READING Activity Based Project-eng.pdf

Activity Based Project: From Project to Entrepreneurship Author: Bernardo Darquea, UIDE ([email protected]) Abstract: The results of a case of Project-Based Learning implemented at the International University of Ecuador are described, where the project evolves into a social enterprise that s...

Activity Based Project: From Project to Entrepreneurship Author: Bernardo Darquea, UIDE ([email protected]) Abstract: The results of a case of Project-Based Learning implemented at the International University of Ecuador are described, where the project evolves into a social enterprise that seeks to alleviate problems caused by the Covid-19 Pandemic within the University Community, and that also encourages entrepreneurship in the students themselves. Keywords: Entrepreneurship, Intra-entrepreneurship, Project-Based Learning, PBL, Activity Based Project, ABP Introduction Since this learning methodology is relatively new, it is important to define what is it, and what is not an Activity Based Project. Especially since among the new learning methodologies Problem-Based Learning and Activity-Based Projects are also mentioned, and in the end everything is summarized in Projects Based Learning; which has given rise to many confusions. These learning methodologies emerge to provide alternatives to traditional learning. In 2003, Ruiz and Valero defined project-based learning or PBL as “learning that occurs as a result of the effort made by the student to solve a problem or carry out a project” (Ruiz & Valero, 2003). Later, in 2013, it was highlighted that this project-based learning should consist of a set of tasks that involve the student in the design and planning of learning, in decision-making, and in research processes, giving them the opportunity to work in a relatively autonomous manner for most of the time, and that culminates in the creation of a final product (José Sánchez, 2013). “With the application of this strategy, students define the purpose of creating a final project, identify their market, research the topic, create a project management plan, and design and produce a product. They begin the project by solving problems until they reach their product. The entire process is authentic, referring to real production, using students’ own ideas and completing tasks in practice.” (Rodríguez Sandoval et al., 2010) Among other important characteristics, it is mentioned that students pursue solutions to non-trivial problems, generating and refining questions, debating ideas, making predictions, designing plans and/or experiments, collecting and analyzing data, establishing conclusions, communicating their ideas and results to others, asking new questions, and creating or improving products and processes. It is also highlighted that the work that students do must be in a real project that has real consequences. That is, the basic idea is that the knowledge acquired in the classroom can be applied in a project where the student will have to put into practice the theoretical concepts learned to solve a real problem (José Sánchez, 2013). “In PBL, students pursue solutions to problems, generate questions, debate ideas, establish conclusions, present their results, redefine their questions and create or improve a final product” (José Sánchez, 2013). These being the most important characteristics, the following can also be mentioned:  Group collaboration is important  It involves learning that comes from the project itself  It has time allocations that go beyond classroom time Finally, we can observe that the role of the teacher who directs a learning project of these characteristics will have to be different from the role he plays in a traditional class. Rodríguez-Sandoval et al., mention that spaces for learning should be created, giving access to information, modeling and guiding students to appropriately manage their tasks, encouraging them to use metacognitive learning processes, respecting group and individual efforts, verifying progress, diagnosing problems, giving feedback and evaluating general results (Rodríguez Sandoval et al., 2010). Practical case at UIDE The International University of Ecuador (UIDE), in its desire to improve the quality of education and to motivate students in their learning, organized a training to promote project-based learning in its university courses. In this way, within the Faculty of Administrative and Economic Sciences (FACIADE), what are later called the FACIADE Clubs arose. These clubs were born in August 2018 due to the interest of the Student Welfare Department to foster the integration of the UIDE Community and to make better use of the green areas of the University Campus. With this objective, the students of the Total Quality Administration course started the FACIADE Clubs as a PBL and created the clubs: Frisbee, Camping and Trekking, and Yoga. Shortly after, the Motorcycle Club (for students and teachers who go to UIDE on motorcycles) and the Leadership Club were also created, as an initiative of FACIADE to foster the generation of leaders within UIDE. These clubs began to function completely self-managed by the students themselves, applying the general concepts of Total Quality and also based on the content of the book “Quality Management for Organizational Excellence: Introduction to Total Quality (8th Edition)” by David L. Goetsch and Staley Davis (Goetsch & Davis, 2016). In this way, the administrative management managed by the students includes topics such as the following, with their respective tasks that must be handled by the students: Topics Tasks Strategic Administration: Planning and execution Competition between clubs to cover the largest for competitive advantage number of market customers; 6,000 people. Total Quality Management, Ethics and Social Manage Clubs with an ethical commitment to Responsibility Community service to promote well-being in their members and integrate the Community). Strategic Alliances Generate strategic alliances with any