I.  OBJECTIVES AND SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PROJECT:
            The economies of the NAFTA countries face a broad range of challenges of which many have a disproportionate impact on rural areas.  As industrial concerns have outsourced production to lower cost sites abroad, Canada, Mexico and the United States have lost tens of thousands of manufacturing jobs.  These job losses often result in the closure of branch plants located in rural areas, where a single manufacturer may represent a significant proportion of total employment within the region.  Other industry sectors upon which many rural communities in North America rely heavily have also faced volatility and/or prolonged declines, such as mining, forestry, ranching and certain agricultural activities.  These changes often contribute to the growing migration of younger and more highly educated workers from rural communities to more urban areas.  This pattern of job loss, out-migration and increasing poverty is common in many regions of North America including the Atlantic Provinces of Canada, the rural areas of Northern and Central Mexico, the Southwestern United States and the Appalachian region of the eastern U.S.  In order to cope with this situation, rural communities in North America must develop the resources and capabilities to compete successfully in the global economy. 
            There is a growing recognition that one means of doing so is the promotion of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial thinking in rural areas.  Unfortunately, the dispersion of support systems for entrepreneurs including educational resources, technical expertise and capital tends to be skewed towards large cities and their surrounding environs. Given the historic isolation of many rural communities, entrepreneurs in these areas may be unaware of opportunities for trade in global markets and/or how to enter these markets.  Since the degree of specialization is constrained by the extent of the market, entrepreneurs who strictly limit their activities to a small local or regional market will be constrained in the range of entrepreneurial opportunities they can discover and exploit.  The failure to think in terms of a broader North American market may doom these entrepreneurs to failure.  By broadening the range of markets in which local entrepreneurs can envision themselves competing and by providing them some of the tools to compete successfully, entrepreneurship education initiatives can help develop a healthier entrepreneurial climate with access to more extensive market opportunities.

Objectives of the North American Rural Entrepreneurship Network
           This project will address these issues by creating the North American Rural Entrepreneurship Network (NAREN).  The project’s primary objective is to promote the concept of North America as a single market for entrepreneurs and thereby promote economic growth in rural areas.  This will be accomplished by educating a new generation of young entrepreneurs who will be exposed to the opportunities for business development throughout NAFTA.  A NAFTA-wide consortium will be created to facilitate this objective.  The consortium will promote education in entrepreneurship for both upper division undergraduate and graduate students in business and engineering through student exchanges and the development of a curriculum that combines conventional classroom learning with experiential learning.  This educational network will be focused upon fostering entrepreneurship in rural regions of Canada, Mexico, and the United States.  The members of the consortium will be East Tennessee State University (ETSU-U.S. lead institution) and the University of New Mexico in the United States, the Universidad de Guadalajara (lead Mexican institution) and ITESM Chihuahua in Mexico and Dalhousie University (lead Canadian institution) and the University of New Brunswick in Canada.
           All of the participating institutions have well-developed entrepreneurship programs.  Each also serves regions encoumpassing rural areas that have been severely impacted by changes in the regional industrial composition.  However, there are important differences between these communities and universities which bring distinct and complementary strengths to the network.  Some of the university partners such as the Universidad de Guadalajara, are based in larger metropolitan areas.   Other members of the consortium like ETSU are located in the rural areas they serve.
           These differences will enable the partner universities to develop a range of solutions for enabling their rural communities to compete in global markets.  The project will entail the development of three program components:

1. Semester-length student exchanges that combine conventional classes, language training where appropriate, and experiential learning in the form of internships,

2. Curriculum development related to rural entrepreneurship in the NAFTA region that will enhance and institutionalize entrepreneurship education programs at the consortium universities, and

3. The development and dissemination of pedagogical materials based on the curriculum, including online modules and case studies, which will be disseminated to the broader academic community in North America.

           Institutionalization of the Program: Specific steps will be taken to assure institutionalization of the program so that related activities are sustained after the term of the grant.  First, the creation of exchange agreements that provide for full recognition of credit between members of the consortium and the experience generated from the initial set of exchange students will facilitate future student exchanges.  These exchange agreements will also provide for reciprocal fee and tuition offsets that will allow students to pay their normal fees at their home institutions.  Student authored case studies based on their internship experiences will be utilized by future students.  This will not only provide instructional content but will also expose other students to the opportunity to study at a partner school. 
