TXEntre's gallery of Stars, its business cases and simulations are changing the basis for learning about entrepreneurship in four significant ways:

Expanding students "mental models" for learning
Entrepreneurship is a subject that students need to explore by doing. In simulated environments, the learning experience is even more "real world." Students explore by doing and receive immediate feedback from peers and instructors. The role models found among our TXEntre Stars provide emerging entrepreneurs with opportunities to explore and understand the challenges and triumphs experienced by other business leaders. They may even find signposts to their own creative and diverse paths to success.

Learning collaboratively using interactive online business cases
The case method emphasizes real world, experienced-based learning opportunities, just not always in a collaborative manner. Often, cases are taught to emphasize individualistic thinking; they are seldom approached as a team process. TXEntre's case studies and online simulations are designed to capture a team's potential while maintaining the freshness, the challenge, and the reality of real entrepreneurial work. Additionally, TXEntre cases provide opportunities for individual role-plays so students experience the power of reason and fact-based logic, the value of argument, and the importance of self-expression.

Engaging students in their own learning process with community involvement
Use of TXEntre's cases extends beyond the university classroom. As part of their Capstone classes, St. Edward's students participate in for-credit consulting projects with community service providers such as Austin Community Development Corporation, and BIGAustin. These organizations provide entrepreneurial business planning, marketing training, and financial assistance services to local entrepreneurs, primarily in East Austin neighborhoods. The video interviews and portions of the case materials will serve as important teaching tools and role model based efforts.

Enhancing the image of women and minority entrepreneurs and increasing student opportunities
Women and minority-owned firms grew more than twice as fast as all other firms did in the nineties. Despite staying in business at least as long as the average firms these businesses faced critical gaps in their ability to locate sources of capital. By communicating our Stars' success stories, we can begin to build the channels of capital to support our entrepreneurial students as they take their ideas from concept into reality.

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