KEEN Network Visit

THE EXPERIENCE 

A dynamic workshop exploring how informal experiential learning environments—such as hackathons—can be infused with the Entrepreneurial Mindset (EM) to empower student-driven innovation. Grounded in OSU’s ongoing work with the OHI/O Program, the session will walk participants through early tools, research insights, and lessons learned from embedding EM in hackathons. Attendees will engage in a hands-on micro-hack to brainstorm how EM can be extended into informal, experiential learning spaces on their campuses. The workshop will emphasize building student buy-in, connecting academic learning with industry-relevant experiences, and leveraging informal settings to create curiosity, drive connections across disciplines, and produce value. Participants will leave with actionable ideas, peer-reviewed feedback, and adaptable resources to enrich their own EM ecosystems by taping into informal learning, high-impact practices.

The Intro Workshop serves as the launchpad for the KEEN partners weekend, offering participants a foundational experience that sets the tone for what’s ahead. This session is designed to help attendees identify informal, experiential learning opportunities at their own institutions that are ripe for Entrepreneurial Mindset (EM) integration. This session also primes participants for their upcoming mentoring role and sets the stage for reflective observation throughout the rest of the weekend. Ultimately, the goal is to spark curiosity and equip participants to think critically and creatively about embedding EM into their own institutional contexts.

  • Overview of OHI/O and HackOHI/O: Learn about the structure, mission, and impact of Ohio State’s student-led hackathon program.
  • Shared Definitions and Framing: Establish a common language for didactic vs. experiential and formal vs. informal learning.
  • Introduction to the Weekend’s Challenge: Begin work on your prototype for embedding Entrepreneurial Mindset Learning (EML) into an informal learning space at your institution.
  • EML Interventions in OHI/O: See real examples of how EM principles have been integrated into HackOHI/O and related programming.
  • Draft Your Intervention Prototype: Begin outlining a specific intervention idea, considering your institutional context and goals.
  • Preparation for Mentoring: Get oriented for your mentoring shift at HackOHI/O, where you’ll interact with student teams and observe EM in action.

Participants will serve as mentors at HackOHI/O for 2 hours. They will engage one-on-one with participants to help troubleshoot technical challenges, offer advice on project development, and provide industry insights that enhance the learning experience. At the end of their shift, we will ask them to reflect on their experience through the lens of EM via a short survey.

The student panel features OHI/O student leaders who are Entrepreneurial Mindset (EM) champions, having completed or currently participating in EM training. These student leaders will share their personal journeys within OHI/O, highlighting how EM principles—curiosity, connections, and creating value—have influenced their leadership, project development, and community engagement. The discussion will explore how they’ve applied the new EM rubric to hackathon judging and mentorship. Attendees will gain a behind-the-scenes look at how EM is shaping student perceptions. 

How OSU is building an EM eco system from exp. Learning professional development and research to practice.

The Outro Workshop is the final session where participants revisit and refine their Entrepreneurial Mindset (EM) intervention prototypes based on what they’ve learned throughout the weekend. This includes reflections from the hackathon, mentoring experience, student panel, and EM ecosystem discussions. The session will include:

  • Prototype Revisions: Update and improve your original EM intervention plan.
  • Program Logic Model: Create a simple logic model to outline how your intervention works and the outcomes it aims to achieve.
  • 3-Minute Thesis-Style Presentation: Develop a short, compelling pitch to communicate your intervention’s purpose and impact.
  • Peer Feedback: Present your 3MT-style pitch to the group and receive constructive feedback.
  • Recognition & Rewards: Top presentations will be recognized and awarded during the lunch wrap-up after the judging observation window.

This session brings together everything you’ve explored over the weekend and prepares you to carry your ideas forward with clarity and confidence.

During this session, participants will have the opportunity to observe the official hackathon judging process in action. They will shadow judges as they visit teams, watching how student projects are evaluated and how EM principles show up in real-time project work. While participants will not take part in the official decision-making, they will receive a mock scorecard to privately evaluate teams and practice applying EM-aligned judging criteria. This exercise offers valuable insight into how entrepreneurial thinking is assessed and allows participants to reflect on how judging frameworks can support informal learning goals.

