Experiential Classroom

About the Clinic

The Experiential Classroom is the premier clinic for faculty from across the globe who are relatively new to the teaching of entrepreneurship and the building of entrepreneurship programs. We share best practices in entrepreneurship education from some of the thought leaders and master educators in the field. Over 1,400 faculty members have attended this intense, three-day clinic. Delegates must attend all three days. The Experiential Classroom is jointly offered by the University of Notre Dame, the University of Tampa, and the University of Florida. Attendance is limited to 75 delegates each year. The experience is personalized with ample opportunity to interact with the presenters both inside and outside the classroom.

The Experiential Classroom is primarily intended for several key target audiences:

• Current faculty members from any discipline who are re-tooling to teach entrepreneurship;
• Entrepreneurs planning to return to the classroom to teach entrepreneurship courses;
• Adjunct faculty teaching entrepreneurship on a part-time basis;
• Faculty new to teaching entrepreneurship;
• Center directors coordinating entrepreneurship programs.

Objectives of the Experiential Classroom:

• Help those who are new to the teaching of entrepreneurship, including both faculty and practitioners, to learn best classroom practices;
• Capture the experiences of those who came to teaching of entrepreneurship from diverse backgrounds and share lessons learned in making the transition;
• Introduce a number of highly creative and effective experiential approaches, ranging from cases, business plans and the use of entrepreneurs in the classroom, to having students conduct entrepreneurial audits, the concept of marketing inventions and consulting engagements;
• Apply a simple but powerful framework for organizing the content within an entrepreneurship course;
• Demonstrate effective teaching approaches by observing master teachers;
• Share ideas on specialty topics in entrepreneurship education, such as how to kick off a class, creative mentoring programs, what’s new in entrepreneurship internships and much more;
• Expose delegates to a rich resource base and help them join a network of faculty who share similar experiences;
• Give delegates an opportunity to actually teach live in front of students, with helpful critiques from entrepreneurship faculty;
• Share insights on how to build world class entrepreneurship programs;

Sample clinic topics have included:

• Combining Experience and The Experiential: The Entrepreneurship Classroom Brought Alive
• Is There Content in Entrepreneurship? A Frameworks Perspective
• Landing on an Alien Planet: Experiences with Teaching Entrepreneurship When You Come From a Completely Different Background
• Entrepreneurial Audits, Marketing Inventions, Business Models and Entrepreneurial Interviews as Learning Tools
• Using Business Plans to Creative Fantastic Learning Experiences
• Using Simulations to Teach Entrepreneurship in New and Different Ways
• What is a Great Case Discussion? What is a Great Case Discussion Outcome?
• How to Integrate Experiential Learning with Textbook Material
• Developing Your Own Cases and Experiential Exercises
• Play to Learn and Learn to Play
• Can Business Students Really Help Small Businesses? The Use of Consulting Projects
• A Look at Syllabus and Curriculum Design in Entrepreneurship
• Exploring Creativity in the Classroom
• Teaching Entrepreneurship to Students of Diverse Backgrounds
• What Entrepreneurship Students Want: In Their Own Words
• Bringing Entrepreneurs and Other Practitioners Into Your Classroom: Managing the Managers
• Delivering a Great Lecture
• Building a Top Entrepreneurship Program
• How to Teach Social Entrepreneurship
• Teaching Opportunity Discover