            Participation in the program by a group of faculty at each institution as well as by key staff members will facilitate the development of institutionalized relationships between the universities.  The curriculum development activities will be designed to promote the integration of new courses into each member’s existing offerings in entrepreneurship education.  The project will also bring together like-minded faculty members who will (over the course of the 3 year project) develop new initiates and joint ventures in order to fund future activities.
           Generation of Replicable Outcomes: The project will entail the generation of materials and processes that can be used by other universities in North America to enhance entrepreneurship education, particularly in rural areas.  Curriculum development initiatives will be associated with the creation of modules in four categories (business cultures in the NAFTA region, rural entrepreneurship, entrepreneurship in NAFTA, and general entrepreneurship) that will be accessible to other universities within North America via a NAREN web site to enhance their entrepreneurship education programs.  Further, the case studies that are generated by the exchange students with supervision and editing by faculty members will similarly be made available for broader use.

II.  PROJECT DESIGN:           
            The objectives of the consortium will be accomplished via three program components: student exchanges that combine classes with internships, curriculum development related to the theme of rural entrepreneurship, and the creation and dissemination of pedagogical materials. 
            Semester-Length Student Exchanges and Internships:  Each partner will move at least 9 students for a minimum of 54 students to be exchanged over the life of the program.  Students participating in the program will complete a series of courses at the host university as well as an internship.  Programs will be open to business and engineering students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.  As the program becomes successful, it is anticipated that demand for participation may exceed the minimum number of nine students per school (i.e., three per year).  The study component will have three essential features: a process for student selection and preparation, a commonly accepted course of study while abroad, and an internship.
            Student Selection and Preparation:  Students will have the option of selecting a partner program that suits their level of scholastic attainment and their educational objectives.  Selection of students will be competitive, based on student academic achievement and application materials.  Students will submit applications to their local campus committee in adherence with existing local procedures for study abroad applications at each school.  The committee will screen applications and then conduct personal interviews in order to match student aspirations and qualifications with an appropriate partner.  Applications will then be forwarded to the partner screening committee for final review.  This will ensure common agreement on the level of student quality.
            Students traveling to regions where the knowledge of a language other than their mother tongue is necessary will be required to achieve a level of language proficiency sufficient to engage in classroom activities and to enable successful internship placements.  For example, Canadian students traveling to Mexico will be required to learn Spanish, while Mexican students traveling to Canada will be expected to learn French if they are to work with local SME’s in Northern New Brunswick (a predominantly French speaking area).  Each partner university will involve members of their language faculty to aid in the assessment of a student’s level of language proficiency.  This will be determined through an Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) conducted by a member of the partner university’s language faculty. 
            The Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) is a structured procedure for the assessment of functional speaking ability and was developed through work initiated by the Foreign Service Institute of the U.S. government over 40 years ago.  While the OPI will ensure that participating students have language skills necessary to successfully complete the program, they will be encouraged to continue their language instruction by enrolling in courses offered by the partner university.
            Students will also be required to participate in a non-credit, on-line course prior to departure.  This course will be titled “Business Culture in the NAFTA Countries”.  During the first year of the project, partner universities in each country will develop instructional modules that will introduce students to aspects of the business culture in their nation.  In a fashion akin to that of the popular book by Morrison, Conaway and Borden, “Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands,” the modules will offer basic information concerning professional behavior, an introduction to laws, customs and business etiquette.  
            The content developed by each partner will be compiled on a compact disc and will be formatted as an on-line course to facilitate podcasting.  Students will be able to complete the course at their own pace prior to their departure to study abroad.  Their completion will be certified through the successful completion of a written examination at their home university. 
            Commonly Accepted Course Portfolio:  A fundamental feature of the program will the full transfer and recognition of course credits for students participating in the program.  Courses having common content will be identified in the Memorandum of Understanding that will be signed by all partner universities within the first six months of the grant period.  These courses will be granted full recognition as being appropriate for inclusion in the student’s program of study and will be freely transferred between partner institutions.
            In addition to courses that are common to all universities, there are certain courses that are unique to a subset of the schools, which reflects the unique capabilities and focus of those programs.  It is important that students be able to tap into these specialized offerings when studying abroad.  Therefore, these courses will be treated as electives within the entrepreneurship program, so that students can receive full credit for them as well.
