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Creativity for entrepreneurs

Techent 901:

Core Course

3 month module [50 hours of learning time]

Study Plan | Assignments | Study Details | Sample Course Material | Qualifications

TE901

This course is designed to unleash the creativity within the person and build confidence in one’s abilities as a creator. It will provide a perspective on creativity as well as activities and assignments that open creative channels and break down barriers to such the learner. It will lay the groundwork for further entrepreneurial development (and thus the Tech and Creative Entrepreneur series) in the learner by empowering them through unbinding creative energy and through providing them with confidence. Through most of the course the learners will operate on their own, often in reflection on their own persons. eLearners will be assessed primarily through bulletin board postings and a creative assignment at the end of the course. This work will lay the groundwork for of the other courses, especially TechEnt 902, 904 and 918. Only “Pass” or “Fail” marks will be given. 50 hours of learning time.

Opportunity Assessment

Techent 903:

Core Course

3 month module [50 hours of learning time]

Study Plan | Assignments | Study Details | Sample Course Material | Qualifications

TE903

This course follows naturally 902 “ Opportunity Discovery” and moves the learner on to the assessment of an already discovered opportunity. Using models such as Mullin’s Seven Forces and Porter’s Five Forces, the learner will analyze the opportunity for its viability in the “real world”. Here the learners. eLearners will be assessed primarily through bulletin board postings and an opportunity assessment report at the end of the course. Only “Pass” or “Fail” marks will be given. This work will lay the groundwork for the “business planning course” 904, formally named “Entrepreneurial Strategy and Resource Acquisition”. 50 hours of learning time.

Opportunity Discovery: Market Research and the Ethnographic Method

Techent 902:

Core Course

6 month module [100 hours of learning time]

Study Plan | Assignments | Study Details | Sample Course Material | Qualifications

TE902

This course is designed to provide an overview of the opportunity discovery process for entrepreneurs. It will cover various types of market research methods, both quantitative and qualitative, that are used by entrepreneurs in the discovery process. The course will then lead the learner to focus in particular on the ethnographic method of research. Learners will seek out situations to engage as participant-observers and “live in the shoes of a potential customer” in order to understand problems and opportunities for the customer’s perspective. Such projects may be undertaken in either the real or virtual worlds. eLearners will be assessed primarily through bulletin board postings and a market research / ethnographic study report at the end of the course. Only “Pass” or “Fail” marks will be given. This work will lay the groundwork for the Opportunity Assessment course TechEnt 903. 100 hours of learning time.

Design for Entrepreneurs

Techent 918:

Optional and Substitutable course

3 month module [either 25 or 50 hours of total learning time]

Study Plan | Assignments | Study Details | Sample Course Material | Qualifications

TE918

This course will explore the issue of design from the entrepreneur’s perspective. It is intended to be useful in terms of the entire entrepreneurial process from discovering opportunities to product development to business modeling. eLearners will be assessed through bulletin board postings and a design project at the end of the course. Only “Pass” or “Fail” marks will be given. The course is optional and highly recommended, but may also be substituted for another course in the series. 50 hours of total learning time.

Entrepreneurial Strategy and Resource Acquisition

Techent 904:

Core Course

3 month module [100 hours of learning time]

Study Plan | Assignments | Study Details | Sample Course Material | Qualifications

TE904

This is the “business planning” course in the series. Here the learner, having discovered (902) and assessed (903) an opportunity, will embark on the creative (901) planning of the new venture. The course will cover the basic strategy-related areas that an entrepreneur needs such as marketing and sales, human resources, and finance. Also, it will cover the basics of negotiation, presentation and pitching in the context of high technology ventures. eLearners will be assessed solely on the production of a written business plan and slide presentation that will be submitted within a three months of the end of the course. Only “Pass” or “Fail” marks will be given. 100 hours of learning time.

Technology Entrepreneur Online [TechEnt] delivers a series of short online courses on the subject of technology entrepreneurship. Specifically, these courses are for technology entrepreneurs or those interested in learning more about how to discover and assess opportunities, form new ventures, and plan and execute strategies that will lead to successful high growth businesses. The course development effort leverages online resources that have been built over four years by the Edinburgh-Stanford Link at the University of Edinburgh, as well as online content provided by both the Educator's Corner of the Stanford Technology Ventures Program [STVP] at Stanford University, and the eClips site of Cornell University. TechEnt is an effort of collaboration between the School of Informatics (in particular the Prospekt programme), and the Edinburgh-Stanford Link. Initially, its goal is to provide technology entrepreneurship education to students and staff of the Scottish Informatics Computer Science Alliance [SICSA]. TechEnt is founded and built by a team of associates from the Edinburgh-Stanford Link in 2007.

SICSA is supported by the Scottish Funding Council , and is expanding by including world-class individuals and groups that enhance our research excellence. Current members of SICSA include the following:

Aberdeen University - Computing Science

Abertay University - School of Computing and Creative Technologies

Dundee University - School of Computing

University of Edinburgh - School of Informatics

Glasgow University - Department of Computing Science

Heriot-Watt University - School of Mathematical and Computer Sciences

Napier University - Centre for Informatics Research

Robert Gordon University - School of Computing

St Andrews University - School of Computer Science

Stirling University - Department of Computing Science and Mathematics

Strathclyde University - Department of Computer and Information Sciences