Enhancing Soft and Entrepreneurial Skills Training for Two-Year College Technicians Using a Contextualized Business Simulation Program

虚拟企业系统是一个国际技术驱动的商业模拟计划，学生在面对面的设置和协调的在线活动开始和运行虚拟企业。 基于以前的工作，在建立一个虚拟技术公司，填补了社会或商业需要，通过创新的服务或产品，它创建，该项目开发，实施和评估两个课程的信息技术课程-顶点课程和意识课程。 通过虚拟企业系统，技术人员学习技术内容，从事的活动也需要使用企业所需的“基本”技能。 过去的经验表明，少数群体学生可以参与技术的使用，并在提高认识课程中学习概念和技能。 顶点课程还强调了行业所珍视的基本工作场所能力。 在生物技术的顶点虚拟企业课程开发与生物技术系的教师合作。 为其他两年制学院的信息技术和生物技术系教师提供了虚拟企业系统的直接培训，并为其他学科的三个ATE中心的人员提供了虚拟企业系统使用方面的专业发展，以便他们能够培训两年制学院的其他教师使用虚拟企业系统。

The Virtual Enterprise system is an international technology-driven business simulation program in which students in face-to-face settings and coordinated online activities start and run a virtual business. Based on previous work in building a virtual technology firm that fills a societal or business need through innovative services or products it created, this project develops, implements, and evaluates two courses for an information technology curriculum -a capstone course and an awareness course. With the Virtual Enterprise system, technicians learn the technical content with activities that also require the use of entrepreneurial and "essential" skills sought after by industry. Past experience has shown that minority students can become engaged in the use of technology and learn concepts and skills in an awareness course. The capstone course also emphasizes the essential workplace competencies prized by industry. A capstone virtual enterprise course in biotechnology is developed in collaboration with faculty in the biotechnology department. Faculty in information technology and biotechnology at other two year colleges are provided direct training in the Virtual Enterprise system and personnel from three ATE centers in other disciplines are provided professional development in the use of the Virtual Enterprise system so that they can train other faculty from two year colleges to use it. Course syllabi, professional development materials are developed evaluated and disseminated.