            NAFTA Internships and Case Studies:  In order to complement student participation in classes at the host university and to provide a uniquely valuable experience, the project will incorporate an experiential learning component in the form of a part-time internship.  Students will earn academic credit for completing an internship or practicum organized by the host university.
           The internship component of the project will benefit from the close ties that exist between the university partners and associated business incubators and entrepreneurs.  Several of the partner universities have business incubators that are affiliated with the university.  Others play a direct role in business incubation through interactions with local entrepreneurs.  Business incubators and outreach programs with entrepreneurs offer both students and faculty the opportunity not only to study entrepreneurship from an academic standpoint but also to engage in outreach activities that result in knowledge transfer and job creation.
            Working with the staffs of the incubators and with faculty involved in outreach programs with entrepreneurs, program directors at each university partner will develop internships for participating students.  These internships will typically be one regular academic semester in length and will be completed for academic credit alongside more conventional coursework.  Additionally, students may be able to extend their internship experiences into a summer term.  The internships will be designed to allow students to gain practical exposure to the mechanics of new business creation and management.  As part of their internships, students will be trained in the development and evaluation of business plans, basic market research and business organization.  Particular emphasis will be placed upon developing and evaluating opportunities for entrepreneurs either located in rural and low density urban areas or who wish to develop markets in these regions. 
            The objective of the internship is for the students to develop practical knowledge that will complement their academic training.  Upon completion of their assignments, students will be well versed in the business environment of their host country and the opportunities and impediments faced by start-up firms in rural areas.  They will return to their home countries with skills sets that will enable them to participate in job creation in their home markets and NAFTA wide market extension activities for both new ventures and existing small and medium sized businesses within their home regions.
           Upon completion of their internship assignments, students will be required to prepare case studies detailing their experiences, under the supervision of faculty members from both the home and host institutions.  These case studies will be compiled, edited and redacted to allow them to be placed on the NAREN web site maintained at East Tennessee State University’s Innovation Laboratory.  The creation of case studies will serve three purposes.  First, through the process of writing the case study, the students will be able to distill the experiences gained from their internships.  Second, the case studies will serve as an evaluative tool for designing effective internships.  Finally, the case studies will enable the students to share their knowledge with other students, thereby serving to replicate the benefits of the program.
            Curriculum Development:  The consortium members will jointly create new curriculum in four areas so as to complement the existing entrepreneurship education offerings of each school.  In order to meet the unique needs of each member of the consortium, the newly developed curriculum may be integrated into existing courses, utilized to create new courses, and/or offered to students as a complement to their coursework.  The content created through curriculum development will be codified into a series of modules, as discussed in the following section of the proposal.  Curriculum development will transpire in four areas, as outlined below.
            Business Culture in the NAFTA Countries:  Each student will complete the following modules on business culture in the NAFTA countries which will be jointly developed by the consortium members.                         Entrepreneurship in NAFTA:  In order to infuse a NAFTA-wide perspective into the entrepreneurship curriculum of each consortium partner, curriculum will be developed exploring entrepreneurship in North America.  This will include cross-national comparisons in entrepreneurship, such as can be analyzed from the Kauffman Foundation’s Global Entrepreneurship Monitor.  Consistent with the growth of international entrepreneurship as a field of research and study, the course will also explore opportunities for combining resources and markets across the NAFTA region, such as by starting a business to export a product from one NAFTA country to another or starting a business that relies on resources from one country to compete in another.  The module will also address government support programs, employment laws, taxation and legal requirements for new business creation will be addressed as they relate to each country.             
           Rural Entrepreneurship – Challenges and Opportunities:  The “Rural Entrepreneurship – Challenges and Opportunities” course will explore the unique challenges inherent in creating and management a new venture in rural areas, as well as the unique opportunities that exist for rural entrepreneurs.  The course will also provide information on the economic geography of each NAFTA country and will address business, social and cultural considerations which are particular to their rural regions.  It will also look at the new economics of e-business delivery for rural SME’s.  As with the other courses, the course material will ultimately be developed as on-line modules.
            General Entrepreneurship:  General entrepreneurship will include specialized expertise in entrepreneurship education that is available at only a subset of the partner schools.  The purpose of including these topics is to enable this specialized expertise to be shared throughout the consortium.  While listed as ‘curriculum development’, the focus will be on making existing specialized curriculum available to a broader audience, particularly through the creation of online modules as discussed in the following section.  For example, faculty members at Dalhousie University possess unique expertise in new product development while the University of New Brunswick offers specialized expertise in the commercialization of new technologies. 