organization, cooperate between the different Clubs and with UIDE. Customer Satisfaction, Retention and Loyalty Customer Acquisition and Loyalty. Employee Empowerment Development of initiatives to attract and retain customers through KPI, so that the students themselves are called to empower themselves. Leadership and openness to change Generation of autonomous periodic events  Teamwork The management of each club is made up of students who have the same interest. Effective Communication Generate periodic communications informing the community of club events Results-oriented Generation of performance metrics Customer-oriented Continuous improvement of activities, based on feedback Training and education Recruitment and training of volunteers to improve teamwork performance Continuous learning, innovation and Implementation of best practices, based on improvement customer feedback. This is how the FACIADE Clubs begin operations and each club begins to attract customers through word-of-mouth and through a Club Fair that was organized by the UIDE Student Wellbeing unit. Soon, customer recruitment also begins through the private social network (Yammer) that is part of the Office 365 that the UIDE has contracted for use by students, teachers and administrative staff. The Frisbee and Yoga Clubs immediately created alliances with the Sports School. The Yoga Club also created a partnership with the Occupational Health and Risk Management Unit to provide physical conditioning for certain employees. The motorcyclists created partnerships with motorcycle mechanics from the alumni of the School of Automotive Engineering, and the Camping and Trekking Club anchored itself on the idea of climbing mountains. In June 2019, the first “Inter-Club Final Event” was held, which included activities offered by each Club, in which students, teachers, and administrative staff could participate for free. The most important milestones were a camp in the green areas of the UIDE, and the next day a motorcycle ride to the city of Otavalo. In December 2019, the first “UIDE Camp” was held in the green areas of the UIDE, which included events from the 5 FACIADE Clubs, and had the first paid sponsorship from a company belonging to the UIDE Community that wanted its top executives to attend to enjoy the proposed activities as a corporate meeting. This was a milestone in the administration of the clubs as it opened the possibility of generating income. In February 2020, we started the semester with the performance meters (KPI) ready and we were preparing for the best year for the Clubs, but on March 16, the social isolation caused by the Covid-19 Pandemic began. However, that did not stop the Clubs, since during the worst of the pandemic, the FACIADE Clubs remained very active carrying out social responsibility activities and alternatives were sought that comply with biosecurity measures to help the Community during this difficult time. Currently, the Clubs are still holding events in compliance with all biosecurity regulations, and faithful to generating integration and alleviating somewhat the lack of social interaction suffered by social isolation. The Camping and Trekking Club holds trekking events in nearby towns; always outdoors and with the appropriate biosecurity measures. The most important milestone of this club was the ascent to Ilaló (3188 meters above sea level) and camping in the town of Nono. The Frisbee Club is the club most affected by the pandemic, although the players are several meters away with disinfected hands and frisbees. This club is one of the firsts of the UIDE, since it adheres closely to the traditions of European universities, becoming attractive for students who come on exchange. The Yoga Club, given the biosecurity measures, meets for its practices every Saturday of the semester through video conferences, and has generated great collaborations with the Risk Management and Occupational Health Unit, the Human Talent Department, the School of Sports, and the Office of International and Intercultural Programs of the UIDE, so that many employees benefit from this club as Active Breaks, and many students benefit by lowering their stress levels from home. This club has also become one of the favorite clubs of international students. The Motorcycle Club supports the “Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride” every year, thus promoting research against prostate cancer and also supporting events of the Faculties of Automotive Engineering that are characterized by the love of vehicles, their performance, and the constant improvement of their means of transportation. In this Club, motorcyclists maintain biosecurity protocols, since they can keep their helmets on and their masks underneath. The milestones of this club include visits to Otavalo (90 km), a sport fishing site in Nanegalito (70 km), the 4x4 Festival in Amaguaña (51 km). Finally, the Student Leadership Club held online discussions with members of the Student Council, and leads initiatives for the benefit of the students themselves. The most important milestone of this Club is the initiative to form an agreement with influencers from various social networks to generate more clients for FACIADE clubs. Collaborations It is important to note that in addition to collaborating with various UIDE units, students are also in charge of planning the end-of-semester event that includes activities from all Clubs. From this semiannual fair of FACIADE Clubs came the initiative to raise funds from sponsoring companies to support the students' ventures, with the goal of generating funds (in the form of seed capital or prizes) for their own ventures. It is worth noting that this fair is managed entirely by the students of the Total Quality Class as a final project, where students share the activities of their respective clubs to plan a larger event with greater impact; among all. Entrepreneurship Although the FACIADE Clubs were born with the idea of promoting integration and being open to the