questions

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THE ‘BUSINESS CONCEPT’ COMPETITION AS A ‘BUSINESS PLAN’ ALTERNATIVE FOR NEW AND

GROWING ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAMS: WHAT’S THE BIG IDEA?

Robert Laud, William Paterson University Stephen Betts, William Paterson University

Sam Basu, William Paterson University

ABSTRACT

‘Business Plan’ competitions are a proven way to create buzz for entrepreneurship programs. They generate significant excitement and interest among students, and increase awareness of the program among the larger community. Unfortunately the expense, complexity and resource requirements of such competitions puts them out of the reach of new and small programs. In this presentation we will discuss the benefits and challenges of business competitions. We will also describe an innovative approach - the ‘Business Concept’ competition, which emphasizes the basic ideas driving a business without requiring a full ‘Business Plan’. Additionally we will outline some of the essential activities and key lessons learned from our competition process. The proposed method has been successfully piloted. We found that it fostered creativity and involvement among students, strengthened relationships with other schools within the university and resulted in positive publicity for our new entrepreneurship program.

INTRODUCTION

‘Business Plan’ competitions foster creativity and involvement among students, and publicity for an entrepreneurship program. Unfortunately the complexity and expense of such competitions make them out of the reach of small and new programs. In this paper we will describe an alternative for growing programs that still generates significant excitement and interest - the ‘Business Concept’ competition - as successfully run at William Paterson University.

The primary difference between our ‘business concept’ and ‘business plan’ competitions is in the degree of rigor and development. In the ‘concept’ competition, the primary idea was of utmost importance and the judging criteria were very flexible. Participants did not have to fully develop all aspects of the idea. The initial stages of the competition required only a one page description. The intent was that by leaving the requirements simple, students with all types of ideas at any stage of development could enter. The result was a large number and variety of ideas submitted, and a lot of interest across the school. From approximately 80 entries, 8 finalists were chosen. They worked with faculty mentors to more fully develop their idea. Each

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of the finalists was given a half hour to present their idea to an audience of judges, students, faculty and invited guests.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAMS

Entrepreneurship programs are among the fastest growing initiatives in modern colleges and universities (Mattare, 2010; Yu & Man 2009). For the student, they tap into the dream of starting a business and watching it grow and develop. The programs provide training and opportunities to make those dreams come true. To the college the programs mean a chance to connect with the outside community, to facilitate meaningful projects, attract the best and brightest students and gain prestige and recognition. There are examples of successful and prospering entrepreneurship programs that can serve as aspirational reference points. The challenge is getting from a standing start to becoming an established program. This can be easy if a donor or set of donors share the college’s vision and will bankroll the program as it grows. More often than not, benefactors get involved as a result of initial success, not before. So how does a college with few resources develop a program? In this paper we will address one of the strategies used by William Paterson University – a ‘Business Concept’ competition.

An ideal entrepreneurship program has significant funding, external stakeholders in a variety of fields, such a venture capital, that get involved in programs and activities, students interested in entrepreneurship and professors who teach and conduct research about entrepreneurship, as well as provide assistance to entrepreneurs at various stages in their venture, perhaps even a business incubator to help start businesses. However very few, if any, schools can jump directly to this ideal state. The challenge is to develop and implement a plan to get there.

Successful established programs often have a business plan competition. Planning is a key success factor in small entrepreneurial firms (Botha & Robertson, 2014), Nunn & McGuire, 2010; Becherer & Helms, 2009; Hormozi, Sutton, McMinn & Lucio 2002). Nascent entrepreneurs are more than 2 ½ times more likely to follow through on starting a business if they have a business plan (Liao & Gartner, 2006). There also is wide agreement that entrepreneurial education need to have experiential components (Vincent & Farlow, 2008), and business plans are experiential learning (Kraus, Harms & Schwarz, 2006). There are a great variety of these competitions. Some allow participation from external stakeholders, others are limited to students. Some competitions have a theme or are associated with a cause such as water (Anonymous, 2010a) or urban enterprise (Anonymous, 2011b). Companies have found innovation competitions to generate ideas that they can sponsor (MacCormack, Murray & Wagner, 2013). Many have significant prize money. The University of Maryland annual competition gives away $75,000 (Anonymous, 2012b). Competitions often have an organization or individual that sponsors it. The Florida Venture Forum sponsors a clean energy business plan competition with $200,000 in prize money (Anonymous, 2012a). Another characteristic of these competitions is that they are ongoing and repeated year after year. A culture and set of expectations builds around them, as do ancillary activities. The University of Maryland has over 30 initiatives related to entrepreneurship (Anonymous, 2011a). Unfortunately such competitions

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are difficult to start if there is no existing culture and little available funding to support it. The creative solution that we implemented was a business concept competition that concentrated on the basic idea and did not require extensive planning and analysis on the part of the student to participate.

‘BUSINESS CONCEPT’ COMPETITION

Our business concept competition was to be an outlet for our students to show their entrepreneurial side. For the College of Business it is meant as a stepping stone or even a launch pad to reaching higher level goals. From the start we had competing objectives and concerns. We would like the competition to succeed, but we do not want to risk an embarrassing failure. We would like to have many participants, but we also want high quality ideas. We ultimately want involvement from a variety of internal and external stakeholders in our program, however we are cautious about outside involvement in our first foray into this type of activity.

The key to the success of the competition was careful and deliberate planning. From the start a set of coordinated goals and plans were developed. A flow chart and detailed task list was developed. Table 1 shows the categories of tasks. Each category had a number of distinct actionable tasks. As an example the ‘Flyer’ tasks are listed. It tells what needed to be done, in this case where the flyers are distributed. It also included explanations and details such as who the contact person is in the copy center, as well as the person on the ‘team’ that is responsible and due dates. The core ‘team’ was two professors, a graduate assistant and additional help from the dean’s office and other professors as needed. Activities were tracked and adjustments made along the way.

