Building Bridges: Integrating Entrepreneurial Education into Professional Development

Abstract

This research investigates the incorporation of entrepreneurial education into professional development programs for university teachers and its influence on equipping students for future professions. The study reveals primary obstacles faculty encounters, such as limited involvement in guest lectures and speaker series, reluctance towards creative teaching approaches, perceived insignificance of entrepreneurship in specific fields, time limitations, and absence of well-defined goals and results. The research employed faculty members and a heterogeneous group of students. The study used a mixed-methods approach, integrating quantitative data from surveys with qualitative data from interviews. This technique enabled a complete comprehension of the involvement of teachers and students in entrepreneurial activity. The results emphasize the significance of customizing programs to particular demographic groups and executing optimal strategies to improve efficacy. Suggestions include enhancing the frequency and diversity of guest lectures, delivering specialized professional development workshops, creating multidisciplinary resources, providing adaptable online courses, and defining explicit objectives and criteria for entrepreneurial education endeavors. These initiatives are designed to cultivate an environment that encourages creativity, enhances the involvement of teachers and students, and provides students with the necessary skills and mindsets to thrive in today's ever-changing labor market. The research results emphasize the crucial importance of entrepreneurial education in higher education and provide practical insights for institutions to improve their professional development programs and overall educational influence.