1. Innovation and the Technology Leader’s Mindset
ENGE 2984, Fall 2012
Thursday, 11AM-11:50AM Design Lab, Lee Hall
Instructor
Cory Hixson
Engineering Education Graduate Student
hixson@vt.edu
McBryde 619
Office hours: by appointment
Catalogue Description
This course encourages and challenges students to explore and develop the concepts and skills needed to
become future innovators and technology leaders. Key components covered include: the characteristics of
successful technology leaders and entrepreneurs; divergent thinking; dealing with uncertainty, confusion,
and risk; validating assumptions; teamwork; and communication. Students will utilize group interaction with
peers and other VT/Blacksburg community members to enhance leadership skills, solve problems, analyze
opportunities, and develop innovative ideas. (1H, 1C)
Prerequisites: None
Learning Objectives
Having successfully completed this course, the student will be able to:
• Recognize characteristics of successful technology leaders and entrepreneurs
• Identify and evaluate sustainable opportunities that create value
• Identify assumptions associated with an opportunity and develop tests to validate those assumptions
• Describe the process that enables entrepreneurs with limited resources to transform a simple idea
into a sustainable success
• Apply fundamental aspects of entrepreneurial thinking across disciplines and as a means of personal
empowerment
• Apply science and engineering to societal issues
• Apply techniques learned in the course to confusing and uncertain scenarios
Evaluation of Learning
Evaluation for the course consists of two components:
• Active, engaged participation in course meetings and all associated activities: 60%
• Completion of out-of-class assignments: 40%
Course evaluation is on a pass/fail basis; according to university policy for undergraduate courses, a D or
above is equivalent to a Pass.
Participation
This course is designed as a space for you to actively engage with innovation and technology leadership
principles as well as interact with colleagues at Virginia Tech and within the local community about topics
relevant to innovation and technology leadership. Effective participation includes not only attendance at all
course meetings but also
• actively participating in all course activities; and
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2. • professional (see below), collegial discussion with colleagues and guest speakers about ideas, course
materials, and presentations.
Because the evaluation that occurs during the course is dependent on your presence and my ability to
observe your engagement, it’s critical that you attend the course. Should you need to miss class for personal
reasons, I’ll work with you to develop a plan to make up missed material.
Out-of-class Assignments
Out-of-class assignments are designed to support your ability to both achieve and demonstrate the learning
objectives. At a minimum, the out-of-class assignments for Fall 2012 include:
1. Engaging with community members and business leaders at VT and within New River Valley to
examine ideas and opportunities.
2. Reporting the experiences and findings of the above interactions.
3. Completing out of class readings and/or watching videos required for in-class discussion.
4. Communicating original ideas and potential opportunities to engage classmates and external
advisors.
I will develop additional assignments as appropriate throughout the semester to insure that everyone has the
scaffolding needed to achieve the learning objectives.
Policies
Accommodations: If you have special circumstances that require accommodations or adaptations to
support your success in this course, please obtain an accommodation letter from Services for Students with
Disabilities (540.231.0858 or ssd@vt.edu) as soon as possible. Your notification will remain confidential.
Plagiarism: The University Honor Code applies to all work for this course; all work you submit must be
your own.
Plagiarism is defined as "the copying of the language, structure, ideas, and/or thoughts of
another and passing same off as one's own, original work, or attempts thereof." It is
academically dishonest, and often illegal, to present someone else's ideas or writing as your
own. You cannot use even short phrases or parts of sentences obtained from other sources
unless you properly document those sources. This documentation includes quotations, when
appropriate, as well as notes, citations, and a reference list. It is also academically dishonest
to submit your own previously written work for a current assignment or to submit an
assignment in more than one class without the previous knowledge and consent of all
instructors involved. Suspected cases of plagiarism will be reported to the Virginia Tech
Honor System Review Board.
You will be held accountable for furnishing upon request all sources and preliminary work (notes, rough
drafts, etc.) that you use in preparing written assignments. If you cannot produce these materials upon
request, you cannot receive a satisfactory evaluation on the assignment.
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3. Tentative Schedule
All meetings and deadlines on this calendar are tentative and may change as the semester progresses. I'll
announce changes in class and via email as needed; you are responsible for keeping up with these changes.
Date Topic
August 27 Welcome and Syllabus
September 3 Divergent Thinking
September 10 IH Lesson 1 – The Power to Choose
September 17 IH Lesson 2 – Recognizing Opportunities
September 24 IH Lesson 3 – Ideas Into Action
October 1 Validating Assumptions, Validated Learning, & Lean Startup
October 8 IH Lesson 4 – Pursuit of Knowledge
October 15 IH Lesson 5 – Creating Wealth
October 22 Value from the “Valueless”
October 29 IH Lesson 6 – Building Your Brand
November 5 IH Lesson 7 – Creating Community
November 12 IH Lesson 8 – The Power of Persistence
November 19 Thanksgiving NO CLASS
November 26 Uncertainty, Confusion, and Risk
December 3 Pitches and Lessons Learned
December 10 Finals NO CLASS
Professional Behaviors – Some examples
(Selected from Ruff, S. and M. Carter. (2009) Communication Learning Outcomes from Software Engineering Professionals: A
Basis for Teaching Communication in the Engineering Curriculum. ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference, Oct. 18-21.
San Antonio, TX. Session W1E).
Solicit help, advice, or information.
Listen actively; ask clarifying questions.
Be nice to others, through words and tone.
Read with comprehension and evaluate information to determine what is credible and relevant.
Give opinions with a balance of confidence & humility.
Manage non-verbal communication to avoid sending inappropriate messages.
Adjust communication based on (non-verbal) reactions from the audience; solicit feedback about the
effectiveness of communication.
Deal constructively with conflict: debate/discuss/negotiate/collaborate productively and respectfully.
Hear criticism as a constructive contribution to the outcome of a project [or discussion] (without getting
defensive).
Give criticism constructively and respectfully.
Avoid complaining, by proposing a solution, fixing the problem, or remaining silent.
Communicate charismatically; be passionate/animated in order to influence people.
Communicate through transparency (make information openly available).
Develop the flexibility to communicate in different roles within an organizations [i.e. the university].
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4. Inform managers and team members of potential problems before the problems become serious.
Principles of Community
The Virginia Tech Principles of Community will guide all our interactions together this semester;
above all, this class should represent an environment in which everyone is treated with respect and
encouraged to learn and grow. To that end, the following principles define the basis of our work
together:
• We affirm the inherent dignity and value of every person and strive to maintain a climate for work
and learning based on mutual respect and understanding.
• We affirm the right of each person to express thoughts and opinions freely. We encourage open
expression within a climate of civility, sensitivity, and mutual respect.
• We affirm the value of human diversity because it enriches our lives and the University. We
acknowledge and respect our differences while affirming our common humanity.
• We reject all forms of prejudice and discrimination, including those based on age, color, disability,
gender, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, and veteran status. We
take individual and collective responsibility for helping to eliminate bias and discrimination and for
increasing our own understanding of these issues through education, training, and interaction with
others.
• We pledge our collective commitment to these principles in the spirit of the Virginia Tech motto of
Ut Prosim (That I May Serve).
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