Application of best practices in university entrepreneurship education

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify and apply best practices in university entrepreneurship education to the creation of a new MBA in entrepreneurship and innovation management. It is a direct response to calls for a total re-envisioning of entrepreneurship education and criticism that existing programs lack rigour, content, pedagogy, measurement and an established definition. Design/methodology/approach – This article uses reviews of the literature to identify normative best practices and how to apply them to the new program. An entrepreneurship program design framework (EPDF) was created and applied to a new MBA program being developed in central Germany. Findings – Most studies describe aspects of current programs (e.g. lists of courses) but almost none say what should be in a program. Others provide abstract guidance (e.g. programs should define entrepreneurship) but do not give specific recommendations (e.g. what the definition should be). The proposed EPDF provided a rigorous structure for reviewing the literature, designing the new program and establishing specific best practice recommendations for defining program goals, content, pedagogy and measurement of student transformation. Research limitations/implications – The entrepreneurship literature is largely silent on normative best practice guidance, so the proposed application of best practices should be evaluated in that context. Originality/value – Previous articles present relatively abstract frameworks and concepts, whereas this article is a direct application of the practical implications of these concepts. The proposed normative best practice guidelines may be somewhat controversial, but should stimulate useful discussion.

Economic Factors of Creation MBA Program: Main Characteristics, Mission and Strategy (Case Study: USA)

“…Gedeon identifies the traditional MBA program in Europe as underserving students by not emphasizing entrepreneurship (Gedeon, 2014). His effort to encourage a redesign of the curriculum to encourage entrepreneurship is nominally based on the stated desires of the German students he is focused on, but revolves more directly around the vision of an economy where growth is driven by entrepreneurship and building a culture of higher-risk/ higher-reward economic activity (Gedeon, 2014). In the developing countries, it is noted that importing business ideas into new cultures without appropriate preparation and context is not useful.…”

“…In the developing countries, it is noted that importing business ideas into new cultures without appropriate preparation and context is not useful. Even in Germany, bring in new understandings of the value of different forms of economic activity demands, as Gedeon describes, an active reform of values (Gedeon, 2014). His proposed curriculum therefore emphasizes at every step the inculcation of new attitudes and values, including "independence, productiveness, honesty, egoism, rationality, integrity and justice" (Gedeon, 2014, p. 240).…”

Can Education for Sustainable Development Change Entrepreneurship Education to Deliver a Sustainable Future?

“…In the literature on entrepreneurship education there is a distinction made between traditional pedagogy and entrepreneurship pedagogy, albeit that entrepreneurship pedagogy is new and still evolving (Powell, 2013;Lakéus, 2015;McGuigan, 2016). There is also an acknowledgement that despite the recent growth of courses addressing entrepreneurship, a consensus of exactly what should be taught in entrepreneurship education has not developed (Gedeon, 2014;Solomon, 2007). ESD pedagogy has established a considerable degree of consensus around its pedagogical approach as demonstrated by Strachan (2012) in a review that draws together the common characteristics from 28 documents that put forward models or frameworks for ESD or the closely related concepts of education for sustainability and learning for sustainability.…”

“…However, in spite of these issues there is sufficient information in the literature to indicate the direction of travel in terms of entrepreneurship pedagogy. For many, including Gedeon (2014) and McGuigan (2016), entrepreneurship education encompasses a holistic approach to education covering not only an entrepreneurial approach to studentsí jobs and careers, but also to their own lives and community. From this perspective entrepreneurial action is seen as transformational for the individual.…”

The School Counselor Leading (Social) Entrepreneurship within High Schools

“…Furthermore, the country's economy is enhanced by the creation of new companies that employ more people and create more wealth. However, despite of the growth on Social Entrepreneurship in Education there is still a lack of consensus as to what should be taught to entrepreneurship students (McGuigan, 2016;Gedeon, 2014;Solomon, 2007).…”