The USASBE Go Deep Entrepreneurship Scholars Program

Welcome! You’ve landed on an archived page for a program that took place in the past. Versions of this teaching and learning scholars program were delivered by The Innographer in 2015 and then together with USASBE in 2017 and 2019. The first two were run in person as outlined below, and the latter was an online cohort delivered for educators working together remotely from their home colleges and universities across North America.

These programs operated on a breakeven financial model (e.g. including the provision of merit-based scholarships) to provide unique cohort-based faculty development and deep-dive curriculum and course design experiences for a total of 39 international scholars working together to help advance each other’s work. This led to the formation of cross-disciplinary cohorts, to the development of long-lasting communities of scholars, to the advancement and acceleration of teaching and learning focused research programs, and to the development and assessment of high quality activities, modules, courses, and programs that were delivered in person, online, and via blended approaches.

The 2015 and 2017 offerings were held on its campus but were not affiliated with the University of Calgary.

Stay up to date

What's it all about?

Who's behind it?

Some testimonials

The USASBE Go Deep Entrepreneurship Teaching and Learning Scholars Program helps educators deeply explore areas of importance or passionate interest, design and implement significant curricular and co-curricular changes, and answer significant questions through related scholarly inquiry projects. It starts with a residency in Calgary/Banff, Canada, and you accelerate your work with the ongoing support of your own “mastermind group” and our growing team of program Scholars.

Fundamentally, it’s a program for driving and supporting change through the design of significant learning experiences – for getting the work done and making it happen. We teach and facilitate a process to help you truly make it happen. And … it works.

Can we keep you up to date as things progress?

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This will put you on a mailing list for the Go Deep Scholars Program which we’ll use to share steps in the process!

What is the USASBE Go Deep Scholars Program?

Most of us do our professional educational development at annual conferences, at custom workshops, through online courses, and, on balance, on our own time. Then we go back to our home institutions and do our best to implement what we learned – while we catch up on the work we missed while we were away, or in the short gaps between semesters or projects.

We invite you to consider trying a complementary way of doing things.

In response to the needs of teachers and program developers in this context, the USASBE Go Deep Entrepreneurship Teaching and Learning Scholars Program helps educators deeply explore areas of importance or passionate interest, design and implement significant curricular and co-curricular changes, and answer significant questions through related scholarly inquiry projects.

All with the ongoing support of a so-called “mastermind group” and the broader team of program Scholars.

Fundamentally, it’s a program for driving and supporting change. For getting the work done and making it happen.

It launches with a 5-day residency in Banff / Calgary, Canada, and it’s designed to encourage and foster leading teachers and teaching faculty who are committed to designing innovative curricular and co-curricular change initiatives.

It’s for the development of cutting edge entrepreneurship and innovation education – in your own context.

Tell me more

We’d love to receive a mini-proposal from you to join the August 2017 residency.

Here’s the timeline:

April 18, 2017: Call goes out for mini-proposals relevant to your own interests and teaching and learning contexts, in areas of importance to your students, and your communities

May 10: Early bird mini-proposals begin to go under review

May 30: Invitations start going out to new Scholars based on the top mini-proposals

June 15 June 23: Deadline for mini-proposals (if spots are not already filled)

August 13-18: Scholars attend the residency

In the meantime, check out this teaser brochure and make sure you’re the first to hear.

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Announcing four categories of merit-based scholarships!

We’re very excited to announce the following four categories of merit-based scholarships for the USASBE Go Deep Entrepreneurship Scholars Program for people who apply before June 23:

Top Team – two or more colleagues from the same institution or working on the same project
Entrepreneurial Leader – someone leading an innovative entrepreneurship program or project
Emerging Scholar – an early-career scholar with innovative ideas in research for entrepreneurship education
Emerging Educator – an early-career educator with innovative ideas in teaching for entrepreneurship

If you want to be considered for one of these, please describe your situation in your mini-proposal along with justification of your eligibility.

The goal of these scholarships is to make it possible for the authors of top proposals to join this growing community even in cases where their schools might not be able to afford to support their participation. We operate on a breakeven model and decisions about these scholarship opportunities are made based on demonstrated financial need and strength of proposal.

