ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN HIGHER EDUCATION - NEW TEACHING METHOD

The main objective of the entrepreneurship programme at Telemark University College (TUC), Faculty of Technology is to prepare students for more innovation and sustainable job creation in new or established enterprises. In three courses at bachelor cycle, the students learn how to use innovative tools and to have a more practical approach on how to write a realistic business plan.

Innovation Camp in the 1st year is mandatory for engineering students and is carried out over two intensive days. The students are organised in teams and shall prepare proposals for business ideas solving external companies challenges. The Innovation Camp ends with a competition judged by a professional jury reviewing the business plans and performances on the stage presentations, “elevator pitch”.

Entrepreneurship and Student Enterprise are electable courses in 3rd year with 10 and 20 credits, respectively. Since 2004, we have been the examiners for 60 Student Enterprises and the results have been successful. Our students are the most often winners in national championships in Norway, and have participated in the European championship “Junior Achievement-Young Enterprise” eight out of ten times. In 2011, the Board chose the Student Enterprise course to be one of two best practise at TUC. The students work in teams of 3-6 members and they have to invent and develop their own business ideas. More responsibility is given to the students and they are expected to seek knowledge and competence from mentors and other networks in the industry.

A new teaching model for building entrepreneurial competence and knowledge is proven to be successful at TUC, Faculty of Technology. Less teaching and more learning is achieved by giving the students authority and responsibility more like a real enterprise. Competitions with feedback from professional juries, network building, benchmarking and industrial partners all contributes to entrepreneurial mind-sets.

The entrepreneurship programmes are continuously developed and improved through a good interaction with students, former students, mentors and industrial partners. The paper will also discuss different pedagogical strategies as supervising, coaching and mentoring with less focus on syllabus, but more focus on “learning by doing”.