One basic question was ‘can we get involvement?’ In order to foster involvement of both students and faculty, workshops were given for each. There were class visits in targeted courses informing students of the competition, as well as flyers and announcements. These were augmented by workshops for developing ideas. Professors from a broad array of courses and disciplines were recruited to help. Professors were needed initially to encourage students to participate. Some professors held small preliminary competitions in their own courses in order to generate student interest, others gave students extra credit. Once the finalists were determined, professors volunteered to mentor students. Lastly, professors were encouraged to bring their classes to the final presentations.

Table 1

BUSINESS CONCEPT COMPETITION TASK LIST TASK Activity Responsibility Due Date Comment Entrepreneurial Brief Flyer* Print and distribute Xerox Contact John Smith (x1234) for gloss copies

Post in COB, Main Campus

Scott-other 9/19 Need Rajiv to id additional temp help

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Student paper Post in student newspaper Scott 9/28 Other locations Any other places for

students--Announcements Scott 9/21

Main campus faculty Send to main campus faculty—through deans

Sam 9/2--22 Visits by Sam and Bob

Plasma Screens Website Discussion -Main Campus Deans

Class Visit Competition Sponsorship Professional Enrichment Application Review Judging Awards Other Advertising Nov. 17 Event *note – subtasks items under ‘flyer’ are filled in. Each other task had similar sub-tasks.

The goal was to keep the barriers to participate as low as possible. The rules to the contest were readily available online. A full business plan was not necessary, just a ‘business concept’ – a good idea that could be developed. An online application process made it easy to enter the competition. The initial application required very little information, although participants could augment the one page form. There were over 75 entries, each representing one or a team of students. A panel of professors reviewed the entries and narrowed it down to 8 finalists. The finalists were a cross-section of the kinds of ideas submitted. Among the finalists were A riding academy, a robot that cleared snow and an online digital school yearbook. The eventual winner was ‘Beyond Bingo’, a place for senior citizens who lived on their own where they could go on a daily basis to participate in all of the activities usually found in an assisted living facility.

Finalists were paired with professors to develop their concepts. Some students worked with 3 or 4 faculty members. Several classes of MBA students gave feedback to practice presentations. The Assistant Director of a local New Jersey Small Business Development Center stepped up to coach finalists, and the Dean of the College of Business helped with the financial analyses. On the day of the competition the finalists gave 20-30 minute presentations to a panel of judges and an audience. The judges were local bankers, a small business advisor and a faculty member. The audience varied from about 50 people to over 120 at times during the day, including faculty, students and administrators from all over the campus as well as guests. The winning concept was awarded $4,000, the runner up got $2,000 and the third place got $1,000. The competition was an unqualified success – the quality of the projects exceeded all expectations and the attendance at the event was greater than anticipated.

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CONCLUSIONS AND LESSONS LEARNED After the competition, faculty, administration and graduate assistants met to ‘debrief’ and

discuss the future. It was important to discuss the process to see what worked, what needs improvement and to make preliminary plans for the next year’s competition.

1. Start small. Full business plan competitions are too big. A ‘concept’ competition allows for greater

participation 2. Plan everything. Use process flow charts. Have regular status reports. 3. Remain flexible. Things will not go as planned. Be prepared to make adjustments. 4. Recruit key faculty members from a variety of disciplines. Have them talk about it in class, mentor the

finalists and encourage their students to attend the final competition. 5. Keep barriers to participation as low as possible. Require a good idea, not a full plan. Have a one

page entry form 6. Hold workshops for students and faculty. This generates interest and greater quantity and quality of

entrees. 7. Follow up. Do not let this be a one-time event. Start planning on how to improve it for next time.

Our fist competition was held in the Fall semester. We intend on holding our second competition in the Spring. The planning is already underway. Currently we are seeking external partners that can be involved. In our first competition we avoided this because we did not know the quantity and quality of the ideas that would be submitted. We chose Spring to give more lead time for everyone involved. In retrospect we accomplished all that we wanted to and more. Students have already begun to discuss their ideas with us. This indicates to us that we were successful in moving towards creating awareness and establishing an entrepreneurial culture.

REFERENCES

Anonymous (2012a, Feb 28). The Florida venture forum to host the 2012 statewide collegiate business plan

competition. Business Wire, Anonymous (2012b). First look west searches for university students for clean energy business competition

Manufacturing Close - Up. Anonymous (2011a, Nov 4). White house recognizes Mtech's David Barbe as champion of change. PR Newswire. Anonymous.(2011b, Oct 4, 2011). MillerCoors prepares to award $150,000 to small business owners, extends

application deadline PR Newswire. Anonymous (2010a). Imagine H20 water prize announces winners. American Water Works Association Journal,

102(5), 59-59. Becherer, R., & Helms, M. (2009). The value of business plans for new ventures: Company and entrepreneur

outcomes. Journal of Small Business Strategy, 20(2), 80-96. Botha, M., & Robertson, C. L. (2014). Potential entrepreneurs' assessment of opportunities through the rendering of a

business plan. South African Journal of Economic and Management Sciences, 17(3), 249-265. Hormozi, A., Sutton, G., McMinn, R., & Lucio, W. (2002). Business plans for new or small businesses: Paving the

path to success. Management Decision, 40(7), 755-763. Kraus, S., R. Harms & E. Schwarz (2006). Strategic planning in smaller enterprises - new empirical findings.

Management Research Review, 29(6), 334-344. Liao, J., & W. Gartner (2006). The effects of pre-venture plan timing and perceived environmental uncertainty on the

persistence of emerging firms. Small Business Economics, 27(1), 23-23.

