Keywords: Engineering Education, Business Management, Innovation Assessment, Smart City Entrepreneurship

What and Why

A pilot course on Business Organization fundamentals was conducted for 75 first-year Physical Engineering students at the Polytechnic University of Valencia. The purpose was to help technically oriented students understand business management's relevance to their future careers, particularly focusing on entrepreneurship and smart city initiatives aligned with SDG 11.

How

Theoretical and practical sessions (6 credits total)

Development of entrepreneurship projects focused on smart city technology

Integration of ICT with business models

Lab practices on demand forecasting and marketing

Assessment through voluntary surveys using FINCODA model dimensions

Focus on creativity and critical thinking

Evaluation of innovation competencies through student self-assessment

Outcome

· Survey results showed moderately positive results in innovation competencies:

· Dimension 3 (Creating original solutions): Mean score 73.8/100

· Dimension 4 (Making improvement suggestions): Mean score 71.8/100

· Online survey tool proved technically successful

· Participation rates were lower than desired due to voluntary nature

Recommendations: [tips, guidelines, notes…]

· Start assessment earlier in the course timeline

· Conduct surveys during regular course hours to increase participation

· Implement anonymous participation methods

· Create early awareness among students about assessment importance

· Better integrate technical aspects with business concepts

· Consider mandatory rather than voluntary participation

· Maintain focus on practical applications and real-world scenarios

· Structure the assessment process within regular course activities

Link to extended description: https://sincoe.blogs.upv.es/archives/509