A preliminary matrix showing each partner’s input into these courses is provided in the appendix.
            Development and Dissemination of Pedagogical Materials: Entrepreneurs and small and medium sized business operators located in rural regions typically lack access to highly trained specialists in market research, finance and management.  They often are unaware of support programs available through public or private entities.  This is especially true for small businesses that might have opportunities in non-local NAFTA markets.  The NAREN will address this shortcoming by creating a series of online modules based on the curriculum development initiatives outlined above and by disseminating these modules through the creation of a NAREN website, which will become a resource not only for the consortium members but also for other academic institutions that serve rural constituencies and for entrepreneurs directly.
           All consortium members will participate in the creation of modules described above.  Modules will be created in a format that can be distributed electronically, either through a ‘pull’ technology by which the user downloads the material from the NAREN website, and/or by a ‘push’ technology whereby the material is podcasted to all registered members of the network.  The modules may take the form of videos of lectures, class discussions and guest speakers, and may be accompanied by slide presentations and/or additional material.  The project director on each campus will work with faculty from that campus to develop the modules.
            Dissemination of the pedagogical material contained in the modules will take place via a website hosted and maintained by ETSU’s Innovation Laboratory, the university’s business incubator.  Online course modules will be made available to North American academic institutions, entrepreneurs and small business managers in rural areas.  Distribution may take the form of direct download (‘pull’ technologies) or podcasting (‘push’ technologies).  Additionally, a discussion board will be available where rural business operators and students can post questions relating to venture creation, on-going business operations and NAFTA market opportunities.  The NAFTA interns at the various incubator sites will be tasked with monitoring the discussion board and responding to posted questions.  If there are questions that require expertise beyond that of the student interns, these will be referred to the local project director who will work with local faculty members to address specific issues.  Overall progress towards the project’s goals will be evaluated at annual meetings attended by all partner universities.

 III.  ADEQUACY OF RESOURCES AND KEY PERSONNEL:
           All of the university partners are committed to providing the physical and fiscal resources required to ensuring the success of the project and developing new resources as needed.  The U.S. partnership is committing over $440,000 in in-kind match for the project.  One of the consortium-level resources to be developed will be a NAREN web site and on-line resource center for rural entrepreneurs that will be hosted by ETSU’s Innovation Laboratory, the university’s business incubator.  The courses developed for the project will be posted to the Consortium’s network server and will be available to students and rural entrepreneurs wishing to avail themselves of this educational opportunity.  In addition, case studies prepared by students participating in the program will be made available for those seeking information about best practices for rural entrepreneurs.  There will also be a web site with a discussion board for entrepreneurs throughout North America to share experiences and solicit information and technical expertise.
           Another consortium-level resources that will be developed is a faculty resource pool that will work with the student interns to provide advice to local entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs throughout NAFTA utilizing the NAREN on-line resource center.  A secondary but equally important development of this component will be the development of institutional relationships that offer the opportunity for faculty exchanges and joint development into models of rural entrepreneurship.  In order to expand the academic resources available to the local project director, faculty members within each university will be encouraged to engage in faculty development activities.  These activities will include the development of joint projects relevant to the rural business community and the promotion of visits to partner campuses for teaching and collaboration.            
           The resources available to rural businesses through the Network will be somewhat unique due to the nature of the partner universities.  While universities in each country have extensive entrepreneurship programs housed in business, management and economic faculties several of the partners have programs that are closely related to engineering and technical programs.    This will provide access not only to expertise in the traditional business disciplines but also to faculty with an understanding of problems relating to technological issues.
            East Tennessee State University:  As an educational and service provider to communities located in the Southern Appalachian region, ETSU has a long history of programs dealing with rural communities.  Its medical school has a highly ranked program in rural medicine that provides medical outreach programs to remote Appalachian communities.  ETSU has developed a number of programs focused on enhancing life in rural areas including the program in Applied Spanish in the Department of Foreign Languages that is centered around providing services to the local, rurally based immigrant community.  The university’s College of Business and Technology has a strong entrepreneurship program that has been the focus of considerable activity. 
            Dr. Jon L. Smith will serve as the project’s Director.  He holds a PhD. in Economics from the University of South Carolina.  Dr. Smith has extensive experience in international programs.  Dr. Smith will devote 35% of his time to the project.
