During the fall 2020 semester, Associate Professor of Management Dawn Fairchild’s students in Entrepreneurship: Ideas & Innovation course (ENT131) interacted virtually with a team from Soran University in Kurdistan, Iraq where they researched problems and developed an international sustainable business solution in the arts and entertainment industry.
Teams competed against peers to craft sustainable solutions that engaged businesses within their communities using a human centered design approach (design thinking). Through the competition, students developed skills to collaborate across cultures, solve problems, develop innovative business concepts, and cultivate teamwork and leadership skills while solving global challenges at the local level.
There were a total of 26 teams made up of over 500 U.S., Iraq, and Jordan students. Students earned badges throughout the competition to display on their LinkedIn profiles. Badges included:
- Critical Thinking and Creative Problem Solving
- Cross-cultural Communication
- Virtual Collaboration
- Empathy
- Adaptability
- Entrepreneurial Thinking
Judges critiqued the business concepts and prototypes each team submitted. The top teams selected pitched their ideas at the Virtual Global Business Expo in December. The Delta/Kurdistan team received an honorable mention and a runner-up standing. Their final presentation and prototype (they developed a website) can be viewed at youtu.be/npZ_6lItkQw.
Delta College Faculty Association 