Addressing students’ needs as part of a learning experienceMay 22, 2018 |
MünsterThis semester as part of the course of Innovation Marketing and Management, international Bachelor Students at MSB have been challenged by their lecturer, Balzhan Orazbayeva, with a task to address their own student-life related needs through innovative business ideas. Students, first, identified multiple problems and challenges the local student community faces every day in Münster. Already having an ultimate empathy and deep personal understanding of these problems, students have generated business ideas aiming to solve these issues. Using design thinking methodology within couple of hours on the 4th of May, five student teams managed to ideate possible solutions.  Students working on teams for developing the ideas. After the ideas have been generated, students got an opportunity to work together with the invited lecturers and experts from HvA Minor Entrepreneurship, Rutger Siebenga, Rinke van Couwelaar and Bart Sutorious, on business model generation. During the two days’ intensive workshop on the 18th and 19th of May, students not only developed their own business models and defined the value propositions, but also have created physical prototypes of their products and services.  Invited lecturers and experts from HvA Minor Entrepreneurship: Rutger Siebenga, Rinke van Couwelaar and Bart Sutorious supporting the students at the activity. Five business ideas: - Healthylicious – food track with healthy food - Bifix – sharing platform for repairing bikes - Free box – platform for searching co-working spaces for students and professionals - Container WG – container based home facilities for international students - Students LAB – co-working café for student within university  Students prototyping After two successful days, teams have presented their ideas to the jury members, Prof. Dr. Thomas Baaken, Prof. Dr. Thorsten Kliewe, Sue Rossano (all S2BMRC) and Kattya Kruz (Kurago Biotek). Organised as a start-up exhibition, the pitching competition included showcasing of the business ideas and prototypes. Being challenged with not an easy task, jury members finally decided to choose Healthylicious as an absolute winner team. Thus, a team comprised of six international business administration students has delivered the most convincing pitch and presentation of their food track idea. Congratulations to Healthylicious and all other student teams with the successful completion of the challenge!  Jury with winner group: Healthylicious – food track with healthy food. And yet, that isn’t the last stop for students in their entrepreneurial journey this semester. Balzhan Orazbayeva has integrated an online learning experience as part of the Innovation Marketing and Management course. Tomorrow’s Land MOOC built around five different skills sets aims at developing competences necessary to become a social innovator. This online course is based on a learning approach that combines theory, inspiration, practice, self-reflection and discussion with peers. Register at Tomorrow's Land. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact the FH Münster Tomorrow’s Land project leader Balzhan Orazbayeva: orazbayeva@fh-muenster.de |