Development of freshman engineering discovery courses integrated with entrepreneurially minded learning (EML)

With the tremendous development and advent of new technologies in many areas and their applications to our real life, it has been recognized that the role of engineers has become increasingly important. In order for the engineering students (and future engineers) to ride on this trend, it is imperative that the engineering school should properly educate the engineering students to provide a clear vision as future engineers and their role in our society. The freshman engineering discovery courses developed at Marquette University - Opus College of Engineering offer the new engineering students the opportunity to discover and explore their potential through various course contents/topics and activities integrated with the entrepreneurially minded learning in which the students learn to create value; gather and assimilate information to discover opportunities or insights for further action. As a result, freshman engineering students learn to identify engineers´ societal roles and responsibilities, while creating new innovative ideas and concepts with the potential to invigorate existing markets and technologies. These courses are also designed to create students who are curious about the world around them, unafraid to challenge existing methods, able to identify unexpected opportunities for growth and eager to seek out innovative solutions to challenging problems. Eventually, the engineering discovery courses provide new engineering students with a vision to become a future engineer with an entrepreneurial mindset.