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MacCormack, A., Murray, F., & Wagner, E. (2013). Spurring innovation through competitions. MIT Sloan

Management Review, 55(1), 25-32. Mattare, M. (2010). Use of self 101: The case for teaching personal development in the entrepreneurship curriculum.

New England Journal of Entrepreneurship, 13(1), 17-28. Nunn, L., & McGuire, B. (2010). The importance of a good business plan. Journal of Business & Economics

Research, 8(2), 95-105. Vincett, P., & Farlow, S. (2008). "Start-a-business": An experiment in education through entrepreneurship. Journal of

Small Business and Enterprise Development, 15(2), 274-288. Christina W.M. Yu, & Thomas W.Y. Man. (2009). Social interaction and the formation of entrepreneurial

characteristics. Journal of Workplace Learning, 21(8), 595-613.

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PUBLISHING CHILDREN’S BOOKS WITH INTERDISCIPLINARY TEAMS: REFLECTING ON

STUDENT INNOVATION THROUGH THE LENS OF TONY WAGNER

Stephanie A. Fernhaber, Butler University Erin Albert, Butler University

Angela Lupton, Butler University  

ABSTRACT  

Given the interdisciplinary nature of entrepreneurship, a model is shared for writing, illustrating, and publishing children’s books through a collaborative/interprofessional team of students and faculty mentors across colleges at Butler University. While recognizing the intrinsic benefits of having diverse groups of students work on self-defined projects, the creators of this model also recognized the alignment between such a project and the potential for nurturing innovation. Specifically, such an approach is consistent with the seven survival skills and need for an innovation mindset put forth by Tony Wagner (2010, 2012). Therefore, we present our project through the lens of his framework. The process for implementing the project is discussed, as well as challenges and ways in which the project could be customized for other universities.

INTRODUCTION

In his examination of the global achievement gap, Tony Wagner (2010) outlined a set of seven survival skills needed by our youth in order to contribute in today’s workplace and society: critical thinking and problem solving, collaboration across networks and leading by influence, agility and adaptability, initiative and entrepreneurialism, effective oral and written communication, accessing and analyzing information, and curiosity and imagination. In his 2012 book, Creating Innovators, Wagner followed up through emphasizing how these survival skills needed to be coupled with the development of an innovation mindset. The irony of the situation is that many educational institutions themselves are not focusing on these skillsets in their strategies for instilling the skills in their students. While rigid academic structures and the increased pressure for quantifiable evidence of learning may be partly to blame, being able to develop learning environments that embrace all of these survival skills is difficult and requires us, as academicians, to become innovators ourselves. It requires pushing against the existing structure and design of our classes and departments to experiment, fail, learn, and start all over again.  

We propose that entrepreneurship serves as a context in which such a learning environment can be developed, and offer a model developed at Butler University where collaborative teams of college students and faculty mentors work together to write, illustrate, and publish children’s books. This project started in 2007 as an innovative senior thesis project within the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences and the Jordan College of the Arts, and has since evolved into an annual project involving four colleges (College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, College of Business, College of Education, and Jordan College of the Arts). Five books

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have been successfully published, and one has failed (see Exhibit A for a complete list). Along the way, learning has taken place—for both the students and faculty mentors involved. In the space that follows, we share the background and history of the project. We then outline how this project meets the survival skills and innovation principles put forth by Tony Wagner. Finally, we discuss challenges and possible extensions.  

  OVERVIEW OF THE CHILDREN’S BOOK PROJECT  

The original idea for the children’s book project dates to 2007, as an innovative option for pharmacy students to use for their capstone course, which requires a health-focused project that is presented at the annual Butler University Undergraduate Research Conference. In this initial year, only pharmacy students were involved, and art students co-developed the cover art for this project through a class collaboration. In subsequent years, education students were added in order to leverage their respective expertise. Eventually, business students were added. Students from each of these areas bring a distinct set of skills to the creation and production of children’s books on health-related topics. Pharmacy students provide research-based knowledge of health issues; education students utilize their understanding of high-quality children’s literature and curriculum development; business students provide the understanding of business planning, marketing, and fundraising; and art students bring their experience with the illustrative process. While the books have primarily focused on health topics for pre-Kindergarten to early elementary-aged students, we have recently experimented with other topics and age levels with a book this year that focused on Indiana history, in line with and endorsed by the Indiana Bicentennial Commission and designed specifically for the fourth-grade state history curriculum. All of the book projects, from 2008 through 2015, are listed in Exhibit A.  

The book project crosses semesters and currently runs on an annual cycle starting in May. The initial task is determining the number of book projects being taken on, as well as their general topics, and finding faculty mentors. In our experience, faculty members have been excited to participate in the project because of the opportunity to work with colleagues outside their typical areas of expertise. The involvement of multiple faculty members also spreads out the time commitment and allows fresh ideas into the process. The ultimate goal is for the time commitment to be minimal on the part of the faculty mentors, as this is truly meant to be a student-designed and student-driven project. However, faculty do respond to bi-weekly team updates, provide guiding thoughts and questions, assist in editing, review any legal agreements with the publisher, and help to mediate the inevitable challenging conversations that are part of the creative process. The student recruitment process varies by college; some colleges issue a general call for applications and others invite specific students to participate. In the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, where the project is part of a specific course, interest in this project type has become so high that students now have to apply by submitting an application and writing sample. In the other colleges, students can receive independent study credit and/or the opportunity to position themselves uniquely in the job market because of the experience. When applicable, the grading of the course also varies by college. For example, business students are assessed by their level of professionalism, a final reflection paper, and the development of a portfolio showcasing the experience that is meant to be shared with potential employers.

