How students are taught entrepreneurship in universities

Rapid changes in an increasingly complex world require future graduates to acquire more than academic attainment in order to transform such challenges into opportunities for change, and make a difference in their communities. There is a valid political imperative in the UK for the development of a strong enterprise culture as a response to the challenges and opportunities presented by continuing globalisation. Universities, through graduate enterprise and entrepreneurship education, play a vital role in preparing and equipping students with the entrepreneurial mindsets, knowledge and capabilities needed to bring about transformation in the organisations that they will lead and manage in future. This paper presents a conceptual review of the different types of pedagogical approaches which are used for the promotion of entrepreneurial learning in higher education. It begins with a review of the political pressure on universities to respond to the concept of the enterprise culture in the UK and Europe. This starting point addresses the question as to ‘why’ entrepreneurship education is seen to be of growing importance. This paper then proceeds to examine the different types of pedagogical approaches which have been used in teaching and learning entrepreneurship. Whilst the use of business plans remain a popular approach, there is a growing recognition of its limitations and a noticeable shift towards experiential approaches. There is an emerging consensus in the literature to suggest that the development of entrepreneurial graduates requires a more experiential approach to learning, which is preferably action-based and student-centred, focusing on the development of entrepreneurial skills and competencies associated with entrepreneurship. It is argued that learning for entrepreneurship cannot be abstracted from the situation in which is it acquired and used. Within an entrepreneurial curriculum, students learn from and through experience within learning environments that simulate ‘real-world’ situations.