Concepts into practice: meeting the challenge of development of entrepreneurship educators around an innovative paradigm

Abstract

Purpose -This paper aims to explore a range of conceptual and practical challenges faced in delivering an innovative programme targeted at staff of UK higher Education (HE) and further education (FE) institutions. The two major foci of the programme are: on the pedagogies and organization of knowledge required to provide a true "feel" for the life world, values and ways of behaving of entrepreneurs in very different academic disciplinary contexts; and on strategically and operationally making things happen in the participant institution. Design/methodology/approach -The paper is action research-focused. Its aim is to explore the validity of a concept of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship education which is truly interdisciplinary. It tests out in practice a "Mastery" model of an entrepreneurship educator in HE and FE. Findings -The basic structure of the model is found to be appropriate as is its social constructionist view of education upon which it is founded. Importantly it values learning through practice, which may not be a total reflection of what is taught on the programme, equally with the application of programme knowledge. Originality/value -The conceptual model and resultant programme are arguably unique in their total focus on behaviours in different organizational and disciplinary contexts.

Exploring the synergistic potential in entrepreneurial university development: towards the building of a strategic framework

“…It forms the basis for a strategic 'bottom up' review to identify opportunities and constraints. For a review of the programme and its conceptual underpinning, see Gibb (2011). 6 While in English, it is possible to make distinctions between enterprise and entrepreneurship as set out in Annex 1, in many languages, for example, Spanish, Croatian and Danish, there is no word for 'enterprise' with the same meaning as given in the Annex.…”

“…The UK NCEE has set out a number of associated competencies for students and has developed educator programmes designed to stimulate staff from any department in a university to develop entrepreneurial approaches to their curriculum and programme development. Of particular importance is the simulation of the entrepreneurial life-world of ownership, intuitive decision making and risk taking, initiative taking, holistic project management, 'know-who' network development and relationship management and commitment over time to see things through (Gibb, 2011).…”

An entrepreneurial self-efficacy scale with a neutral wording

“…Gibb, 2011;Stayaert & Katz, 2007;Rae, 2007). In my validation tests of the scale I did, however, choose to focus only on the most narrow definition of entrepreneurship, i.e.…”

Development of Entrepreneurship Education in Estonian Universities: Case of University of Tartu

“…Scholars diverge about the objective of EE -when we teach individuals who will be able to practice entrepreneurship, then we can talk about learner centered, interdisciplinary, process-based, co-creation oriented, experiential and socially situated pedagogy (Kyrö, 2008;Mwasalwiba, 2010;Ollila & Williams-Middleton, 2011;Gibb, 2011) and business plan competitions (Russell et al, 2008) and involvement of mentors (Barbosa et al, 2008). http://dx.doi.org/10.15405/epsbs.2016.11.85 eISSN: 2357-1330 …”