The kick-off meeting for each project takes place in May. This is an important event because it is the first time the entire team is together. This meeting incorporates the sharing of

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previous book projects' histories and lessons learned. Students then meet in teams to get to know each other and to work out their initial plan for the project. We recognize that due to the scope of the project and the number of our students who are participating in clinical and internship experiences during this point in their college careers, project execution also needs to be innovative. Therefore, after the initial face-to-face meeting, most of the collaborative process takes place via Skype, Google+, a closed Facebook group, Dropbox, or other electronic mechanisms. These virtual workspaces allow for meetings to take place regardless of location, for editing to take place and be shared continually during the writing process, and for all members of the group to have access to all parts of the project development, regardless of their area of expertise.  

Throughout the summer, students collaboratively develop the storylines. This work is accompanied by a market research process by the business students so that there is solid background information regarding what is already being done on a given topic, as well as evidence for the success factors applicable to a specific customer target. We have found it useful to have teams break up into two groups to come up with two different story ideas, in order to reduce groupthink (Janis, 1972) and offer more ideas with which to develop the storyline. The full team generally includes two students from each college (eight students), so by splitting the team into two work groups it provides the opportunity for each storyline to be developed through an interdisciplinary lens (four students, one from each college). In some cases, one story idea will be chosen for the project, while at other times there is a blend of the two ideas. Once the main storyline is selected, the writing begins and a storyboard, including initial sketches of the characters, is constructed.  

In the fall, the project shifts from writing to editing and finalizing. The art is also completed and approved. In addition, price quotes are worked out and a contract is signed with a publisher. Historically, we have worked with the same publisher for each of the books, due to the fact that only certain publishers are able to accommodate the size, layout, and imaging needed for a children’s book. However, student teams are given the opportunity to explore alternative publication options, including e-books and traditional print publications. Students also need to start thinking about how they will finance the project (either with a loan or pre-sales). In some instances, online crowdfunding has been used. Drawing on small contributions from a relatively large number of people, crowdfunding leverages the “wisdom of crowds” in validating the quality of the proposed product, which drives the project's success (Mollick, 2014; Surowiecki, 2014). Students in the 2012-2013 book project ran a successful Kickstarter campaign, while one of our 2014-2015 book projects used Indiegogo. The goal is to always have everything finalized with the publisher by the first of December. It should be noted that students are responsible for the funding required to put the book into production, regardless of the publisher they choose. Exploration of the risk/reward of utilizing things like crowdfunding sites is part of the learning experience. If the money is not raised, the option of self-publishing through a minimal-cost service such as an e-book on Amazon.com is an option, but so is the possibility of the book not being published at all. This is not a fail-safe project, and the realities that exist in the complicated world of book writing and publishing provide the very real possibility that the book may not make it all the way to production. However, to date only one out of the six books has failed to be published.  

The spring semester is exciting, as the final product is delivered. However, there is still more work to be done by the student authors. Books need to be delivered to those who had

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purchased them through the pre-sale process. In addition, there is a heavy push for continuous marketing and sales. There are presentation opportunities for students to share their observations and experiences in an academic setting, such as the Butler University Undergraduate Research Conference, as well as with local and national organizations that are interested in supporting and/or purchasing copies of the books. Students typically schedule a book-signing event.  

A more detailed description of the steps and timeline used at Butler University for the children’s book project is seen below. This is an approximate timeline as each project is different, and we continue to innovate and experiment each year.

  Table 1

TYPICAL TIMELINE AND TASKS FOR CHILDREN’S BOOK PROJECT  

End of Spring Semester   Establish faculty mentors Recruit students and set up structure for accountability Convene initial team meeting

Summer   Conduct research and choose overarching topic Divide into two subgroups to come up with ideas (reduce groupthink) Meet again to finalize idea (or variation); storyboard this concept Start developing drawings of main characters

Fall Semester   Finish writing and art Present project at Senior Project Poster Session (pharmacy students) Contract with publisher Develop marketing plan and start pre-sales (possibly through crowdfunding) Develop and finalize financial plan

Spring Semester   Market and sell book Present book at Butler University Undergraduate Research Conference Organize book-signing party Deliver books Take advantage of presentation opportunities

  APPLICABILITY: SURVIVAL SKILLS AND INNOVATION MINDSET  

In The Global Achievement Gap, Tony Wagner unveiled a “core set of survival skills for today’s workplace, as well as for lifelong learning and active citizenship” (Wagner, 2010, p. 14) that are not being adequately taught even in our best school systems. These skills include:  

  1. Critical thinking and problem solving 2. Collaboration across networks and leading by influence 3. Agility and adaptability 4. Initiative and entrepreneurialism 5. Effective oral and written communication 6. Accessing and analyzing information 7. Curiosity and imagination  

While Wagner targeted much of his discussion on K-12 schools, it can be argued that colleges and universities are similarly responsible (if not more so) for developing suitable learning environments. This is a task, many feel, for which higher education is currently unprepared.    

Our understanding of learning is expanding in ways that are at least partially incompatible with the structures of higher education institutions. In addition, these

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developments are occurring at the same time that higher education is being asked to become more accountable for what students are learning. Ironically, these pressures for accountability are making us simultaneously more thoughtful and more limited in what we count as learning. The question that campus leaders need to address is how to reinvent a curriculum that lives in this new space (Bass, 2012, p. 24).  

  This reinvention means working across areas of curricular expertise as well as crossing

boundaries of institutional organization. “Effective collaboration requires several skills and attitudes including the ability to take the perspective of others, speak a common language, manage conflict, conceptualize. . .problems in a broad fashion, and share resources, knowledge, and skills” (Welch et al., 1992, p. 2). As summarized in Table 2 and detailed below, the children’s book project serves as a platform for each of these survival skills.    

Table 2 APPLICABILITY OF THE SURVIVAL SKILLS TO THE CHILDREN’S BOOK PROJECT

Survival Skill   Children’s Book Project  

Critical thinking and problem solving  

The project involves lots of ambiguity, especially dealing with the publisher and the “real-world” orientation.  

