Students in the Exploring Entrepreneurship course will use the new Comet Creations FAB Lab at DDHS for part of their work.
DELAVAN — Delavan-Darien High School now offers college credit from the University of Iowa through its new Exploring Entrepreneurship course.
Kristine Slawson
Business education teacher Kristine Slawson completed the university’s BizInnovator Teacher Certification program and can teach this college credit-bearing course to juniors and seniors starting this school year.
In the class, students will explore and assess their entrepreneurial attitudes and ability, learn how to assess business competition and create a business plan. Students will learn from entrepreneurs, who will speak in class and offer advice on how students might complete their semester-long business plan project. The class will also use the school’s new Comet Creations FAB Lab for various course projects.
Students must score a 70 percent or higher on a comprehensive exam taken at the end of the course to receive the three credits from the University of Iowa. Those credits may be transferred to other post-secondary institutions.
The Exploring Entrepreneurship course is an introduction to entrepreneurship, including identifying characteristics of the entrepreneur, evaluating opportunities, engaging in customer discovery, design thinking, feasibility, financing and planning for success.
The course is ideal for students who have a passion to pave new paths, create new things or solve problems. Exploring Entrepreneurship provides students with the framework to apply these interests to the world of business. They use the BizInnovator.com curriculum as the foundation for the course work.
The course was developed at the Jacobson Institute for Youth Entrepreneurship at the University of Iowa. The online curriculum enables educators to teach the entrepreneurial mindset, encouraging creativity, innovation, critical thinking and problem solving. It also prepares students for success in their chosen field.
Another priority for the course is to boost student interest and achievement in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) courses. The U.S. Department of Commerce estimates that jobs in these areas will grow 17 percent by 2018, nearly double the growth for non-STEM fields. There may be as many as 1.2 million unfilled STEM jobs because of a lack of qualified workers, the department estimates.
For more information about BizInnovator, visit www.bizinnovator.com.