Abstract
PurposeThis study focuses on extra-curricular start-up programs for students at higher educational institutions. It explores the social and situated learning experiences of students who participate in start-up programs, as well as how the processes and outcomes of entrepreneurial learning are potentially shaped by this context.Design/methodology/approachThe study follows multiple cohorts of students who have participated in an extra-curricular start-up program managed by three collaborating universities in Greater Copenhagen. The data have been inductively analyzed using semi-structured interviews with students and project managers during and after the start-up program, complemented with project progress reports, observation notes and survey data.FindingsThe analysis generates a grounded, theoretically informed process model of entrepreneurial learning situated in extra-curricular start-up programs. The model depicts how the immersion, comprehension and co-participation in entrepreneurship as social practice subsequently enables students to expand knowledge structures and develop greater self-confidence in performing entrepreneurship. The model identifies three interconnected components that trigger entrepreneurial learning among students, which allow them to acquire two set of competencies: venture creation competencies and enterprising competencies.Originality/valueThe findings offer unique insights into how the social and relational environment influence and shape the learning experience of students, hence filling the research void on entrepreneurial learning in the situated context of extra-curricular enterprise activities. The findings also elucidate how individual learning experiences of students are potentially shaped by the immersion, comprehension and co-participation in entrepreneurship as social practice.
Highlights
Universities educate large volumes of students, some of whom will become tomorrow’s entrepreneurs and innovators (Lindholm Dahlstrand and Berggren, 2010; Astebro et al, 2012)
Empirical setting The empirical study is based on a regional cross border collaborative project between universities in Sweden and Denmark titled Nordic Entrepreneurship Hubs (NEH)
The analysis suggests that participatory conditions indirectly influence the entrepreneurial learning outcomes from the start-up program, where an active participation through a central role in the learning culture is mediated by two conditional features; time allocation and project proximity
Summary
Universities educate large volumes of students, some of whom will become tomorrow’s entrepreneurs and innovators (Lindholm Dahlstrand and Berggren, 2010; Astebro et al, 2012). When universities are combined with entrepreneurially minded students, the two become a potent force that can boost the entrepreneurial capacity of the local region (Fetters et al, 2010). In this respect, many universities have incorporated dedicated spaces for entrepreneurship within their vicinities, such as makerspaces, mixed-use facilities, incubators and accelerators. The full terms of this licence may be seen at http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode
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