Give thanks and wrap up the day with recognitions for outstanding Intervention plans.

 

Materials to continue your journy towards implementing your own EM intervention in an experiential/informal learning space on your campus
1. Link to Photos https://go.osu.edu/keenworkshopphotos

2. Link to all slide decks https://go.osu.edu/keenworkshopslides

3. HackOHI/O event wrap-up report

Keen visit recap

KEEN Network Visit at HackOHI/O 2025

This year, we were thrilled to host 15 experiential learning leaders from institutions across the country as part of the Entrepreneurial Mindset (EM) workshop and research collaboration. The visiting leaders joined us to explore how EM principles have been intentionally embedded into OHI/O’s experiential learning ecosystem.

Throughout the weekend, participants gained an inside look at how EM has been infused with purpose across OHI/O’s hackathons and the Student Champion Program. The hackathons themselves now feature four targeted EM interventions, including:

  1. EM principles woven into mentorship guides
  2. Judging training focused on recognizing EM in student projects
  3. A project judging rubric aligned with EM competencies
  4. A student participant guide designed to encourage EM thinking throughout the event

Additionally, all student leaders of the OHI/O program receive EM training, ensuring that the values of curiosity, connections, and creating value are embedded at every level of engagement.

During the visit, participants also drafted ideas for implementing EM in informal experiential learning spaces on their own campuses. They designed logic models for potential interventions and pitched their concepts for peer feedback. Beyond observation, the KEEN visitors took part directly in the hackathon, serving as mentors to student teams and providing guidance and support in real time.

The collaboration sparked exciting conversations and new possibilities for expanding the OHI/O model. We look forward to seeing EM interventions in the informal experiential learning space emerge at partner campuses across the KEEN network.

Event Information

Experiential Learning Research Team

Timeline

KEEN Partners Visit

Friday

10/24/2025

  • Time Day 1: 06:30 p.m.

  • Time Day 1: 07:00 p.m. – 09:00 p.m.

Transportation

Dinner

Meet in Blackwell Lobby

At High Bank & Introductions and what to expect

Saturday

10/25/2025

  • Time Day 2: 08:00 a.m.
  • Time Day 2: 08:30 a.m. – 09:00 a.m.
  • Time Day 2: 09:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
  • Time Day 2: 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
  • Time Day 2: Noon
  • Time Day 2: 01:00 p.m. – 03:00 p.m.
  • Time Day 2: 03:00 p.m. – 03:30 p.m.
  • Time Day 2: 03:30 p.m. – 04:30 p.m.
  • Time Day 2: 04:45 p.m. – 05:45 p.m.
  • Time Day 2: 05:45 p.m.

  • Time Day 2: 06:00 p.m.

Meet in the Lobby

Breakfast

HackOHI/O Opening

EM Workshop Part I

Lunch

Mentoring

Student Panel

OSU EM Ecosystem

Happy Hour Networking

Shuttle

Dinner

Walk to the Ohio Union

SPHINX Room (2150)

Grand Ballroom

SPHINX Room (2150)

Grand Ballroom

Cartoon Room 2 (3147)

Cartoon Room 2 (3147)

Woody’s Tavern in the Ohio Union

South side car loading area

At So Cal Kitchen

Sunday

10/26/2025

  • Time Day 3: 07:30 a.m.

  • Time Day 3: 08:00 a.m. – 09:00 a.m.

  • Time Day 3: 09:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
  • Time Day 3: 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
  • Time Day 3: 12:00 p.m. – 01:00 p.m.
  • Time Day 3: 01:00 p.m.

Meet in the Lobby

Breakfast

EM Workshop Part II

Judging Obs Window

Wrap Up & Lunch

Head to Airport

Walk to the Ohio Union

SPHINX Room (2150)

SPHINX Room (2150)

SPHINX Room (2150)

HackOHI/O 2025: KEEN Network

HackOHI/O 2025: KEEN Network