Revamping a Course on Entrepreneurship by Integrating Technologies

Why revamp the Incubator 2 course?

At Champlain College Saint-Lambert, the Administration and Management Techniques (Business Administration) program offers 2 profiles: Sports Marketing and Management, and Entrepreneurship. In the Entrepreneurship profile, graduates must take the Incubators courses in their final year of studies:

• Incubator I: Ideation and innovation phase
  Students design a business project.
  This course takes place in the 5 ^th semester.

• Incubator 2: Planning phase
  Students develop a business plan for their entrepreneurial project based on the impact of emerging technologies.
  This course takes place during the first 10 weeks of the 6 ^th semester. (It’s a 45-hour course, with 3 classes of 90 minutes per week over 10 weeks.)

• Incubator 3: Launch or internship phase
  Students either start their own business or participate in internships.
  This 150-hour course runs full time for the last 5 weeks of the 6 ^th semester.

Thomas has been teaching at Champlain College Saint-Lambert since 2020 and had already taught Incubator I and Incubator 3. However, until 2024, he had never taught Incubator 2. At the very end of the fall 2023 semester, Morris, the designer of the original Incubator 2 course and one of the pillars of our program, suggested that Thomas teach the course that winter, but in a renewed format.

Morris felt it was necessary to revamp the course because technology is rapidly evolving and disrupting the business world. AI, the Internet of Things (IoT), and virtual reality (VR) are just some of the new technologies our students will need to work with (or to face!) once they enter the job market.

In just a few weeks, with the help of AI tools, we focused on the essential elements to provide concrete examples. We developed a new version of the course that better met the students’ needs and today’s reality.

Previously, the course focused on the rather “basic” design of a business plan, something students had already done in previous courses. We wanted to improve it. Incubator 2 now enables students to understand how technologies can enhance a business plan and to think more critically about how their business will evolve over time.

The 4 pillars of the new version of the course

The new Incubator 2 course is now based on 4 key pillars:

• Emerging technologies and agile practices
  Students discover and experiment with AI, the IoT, and blockchains while integrating agile approaches for better adaptability.
• Expert mentoring and personalized support
  From day 1 of the course, a coach specializing in technological innovation guides students through interactive sessions, operational experience, and practical advice on how to apply the concepts studied.
• Personal projects and real-life case studies
  Each student designs and improves a business project based on case studies inspired by major companies (Apple, Airbnb, and Tesla) and real-life challenges faced by startups.
• Use of open educational resources (OERs)
  Rather than a traditional textbook, students work with open and evolving content, giving them access to the latest trends and best practices in innovation and entrepreneurship.

Excerpt from the Incubator 2 course plan

Emerging technologies and their impact on entrepreneurship

The modern business environment is shaped by cutting-edge technologies such as:

• AI
• IoT
• blockchains
• augmented reality (AR) and VR

In the Incubator 2 course, students don’t simply learn how to use these technologies, they also apply them in authentic business scenarios.

AI

At the beginning of the course, students have a basic understanding of AI concepts and applications. However, their knowledge is limited when it comes to the strategic implications of AI in business.

In Incubator 2, students explore how AI improves the personalization of services offered to customers.

AI can also improve operational efficiency by optimizing inventory management and customer service. For example, someone designing websites for their customers can now use generative AI to check their HTML code and ensure that it’s error-free.

In addition, AI enables the automation of decision-making processes, whether for service personalization, inventory optimization or the predictive analysis of customer behaviour. This capability is transforming business efficiency.

Learning about the role of AI in business has been transformative. It showed me how AI can enhance customer personalization and improve operational efficiency.

– Anonymous student in response to the survey conducted at the end of the semester

Another key topic of the course is the ethical use of AI. Activities are included to encourage students to understand the importance of auditing AI systems to ensure fairness and transparency.

From the very 1 ^st week of class, students are asked to position themselves in relation to AI. Thomas asks them to reflect on how they perceive AI and its impact on their future careers. Is AI to them like a horse to a cowboy (a partner who is more powerful than we are, but whom we can lead) or like a know-it-all brother-in-law who always seems to have an answer? Is AI simply a power tool (one that is more powerful than manual tools but serves the same function)?

These perspectives, from our classroom discussions, reflect the diversity of the students’ perceptions of AI. However, AI also raises challenges: ethical concerns, transparency issues, and algorithmic biases emerge, making it necessary to think critically about the responsible use of AI in business.

Then, in the 2 ^nd week of class, students explore how different types of businesses integrate AI. Most of them, independently, come to the conclusion that AI and humans can work in tandem. AI can act as a co-pilot, providing assistance. Once students grasp this, they can consider ways to integrate AI into their own business projects. Thomas provides them with guiding parameters but doesn’t provide all the answers: they learn through discovery. They realize that AI can create conflict in the workplace and can duplicate tasks, but there are strategies to avoid these pitfalls.

