in a collaborative problem-solving and decision-making process.
- Students evaluate information critically.
- Communication
- Students communicate effectively using oral, written and nonverbal (body language) strategies.
- Students communicate through a variety of media and create a positive digital footprint.
- Students take into consideration multiple points of view.
Required Readings/Texts: articles and resources found in the online classroom.
Other Suggested Readings/Texts: articles and resources found in the online classroom
Course Assignments & Expectations
Assignments: Online discussion posts, best practice research, Curriculum Implementation and Reflection project. See outline below.
Curriculum Implementation and Reflection Project:
Create a plan that works for you as a guide to implement two of the activities from each of the five modules into your curriculum. (Total of 10).
Include: (but not limited to)
- Assignment chosen. What class you will use it in and why.
. Modifications before implementation. Show your work.
- Rationale for the activities/scope and sequence, syllabus (e.g. how to accomplish?).
- Links to whatever standards/GLEs/Core Competencies your technical center, school or school
district requirements – can include how they tie in with PLP’s.
. Assessment strategies and rubric/scales you will use.
Students may submit creative ways of implementation (a copy of how you link to existing curricula for instance) that works for YOU to use in your classroom
Information from Castleton University
Grading Policy:
Grades are indicated by letters with a designated “quality point” value assigned to each as follows:
- A 4.0
- A- 3.7
- B+ 3.3
- B 3.0
- B- 2.7
- C+ 2.3
Additional grading information can be found in the 2019/2020 Castleton University Graduate Catalog, under Academic Policies, accessible online.
Academic Honesty Policy:
Castleton University is a learning institution committed to the highest standards of scholarly conduct. The students, faculty, and administration make up a scholarly community whose integrity and success necessarily stem from a mutually agreed upon code of academic standards and principles that promote trust and honesty and prohibit the attempt to gain unfair academic advantage. Membership in the Castleton community means sharing responsibility for upholding and safeguarding these academic standards and principles. Any violation of academic honesty will be considered cheating and will be dealt with accordingly by the appropriate authorities. For more information click the link to access the 2019/2020 Castleton University Graduate Catalog Academic Policy.
Use and Ownership of Copyrighted Materials:
For information and guidance, faculty and students are referred to the Vermont State College Manual of Policy and Procedures as it relates to the use and ownership of copyrighted materials. Guidelines are set out in Policy 416.
Additional information on this subject is contained in the publication “Questions and Answers on Copyright for the Campus Community.” This document can be accessed online on the National Association of College Stores website.
Accommodations:
Castleton is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified students with disabilities so that no such student shall, by reason of a disability, be excluded from participating in or be denied the benefits of the services, programs or activities of Castleton University.
For more information, please contact Kathy Perzanowski, Coordinator of Disability Services, at (802) 468-1428.
Course Drop Policy:
Castleton University offers courses to educators with the expectation participants will complete the course. However, the University realizes circumstances arise in one’s personal life that may cause disruptions. The policy for dropping a course is that a participant will notify the instructor in writing of the intent to withdraw from the course.
The notice should include the reason for withdrawing and be made as follows:
1 credit course (15 hours) – before 3 hours of the course have taken place
2 credit course (30 hours) – before 6 hours of the course have taken place
3 credit course (45 hours) – before 9 hours of the course have taken place
4 credit course (60 hours) – before 12 hours of the course have taken place
After that, changes in class status will be considered for health, bereavement, and personal or emergency situations only. Those who withdraw without adhering to this policy may be liable for associated course costs.
For more Academic Policy information check the link below to access the 2019/2020 Castleton University Graduate Catalog.
Transcript Request: Student Transcript Request