Hi All,

Welcome to our Distance Education (DE) class of BUS 249 Entrepreneurship at Cuesta College. My name is Neil Higgins and I will be your instructor for this course. This letter is to inform you of some of the important details prior to the start of this Fall 2023 class. This class will be asynchronous, meaning that there is not a required ZOOM meeting time each week.  Our course runs for 16-weeks, beginning on January 21st and ending on May 15th.

Instructor Contact Information

Instructor: Neil Higgins                   
Phone:805.242.3008 (cell)
Email: nhiggins@cuesta.edu

What You Can Expect From This Course

We will be exploring Entrepreneurship, what it is and the skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur. Our approach will include the study of the Entrepreneurial Mindset, Ideation, Design Thinking and Business Viability.

In order to be successful in this course you will need to: 1) complete reading and writing assignments, 2) participate in class discussions, 3) develop, write and present a business plan/model, 4) review and analyze various forms of business principles, and 5) take quizzes or exams.

My responsibilities include facilitating your learning process. Ultimately, you are responsible for ensuring that you learn the material. Our course will integrate videos, reading assignments, critical thinking activities, projects and guest speakers to serve as tools to assist in your journey through Entrepreneurship.

 Course Student Learning Outcomes (“SLO’s”)

1. Evaluate their personal desires, skills, motivation, and life commitments to determine whether they are suited to being an entrepreneur. 

2. Appraise the advantages and disadvantages of acquiring capital in order to fund a business. 
3. Value the importance of the business plan to an entrepreneur. 
4. Explain and use basic business terminology related to banking, marketing, legal, tax, management, human relations, ethics, and accounting issues as used in small business. 

5. Demonstrate communication and social (Business Etiquette) skills appropriate to a business environment 

6. Analyze an ethical dilemma faced by a small business manager, prepare a recommendation for action and justify it legally or morally. 

 

Additional Course Objectives    

1. Explain the entrepreneurial mindset and how it is applied to , design thinking / critical thinking and problem solving.
2. Develop a comprehensive business plan/model for a new or existing  business.
3. Demonstrate proper ethics, business etiquette, and communication skills needed in entrepreneurship. 

III.       RequiredTextbook: We will be using a combination of Open Educational Resources and Online Resources for this course. In my opening email to you, before class starts, I will explain how to acquire the resources.  There may or may not be a small fee for access to the resources.

Computer Requirements

The browser requirements and minimum qualifications required for this class are detailed in the following link:  https://www.cuesta.edu/academics/distance/faqs_technical.htmlLinks to an external site.

Canvas Support 

Canvas Support: http://www.cuesta.edu/student/aboutacad/distance/

College Policies / Assistance

Each student is required to follow all school guidelines and comply with all school deadlines including personal responsibility for adding and/or dropping this class.  Drop dates are available on the academic calendar: https://www.cuesta.edu/student/documents/admissions_records/studentcalendar.pdfLinks to an external site.

Academic Honesty: 
Students are responsible for being aware of and complying with the Academic Honesty Policy (refer to Cuesta College Schedule or Cuesta College Catalog). At the discretion of the instructor, students being academically dishonest (submitting another student’s work as your own, e.g. copying a computer file that contains another student’s work) will be dropped from the course. If the drop deadline has passed, students will receive a failing grade in the course. In addition, a “Student Incident Report” will be filed with the Vice President of Academic Affairs office.

Students With Disabilities:
If you have a disability and need accommodations in this class, please contact Disabled Student Program & Services at (805) 546-3148 or (805) 591-6215 NCC as soon as possible to ensure that you receive the accommodations in a timely manner. Here is a link to their services:

https://www.cuesta.edu/student/studentservices/dsps/dsps_services.htmlLinks to an external site. 

You may also discuss your need for accommodations with me directly.

Veteran:
If you are a Veteran, please contact Karen Andrews, Cuesta College VA Certifying Official - 546-3142. The Veteran Center is in Room 6903. Here is a link to the Veteran Services: https://www.cuesta.edu/student/studentservices/veterans/index.htmlLinks to an external site.

Counseling Center:

IF you need to talk to a college counselor you can use this link: https://www.cuesta.edu/student/studentservices/counseling/index.htmlLinks to an external site.

College life can compound other issues in one’s life. If you are feeling overwhelmed and feel you need help to maintain your personal balance – please contact our counseling center at 546-3138 or click here: https://www.cuesta.edu/student/resources/healthcenter/mentalhealth/index.htmlLinks to an external site.

Library Services:

Here is a link to the Library and their services: https://www.cuesta.edu/library/index.htmlLinks to an external site.

Circulation/Reserves: (805) 546-3155 
Reference Desk - SLO: (805) 546-3157 NC: (805) 591-6200 Ext. 4410.

Student Services & Tutoring:
Promoting the academic skills, learning strategies and attitudes necessary for student success in all disciplines for ALL students are available online at this URL.  https://www.cuesta.edu/student/resources/ssc/index.htmlLinks to an external site.

If you have any further questions prior to the first day of class, please feel free to email me at nhiggins@cuesta.edu. Otherwise, I look forward to getting to know you during the course of the semester.

Thank you,
Neil Higgins