Study on Effective Teaching Strategies in Shaping the Effective Entrepreneurship Education Program

 

Arun Saxena ¹

 

¹ Assistant Professor, Shri Vaishnav Institute of Management and Science, Indore, India

 

1. INTRODUCTION

Business schools and universities are inviting and registering application from various countries which results in students representing dozens of different ethnicity and culture in the same class. Different teaching strategies should focus on effectiveness and opportunities for students to exchange cultural experiences that will enable them to operate in a global context. In order to do that, the research is primarily focused on appropriate teaching strategies for Entrepreneurship Education Programmes (EEPs). Entrepreneurship in an international context is gaining interest but there is a lack of literature in the multicultural area and now there is a need for demystifying the subtle aspects of research in the same area by different countries, so that the relationship between entrepreneurial skills and teaching strategies can be more clearly identified. In previous research different research issues were raised separately in the area of entrepreneurship education program. For example, Gartner and Vesper (1994) professes that EEPs can vary widely across countries and educational institutions, be it in terms of objectives, target audiences, format and pedagogical approaches. There is a need to develop a common framework to evaluate, compare and improve the design of those programmes (Fayolle et al, 2006). However it is not possible to accomplish all the objectives in one research but here the researcher will attempt to explore the relation of two main factors; namely culture & teaching strategy with effectiveness of EEPs which can be helpful to improve the design of these programmes.

 

2. Objectives of the research

1)     To focus on effective Teaching Strategies to shape EEPs

2)     Adoption of Curricular and Co-curricular and multicultural activities pertaining to EEPs.

 

3. Review of Literature

For Entrepreneurship Education Programmes (EEPs) particular Vesper and Gartner (1997) listed 18 criteria, ranked in order of importance by expert respondents. The top five criteria were:

1)     the number of courses offered

2)     publication by teachers

3)     impact on the community

4)     venture creation by students and young graduates; and

5)     resulting innovations

 

Deakin and Sulkowski’s (2007) initial research suggested a reflection of Hofstede’s (1980) dimensions in students’ attitudes and behaviour, whereby a number of findings could be related with the previous data. It is interesting to see the findings which are based on the relation to students’ attitudes to learning and teaching, views of the tutor-student interaction and preferred teaching and learning method.

Sulkowski & Deakin (2009) found the positive relationship between culture and learning approaches and recommended that further studies should focus more into the influence of culture on students’ learning experiences. In their study they found a number of underlying reasons to explain the challenges international students are facing in British Universities. The frequent were:

·        Language problems.

·        A mismatch between teaching and preferred learning styles.

·        Unsuitable assessment methods.

·        Differing views about the interaction between lecturers and students and among peers.

·        Cultural distance may lead to alienation from the system resulting in low levels of confidence and disruptive behaviour.

 

Ruskovaara, Mattila & Rytkola (2010) found that “teachers do not know enough about the curricula or the education strategy” entrepreneurship education is an area where lots of research is required to teach someone ‘how to be an entrepreneur’ is a critical process. To teach entrepreneurship should be based on the combination of theoretical and practical knowledge. A person who is only involved in teaching and has not any experience to run the enterprise is not an appropriate and at the same time who is quite successful in business need not necessarily can guide another person about entrepreneurship.

Practically, all trainers, instructors and educators in the entrepreneurship field need to focus both on the design and implementation of entrepreneurship teaching and course programs based on the various aspects in terms of the teaching model(s) being adopted from the perspectives of providing answers to the questions of the why (purposes of the learning), what (contents), how (methods and pedagogies), for whom (audiences, participants), and for which outcomes (assessment) (Fayolle and Gailly, 2008). Coincidentally, there are no enough models to conceptually drive the curriculum design and teaching methods of entrepreneurship education (Slattery and Danaher, 2015).

Rahman et al (2017)  The various methods include case studies, team or group discussion, business plan creation, guest speaker, individual and group projects, problem-based learning, games and simulation of business ideas, role play, seminars, and visitation to sites or firms. Literatures on entrepreneurial education have not been able to provide consensus as to the particular basis for choosing teaching techniques that best suits a given set of students in terms of transfer of the form of entrepreneurship knowhow and motivation for learning in the future. Despite the attendant benefits, there are still areas where more research efforts are required to clarify which of the students benefits most from active learning and how to design activities to motivate and increase the understanding level of the students over time. Other areas of focus could be in terms of integration on a longitudinal basis the timing element in the learning process of entrepreneurship; determination of the most relevant ‘teaching model’ configuration in entrepreneurship; investigation of the teaching methods that will suit the peculiar needs of the different audience for entrepreneurship training. This study was limited by the inability to access highly rated journals due to cost factor and language barriers.

However teaching strategy should also be considered in the list because it is very much relevant to produce effective results. At the same time to give a good importance to culture also open various avenues to work towards effectiveness of EEPs. Though entrepreneurship is not a new concept, it has gained increasing interest and research attention over the past 15 years: today entrepreneurship is considered the essential lever to cope with the new competitive landscape.

It is also lamented that due to lack of understanding of, or possibly ignorance of, cultural influences on learning, many university lectures tend to replicate unexamined ideas about appropriate teaching practices in a multicultural classroom. Failing to understand the implications of culture on students’ approaches to learning, behaviour towards lectures and peers is likely to result in misconceptions about their motivation and intellectual abilities. For example ‘to be critic ‘is appreciated in some culture but in other cultures this practice is not much appreciated. In some cultures learners are expected to have a good idea about their research project but in other culture guides are responsible to show the path to the learner students who go to other countries for their higher studies sometimes take long time to understand the teaching patters on another country and in the meantime tutors make different opinion about them. It is very much essential to consider the culture of the learners while designing the course.

