Beruflich Dokumente
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Besma Soltan
100633481
December 7, 2019
RUNNING HEAD: Entrepreneurship in Higher Education Institutes 2
Small in size but mighty in outcome and influence. Such is the state of Canadian small
and medium sized businesses that employ 70% of all Canadians and contribute to over 35% of
the country’s gross domestic product (Small Business Tourism and Marketplace Services,
2016). Women own around a third of those businesses (Small Business Tourism and
Marketplace Services, 2016), with new and visible minority Canadians being in the lead for
owning a startup or small business than their counterparts (Small Business Tourism, 2018).
Such statistics demonstrate the influence that entrepreneurship and entrepreneurs have
on the Canadian economy. As a response, the provincial and federal governments have been
supporting initiatives that aid the continued growth of entrepreneurship, be it through training,
funding, or mentorship. Higher education institutes have been offering entrepreneurship related
courses for the past century, but with more recent social and economic changes,
entrepreneurship has become of high interest to both policymakers and higher education
institutes (Sá et al., 2014). Several examples of demonstrating this support exist, such as
Imagination Catalyst at OCAD University (Crosbie, 2014), Venture for Canada (Galang, 2018),
SURGE at Mohawk College (Mohawk College, 2015) and EDGE at Sheridan College (Federal
Growth Engine (EDGE) at Sheridan College as a Program Lead for VenturED, a program that
connects the college’s educational offerings to entrepreneurship. Students are given the
opportunity to connect to real businesses and entrepreneurs, learn more about their work, and
gain new skills that can aid them in securing employment post-graduation. This could be
faced by an early stage startup, or students exploring the potential of turning an idea they have
into a business during their co-op term. In the process, VenturED engages students with “the
creative production of artifacts and (individuals) who find physical and digital forums to share
their processes and products with others” (Halverson et al., 2014), part of the definition of a
makerspace.
This paper will discuss entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial spaces in higher
education institutes and their intersection with makerspaces, how entrepreneurial skills can be
critiques to this movement. Given my close involvement with EDGE at Sheridan College,
examples of collaborations with faculty members along with feedback from students will be
utilized to demonstrate the results of integrating entrepreneurial skills into their learning.
and growing organizations in order to identify and build on opportunities” (Maas & Jones, 2018,
p.5). Entrepreneurs work within an entrepreneurial ecosystem, which is a network of formal and
informal players and environments that connect and facilitate the growth of entrepreneurial
initiatives (Maas & Jones, 2018, p.5). This includes business incubators, which are programs
that provide mentorship, training, logistical and technical resources, along with shared office
space, better known as co-working spaces, to early stage start-up businesses (What are
business incubators, 2019). Businesses that have advanced from those stages and are more
stable and self-sufficient can move into a business accelerator, which allows them to
“accelerate” to the next phase of growth during a fixed period of time (Ganamotse et al., 2017).
RUNNING HEAD: Entrepreneurship in Higher Education Institutes 4
Conferences around the world emphasize the importance of entrepreneurship for the
development of a nation on an economical and societal level (Ustyuzhina et al., 2019). With the
unpredictable and rapid changes in technology, and the complex and unpredictable future as a
result of it, students need to be prepared to face whatever is to come with the right skills,
knowledge and attitude. The Canadian Council of Ministers of Education (2019) identifies
• collaboration
• communication
competencies needed by future generations to meet the ongoing needs of life and work.