            Drs. Joel A. Ryman and Craig Turner will serve as the project’s co-director.  Dr. Ryman holds a PhD. in Business Administration from the University of Tennessee and a Masters degree in international management from Thunderbird University.  Dr. Ryman has extensive experience in international business and international programs.  Dr. Ryman will devote 20% of his time to the project.  Dr. Turner holds a PhD in Business Administration from the University of Tennessee.  Dr. Turner currently serves as an assistant professor management and is extensively involved in ETSU’s entrepreneurship program.  He is currently engaged in research activities involving entrepreneurship and sustainable development in rural communities.  Dr. Turner will devote 20% of his time to the project.
            Since the project’s service area spans the Tennessee-Virginia state line, the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center will act as a contractor for activities in rural Virginia.  Mr. George Hiller, the director of the Global Virginia project located at the Center, will coordinate outreach activities in Southwest Virginia and work with rural entrepreneurs throughout Appalachian Virginia.  He holds a JD from the University of Richmond, a masters degree from Thunderbird University and a BA from the University of New Mexico.  Mr. Hiller has extensive experience in international banking and economic development and was instrumental in establishing the state of Virginia’s international trade office in Mexico.
            University of New Mexico:  At UNM, Dante DiGregorio will serve as the project director.  Dr. DiGregorio holds the Black Professorship of Economic Development at UNM’s Anderson School of Management.  Professor Di Gregorio has served as the school’s faculty coordinator of international exchange programs for six years.  He is currently co-program director with Doug Thomas on a Business and International Education grant from the US Department of Education.  The initiative at UNM will be supported by a range of faculty and staff members.    Information detailing their qualifications is contained in the appendix.
            Dalhousie University, Halifax Nova Scotia:  Professor David C. Roach, manager of the Norman Newman Centre for Entrepreneurship, will serve as the project director for the lead Canadian institution.  Mr. Roach brings over 23 years of experience in such diverse fields as Technology Commercialization, Product & Process Design, Market & Business Planning and Investment & Financing.  Mr. Roach brings a strong academic background (Mechanical Engineering and MBA), along with a practical hands-on approach to the Product Innovation process.    
            University of New Brunswick:  Linda Bulmer, P. Eng., Chair of the Dr. J. Herbert Smith Centre in Technology Management and Entrepreneurship will serve as the project director for the University of New Brunswick.  She has accumulated twenty five years of business and consulting experience.  She has worked in Canada and the US, for large multinationals such as Mobil Oil, US West Advanced Technologies and Fujitsu Consulting.  She has also personally established her engineering and management consultancy businesses. Ms. Bulmer’s IT sector experience includes IP development notably in the areas of Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Value Management, and Change Management. 
            Universidad de Guadalajara:  Dr. Jesus Arroyo will serve as project’s Director for the lead Mexican institution. Currently, he is recognized by the National Research System (SNI) as Researcher Level III and Rector of the University Center of Business and Economics Sciences (CUCEA) at University of Guadalajara (UdeG). He has accumulated thirty years of expertise training human resources in social and economics sciences. And he has been director of projects with international and national founds (Foundation Ford, Foundation William and Flora Hewlett, between others), studying and developing subjects about “Relations Mexico-USA, Perspectives of trade integration (NAFTA), Business development, Competitiveness, Productivity and regional development .”
            Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, Campus Chihuahua The Project Director for ITESM Chihuahua will be Dr. Tonatiuh Nájera, Dean of the Escuela de Negocios y Humanidades.  Dr. Nájera earned an MBA in finance and a PhD in Economics from the Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona.  He has led or participated in various research projects.  He is also involved in efforts to promote economic development in Chihuahua.Curriculum vitae and biographical sketches for selected project participants are provided in the appendix.

IV.  Plan of Evaluation:
            The evaluation plan for the project will include both formative and summative components.  Formative evaluation will be required in order to adequately develop ongoing activities including student exchanges, curriculum development and the development and dissemination of pedagogical materials.  Summative evaluations will be conducted at the end of each program year.  The evaluation process will be conducted by both inside evaluators and an outside evaluator.  Working together, project directors at each partner university will act as inside evaluators.  The outside evaluator will conduct a formal evaluation at the end of each year of the program.  Ms. Jan Smith has agreed to serve as the program’s outside evaluator. 