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Who’s behind it?

The United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE) » is an inclusive community advancing entrepreneurship education through bold teaching, scholarship and practice.

With over 1,000 members from universities and colleges, for-profit businesses, nonprofit organizations, and the public sector, USASBE is the largest independent, professional academic organization in the world dedicated to the discipline of entrepreneurship education.

By fostering advances in the teaching, research, and practice of entrepreneurship education, USASBE supports the development of entrepreneurship educators who in turn will create the next generation of entrepreneurs.

USASBE members » will receive a 15% discount on the price of the Go Deep Scholars program experience.

The Innographer » is a practical open education and innovation design firm that has been helping people (learn to) innovate since 2011. The focus of its work is on helping people and organizations build their innovation literacy and become more entrepreneurial.

Its founder, Dr. Alex Bruton, has been an engineer, researcher, inventor, product and project manager, innovation manager, and tenured professor (the latter, a role in which he was named “Entrepreneurial Educator of the Year in Canada”). He’s been the co-founder of three start-up companies and faculty director of two cohort-based professional and educational development programs. And he has worked and delivered talks around the world, including an invited talk at Google, and engagements and workshops at universities and businesses in places ranging from Waterloo, to Mexico, to Mason City, to Moscow.

The story we’re writing – so far!

In July 2015, Dr. Bruton brought the first cohort of the Go Deep Scholars Program together in the Calgary / Banff region of the Canadian Rocky Mountains which supported our first 14 Scholars! He did this while working through his open education company after leaving his tenured academic position at Mount Royal University.

Since then, parts of the program have been delivered at places such as the USASBE Annual Conference, Rowan University, The Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education, and The VentureWell Open conference.

In March 2017, USASBE and The Innographer came together with a plan to bring the program to more people.

As it grows, we envision a thriving group of Go Deep Scholars from around the world – leaders in innovation and entrepreneurship education – all with a shared experience and supporting each other to make bold changes to how people learn to innovate.

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Where does it happen?

The 2017 Go Deep program takes place in Calgary with time spent in the world-famous Canmore/Banff/Kananaskis areas. You can expect Calgary to be warm in the summer months and its skies to be very big and very blue.

Stay and work hard here …

We will be staying and working in the Hotel Alma, set in the vibrant heart of the University of Calgary campus and only 10 minutes from downtown Calgary. Summer is an amazing time to stay in this full service boutique hotel. The campus will be quiet and green, every room is a getaway space, amenities are plenty, and the meeting spaces are designed to provoke and celebrate spirited dialogue, and positive outcomes.

We’ll be using a number of spaces on campus but you’ll also be treated to visiting a number of very unique teaching and learning spaces in the Calgary area – to challenge and inspire your thinking.

Eat and rest here …

The food in Calgary is amazing. The video above shows the venue of one of our favorites, River Cafe, which is located on Prince’s Island Park at the edge of downtown.

We’re also lining up some uniquely Albertan dining experiences, such as a meal at CHAR|CUT, and a meal at the Grizzly Paw Brewing Company in Canmore.

And to help clear the mind you’ll have access to the University of Calgary’s fitness facilities, the city’s Bow River walking and running pathways, and many other places where you can unwind.

Collaborate and think here …

The Go Deep program is rigorous, as you’ll no doubt find, and we’ve built in a few unique experiences to engage different modes of learning and working together. One of those is a day hike in the areas of Canmore, Kananaskis, and Banff.

This is the part of the journey in which we expect the conversation to move beyond the classroom and boardroom, and in which you can expect your mind to leap to new solutions.

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What does it cost?

The per-person price for this experience is USD $4,999 reduced to USD $3,999 which, considering the scholarships, has us operating at a break-even level. This includes: accommodation at the Hotel Alma; all meals including dinner at the restaurants outlined above; use of work and reflection spaces on campus; all workshop materials; wifi across campus; and all local travel as required. It also includes the guides (and travel and food and equipment) for our time spent exploring and reflecting together in the Canadian Rocky Mountains.

In other words, other than alcohol and any additional expenses you may choose to incur, all of your expenses for this experience are covered from the moment you arrive at Hotel Alma to the moment you leave.

