Proposed by Dr. Shane Snipes rsnipes@bmcc.cuny.edu
ABSTRACT: The integration of entrepreneurship education with technology, specifically Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Virtual Reality (VR), presents a dynamic new frontier in the STEM field that has been largely unexplored. Although existing research demonstrates that both entrepreneurship education and the application of AI and VR can improve student engagement, these methodologies have not been collectively applied to STEM education at colleges with underserved populations, thereby revealing a distinct gap in current pedagogical strategies. This research seeks to bridge this gap by synergizing AI and VR technologies with entrepreneurship education to enhance STEM engagement, focusing on programs at Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) including Citizen Entrepreneur Explorers Program (CEEP) and Blackstone LaunchPad (BLP). Specifically, the project aims to improve empathy, self-efficacy, and academic success (GPA and retention rates) among STEM students. Through the application of AI & VR-enhanced entrepreneurship education, this research will pioneer new methods, tools, activities, and resources that can facilitate meaningful connections with underrepresented students. These innovative strategies, tailored for STEM curricula, will build on the inherent interactivity of VR and the adaptive potential of AI to foster a more inclusive and engaging educational environment. This research will engage with STEM students in BMCC’s co-curricular CEEP and BLP programs and measure the impact of AI & VR-enhanced entrepreneurship education on empathy, self-efficacy, and student success rates. It will utilize a mixed-methods approach that combines qualitative assessments of student engagement with quantitative analysis of student empathy, self-efficacy, performance, and success indicators. The study will provide unique insights into how the integration of entrepreneurship, AI, and VR can transform STEM education and student outcomes. The broader impacts of this research include the development of new curricular resources and pedagogical strategies that can be adopted by other educational institutions to enhance STEM education for underrepresented students. This project will also contribute to our understanding of how innovative technology and entrepreneurship can be harnessed to address diversity and inclusion challenges in STEM fields.
VR collaborators: Edstustia, and zSpace
AI collaborators: Packback
Potential collaborators: Princeton (VR), Columbia (AI), NYU (VR), Microsoft (AI), Google (AI), Amazon (AI), Accenture (both), NYC CEO Jobs Council (workforce) or TIAA – (AI)
