STIMULATING LEARNING VIA TUTORING AND COLLABORATIVE ENTREPRENEURSHIP GAMING

This paper presents results from a multidisciplinary program targeted at engineering education and at the development of entrepreneurial mind in telecommunications engineering students. The basic concept is rooted in a capstone-like project with the following characteristics: (i) Creation of student awareness about real world engineering activities, involving engineering professionals and enterprises in selected classroom activities; (ii) Simulation of a business environment in capstone project classes; (iii) Market gaming around a set of business cases where students are organized in teams playing different professional roles (role playing); (iv) Linking the outcome of market gaming and associated business cases with syllabus topics and with practical issues resorting to engineering decisions that have to prepared based on technology choices, network design, market simulation and economic-financial analysis. The results showed an improvement in average marks, the development of teamwork skills, the consolidation of previous knowledge and a better understanding of the telecommunications business markets