Priorities:Stanford University Student Priorities

Overview

The Stanford Innovation and Entrepreneurship Landscape Canvas is full of opportunities.  Stanford University strives for innovation and creativity.  Students have opportunities to innovation and entrepreneurship to the next levels with perceived value aspects ("Student, I&E is important.  Make it a priority."), potential value aspects ("So, you want to learn more?"), applied value aspects ("You want to apply your knowledge to a specific project."), realized value aspects ("You have effectively engaged in I&E."), and reframing value aspects ("You have fine-tuned your understanding of I&E and reframed your approach to your education and career.").  Stanford University, like most innovative campuses, are stronger in some areas of I&E values in comparison to others.

Stanford University's strengths lie in the overwhelming spirit of entrepreneurship on campus. As many people say, innovation is in the air. Stanford also has many tangible resources that provide force behind innovation and entreprenership, including venture spaces on and associated with our campus.  Some of these include:

The Product Realization Lab (https://productrealization.stanford.edu/)

Design for America (http://designforamerica.com/studios/stanford/)

StartX (startx.stanford.edu)

BASES (bases.stanford.edu)

among others. 

While these resources are utilized by many students, there is certainly room for improvement, namely in students discovering these resources earlier in the year. Not all incoming students realize that entrepreneurship and innovation are an option or even important or interesting. A couple of our main goals for I&E projects include getting more students involved in deeper relationships with other like-minded students, and allowing more students to be exposed to topics such as design thinking.

Student Desire for I&E Classes

While not all students are exposed to entrepreneurship when they first get here, as a whole among the student body there is a high demand for project-based design classes. A common piece of advice to students is to "take a d.school class!" However, this is more easily said than done. Due to the nature of project-based classes, there is a need to keep these courses relatively small. This limits the number of students who are able to take classes that are both interesting and beneficial. One fix to this would be to simply include more design-thinking classes. This also presents a challenge. Following are some ideas for implementing this idea.

Ideas

Option One: Faculty Taught Classes

A traditional method for class is to hold professor-lectured sessions. This could prove somewhat difficult in recruiting extra faculty or adding on more responsibility to faculty who already teach and may not be willing or able to take on more responsibilities. There is also the option for professors to hold smaller classes or less frequently meeting classes. This brings us to...

Option Two: Pop-up Classes

This is already implemented in part by the d.school. These classes (http://dschool.stanford.edu/classes/) are already pretty popular, and are admit by application only. This provides a possible barrier to students who are simply looking for an introduction to design thinking. There can be more pop-up classes added, and perhaps ones specifically geared towards inexperienced students (along the line of IntroSems (https://undergrad.stanford.edu/programs/introsems) but more open to a variety of grade levels). 

Option Three: Workshops

Another option that is on a lower-commitment scale than pop-up classes is day or week long workshops. Stanford does hold an entrepreneurship week, but what about including one or more of these weeks per quarter? The quarter system moves very quickly, and students who are interested in entrepreneurship may miss out on one week due to prior commitments but still be interested and want another opportunity. Workshops for students would allow students to have fun and learn, and to take a break from the hectic schedule that a rigorous courseload on a quarter system brings.

Option Four: Student-Led Classes

Finally, our last idea for implementing more classes for students based around I&E focuses on student-led classes. There are more than a few design students at Stanford, and a portion of these students are interested in teaching. Why not tap this resource? The senior capstone classes for the product design major focus on producing a real-world project, and one of these options could be implementing and teaching a class about design thinking to underclassmen. 

Additionally, Stanford runs Splash classes for 7-12th grade students. This could also be implemented for Stanford students to teach their peers, and put on their own design and I&E expo. 

Implementation

Adding new classes can be a daunting task. This is a project that will probably take some time to work on. We are presenting a preliminary schedule for implementation.

Fall 2014/Winter 2015 - Initial research and user analysis - what exactly do students want? Who is willing to provide it?

Winter 2015/Spring 2015 - Idea development - create a project that aligns with student and faculty feedback to fulfill needs

Spring 2015/Fall 2015 - Idea refinement - prepare classes/workshops/etc. for rollout

Fall 2015/Winter 2016 - Idea implementation - first user cohort

Strategy #2: Executing Effectiveness in the Reframing Value at Stanford

Following are an array of strategies that will fully address Gap #2 over a 2-3 year period:

Tactic #1: Tiger Business Alliance through  InnoVenture Network

• Description:  
• Team Leaders: 
• Milestones:
  • Reach out to current alumni- Fall 2013 through Spring 2014
  • Explore the local, regional, and national entrepreneurial space for Clemson alumni- Fall 2013 through Spring 2014
  • Formulate a list of interested alumni- Fall 2013 through Spring 2014
  • Create a forum and central space for these alumni- Summer 2014
  • Host webinar sessions on goals of the program- Summer 2014
  • Re-evaluate interested alumni- Fall 2014
  • Afford benefits and rewards to committed alumni- Fall 2014
  • Generate awareness of program to current students- Spring 2015
  • Marketing resources- Spring 2015
  • Connect students with alumni- Fall 2015

Tactic #2: BioInnovation

• Description: 
• Team Leader: TBD
• Milestones:
  • Reach out to current graduate students- Fall 2013 through Spring 2014
  • Formulate a list of interested graduate students- Fall 2013 through Spring 2014
  • Create a forum and central space for these graduate students- Summer 2014
  • Host webinar sessions on goals of the program- Summer 2014
  • Re-evaluate interested graduate students- Fall 2014
  • Afford benefits and rewards to committed graduate students- Fall 2014
  • Generate awareness of program to current students- Spring 2015
  • Marketing resources- Spring 2015
  • Connect students with graduate students- Fall 2015

Tactic #3: Transformation of the Clemson University Office of Technology Transfer

• Description:  The purpose of a technology transfer office is to facilitate innovation from laboratory to commercialization.  This is fostered by various techniques, a benchmark of which is still to be established.  One tactic to raise the bar for technoogy transfer offices across the country is to establish a mentorship relationship between current I&E students and their university technology transfer office.  This could be facilitated through work-shops, seminars, How-To sessions.  All of these outlets generate learning experiences and shine a positive light on the technology transfer office, an entity who, if they facilitate technology development throughout all stages, will clearly be seen as facilitating innovation from laboratoty to commercialization.
• Team Leader: Sarah Helms (current BioE Master's candidate), Elizabeth Perpall, Chief Technology Transfer Officer, Clemson University Research Foundation (CURF)
• Milestones:
  • Set goals with students (What would they like to see from their OTT?)- Fall 2013 through Spring 2014
  • Set goals with OTT (What would they like to see from their students?)- Fall 2013 through Spring 2014
    • Setting these goals with both parties sets expectations and responsibilities with each party
  • Negotiate goals- Spring 2014
  • Set Measurable Standards- Summer 2014
  • Facilitate Student-OTT Interactions- Fall 2014
  • Select and Prepare OTT speakers- Fall 2014
  • OTT Seminars (re-curring event)- Fall 2014
  • Prepare Work-Shop Attendance List- Winter 2014
  • OTT Work-Shops (re-curring event)- Spring 2015
  • Generate Awareness of How-To Sessions- Spring 2015
  • Accept Applications- Spring 2015
  • Verify Applications- Spring 2015
  • Select Teams- Spring 2015
  • OTT How-To Sessions (recurring event)- Spring 2015

Related Links

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxcIV2twpq0