Work in progress - designing for economic empowerment in nicaragua

Faculty and students in several disciplines at four institutions in the United States and Nicaragua are collaborating on technology entrepreneurship education for economic empowerment in Esteli, Nicaragua. The project aims to demonstrate a new paradigm for development that is rooted in education. The effort will focus on design and delivery of new curriculum for collaborative, interdisciplinary product development. To demonstrate the curriculum, the effort will launch cross- cultural student teams to identify and develop markets, partners, and technology for entrepreneurial ventures in Nicaragua, utilizing Nicaraguan materials and skills. The envisioned long term goal is local economic empowerment and a sound, collaborative process for technology innovation and product development that is both replicable and transferable. The proposed program includes six sequential phases; phase one is complete and phase two is in progress. This paper discusses the goals, results, and assessment of the first two phases in the context of the ongoing project.