There is a need to figure out how to be “edutaining.”   Collaboration across networks and leading by influence  

The project involves upper-level students majoring in discrete disciplines (i.e., networks) and needing to serve as experts in their respective areas.

Deeper collaboration skills are developed due to the diversity of the team.   Agility and adaptability   There are many roadblocks (e.g., Kickstarter did not approve an initial

submission), and students need to figure out how to adapt. Students also need to adapt to each other's work schedules involving

internships, classes, rotations, etc.   Initiative and entrepreneurialism   Faculty members serve as advisors, but do not run, lead, or develop timelines.

Students themselves must take the initiative. Capitalization (e.g., crowdfunding campaigns) and sales processes entail

entrepreneurial risk. Effective oral and written communication  

Students must meet the challenge of learning how to communicate at a child’s level within the book. Additionally, the project requires clear written communication in the final outcome, as well as practice in oral communication within a team setting and when marketing the book.

Accessing and analyzing information  

Research must be conducted on the children’s book industry, followed by analysis and decision-making based on this step.

Curiosity and imagination   Curiosity and imagination skills are used in coming up with the story. In order to prevent groupthink, students typically storyboard two different ideas and then come together. These skills are also used in finding ways to market the book.

  Critical Thinking and Problem Solving  

Critical thinking is “the disciplined art of ensuring that you use the best thinking you are capable of in any set of circumstances” (Paul & Elder, 2014, p. 41) and requires asking lots of questions and checking assumptions. A survey of more than 400 employers found that critical thinking and creativity/innovation, which are both elements of the problem-solving process, were expected to increase substantially in importance for successive cohorts of workers entering the

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economy (Casner-Lotto & Barrington, 2006). The need for students to think critically and to problem solve is at the heart of the children’s book project. Representation on each team by students from multiple professional disciplines challenges the assumptions that individual team members bring from their own academic arena. For example, some of the business students have been questioned by their peers as to why a website is needed and whether crowdfunding really makes sense, given the requisite fees. Moreover, education students have had to explain how reading levels are established, and how the criteria for quality in children’s literature are substantiated. In many cases, research needs to be conducted in order to check assumptions and help guide the team with decision making—especially in ensuring that the book is both educational and entertaining (“edutaining”). This process indeed helps the students “think about their thinking” and become more aware of biases.  

  Collaboration across Networks and Leading by Influence  

The “silo effect” of departments working separately, rather than as a team, has not yet disappeared within the corporate area and is noted to be a significant growing pain (Gleeson & Rozo, 2014). There has been a conscious effort in the health-care field, especially, to shift toward a more collaborative, interprofessional approach (Epstein, 2014). This is perhaps the survival skill that, within the college environment, can be most difficult for existing classes to undertake. Like businesses, universities similarly tend toward silo structures, as different schools, colleges, and departments are developed and focused on their specialties—with good reasons, as professional education within each college is critical to develop expertise in professions. While general education courses may involve students from different backgrounds, upper-level courses within a major are typically narrowed to people with similar interests pursuing a similar degree. Certainly, collaborative learning and team-centered projects are common in contemporary educational settings, but rarely is there an opportunity for students to collaborate with peers who have developed different expertise. The children’s book project is unique in this way, in that it allows upperclassmen to collaborate across networks (i.e., across colleges) and also provides the opportunity to “lead by influence” as the expert in their area. One of the richest experiences as educators working in these book projects has been watching students teach each other about their chosen disciplines. At the same time, students develop a level of respect for each other’s professions.  

  Agility and Adaptability  

Being able to adapt is critical in the children’s book project. This is perhaps most evident in the evolution of the book from its first draft when it is initially storyboarded to the final product that is printed. There is a need to adjust based on the needs of funders and publishers as well as on feedback provided by mentors and the team. Other evidence of being agile and adaptable is simply working with each other’s schedules, as most students working on these book projects have part- or full-time class schedules, internships, and travel schedules. Also, the key skillset of interdisciplinary flexibility helps students understand that in the working world, they will also encounter people who do not share their backgrounds and educational experiences.  

 

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Initiative and Entrepreneurialism

According to a recent survey, more than 50% of college-aged students would like to someday start their own business (Kauffman Foundation, 2011). Thus, pursuing an entrepreneurial task such as writing/publishing their own book will likely serve as an innovative and inviting way to engage students. In contrast to programs that aim to teach entrepreneurship, we propose the utilization of entrepreneurship as a means to engage students. Being entrepreneurial requires a combination of taking initiative, being innovative, and taking risks (Covin & Slevin, 1989). All three elements are clearly present in taking on the creation of a new project such as the children’s book. Moreover, the crowdfunding concept, in which all the money is on the line, itself demonstrates the acceptance of risk; for example, the Kickstarter platform specifies that if the goal is not attained, none of the money is earned.  

  Effective Oral and Written Communication  

It should come as no surprise in a world where texting is the norm that effective oral and written communication is a skillset that requires more emphasis and development at the collegiate level (Casner-Lotto & Barrington, 2006; Hart Research Associates, 2013). Raise this issue with any college educator of incoming freshmen and the educator will surely agree. Yet communication is critical, because without it a great idea loses credibility. As part of the project, the student team has to put forth significant effort toward writing, editing, and developmental appropriateness for the end-user. Students from the College of Education share their expertise and ensure that language is at a level children can understand. Also, students have to orally communicate the premise of the book—they have to sell the book itself before it is written. Creating a video for a Kickstarter campaign is another example of a communicative skillset that students need to employ in order to successfully complete the project.  

