Winter Spring 2018 Edition NACCE_WinterSpring_2018_NonMember | Page 15

NACCE/GROWTHWHEEL PARTNERSHIP
Leap Forward: Bringing Three
Trends into Your Classroom
By Elizabeth Bining, Product and Learning Specialist, GrowthWheel International, Brooklyn, New York
O
ften we encourage our students
to study the competition. While
this is helpful in determining
their market position, it’s a defensive move.
The point is to see if they can fit in and take a
piece of the existing pie.  
Looking ahead  - now that’s an offensive
move that can help your students position
themselves before the competition has even
had their first cup of coffee. But predicting
the next leap forward in any field can be
tricky business. There are some robust
trends in entrepreneurship occurring these
days, and here are my top three, along with
suggestions as to how we can reflect these in
the classroom:
1: Focus on the WHY!
As countless authors have told us last year,
current and future entrepreneurs need to
be mindful of why they are doing what they
are doing. Storytelling,
or communicating key
messages via themes and
stories, is a powerful way to
connect “the why” of your
student’s business to their
employees, customers, and
even vendors.
Entrepreneurship
teachers must not just
teach the business of
business, but teach the
personal, “who cares?”
side of business. Faculty
can guide students of all ages to consider
why entrepreneurship is important in today’s
economy and why it’s important to the
students themselves.  Proper
storytelling is not only a
business skill, but also a way for
students to connect us more
deeply with their own big “why.”
2: Personalization
Connecting the general
“mindful movement,”
emotional intelligence, and the most
recent focus on Artificial Intelligence (AI),
personalization is the process of tailoring an
organization’s messages, marketing channels,
and products and services to each individual
customer. Companies are increasingly seeing
their customers as “segments of one” so
everyone receives a personalized experience.
Like all industries, entrepreneurship
education will also involve making
customized “products” or learning
experiences and communication. Students
now expect their own
personal educational
experience and
customization is the
norm like never before,
not only for products, but
also for communication.
Creating a personalized
curriculum doesn’t have
to be as daunting as it
initially seems. Having
a toolbox of experiential
learning exercises at the
ready can help you plug
and play those tools into your classroom so
each student receives a personal learning
experience.
3: Technology Is
Everywhere
Perhaps the most obvious
trend, that technology is
everywhere - from Internet of
Things (IoT) in the home to
bluetooth payments at every
counter - will continue to grow
in almost every industry from farming to
health care to retail to construction. Even in
non-tech industries, any company started
today will use much more technology than
businesses ever have before.
Shouldn’t we reflect that reality in our
classrooms? As technology immerses the
e-ship agenda, faculty need to explore how
they can use technology in the classroom as
well. IT is an essential part of any business,
and working with online tools in the
classroom helps keep students accountable in
an efficient manner.
Alas, only by looking backwards can we
have true 20/20 vision when it comes to
knowing where to leap next. But trying to
bring the trends you see into your classroom
can be a wise move that can help you connect
the e-ship agenda with students and create
more engagement and better learning. ●
Contact:
Elizabeth@
growthwheel.com
“As technology immerses the e-ship agenda, faculty need to explore how
they can use technology in the classroom as well.”
National Association For Community College Entrepreneurship • nacce.com
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