Team Learning as a Model for Facilitating Entrepreneurial Competences in Higher Education: The Case of Proakatemia

Timo Nevalainen, Jaana Seikkula-Leino and Maria Salomaa
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Timo Nevalainen: TAMK Business, Tampere University of Applied Sciences, 33520 Tampere, Finland
Jaana Seikkula-Leino: TAMK Business, Tampere University of Applied Sciences, 33520 Tampere, Finland
Maria Salomaa: TAMK Business, Tampere University of Applied Sciences, 33520 Tampere, Finland

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 13, 1-17

Abstract: In the past decades, there has been a growing interest in entrepreneurship education, and many higher education institutions have developed specific programs and courses to support entrepreneurial competencies. However, there have been significant changes in how universities train competences related to business skills and entrepreneurship in practice. Whereas entrepreneurship courses used to focus on the different forms of businesses and drafting business plans, the overall perception of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial competences has shifted this toward a more holistic educational approach to develop students’ entrepreneurial competencies. In this comparative quantitative case study, we investigate the university students’ perception of the development of their entrepreneurial competencies in the case of Proakatemia (Tampere University of Applied Sciences). The aim was to examine how the entrepreneurial competencies are reflected and strengthened in their thinking and everyday functions through the concept of team learning. The survey involved, altogether, 64 students, of which 21 studied in Proakatemia. The results of this study indicate that the team learning concept of Proakatemia facilitates learning entrepreneurial competencies. Therefore, these results provide insights for universities aiming to develop their curricula, programs and pedagogy, thus promoting sustainable societal development. However, we recommend further studies, e.g., from a qualitative point of view, to assess the effective of the concept in other learning environments.

Keywords: team learning; entrepreneurship; entrepreneurship education; entrepreneurial competencies; innovation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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