  Accessing and Analyzing Information  

Throughout the project, there is a wealth of information that needs to be gathered and analyzed. Early on, market research needs to be conducted on the children’s literature publishing industry. As this is an industry that is changing with the influx of technology, with more than 5,000 new titles added each year, new data and opportunities constantly need to be examined. In the latter part of the project, students need to contact different publishers for quotes, analyze detailed information and contracts, and make decisions accordingly. A recent example was the contract around the Kickstarter campaign that students needed to understand before project implementation. They were surprised to discover dual costs for this capitalization: a percentage taken out by Kickstarter, and transaction fees assigned by credit card companies. Based on this information, they examined other crowdsourcing options and ultimately had to make a business decision on which direction to take.  

  Curiosity and Imagination  

Pink (2005) emphasized the importance of “right-brain” thinkers in today’s economy. As students are developing a new children’s book, there is an enormous reliance on creativity and using their imaginations (i.e., employing right-brain thinking). They need to come up with

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characters, a plot, a storyline, illustrations, and more. At the outset, students typically break into two subgroups in order to reduce the possibility of groupthink (Janis, 1972). By having fewer members in each subgroup, the imagination and creativity of each student is further leveraged and drawn out.  

In his more recent book, Creating Innovators (2012), Wagner expanded on The Global Achievement Gap by declaring that the seven survival skills are necessary, but not sufficient. Students also need to be taught to be innovators. Such an approach requires an emphasis on perseverance, willingness to experiment, taking calculated risks, tolerating failure, and design thinking. These innovation skills can be taught through the principles of play, passion, and purpose. Again, the children’s book project offers an opportunity for students to experience each of these principles.  

  Play  

It makes intuitive sense that being innovative involves a sense of play (Pink, 2005). Simply put, if students are enjoying themselves, they are likely to be more engaged (Hromek & Roffey, 2009). The book projects indeed represent an opportunity for students to have fun, perhaps most evidenced by the high level of excitement during the initial kick-off meeting. As noted by one student, the idea of writing and having their name on a published book is something they only dreamed of happening before graduating from college.     Passion  

Passion refers to a “strong inclination toward an activity that people like, that they find important, and in which they invest time and energy” (Vallerand et al., 2003, p. 756). Indeed, passion is frequently mentioned as important for entrepreneurs (Breugst, Domurath, Patzelt, & Klaukien, 2012). Within the children’s book projects, students are able to select a topic that they feel particularly passionate about. In some cases, the general theme is provided (e.g., asthma), and then students with an interest in that area sign up. In the most recent year, students were able to select a health-care topic in which they had particular interest. This passion equates to a more engaged student, and thus a better outcome in terms of the actual book and the commitment to learning that is taking place.     Purpose  

Perhaps most important, the children’s book project allows students an opportunity not only to utilize their emerging expertise collaboratively, but also in a purposeful way. Purpose serves as an essential intrinsic motivator (Pink, 2011). Most of the books to date have been geared toward helping to educate children about an important topic. For example, one student team produced a book on asthma, He Huffed and He Puffed But…A Tale of a Wolf with Asthma. This team felt especially proud when the Indiana State Department of Health purchased more than 700 copies to distribute to children across the state of Indiana. Thus, the students felt that they were contributing and their project had a purpose.  

 

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Table 3 APPLICABILITY OF INNOVATION PRINCIPLES TO THE CHILDREN’S BOOK PROJECT

  Innovation Principles   Children’s Book Project  

Play   The book project is clearly fun. Students are nearly giddy at the early meetings and are amazed to have the opportunity to actually publish a book (with their name on it!).

Passion   Students decide what the topic will be, based upon their interests. Purpose   Students feel there is a purpose behind their books because they will be

helping to educate on an important topic. Their final outcome has clear value.

  Babson College professors Neck, Greene, and Brush (2014) recently outlined the

practices of entrepreneurship education, which are based on play, empathy, creation, experimentation, and reflection. While Wagner discussed the idea of play, his work only hinted at the other four aspects, which deserve further discussion in regard to the children's book project. Foremost, there is the importance of empathy—defined as a “social and emotional skill that helps us feel and understand the emotions, circumstances, intentions, thoughts, and needs of others, such that we can offer sensitive, perceptive, and appropriate communications and supports” (McLaren, 2013, p. 4). As each book is designed to target a specific audience, students have to make additional efforts to empathize with the end-user. For instance, with the book on asthma, students needed to get to know and empathize with both asthmatic and non-asthmatic readers and consider how they might react. With the book Pharmacy and Me, students wanted young readers to understand the role of the pharmacist. The practice of creation is self-evident, given the creative process needed to develop an entire story as well as create the final product. Throughout this process, there is a lot of experimentation that occurs as the students try certain routes and need to constantly adapt to the circumstances. Last, the importance of reflection cannot be emphasized enough. While each college takes a different approach to the way in which the overall project is reflected—whether it is a written document or a conversation—this is indeed the end of the cycle where students reflect not only on what they learned, but also on how this experience will affect them going forward. With Pharmacy and Me, for example, reflection was captured by College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences students in a collective summary of their experience, passion, and challenges, published in The American Pharmacists Association student publication, Student Pharmacist.  

  OUTCOMES  

Feedback from student participants has been extremely positive, and the current demand for being selected to participate in the project is high. As students have shared their experiences with peers, a resultant pipeline of interested participants has minimized the need for extensive recruiting. From an instructor perspective, there is high value for this type of learning experience as well, as it strikes at the highest summit of Bloom’s Taxonomy—creating. We thus view the children’s book project in line with other interdisciplinary entrepreneurship programs that have demonstrated success (Johnson & Envick, 2014). However, the exact nature of the benefits can be perhaps best illustrated by considering the discipline from which the students originate. From the perspective of the College of Business, this experience is highly valued due to the fact that students will need to constantly interact with others in different areas in their future careers.

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Thus, an accounting major will soon need to work with business colleagues in research and development, marketing, etc. This experience highlights the diversity of student engagement, and how working as a team truly has the potential to do amazing things. It also provides the opportunity for business students to experience the challenges associated with project management, much of which must be completed virtually or online due to team members' busy schedules. Last, it challenges students to leverage their skills in a real-world setting when it comes to conducting research, raising funds, keeping records, marketing, and selling.  