Various authors have concluded the best teaching strategies which are as follows:

Best teaching strategies to shape up the Entrepreneurship Education Program

·        Role Modeling: Inviting successful entrepreneurs to share their experiences and insights.

·        Incubation and Mentoring: Providing support structures like incubators and mentorship programs to nurture student ventures.

·        Curricular Innovations: Integrating entrepreneurship into the curriculum through specialized courses and modules.

·        Co-curricular Activities: Encouraging participation in entrepreneurship clubs, competitions, and workshops.

Entrepreneurship education can be enhanced through various innovative teaching strategies. Here are a few key approaches:

·        Experiential Learning: Engaging students in hands-on experiences such as internships, projects, and simulations.

·        Problem-Based Learning: Encouraging students to solve real-world problems through critical thinking and innovation.

·        Collaborative Learning: Promoting teamwork and peer-to-peer learning by working on group projects.

·        Reflective Practice: Allowing students to reflect on their experiences to deepen their learning and personal growth.

Assessing student progress in an entrepreneurship program can be done through various methods:

·        Business Plan Evaluation: Assess the comprehensiveness and viability of the students’ business plans.

·        Pitch Presentations: Evaluate students’ ability to pitch their business ideas effectively.

·        Reflection Papers: Have students write about what they’ve learned and how they’ve applied it.

·        Peer Reviews: Use peer assessment to evaluate teamwork and collaborative skills.

·        Progress Reports: Regular reports on project milestones and objectives met.

 

New approach towards learning and teaching

An alternative approach is action-based entrepreneurship education programs. This is sometimes also labelled as venture creation programs (VCP). In these programs the students launch a new business as an integral part of the learning process. The main interest of the students migrating towards multicultural learning programs is the intense desire to learn out of traditional learning. The initial study conducted by Deakin and Sulkowski (2007) showed that: Students from acquired cultures with comparatively high scores in power distance, collectivism and long term orientation perceived that there career would be influenced by their family, Generally, students from a collectivist background placed more emphasis on improving their standing with their peers than students from individualistic cultures who were found to act largely out of self-interest, were comparatively less reluctant to stand out in the classroom and seemed more self-contained. Both in literature and practice there is sometimes confusion between the terms ‘entrepreneurship’, ‘enterprise’ and ‘small business’ (Alberti,1999).         

International Dimensions in Entrepreneurship Education and Training

The major problem relates to balance like much of an emphasis on knowledge and not enough on competence; too much emphasis on information transfer learning methods and not enough on individual small group learning methods such as project teams, peer exchange, individual counselling and workshops. There is very little evaluation of the effectiveness of such programmes. There is a lack of evidence on how learning strategies influence the development of entrepreneurial competences and how these competences transfer into new project/venture formation. There is also a lack of comparative research to identify commonalities, and differences in terms of design and structure.

Globalization and Effective Entrepreneurship Education Program through information & communication technology

Globalization of human capital through international migration is no longer about global physical presence only; it is also about global applicability of skills across various fields of specialization. This marks the main characteristics of skilled migration from India to developed countries in the twenty-first century. The focus is shifting away from professionals in specific occupations, like doctors, engineers, scientists, architects, bankers, to information technology (IT) professionals embodying, in a way, more generic skills. In other words, it is the generic applicability of information and communications technology (ICT) which has led to large-scale migration of Indians skilled in IT. Moreover, the exodus comprises not only the fully trained and educated workers going abroad for employment, but also students - the semi-finished human capital - pursuing higher education in onshore as well as offshore universities of the developed countries.

The new emigration is directed towards traditional host countries in the West such as the UK, Canada, and the US, but also towards newly emerging destinations in continental Europe (Germany, France, Belgium, Italy, Denmark), Australasia (Australia, New Zealand), East Asia (Japan, Republic of Korea), and South-East Asia (Singapore, Malaysia). By using mainly current information and informal data as reported in the media, this article perceives emerging trends and changes in the context of the global labour market for skills, and suggests a possible framework towards evolving strategies of remedial development.

Effective Implication of Entrepreneurship in Multicultural Perspective

The results of this study imply that unique cultural context has differentiate the “knowledge and ability of venture creation,” “recognition of the importance of entrepreneurship education” and “intention of overseas venture creation with teamwork.” Moreover, the impact of entrepreneurship education in each country is different because of each country’s unique culture in regards to entrepreneurship. This study also analyzes the entrepreneurship education between college students. Entrepreneurship education and teaching strategy provides students motivation, knowledge, and skills. U.S. is quite familiar with entrepreneurship. On the other hand country like Japan, China and India recently announced its plan to launch entrepreneurship education to improvise teaching strategy and effectiveness .American entrepreneurs are great cultivators of entrepreneurial programs, have greatly contributed to economic growth within the U.S. by creating and successfully managing effectiveness of education program by ferreting the multi cultural teaching desires and aspects.

 

4. Conclusion

Entrepreneurship Education Programmes EEPs are very important nowadays and different courses are provided by different countries and universities at various levels. However there is lack of knowledge in this field of appropriate teaching strategy and pedagogy for the courses and according to the need of the participants. It is important to do more research efforts in this area so that the participants, aspirants and sponsored organization can achieve their goals. Relation of entrepreneurship with culture is a well known field and entrepreneurship education is also gaining attention in this century but the challenge is to find out the appropriate teaching strategy for entrepreneurship education programmes which can fit in a multicultural classrooms. Moreover such programmes must be promoted and implicated in an organised way by universities and colleges at international platform.

 

CONFLICT OF INTERESTS

None. 

 

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

None.

 

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