SCOTT
WALKER 

Professor of Practice
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  • Teaching
    • Christopher Newport University >
      • Strategic Management 418 >
        • BUSN418 Syllabus
      • Strategy - Simulation Fall 2017
      • Business Management 448
      • Operations Management 304
    • Virginia Tech >
      • The StartUp Class - 2015
      • Lean Launch Pad - Seminar
      • The StartUp Class - 2014
      • Thinking Like an Innovator - 2013
      • C-Tech2 2014
    • Faculty Philosophy
    • Teaching Statement
  • Community
    • StartUp Class Winners
    • The Academy for Graduate Teaching Assistant Excellence
    • I-Corps Roanoke-Blacksburg Cohort 2014
    • CREATE!
    • UNCC - Senior Project 2014-2015
    • UNCC - Senior Project 2017-2018
    • Industrial Design Class Mentoring
    • Innovation Pathways Minor
    • The StartUp Class Course Proposal
  • Research
    • Venture Well (NCIIA) 2015
    • NCIIA Open 2014
    • Changing the Mindset of Students in Entrepreneurial Education
  • Thoughts & Impressions
  • Scott Walker - Background
    • Education Background >
      • Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
      • Bowling Green State University
      • Ohio Northern University
      • University of North Carolina, Charlotte
      • Catawba College
      • University of Massachusetts - Lowell
      • High Point University
      • Life Long Learning >
        • Coursera - Developing Innovative Ideas
        • Udacity - How To Build a StartUp
    • Industry Experience >
      • Product Development
      • Leadership
    • References

C-Tech2

Teaching a group of high school junior and senior girls about innovation, entrepreneurship and engineering

C-Tech2 at VT
During the summer of 2014 I volunteered to assist the college staff with the C-Tech2 Program.
The C-Tech2 program is Computers and Technology at Virginia Tech run out of the Center for the Enhancement of Engineering Diversity (CEED) within the College of Engineering. 

Working with Susan
Arnold-Christian of CEED we came up with a project based assignment that would create excitement by the students and also understanding of the basic principles of Customer Discovery and Value Propositions as taught by Steve Blank from Stanford and coined by Alexander Osterwalder.  I openly discussed innovation and entrepreneurship emphasizing the success that many women have had in these fields.  I then put them on the task of: 
Create a product that you vet through customer discovery that can help
aging adults live easier, safer or happier.

The girls were divided up into teams to "spitball" ideas about possible products.  They were then to get out of the building and interview possible customer segments asking them about problems they may have as they get older.  Some of the teams had good ideas and the interviews reinforced their work, others changed their MVP (minimum viable product) after interviewing and some used the interviews to find out what product a customer segment might be interested in.

At the end of the first week I spent 20 minutes with each team and we discussed what they learned in their interviews and if they had any AHA! moments.  We also talked about their MVP and how they might pitch the idea on the final day.

The final day was the pitch to invited university and engineering staff.  The girls had some really super ideas and it was great to hear them talk about solving customers gains and pivoting.
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