Experiential and result-driven entrepreneurship education: evidence from an international project

Abstract

The search for effective learning pathways and transformative changes in both the conceptual and curricular field and technological areas are significant challenges for higher education institutions (HEIs). Although a wide range of methods, tools, and interactive channels are available to shape an entrepreneurial mindset, students need clear objectives and understanding embedded in multidisciplinary knowledge and transferable competencies to implement practical business practice solutions. The article’s main objective is to present an experiential and result-driven approach to entrepreneurship education that aims to support students in solving real business problems by interacting with the local environment. The participatory co-creation process involved international students (147 participants from 16 nationalities), and the three cycles of two-week intensive programmes (2017–2019) were carried out within the framework of the international project ECMT+. This experimental education process is presented here using the case study method based on the author’s experience, observation and reflection. The study reveals that hands-on activities designed for the project positively affected student learning outcomes and motivated them to acquire entrepreneurial competencies. However, entrepreneurship education has to be more inclusive and develop good practice to meet local needs and more diverse learners.

Keywords

• entrepreneurship education
• experiential learning
• intercultural collaboration
• result-driven education