Application of best practices in university entrepreneurship education

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify and apply best practices in university entrepreneurship education to the creation of a new MBA in entrepreneurship and innovation management. It is a direct response to calls for a total re-envisioning of entrepreneurship education and criticism that existing programs lack rigour, content, pedagogy, measurement and an established definition. Design/methodology/approach – This article uses reviews of the literature to identify normative best practices and how to apply them to the new program. An entrepreneurship program design framework (EPDF) was created and applied to a new MBA program being developed in central Germany. Findings – Most studies describe aspects of current programs (e.g. lists of courses) but almost none say what should be in a program. Others provide abstract guidance (e.g. programs should define entrepreneurship) but do not give specific recommendations (e.g. what the definition should be). The proposed EPDF provided a rigorous structure for reviewing the literature, designing the new program and establishing specific best practice recommendations for defining program goals, content, pedagogy and measurement of student transformation. Research limitations/implications – The entrepreneurship literature is largely silent on normative best practice guidance, so the proposed application of best practices should be evaluated in that context. Originality/value – Previous articles present relatively abstract frameworks and concepts, whereas this article is a direct application of the practical implications of these concepts. The proposed normative best practice guidelines may be somewhat controversial, but should stimulate useful discussion.