Pitch it Big: Cultivating Entrepreneurism Through Use of an Innovative Competitive Business Plan and Presentation

This educational innovation aimed to explore the effectiveness of a student assignment titled ‘Pitch it Big,’ designed to enhance understanding of the business aspects outlined in the accreditation standards for occupational therapy programs. Limited research evidence exists for business education related to occupational therapy. Working in self-chosen groups based on their targeted area of interest, students collaboratively wrote a business plan for a fictitious occupational therapy business or product invention. Students then participated in a competition modeled after the popular television program Shark Tank, where they pitched their business proposals to a panel of experts acting as judges. The panel included a physical therapist, a nurse, a health sector not-for-profit director, and a business data analyst. Judges utilized a rubric to score students on specified business criteria, and winners received non-cash prizes. A pre-post survey administered to 21 master’s students in occupational therapy indicated improved knowledge in the business aspects of practice, suggesting promising preliminary outcomes for this method of business instruction. The most significant increases in knowledge were in business plan development (54%) and financial management (46%). The post-survey also included open-ended questions that revealed qualitative themes, indicating that students valued the active learning components of the assignment and believed it would help them pursue entrepreneurial endeavors. Replicating this innovation across larger sample sizes is necessary to validate these outcomes

Learning, Idea Sharing, and Transfer From a State 4-H Camp Counselor Workshop

Making eXtreme Counselors is a winter statewide camp counselor training workshop to prepare for the camp season. This training brings teens throughout Ohio together to help prepare them to serve as camp counselors in their own counties. Participants engage in competency-focused breakout sessions led by a variety of 4-H professionals, keynote presentations, and peer-to-peer sharing and interactions. To evaluate the workshop’s impact on the summer camping program, data from both teen participants and the 4-H professionals who worked with them were collected following the program for 3 years. Results indicated high ratings on gaining or enhancing skills related to leadership, teamwork, and the camping-related competencies covered in the workshop. In addition, the results indicated that participants shared ideas learned at the workshop with others and transferred their learning from the training to their performance as a camp counselor. Youth development professionals can adopt similar training strategies to enhance participants’ skills