Although some critics argue that entrepreneurial education strengthens the influence of
neoliberalism, social amnesia and leads to a crisis of identity among students (Newstadt, 2015;
entrepreneurs that incorporate societal and environmental goals. In more recent years, social
social, ecological and economic aspects: or, in other words, sustainable development” (Lans et
al., 2013). Entrepreneurial thinking requires students to be innovative and creative when
thinking of a solution to a problem or a need, applying critical thinking and problem solving to
analyze who would benefit from the solution. In the process, they are learning about their selves
and their capabilities, along with needed areas of growth that collaborating and communicating
RUNNING HEAD: Entrepreneurship in Higher Education Institutes 5
with others can respond to. The process equips them with the “tools to adapt to diverse
situations and become lifelong learners. These (skills) can be interdependent and leveraged in a
variety of situations and across disciplines” (Council of Ministers of Education, 2019) such as
issues that impact the society and the environment. Social and sustainable entrepreneurship
encompasses the final global competency of global citizenship and sustainability as it allows for
the creation of businesses with a triple bottom lines, serving profit, planet, and people (Gillis &
James, 2015). Social entrepreneurs create solutions to social and environmental problems
through the use of sustainable products and methods of production, taking advantage of the
need of creating sustainable innovations through the exploitation of profitable business models
The Council of Ministers of Education (2019) notes that the six-pan Canadian global
competencies enable learners to meet the continuous and ever-changing demands of life, work
and learning, allowing them to be reactive to the needs of their communities, and enhancing
their outlook on diverse viewpoints locally and globally. What this summarizes to is for the
knowledge-based economy. With an unexpected and potentially unstable market, the multitude
of skills and experiences required from employees evolve to encompass multiple interconnected
disciplines (Liang, 2011). These skills free learners from being dependent on a set of knowledge
that is only suitable in one specific dimension, and empowers them to transfer it into multiple
dimensions. Entrepreneurial skills also bridge the gap between socioeconomic statuses, in that
status individual, as the skills enable the learner to start their own business and be their own
boss. This vision is in line with that of the maker movement, as it enhances the democratization
training for free, along with the growth of crowdfunding movements has made entrepreneurial
endeavors more accessible to a wider group of individuals who were previously restricted by
economic growth and a means to support in-demand fields (Galang, 2017). The quantity of
entrepreneurial activity is a vital indicator of the economic status of communities and countries
(Sa, 2014), which includes producing original work along with altering the work of others – a
definition commonly used to describe “making” (Aldrich, 2014). To that end, the government has
been dedicating billions of dollars towards supporting the growth of relevant initiatives, including
Entrepreneurial skills allow students to become more competitive and adaptive to the changes
in the job market, altering their mentality to be focused on making the job as opposed to getting
it (Liang, 2011).
Most colleges and universities now have “entire programs devoted to teaching students
what it takes to invent the next big thing, attract investors and take their service or product to
market” (COU, 2013).Giving learners the opportunity to innovate, or make, often leads to the
enhancement of existing products and services, along with establishing new industries (Aldrich,
2014) that can lead to more employment opportunities. Whether a student decides to create
their own job or work for others, such programs lead to a win-win situation regardless of the
path decided by the student. It develops their innovative capacity and prepares them to function
like entrepreneurs even when they are employees of an organization – a term known as ‘intra-
Colleges are often involved in entrepreneurial spaces through applied research projects.
According to a recent report released by Colleges and Institutes Canada (2019), over 2,100
RUNNING HEAD: Entrepreneurship in Higher Education Institutes 7
prototypes and 880 new products were completed in 2017-2018, with 64% of research
partnerships occurring with small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that would otherwise not
have the financial or human capacity to conduct their research alone. Access to tools typically
found in a makerspace, such as 3D printers, CNC machines, and laser cutters, allow students
interested in making along with early stage entrepreneurs to experiment with their designs in a
more accessible way, as they can create prototypes more rapidly while using fewer resources
(Aldrich, 2014). The partnerships between the college system and SMEs also provide the
students with the opportunity to gain hands-on learning experiences through their work with
potential employers.
the entrepreneurial spaces functioning with an academic institution. It provides early stage
startups, new entrepreneurs and innovators with support to develop their skills through training,
mentorship, access to apply for funding, and a co-working space (Sheridan College, 2019). At
such, EDGE is a business incubator that is open to Sheridan’s students, staff, faculty, alumni
and the public. Through one of its newest programs, VenturED (read as Venture Ed, where the
innovation, and leadership skills, along with exposure to entrepreneurship. The following section
discusses some of those opportunities, documenting interactions of impact and the learning
avenues provided to students. The opportunities discussed below are ones that I worked on
with students and faculty members at Sheridan College, given my VenturED Program Lead role.
In the process, I have incorporated aspects learned about making and makerspaces, noting the
impact created in the process, and the overlap between maker pedagogy and the adaptation of
entrepreneurial skills.
RUNNING HEAD: Entrepreneurship in Higher Education Institutes 8
Workshops.