entire UIDE Community free of charge, with the Covid-19 Pandemic the idea arose of becoming a social enterprise that provides some physical and mental relief to the UIDE Community during the duration of social isolation. Since then, the FACIADE Clubs have proposed to support the financing of UIDE student entrepreneurship through a business model that collects donations in the form of semiannual memberships and accumulates these donations in a fund managed by FACIADE, which allows financing the students' own entrepreneurship. The funds are awarded in the form of prizes, seed capital, operating capital or investment to the students who compete in the Open Calls for Innovation and Entrepreneurship of the UIDE Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center. Below is the Business Model generated with Ash Maurya's Lean Canvas model FACIADE Clubs' Lean Canvas. Problem Solution Unique Value Proposition Competitive Advantage Target Market Los Clubes de la FACIADE Gestionan actividades Los Clubes de la FACIADE FACIADE Clubs University Community: proporcionan una presenciales y en línea ofrecen una solución are a social enterprise Students, Professors, solución a la falta de que cumplen con los integral para promover la that operates within the Administrators, Parents socialización y a los protocolos de integración, aliviar el University Communities. and Friends 2) Corporate problemas de salud física bioseguridad para aliviar estrés y mejorar la salud It is intended to promote Clients y mental causados por la el estrés y mejorar la física y mental de la other universities through pandemia del Covid-19. integración de la Comunidad Universitaria a franchise and consulting Comunidad Universitaria. de la UIDE. model. Early Adopters Alternatives Key Metrics Channels Integrantes de la Main Concept Comunidad Market Segments Número de eventos The more donations the Yammer (private social Universitaria que sufren The community can look realizados Clubs receive, the greater network within the UIDE) problemas de estrés y/o for Miembros en el Yammer the financial support for 2) dolencias físicas y que particular alternatives to Mensajes posteados en el the students' Institutional Email 3) requieren de alivio solve physical activity and Yammer entrepreneurial projects. Influencers 4) Clubs inmediato reduce stress, but not to Mensajes leídos en el Suggested Donation $10 distribution list integrate the University Yammer Community Reacciones en el Yammer Participaciones en eventos Miembros en grupos de WhatsApp Miembros en listas de distribución Horas de actividad Clientes corporativos Membresías Donaciones Cost structure Income 1) Credit card collection fees. 2) Club materials 1) Private donations from members of the University Community (optional): Yoga mats, frisbees, tents, made through the online payment button 2) Donations made in videoconferencing cash 3) Corporate donations so that employees can enjoy the clubs 4) Corporate sponsorships 5) Corporate sponsorships Strategic Management Vision: To be a source of funding for entrepreneurship projects, promoting integration, socialization, and well-being in the UIDE Community. Mission: To finance Entrepreneurship Projects of the UIDE Community, managing recreational activities that develop well-being and social integration. Objectives  Provide recreational activities that comply with social distancing  Promote activities that develop well-being  Generate Social Integration and Customer Retention  Maximize memberships and donations Strategies  Promote social distancing to avoid COVID-19  Use of social networks and activities to generate well-being  Promote the use of Yammer, Development of periodic events  Mass dissemination of fundraising campaigns Conclusions At UIDE, FACIADE Clubs have become a source of integration for the University Community where students from all faculties and from other universities participate in the activities offered. From February 2020 to December 2020, the following performance indicators can be highlighted:  FACIADE Clubs provide an average of 25 semiannual events among the different clubs.  On average, 16.58 students interact with their Clubs through the Yammer social network weekly.  On average, there are 5 messages posted by Club administrators on the Yammer social network weekly, while the community responds with 161.1 messages read,and an average of 12.67 reactions (likes, shares, comments)weekly.  On average, 18.62 students attend the weekly events of the FACIADE Clubs.  4% of the 6000 people that were initially established as the target market have been captured.  The Clubs' mailing list has 285 subscribers.  2 volunteers have been recruited. One collaborates in the yoga club and the other in the camping and trekking club.  The FACIADE Clubs have an average of 85 hours of activities per semester in their events. This, in comparison, constitutes a little less than double the hours of a semester of classes.  A corporate client was found who contributed by purchasing 6 tickets to the final event in December 2019 for an amount of $100 for their own employees, thus contributing to consolidating the event for the UIDE Community, and paying for transportation and snacks for this event.  Through alliances, the FACIADE Clubs provide active breaks through the Yoga Club for UIDE employees.  Business owners who are parents of the same students support the FACIADE Clubs through their companies.  Each Club has the following number of members: o Yammer Club WhatsApp o Yoga 155 21 o Camping and trekking 130 47 o Frisbee 96 8 o Motorcyclists 92 26 o Student leadership 48 6  The Fund to promote Entrepreneurship at UIDE, which began in the August 2020 semester, has $10, which was raised as a donation through online shopping buttons.  The business model of the FACIADE Clubs is a model that can be replicated in any university in the world as a franchise.  This PBL lends itself to research as it allows any hypothesis or theory to be applied on any subject and results to be evaluated