For Thomas, the most important takeaway about AI in business is that managers should not see it as a way to replace humans but rather as a way to work with humans who can effectively harness AI to produce better results. The aim should be quality, not just efficiency.

The IoT and blockchains

In the Incubator 2 course, students explore the role of the IoT in optimizing processes and improving customer experience. They also gain an understanding of how a blockchain ensures transaction security and can automate processes through the use of smart contracts.

By virtue of hands-on projects, students bridge the gap between theory and practice by applying these technologies to real-life business challenges. For example, a student working on a project involving solar panels and wanting to ensure he doesn’t order any duplicate parts can use a smart contract, which will help him keep track of the parts and prevent fraud and theft.

Blockchain was a complex topic that this course helped to clarify. Understanding its applications for secure transactions and smart contracts was particularly beneficial.

– Another anonymous student in response to the survey conducted at the end of the semester

The IoT component has been incredibly instructive. I now understand how interconnected devices can significantly improve business operations and customer experience.

– Another anonymous student in response to the survey conducted at the end of the semester

VR and AR

VR and AR have great potential to enhance customer experience. For instance, VR enables a potential buyer of a luxury watch to “get inside” the mechanism to appreciate the precision and craftsmanship. Similarly, VR can assist an interior designer’s customers to visualize their future kitchen before renovations even begin.

In the classroom, students can experience this firsthand by stepping into the shoes of a customer, which enables them to better understand the customer experience.

Agile methods, design thinking, and the SCRUM framework

Integrating emerging technologies goes beyond tools — it requires an agile methodology to enable effective and iterative adoption in entrepreneurial projects.

Students come into the course with a basic knowledge of agile principles, design thinking, and the SCRUM framework, but they have never had a course on these topics. Among other things, the course teaches them how these working methods can be applied to marketing and management. For example, students apply design thinking during the course to develop their business plans.

Throughout the course, students adopt an iterative approach. By applying agile principles, they test and refine their ideas through cycles of continuous improvement. For example, one student used the SCRUM framework to structure the various stages of his startup business project, adapting his decisions based on user feedback obtained after each sprint.

Adopting agile methodologies has changed the game. It helped me improve collaboration and understand how to respond quickly to market changes.

– Another anonymous student in response to the survey conducted at the end of the semester.

Learning agile marketing strategies has transformed my approach to campaign development. The ability to adapt quickly to feedback is invaluable.

– Another anonymous student in response to the survey conducted at the end of the semester.

The SCRUM framework has given me essential project management skills.

– Another anonymous student in response to the survey conducted at the end of the semester.

Coaching

In the Incubator 2 course, a mentor with over 25 years of experience in entrepreneurship volunteers to visit the group 5 times during the semester to share her experience and offer guidance. She bridges the gap between theoretical concepts and practical, real-world solutions.

The presence of our coach, Ann Lockquell, and her contribution to the course are invaluable. Ann has a solid credibility in entrepreneurship and an interest in new technologies.

In class, Ann introduces students to design thinking and even leads workshops based on this concept. For example, during the 3^rd week of the course, after students have had the opportunity to familiarize themselves with concepts related to AI and design thinking (and creative thinking in general), Ann presents a design thinking activity that challenges them to work in teams on ways of integrating AI into the various departments of a real company (Air Canada, Couche-Tard, etc.). The teams continue their research during the next class and present their findings during the 3^rd and final class of the week.

Coaching during the 1^st iteration of the revamped course in 2024 was a real success. This year (2025), Thomas will build on the coaching concept to take it a step further. In addition to Ann’s invaluable participation, he’ll organize group problem-solving sessions to encourage collaborative learning and knowledge sharing.

Personal projects (case studies)

The highlight of the course is the strategic use of AI tools in course design and in the real-world case studies of the businesses the students want to launch, or leading companies such as Apple, Airbnb and Tesla. These projects challenge students to analyze real-life challenges faced by these companies and identify shortcomings. They then have to propose innovative and strategic solutions. For example, one group worked on optimizing Airbnb’s logistics by proposing the integration of predictive AI to adjust prices according to local demand. Others applied Apple’s innovation principles to their own startup ideas. This hands-on experience helps students sharpen their critical thinking and problem-solving skills, preparing them to tackle the challenges of modern business.

Using a textbook published under an open license

To enhance students’ understanding of innovation in the modern business landscape, Thomas chose to use the 2^nd edition of Leading Innovation, a textbook by Kerri Shields from Centennial College in Ontario. This e-book is available online through eCampusOntario, an extensive library of open educational resources.

Using an OER offers several advantages. Unlike traditional textbooks, an OER is regularly updated to reflect market developments. Moreover, it’s available free of charge, reducing costs for students while giving them flexibility in their learning.

Thomas selected only the chapters that align with the theoretical content required for the course. This makes it the ideal resource for his course!