Course outlines entrepreneurial essentials

Leaders in entrepreneurship at Waterloo have collaborated to develop an online 100-level course to satisfy the growing demand for education about entrepreneurship.

BET 100: Essentials of Entrepreneurial Behaviour is an online course open to students in all faculties and at all levels of program.

BET 100 is anchored by a successful approach to finding and learning how to develop solutions to "big ideas" that is applicable to students with differing academic backgrounds, entrepreneurship interests, and level of program. The core conceptual framework is an entrepreneurship model that allows students to understand and practice commercial, green, charitable, and employee entrepreneurship.

The online modules address:

• the growing importance of entrepreneurship in Ontario and Canada;
• how successful entrepreneurs search for "big ideas;"
• the process of research, observation and inquiry required at various stages of entrepreneurship development (value proposition, customer identification, channel selection, and resource needs); and
• the importance of building a business case around promising ideas.

Four well-known entrepreneurial educators have come together to deliver BET 100:

Larry Smith, is an Adjunct Associate Professor with the Department of Economics, a recipient of the university's Distinguished Teacher Award, and a highly sought-after mentor. Professor Smith frequently speaks on entrepreneurship and finding important problems. His TEDxUW talk, "Why you will fail to have a great career," has over 2.7 million views.

Geoff Malleck is a Continuing Lecturer with the Department of Economics, and teaches in the School of Environment, Enterprise & Development. Professor Malleck is a founding director of Research Entrepreneurs Advancing Prosperity (REAP) and a multiple board member and consultant within the private sector.

Wayne Chang is a Lecturer and the Enterprise Co-op (E Co-op) Program Coordinator at the Conrad Centre. Professor Chang has extensive industry experience in engineering, technology, and startups, including seven years working in Silicon Valley. He recently earned teaching accolades for his instruction of BET 300: Foundations of Venture Creation.

Howard Armitage is the Special Advisor to the President, Entrepreneurship, Founder of the Conrad Centre, and was  recently named Ontario's top Entrepreneurship Educator of the Year by Startup Canada. Professor Armitage teaches accounting to Master of Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology (MBET) students and is an experienced mentor and community builder. Professor Armitage is the Team Advisor for BET 100.

Students will be able to add the course to their schedule of classes when the open enrolment period begins in July. More information about the course can be found on the Conrad Business, Entrepreneurship, and Technology Centre's website.

 

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Rewriting the story of women in gaming

by Megan Scarborough. Originally published in Waterloo Stories.

When Elise Vist entered the gaming world she felt she had to prove herself not just as a gamer - but as a woman in gaming.

So when she arrived at the University of Waterloo to pursue doctoral studies, she co-founded GI Janes, a Games Institute group designed to raise the profile of women in gaming.

“I wanted a space to talk about what it felt like to be a woman who plays games,” says Vist, a PhD student in the Department of English Language and Literature, who co-founded the group with researchers, Emma Vossen and Judy Ehrentraut

Teaching women how to create games

Last semester, the group hosted a number of game nights with an emphasis on teaching women how to play and create games. They hope to expand their offerings to include more workshops for women in gaming. The GI Janes website is also used to talk about games from a female perspective.

The researchers were inspired after taking a class on adaptations of Lord of the Rings. The series didn’t resonate with them so they created a machinima – a short film recorded inside of a video game – entitled Lady Hobbits.

They created female characters in Lord of the Rings Online and reenacted the first four chapters of The Fellowship of the Ring. “We wanted to show that you can change the gender of the main characters and still be true to the text without reinforcing stereotypes,” said Vist. “Being able to rewrite the story for ourselves created a sense of empowerment as women.” With Frodo and Sam portrayed as women, the two felt a stronger attachment to the narrative, says Vist.

Is the gaming community aware of women’s concerns?

Although academics and scholars have identified the problem, the conversation hasn’t gained traction in the gaming community, says Vist. “Scholars in the field are looking for solutions but the conversations outside of academia are still largely about identifying whether there is a problem.”

As a second year PhD student, Vist’s research focus has shifted to the world of fan studies. She is looking at how fan fiction writers position themselves in opposition to dominant forces in the literary world. Many parallels can be drawn between this and her work with the GI Janes: many women gamers and developers frequently have to carve out and defend spaces for themselves, much as fans do.

Vist says she will continue to work to carve out a space for women in a culture that is still dominated by men. “The GI Janes are more about activism than research,” says Vist. “It is important that we remain an on-the-ground organization.” 

 

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