entr200-fall2007

Course Guide

This course guide contains all of the materials for this class. To see all of the contents of this guide on one page, click on the "printer-friendly version" link below.

Course Description

Dr. David Blakesley (blakesle@purdue.edu)Office: Heavilon 302; Phone: 4-3772Office Hours: T/Th 12-1, 3-4, and by appt.http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~blakesle/index.htmlENTR 200Fall 2007T-Th 1:30-2:45Civil Engr 2123

Course Website

http://www.digitalparlor.org/fa07/blakesley2/

Course Texts

Entrepreneurship: Successfully Launching New Ventures

, 2nd edition. Bruce R. Barringer and R. Duane Ireland.Prentice-Hall. 2007. ISBN: 978-0-13-224057-4.

The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference

, by Malcolm Gladwell. Back Bay Books.2002. ISBN: 978-0-31-634662-7These texts should be available at local bookstores and online. A few additional readings will be posted to the coursewebsite.

Course Description

The course introduces students to the basics of starting their own business ventures. It can be taken as a stand-alonecourse, or as the first requirement for theCertificate in Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Topics covered include thefollowing:Aptitude and roles of entrepreneursInvention and elaboration of innovative ideasFeasibility analysisStart-up proceduresIntroduction to finance and funding for new ventures

Coursework

Reading Responses

: You should respond to questions or readings listed on the calendar and identified as"Reading Response" with one short (200- 300-word) semi-formal written blog post using the appropriate tag (seethe prompt on the calendar for tag info). These responses will need to be posted by class time every Tuesday, onthe day the reading is listed. (In class on the preceding Thursday, we'll complete "anticipation guides" that willhelp focus your reading and responses.) During the week, I will promote some of your responses to our frontpage. You'll be responsible for posting at least two comments and replies to messages posted by others. For help,read the guidelines on the course website:Principles of Reading Responses,Principles for Posting to Your Weblog, andPrinciples for Comments and Replies. We will discuss best practices for this aspect of the coursework in class as needed. There will be 10 reading responses in all and, thus, at least 20 comments and/orreplies posted by the end of the semester.1.

Reading Quizzes and Anticipation Guides

: Starting the third week and each week thereafter there will be shortreading quizzes to take on our course website. Each quiz will be available by Saturday at 5 p.m. and needs to be2.

completed by Tuesday before class, when the reading is due (and listed on the calendar). On Thursdays in class,we'll complete and discuss anticipation guides, which prepare you for reading the material due the followingweek and also help focus the reading responses in your blog. You'll turn in these anticipation guides for creditafter you've completed the reading the following week.

Ad-Hoc Presentations

: Each class meeting starting in Week 3, teams of two students will make short oralpresentations that introduce innovative ("disruptive") technologies that have (or will) change how people think and act and, thus, how they spend their time and money. You'll be given a list of subjects on the course site andalso be encouraged to discover subjects on your own. You will have access to the classroom's presentationtechnologies so that you can show slides, websites, or other media.3.

Success and Failure Case Presentations:

Each week and in teams of three, you'll make a short (5-7 minute) presentation that focuses on the success andfailure cases presented in the course texts or available via link on our course website.4.

Midterm Project

: In teams, you'll plan and conduct an interview with an entrepreneur, making it into a 5-7minute video presentation that can be uploaded to our course website or another location. Individually, you'llsubmit a short (2-page) project assessment document that evaluates and analyzes your experience throughout thisproject. All team members also will complete a Collaborative Project Evaluation Form and submit it to me inprinted form, privately.5.

Final Group Project: Comprehensive Concept Statement.

