REFLECTING, ACTING, AND DOING: USING WRITING, ROLE-PLAYING, & SERVICE LEARNING TO EXPLORE DIVERSITY IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Engaging students in learning Entrepreneurship through the lens of a diverse entrepreneur can be a challenge. This paper will discuss the methods used in an elective Entrepreneurship class to engage not only the women and minority students but also the white male students who were courageous enough to register for the class. Assignments used included many different teaching and learning techniques such as service-learning, reflection, and role-playing. This paper will also discuss faculty reflections as the course evolved over 3 different semesters. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Teaching entrepreneurial diversity can be challenging, especially in a predominately non-diverse private university setting. Over the course of three different semesters in which the course was taught, through reflection and learning, the course changed to enable students to better connect with the subject matter. Content included readings on women and immigrant entrepreneurs (both from a historical perspective as well as a current perspective), ethnic entrepreneurial communities, global entrepreneurs, and, as the course evolved, youth entrepreneurs, micro-enterprise development and social entrepreneurship. A variety of teaching techniques were utilized, some discontinued and others refined as the semesters went on. Reflection was continually refined until during the last semester, students were reflecting not only on their service learning and the readings, but also reflecting on what they learned from guest speakers and field trips. The service learning component also evolved. Utilizing two different non-profit agencies that helped minority and women entrepreneurs in various ways, the author created student projects that would involve students in service learning in a way that they could apply to the concepts and readings from the class. With one of the agencies, students had the opportunity to do some primary research in the field - interviewing minority entrepreneurs. One student presented his work at an undergraduate research day and was the only business student presenting that semester. Student reflections indicate that service-learning helped them to understand the material, expand their horizons, and encouraged their own civic behavior.