A comparison of on-curricular and off-curricular activities in enterprise education for postgraduate students

Abstract

A comparison of the effectiveness of two educational activities are carried out; a standard on-curricular postgraduate unit and an off-curricular school activity. The taught area for both is the theme of enterprise and entrepreneurship. They share similar intended learning outcomes, equipping participants with the same skills, knowledge and tools to set up their own business start-up. Another similarity is the number of contact hours with the students, however the main difference is the span these two activities take place; over a full semester or over a week. A survey was designed to be used in post teaching sessions to evaluate the effectiveness and impact the activities had on the students in the area of enterprise and entrepreneurship. The results indicated that both activities had an impact on start-up intention and activity however, the cost of the enterprise school per head and the fact that the on-curricular activities provide a recognized qualification in case the business fails means that short intensive off-curricular activities are better suited for researchers with limited time and who are still open minded about career choices. Both activities serve their own purpose and value as they provide the desired interventions for supporting positive attitudes towards enterprise and entrepreneurship.

A Post-Covid comparison of students’ usage of an online learning platform

“…At the University of Manchester there is a varied approach to entrepreneurship with both on curricular (Papadopoulou and Phillips, 2019;Sanchez-Romaguera and Phillips, 2018) and extracurricular (Phillips, 2010;Phillips, 2017) activities widely used. A range of assessments are used rather than exams -such as consultancy reports, reflective journals (Phillips, 2008), posters, pitches, and feasibility studies.…”

Comparing Online and Physical Social Entrepreneurship Training: Lessons Learned moving Online

“…There are a range of activities both on and off curricular for those with an interest in entrepreneurship (Nabi et al, 2017, Phillips, 2010. Many studies suggest extracurricular activities are best for those interested whilst at university (Papadopoulou and Phillips, 2019). This especially applies to social enterprise where students have suggested it is better taught in a multidisciplinary environment separated from "general" entrepreneurship (Jones and Phillips, 2021).…”

Evaluation of Face-to-Face and Online Learning for Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Courses

“…MEC offers a number of on and off curricular programmes for undergraduates (Sanchez-Romaguera & Phillips, 2018) and postgraduates Phillips, 2019 &. These, along with many entrepreneurship programmes in general (The University of Manchester, 2020b) would have elements of practice and teamwork which are not easy to replicate in a virtual environment especially switching to OL at a short notice.…”