Also:

Members of USASBE » will receive a 15% discount.
Residents of Alberta may be eligible for the Canada Alberta Jobs Grant »
Be sure to check out the scholarships that have been available to cover part of the cost of enrolment for top candidates and teams

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Some testimonials from our Scholars

Skip ahead to the video testimonials »

As the Director for the Center for Entrepreneurship, I really see the value in going through this. For myself as an instructor, but also in helping some of the faculty on at my university who are starting to engage in entrepreneurship and trying to figure out “how do I go deeper into this and be even more successful?” I can go back from the Go Deep program and continue to use the process I learned here. I want it for my faculty as well.

Julienne Shields, MBADirector – Center for Entrepreneurship, Millikin University

The day to day responsibilities of being a university professor and administrator don’t ever seem to provide enough time to do the kind of deep work that contributes in a meaningful way to the discipline and my research and teaching goals. Having the chance to remove other distractions and get together with colleagues to explore the boundaries of teaching and learning entrepreneurship at the Go Deep Program was a gift that has continued to provide great benefits.

Rebecca White, Ph.D.Professor, Entrepreneurship and James W. Walter Distinguished Chair of Entrepreneurship; Director, Entrepreneurship Center - University of Tampa

During my time in the Go Deep Program, I expanded my vision of what is possible in the classroom, and gained the tools to make magic happen.

Susan Clarke Muntean, Ph.D.Assistant Professor of Management, UNC Asheville

The link to outcome and assessment was excellent. So many times we do things because that’s the way we’ve always done them. The program challenged me to revisit what I was doing and helped me become more strategic as to why I was doing them.

John Francis, Ph.D.Associate Professor of Management, Director of the Aztec Consulting Center, San Diego State University

The program is a great balance of facilitated work, group think, and individual work. The facilitation forces you to think in ways you maybe haven’t, the cohort’s breadth of experience is invaluable, and the built-in time to do real work allows you to make a plan to implement.

Andy Heise, MBAInstructor and Assistant Director at UMKC Regnier Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Bloch School of Management

I have been honored to exchange ideas, collaborate, and dream big with this group of global change agents in the entrepreneurship education platform. I appreciated the feedback on my ideas as well as the opportunity to share input with others on a portfolio of significant works.

Dr. Denise E. WilliamsAssistant Professor, College of Management, Metropolitan State University

This program helped me frame my ideas and truly reflect on what I want to teach my entrepreneurship students. The experience was truly inspirational. The openness, trust and respect of the group made it possible to engage every issue with a “why not?” attitude. I felt like we could change the world! I have made lasting connections with all of the participants and feel like we are more powerful together.

Cynthia A. Sheehan, MBAPermanent Lecturer, FSA ULaval, Université Laval

Thought provoking, challenging, yet inspirational … it will challenge what you think you know about entrepreneurship education, while at the same time giving you the knowledge to make you a better educator.

John Dobson, Ph.D.Associate Professor of Practice, Clark University

The varied backgrounds and personalities created a dynamic, mind stretching experience.

Bill SchuttersEntrepreneurial Support Director, Kentucky Highlands Investment Corporation

Making significant changes to a curricular project is daunting. The support and guidance received from Alex and the Go Deep Scholars is instrumental in transforming the experience and delivering to my students. (PS. And the food and scenery were phenomenal!)

Doan Winkel, Ph.D.Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship, Illinois State University

The Go Deep Entrepreneurship Teaching and Learning Scholars Program was an experience that has impacted not only how I will approach teaching entrepreneurship but how I approach teaching students. It has reminded me to focus my efforts on creating learning experiences that teach to the hearts, heads, and hands of my learners. It has also reminded me that when I want to solve a problem, better to ask for help than to teach in isolation.

Mark TurnerHigh School Teacher, Building Futures, Rocky View Schools

The process of forming a mastermind group for entrepreneurial education has been wonderful. By far the most enjoyable and intellectually stimulating experience I have had in this domain. I can’t wait to continue learning from and helping my mastermind colleagues into the future. I would recommend this process to anyone interested in advancing theirselves and/or interested in advancing the domain of entrepreneurship education.