This group project will involve developing andelaborating an entrepreneurial concept or idea, creating the important documents (feasibility study, start-upprocedures, funding plan, etc), pitching it to the class in an oral presentation with multimedia components(PowerPoint, Keynote, website), and then assessing the group's effort at the end in a Collaborative ProjectEvaluation Form.6.In sum: Each student will 1) write and respond in the course blogs regularly; 2) complete all reading quizzes (online)and anticipation guides (in class); 3) make one ad-hoc presentation introducing a new technology as part of atwo-person team; 4) present one success or failure case as part of a three-person team; 5) complete the midterm videointerview project in teams and the written analysis; and 6) complete and present a comprehensive concept statement aspart of a group.All coursework will be supported by the website via our calendar and in class as needed.

Resources

Our class website will be filled with resources, guidelines, and more to help you with your coursework and readings.

Grading

ActivityPoints PossibleReading Responses (10 pts.) and Comments (5 pts). Thereare a total of 10 reading responses and 20 comments/repliesrequired.200Reading Quizzes (10 pts.) and Anticipation Guides (10pts.). There are 13 of each. You can miss one withoutpenalty.250Ad-Hoc Presentation (1) 50Success and Failure Case Presentations (1) 50Midterm Project: Interview and Analysis 200Final Group Project: Comprehensive Concept Statement250Total1,000Your final course grade will be based on a percentage of your final total, as follows: A=100-90%, B=89-80%.

C=79-70%, D=69-60%, F=59 or below.

Attendance and Class Partipation

Attendance is required at all scheduled meetings. More than three unexcused absences may result in a lower grade forthe course. Excused absences may be granted only for religious holidays or university-sponsored events, provided youmake a written request to me no less than one week in advance and that you complete any required work before the duedate. Being excessively or regularly late for class meetings can be counted as an absence.Class participation in all respects and venues (in class, online) is essential for everyone, so you're expected to beactively engaged in class and online. If you fall behind on quizzes, readings, responses, and teamwork, you won't learnmuch and your course grade will suffer.

Collaborative Work

Teamwork is a required component of the course. You and your project team members are responsible for updating oneanother and me about assignment development and progress. In addition, you also are responsible for negotiatingtogether all aspects of your work, including planning, drafting, revising, file managing, and scheduling of assignments.When a collaborative project is assigned, you will receive explicit guidelines for successful collaboration. Individualgroup members will completeCollaborative Evaluation Forms. For more information about good principles of collaboration, see the brochure, Group Work and Collaborative Writing <http://dhc.ucdavis.edu/vohs/ >.

Technology Responsibilities

Familiarity with certain technologies is crucial for participation and success in the course. If you need any assistancenow or at any point during the semester, please do not hesitate to ask.During the semester, you'll need regular access to the Internet and email. Because the course home page is the mainlocus of the class community, you are responsible for reading and keeping current with all content posted there,including what has been submitted by both the instructor and your fellow students. You'll be responsible forconfiguring your system to access course materials, to read course email and participate in online discussions, and tosubmit your work. Very early in the semester, you will be asked to demonstrate that you can meet theseresponsibilities:Register for the course website and complete your profile information.Post a message about yourself and your interestsRead the course description and calendar, then ask questions when you are uncertain about requirements oractivities.Set up your @purdue.edu email or an alternative that you can access regularly and reliablyBecome proficient sending and receiving attachments via email or blog, resolving file compatibility issues, andfollowing email and online decorum.Check the course calendar regularly for updates and explanations..Become more proficient with unfamiliar computer technologies and applications, including a contentmanagement system like Drupal (the open-source software running our class site)..Maintain back-up copies of all assignments via your home directory, disks, USB drives, CDs, or DVDsIf at any time you have problems accessing the Internet from home, you'll need to find a public lab or connection point.Problems with computers

will not be an excuse

for falling behind or failing to complete required assignments. If your Internet service goes down,

use another computer

. If your computer breaks,

use another computer

. In other words, find a way to complete the assignments ontime. Because computer problems are a fact of life, always work to complete your assignments early and make frequentbackups to multiple media.

Academic Integrity

Purdue students and their instructors are expected to adhere to guidelines set forth by the Dean of Students in"Academic Integrity: A Guide for Students," which students are encouraged to read here: