Media entrepreneurship skills in Latin American universities social communication and journalism programs

Abstract

This study analyzes the social communication and journalism programs accredited by the Latin American Council for Accreditation of Education in Journalism and Communication (CLAEP) to identify the competencies and subjects whose expected learning outcomes contribute to general innovative professional profiles in media entrepreneurship. The study is a qualitative, descriptive study in which in-depth interviews were conducted with deans, program directors, and lecturers in communication, and syllabi and programs of the subjects that contribute to strengthening the components of entrepreneurship and innovation were analyzed. The main conclusions make it clear that entrepreneurial profiles should be strengthened since there are market opportunities for future communication and journalism professionals; there is no traceability in the projects developed in the different subjects in a way that allows for the strengthening of the entrepreneurial proposal; these reach an ideation and prototyping phase, which does not allow for the transfer of entrepreneurship to acceleration and growth units external to the program. Likewise, a proposal for the design of expected learning results is made for programs to use in their curricular designs to strengthen the profile and competencies in innovative entrepreneurship on the basis of eight categories: 1) identify the conditioning factors that determine entrepreneurship from its context, from the form they acquire to be recognized before the state and society as media and from the elements that configure their operational functioning; 2) understand the logics of the entrepreneurial ecosystem; 3) develop capacities in entrepreneurship; 4) manage media and journalistic projects; 5) design business models; 6) generate innovation processes, prototyping, and product testing; 7) obtain resources to accelerate entrepreneurship; and 8) establish growth and consolidation plans.