For pharmacy students, the experience helps them to become better pharmacists, because they are teaching through writing, and all pharmacists are teachers. Furthermore, students learn how to communicate with children at a level they can understand, through collaboration with their College of Education peers. Leaders in any profession, including pharmacy, also write and publish, and through this opportunity, students are published authors prior to graduation from pharmacy school. The pharmacy curriculum is heavy in clinical and pharmacological education, and the opportunity to write and reflect often is not emphasized; however, through this project, students have the opportunity to polish their written communication skills as adjuncts to their developing clinical and pharmacological acumen.  

Within the Jordan College of the Arts, students benefit by utilizing their craft to develop an integral part of the story. They are practicing artists who achieve a real-world outcome. These students are working as they would if they had a client, or are working in a creative team as the creative leads of the project. They must first learn team collaboration, then convey an idea from the team to paper, and finally create characters and visual images that complement the storyline. Students learn how to creatively collaborate and work with other students who are not trained illustrators.  

In order to continue to nurture classroom innovation, we must provide the instructional leaders of these classrooms with their own experiences in developing and evolving innovative ideas. For preservice teachers, much of their work around innovation will come from creating environments that best foster the solution-focused, collaborative, problem-solving thinkers that are needed in our 21st-century schools and businesses. In combination with effective teacher education programs, preservice teachers must also have the opportunity to participate as learners in innovative projects that allow for diverse groups to come together to create a unique and dynamic outcome. As we think about the importance that projects such as these can play in the development of preservice teachers, we need only look toward what education researchers and practitioners have identified. In a 2013 report, Teaching 2030: Leveraging Teacher Preparation 2.0, the authors noted that “preparation programs can do a great deal to model the instruction, collaboration, and leadership that they want their candidates to practice as teachers” (Allen et al., 2013, p. 16). They went on to specifically comment on the importance of interdisciplinary work in modeling these practices. “An interdisciplinary education is critical to ensuring that teachers know how to think critically, analyze situations, and apply what they know in a wide range of school environments, tailoring instruction to meet individual students’ needs along the way” (Allen et al., 2013, p. 29).  

As we move toward the next steps in our research on these projects, it is our intent to quantify the impact on students utilizing the seven survival skills outlined by Wagner (2010) as the basis for our study. By looking at each of the areas, we will further investigate the impact on the subgroups of students within specific majors as well as the broader impact on the cross- disciplinary teams.

 

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CHALLENGES AND POSSIBLE EXTENSIONS  

Although an interdisciplinary project such as this has effected great value and learning by both students and faculty, it is not without its challenges. Perhaps one of the most pressing issues for replicating such a process is working with the existing course infrastructure to make this happen. At Butler University, we have found the structure of the course to vary across colleges, with some offering it as part of a required senior thesis project and others as independent study. Still other students voluntarily participate without receiving any credit. A secondary issue is how to finance the book project. We were fortunate to receive some initial grant funds to offset publication costs and supplement the income from purchased books. As the project has evolved, we have since moved to either offering the teams a loan from this fund and/or asking them to pre-sell a certain number of books ahead of time. In this case, the risk is minimized and an order is placed only after cash is received. Most important, we have learned as advisors not to set overly rigid policies but rather to leave the process rather ambiguous so that students can take initiative and figure it out independently.  

While the process described above has worked well at Butler University, it is a constant work in process—with learning, customizing, and evolution taking place each year. Nonetheless, there are likely many components that could be replicated elsewhere. While we encourage imitation, we do so with hesitation. There is a need to customize the process to each university. At Butler, for example, pharmacy is one of the largest colleges, and thus it makes sense for us to focus on health-related topics; also, the project idea originated with the pharmacy program. At other schools, different subject matter may be more appropriate—whether at a school of design, engineering, math, medicine, or any other professional area.  

Innovative pedagogy was at the heart of the learning objectives developed by faculty as they came together from across campus to develop this project—as we attempted to exemplify the idea of creating within Bloom’s Taxonomy. Students learn best through integrative, creative projects. While the pedagogical structure is utilized in a higher education environment, it also provides an opportunity for incubating the growth of innovative educators as they participate in processes that they will use with students in their own classrooms and larger school communities.  

With technology constantly evolving, and with the increasing use of tablets and other electronic reading devices, it is acknowledged that such forces have affected the children’s book industry. Yet we think this simply offers further room for evolution of the book project. Already, the last book has been made available on Amazon.com as an e-book. What if students focused solely on e-books (which are much less costly to publish) or secondarily on developing a smartphone application as an extension of the project? The possibilities are endless.  

As universities look to replicate this model on their campuses, the key is to begin by finding like-minded colleagues to jump into the project, but with the caution that these colleagues should cross multiple disciplines in order to model the interdisciplinary approach that will be used by the students. Utilize existing structures on campus as much as possible so that the project does not become another higher education silo that is a “best kept secret” at your institution. For example, our students participate in an existing undergraduate research conference hosted by our university, so that students can share the outcomes of the work. Finally, don’t overlook constituent groups that might have an interest in the topic about which your students are writing. Our students have found both funding and publicity partners in our state department of health, drugstores, and even our state bicentennial commission.  

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  CONCLUSION  

Through a diverse collaboration of multiple colleges within a university, students and faculty can reap the benefits of interprofessional collaboration via writing and producing books. Now that we, along with several groups of students at Butler University, have published several books around health care and STEM subject matter over the course of several years, we hope to spread the concept of interprofessional collaboration and entrepreneurial behaviors in students moving forward. Through the framework of Wagner’s work (2010, 2012), we believe that we have increased student learning in all seven domains—critical thinking; problem solving; collaboration across networks and leading by influence and agility; acting entrepreneurially and taking initiative; accessing and analyzing information; employing effective oral and written communication; and curiosity and imagination. We hope projects like these flourish not only now, but well into the future.    

