Eight optional interdisciplinary study modules were offered for all second-year students of the Faculty of Business, ICT and Chemical Engineering at Turku University of Applied Sciences. The students enrolled for one, selecting it as their normative study module for 9 weeks. The study module “Nanotechnology - Future Prospects and Business Opportunities” (15 ECTS) was co-taught by 3 teachers with different areas of expertise (nanotechnology, business, and English language and communication). The aim was to broaden the views of students of different disciplines, to develop their interpersonal and communication skills, to emphasize the need of versatile skills when developing new products, and to orientate the students towards the entrepreneurial mindset. The study module was conducted in interdisciplinary student groups (10 groups with 5-7 members) in English. Students of both chemical engineering, information technology (regular and international), and business participated in the study module. The first week was used to produce wild ideas for products, applications, or services which are based on nanomaterials and could be reality in 2050. Food for thought was provided concerning nanotechnology, product development, brainstorming and group communication, and the students produced about 30 different ideas. They then selected the 10 most interesting topics, forming 10 groups, in which the rest of the study module was conducted. After this initial brainstorming, the activities concentrated on conceiving the future and potential new products. The groups continued the design of envisaged products and business ideas by collecting information while using business and innovation tools and practicing effective and convincing communication. The last 2-3 weeks were reserved for implementation, i.e., describing the envisaged product and business idea, and if possible, creating a descriptive prototype. Between the weekly take-off session on Monday and reporting on Friday, the groups worked independently, having been provided different tools and publications (e.g., articles and videos), complemented by their own information retrieval. Reading circles were held weekly prior to writing the week reports. In addition to regular written and oral reports (presentations, pitches, and group meetings online), the students also reported their progress weekly in individual diaries and group reports with reflection on learning. Additional information was gathered by collecting student feedback and by self-evaluation and group evaluation to support both assessment and analysis of learning outcome. The group work resulted in visions for 10 future nanomaterial-based products with analyzed customer profiles and business models, presented in a poster exhibition at the end of the study module. Many product visions combined electronics, software and biotechnology or chemistry, and one of the common topics was clean energy. Many groups first had difficulties with collaboration, but most overcame it fast. The feedback confirmed that most of the aims were achieved. The students emphasized that their communication and collaboration skills improved, but they also reported learning about business, nanotechnology, and social media and innovation tools. The word “interesting” (and corresponding) was a common indicator of a change in mindset towards interdisciplinary team work.
Proceedings of the 12th International CDIO Conference, Turku, Finland, June 12-16 2016