Illinois I-Corps

Become an Instructor

Instructor Training

With the success of the National Science Foundation’s I-Corps program, universities across the United States are adopting and implementing evidence-based entrepreneurship programs to encourage economic development and commercialization efforts at both the undergraduate and graduate level.

The implementation of the I-Corps program has prompted the need for instructors trained in the I-Corps methodology. The Great Lakes Regional I-Corps Hub Instructor Training was created to educate, coach, and support emerging instructors so that they deliver well-rounded I-Corps programs to teams of entrepreneurs.

I-Corps program tools and philosophy are readily available through the Creative Commons licensing, and books are available for purchase to learn the specifics of the Business Model Canvas and Customer Discovery best practices; however, there is more to implementing the course than simply teaching the content. The way in which the course is implemented and the process by which the I-Corps program teaches entrepreneurs and companies to discern insight from their Customer Discovery interviews is a methodology in and of itself.

Great Lakes I-Corps Instructor Training occurs in two phases. Phase 1 is a month-long asynchronous course developed by the Upstate New York I-Corps Node and held on the Canvas Learning Management platform. Phase 1 modules include:

  • I-Corps Goals, Methodology, and Philosophy
  • Giving Feedback to Teams
  • Teaching the Core Concepts
  • Employing Inclusive Teaching Practices
  • Guiding Teams to Next Steps

Phase 2 is an experiential learning opportunity shadowing either a Local or Regional I-Corps course alongside experienced I-Corps instructors. During Phase 2, trainees will engage directly with I-Corps teams and discuss their experiences with other trainees after each course module.

At this time, all courses and instructor training sessions will be held virtually for the foreseeable future. Great Lakes I-Corps Instructor Training is intended for Local or Regional-level I-Corps courses, not National-level I-Corps courses. Placement as an instructor is not guaranteed upon completion of the program, but we’ll make every effort to engage all instructors after training is complete.

If you are interested in getting involved as an instructor with the Illinois I-Corps program, please reach out to the Illinois I-Corps team to explore opportunities.

Interested in being an instructor? Contact Marissa Siero at siero@illinois.edu