Abstract:

Universities play a significant role in fostering entrepreneurial skills development, as entrepreneurship and self-employment increasingly emerge as viable alternatives to traditional employment for young individuals both during their studies and post-graduation. According to recent study, 56% of Finnish bachelor and master students see entrepreneurship as interesting opinion. However, traditional educational materials have been in many cases outdated and students require different approach for entrepreneurship studies, starting from idea creation and ending on handling the real business. To address this problem, LAB Growth project interviewed Finnish higher education institution (HEI) professionals, business development agencies and students to find out what is needed in the field of education. This research was transferred into a 10-step course including basic steps from ideation to business model and entering the entrepreneurial ecosystem. With combination of traditional teaching methods to modern online tools, including interactive H5P content and MOOC platform with series of YouTube videos created by experienced SME entrepreneurs, the material accessible to all interested about entrepreneurship was created. The course will serve as a gateway to entrepreneurship path, bridging the gap between existing courses and entrepreneurship incubation process in HEI, guiding students to prepare own business idea. This article provides an in-depth description of the case study of the pilot in the Finnish higher education institution. The results of this study will be of particular use for educators planning the entrepreneurial path for students.

Keywords:

Entrepreneurship education, MOOC, H5P.