            Ms. Smith is a consultant with JMS Global and teaches at the University of Houston Clear Lake. Previously, she established and was the Director of the International Business Institute, and was the Director of International Programs at Austin Community College. She has been instrumental in the implementation of international initiatives that promote economic development and international trade. Ms. Smith served as the president of the Greater Austin International Coalition and Chair of the Board of Directors of the International Center of Austin, Texas and has just completed a term as president of NASBITE.  She has extensive experience in managing funded international programs and has acted as a project director for grants funded under the BIE program.  The evaluation methodology to be employed for each component of the project is detailed below.
            Evaluation of the Student Exchange Component: The project’s student exchange component will be evaluated using both quantitative and qualitative evidence. The semester long student exchanges will have a two fold objective; first, to acquaint students with the challenges and opportunities facing rural populations and entrepreneurs in North America and second to introduce them to the effects of cultural variations on business operations throughout NAFTA.  For students studying in countries where their native language is not spoken, there will also be the objective of language acquisition and improvement.  The internship placements have the objective of introducing the students to business practice outside of the classroom.  The quantitative evidence used for the evaluation of this component will include the number of students exchanged, the number of interns placed and data collected from pre and post-exchange knowledge testing. 
            The project directors from the partner universities with input from their faculty will design practical knowledge exams for students participating in the program.  Upon being accepted for the program, students will be given a pre-exchange test to ascertain the level of their knowledge of business practice and culture in partner countries.  Afte their return from their exchange semester and internship assignments, they will be retested.  The pre and post-exchange scores will be compared to gauge the degree of improvement in student knowledge.  Student developed case studies will also be evaluated by the inside evaluation committee consisting of project directors from each partner university and will be used to determine the level of student learning resulting from the exchanges.
            Qualitative evidence will be collected using student feedback forms that will be provided to students at the midpoint of their semester abroad and at the end of the semester.  These forms will solicit student feedback concerning the relevance and quality of their academic experience.  A similar mechanism will be used to evaluate student internships.  In addition to student feedback, employer or supervisor feedback forms will also be collected from those overseeing the student’s internship assignments.  Language students will be evaluated using pre and post-experience oral proficiency interviews.
            A formative evaluation of the exchange program will be on-going throughout the student’s study abroad.  The project directors at each university will monitor and evaluate the student’s experiences and in consultation with one another will revise and enhance the program as may be suggested by the data. At the end of each year, a summative evaluation will be conducted by both the external evaluator and the project directors.  If necessary, the program’s components will be revised at the beginning of each year to correct deficiencies.
            Evaluation of the Curriculum Development Component: Curriculum components consisting of course modules will be jointly developed and evaluated by the project directors of the partner universities.  In addition, each of the participating universities has institutionalized curriculum approval mechanisms.  For example, at ETSU, new course proposals must be submitted to review by department faculty, the college curriculum review committee and the university curriculum committee.  This review process that is both formative and summative.  The formative aspect consists of reviews that are required at each level of the process designed to evaluate the proposed course for academic rigor and for its consistency with the strategic goals of the college.  After being voted upon by the faculty, course proposals are forwarded to the college curriculum committee for a second review and are finally reviewed by the highest levels of the administration, the summative evaluation of course proposal. 
            Each of the partner institutions has their own process for course approval.  Although different, each is similar in that they have embedded formative and summative components.  Accordingly, the evaluation criteria to be utilized during the project’s duration will be the submission and approval of the courses by the various partner universities.
       Evaluation of the Development and Dissemination of Pedagogical Materials: The evaluation criterion of this component will be the development and mounting of an internet web site.  This site will be housed at East Tennessee State University.  The web site will be designed with input from the partner universities.  Once the web site is developed and mounted on the server, pedagogical materials will be mounted.  These materials will consist of online course materials developed from the curriculum development component and edited student case studies.  The course materials will be formatted to facilitate their use in the online environment.  Additionally, podcasts will be developed to provide educational content for students and rural entrepreneurs. 
           Quantitative measures used to evaluate this component will be the number of online courses and podcasts mounted.  Qualitative measures of the materials will consist of information from feedback forms mounted on the site.  Ultimately the primary measure of the web site’s performance will be the number of “hits” received throughout the year and the number of other universities that adopt the case studies developed by the project for use in their curriculum.