REFERENCES  

Allen, M., D. Braunfeld, S. C’de Baca, C. Chandler, K. Cortelyou, S. Highley, . . . J. Holland (2013). Teaching 2030: Leveraging Teacher Preparation 2.0. Retrieved June 1, 2015, from http://www.teachingquality.org/ sites/default/files/TEACHING_2030_Leveraging_Teacher_Preparation.pdf

Bass, R. (2012). Disrupting ourselves: The problem of learning in higher education. EDUCAUSE Review. Retrieved May 28, 2015, from http://www.educause.edu/ero/article/disrupting-ourselves-problem-learning-higher- education

Breugst, N., A. Domurath, H. Patzelt & A. Klaukien (2012). Perceptions of entrepreneurial passion and employees' commitment to entrepreneurial ventures. Entrepreneurship: Theory & Practice, 36(1), 171-192.

Casner-Lotto, J. & L. Barrington (2006). Are they really ready to work? Employers’ perspectives on the basic knowledge and applied skills of new entrants to the 21st century U.S. workforce. Retrieved June 1, 2015, from http://www.conference-board.org/pdf_free/BED-06-Workforce.pdf

Covin, J. G. & D. P. Slevin (1989). Strategic management of small firms in hostile and benign environments. Strategic Management Journal, 10(1), 75-87.

Epstein, N. N. (2014). Multidisciplinary in-hospital teams improve patient outcomes: A review. Surgical Neurology International, Supplement, 7(5), 295-303.

Gleeson, B. & M. Rozo (2014). The silo mentality: How to break down the barriers. Forbes.com. Retrieved June 1, 2015, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/brentgleeson/2013/10/02/the-silo-mentality-how-to-break-down- the-barriers

Hart Research Associates (2013). It takes more than a major: Employee priorities for college learning and student success. Retrieved June 1, 2015 from https://www.aacu.org/sites/default/files/files/LEAP/2013_ EmployerSurvey.pdf

Hromek, R. & S. Roffey (2009). Games as a pedagogy to promote social and emotional learning: “It’s fun and we learn things.” Simulation and Gaming, 40(5), 626-644.

Janis, I. L. (1972). Victims of Groupthink. New York: Houghton Mifflin. Johnson, J. E. & B. R. Envick (2014). Assessing the learning goal outcomes of an interdisciplinary entrepreneurship

cohort program: A comprehensive survey approach. Journal of Entrepreneurship Education, 17(1), 135- 149.

Kauffman Foundation (2011). Young Invincibles Policy Brief. Retrieved June 1, 2015 from http://www.kauffman. org/~/media/kauffman_org/research%20reports%20and%20covers/2011/11/millennials_study.pdf.

McLaren, K. (2013). The Art of Empathy: A Complete Guide to Life’s Most Essential Skills. Boulder, CO: Sounds True.

Mollick, E. (2014). The dynamics of crowdfunding: An exploratory study. Journal of Business Venturing, 29(1), 1- 16.

Neck, H. K., P. G. Greene & C. G. Brush (2014). Teaching Entrepreneurship: A Practice-Based Approach. Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar.

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Paul, R. & L. Elder (2014). Learning the art of critical thinking. Rotman Management, January, 40-45. Pink, D. H. (2005). A Whole New Mind. New York: Penguin Group. Pink, D. H. (2011). Dive. New York: Riverhead Books. Surowiecki, J. (2004). The Wisdom of Crowds: Why the Many Are Smarter than the Few and How Collective

Wisdom Shapes Business, Economies, Societies and Nations. New York: Doubleday. Vallerand, R. J., C. Blanchard, G. Mageau, R. Koestner, C. Ratelle, M. Léonard, . . . J. Marsolais (2003). Les

passions de l'Âme: On obsessive and harmonious passion. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 85, 756-767.

Wagner, T. (2010). The Global Achievement Gap: Why Even Our Best Schools Don’t Teach the New Survival Skills Our Children Need—and What We Can Do about It. New York: Basic Books.

Wagner, T. (2012). Creating Innovators: The Making of Young People Who Will Change the World. New York: Scribner.

Welch, M., S. Sheridan, A. Fuhriman, A. Hart, M. Connell & T. Stoddart (1992). Preparing Professionals for Educational Partnerships: An Interdisciplinary Approach. Educational Psychology Papers and Publications. Paper 24.

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Exhibit A: Examples of Children’s Book Projects at Butler University    

Title   Year Published   Colleges Involved   Book Format &

Availability  

Prescription to My Younger Self: What I Learned after Pharmacy School  

2008   College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences; Jordan College of the

Arts   Book (Amazon)  

Who's Who in Healthcare: Global Healthcare Systems   2010  

College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences; Jordan College of the

Arts   Not published  

Pharmacy and Me   2012   College of Education; College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences;

Jordan College of the Arts  

e-book (Amazon); Book (Butler Campus

Store*)  

He Huffed and He Puffed But…A Tale of a Wolf with Asthma   2013  

College of Business; College of Education; College of Pharmacy

and Health Sciences; Jordan College of the Arts  

e-book (Amazon); Book (Butler Campus

Store*)  

Max Greene & The Vaccine Team   2015  

College of Business; College of Education; College of Pharmacy

and Health Sciences; Jordan College of the Arts  

Book (Butler Campus Store*  

The Gifts of Indiana: A Tale of Three Birthdays and One Grand Adventure  

2015  

College of Business; College of Education; College of Pharmacy

and Health Sciences; Jordan College of the Arts  

e-book (Amazon); Book (Butler Campus

Store*)  

* Butler Campus Store website: http://www.bkstr.com/butlerstore/home  

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