Elements of entrepreneurship can be integrated into any academic program, through the
delivery of material that is tailored to the learning outcomes of a specific course. On November
class, which is part of the Undergraduate Certificate in Creativity and Creative Problem Solving
offered to Sheridan students as degree breadth elective courses. Prior to my visit, the students
had been tasked with generating creative ideas to solve a problem of choice that relates to life
course’s professor had notified me that some of the ideas are unrealistic, and do not take into
account the needs of the diverse student population, nor the realities of what is feasible to the
college administration body. My task was to walk the students through the value proposition
individuals, explaining why that group would select that specific product over another
(Osterwalder & Pigneur, 2013). The majority of the students were from programs in the Faculty
of Animation, Arts and Design, with no knowledge in business, including basic business
terminologies. I had to explain the components of the value proposition canvas through
terminologies and concepts they are familiar with. For example, the potential solutions to solve
the issues they identified is similar to identifying a product or service that can be offered by an
entrepreneur through a startup business. Discovering which group of students is most affected
by the issue and why is equivalent to identifying a niche market of customers that would be
need. Having gone through the ideation stage and identification of the problem, the individuals
impacted by it, and potential solution, the students were then asked to plot this information on
RUNNING HEAD: Entrepreneurship in Higher Education Institutes 9
the value proposition canvas. They had to explain why the group of peers they are targeting
would use their solutions over another group, identify the bundle of benefits that respond to the
needs of a specific group of students (or customer segment), and how it may be similar to
existing solutions (or market offers) but proposes innovative added features non existing by
By the end of the workshop, students came to realize that their creative problem-solving
skills can be incorporated in an entrepreneurial setting, and that they are able to attain
additional skills that would allow them to bring their ideas to reality. Most students identified
issues related to mental health and self-care, enhancing the level of hands-on learning before
graduation, and incorporating more diverse learning opportunities to all programs available at
the college. The workshop connected existing course material to concepts of entrepreneurship
that can aid the students in taking their learning to solve real world problems. This goes against
the critique of entrepreneurship education triggering more neoliberalism in education, in that the
individual focuses only on maximizing their own happiness, and contributing to the increase of
Capstone integrations.
Faculty members teaching capstone courses see much added value in having their
students work with real businesses on their capstone projects. It exposes the students to the
details of a company, the industry it works in, the customers it serves, and the competitive
atmosphere it functions within. It also gives the students the chance to contribute to the
company through the mandates of their capstone project, allowing the company to benefit from
the time and learning process of the students. For example, a group of students from the
Bachelor of Business Administration program were tasked with the creation of a business plan
RUNNING HEAD: Entrepreneurship in Higher Education Institutes 10
as part of their capstone project. The collaboration begins with the founder of the small business
presenting about their company, the problem it addresses, the product it provides and the target
market it serves. After being matched with student groups, the students then begin to conduct
an environmental scan of the industry and the actors within it, identifying competitors and the
differentiating features they provide. The collaboration continues throughout the academic term,
with the students conducting market research to learn more about the target customers of the
company, and analyzing the data gathered to measure the customers’ needs against the
product’s features. The collaboration ends with the students providing the company with a
business plan that identifies the summary of their findings, and suggestions that the company
The entrepreneurial education may seem obvious when collaborating with students from
a business focused program, but the same impact can be replicated with students from any
program. Other examples exist with students of programs in the Faculty of Applied Science and
Technology, who collaborated with startup ventures to create prototypes of a software that
utilize technology to find a home for stray dogs and cats. What the students gain from such
collaborations is the chance to take their learning from within the boundaries of a classroom,
and unleash it to the world through a startup business. They apply what they learn, gather and
apply feedback from businesses they are helping to impact, and witness results of their
collaboration. In the process, they are learning about their selves and what their strengths and
weaknesses are, getting exposure to the types of work they would be involved in as part of their
employment post-graduation, and problem solving and innovating throughout the process - a
demonstration of the six pan-Canadian global competencies put into action (Council of Ministers
of Education, 2019).
the classroom and integrating it with learning outcomes, outlining the benefits to students’
learning and the relevance to the six competencies. However, critics may still argue that this is
compelling the students to think and behave like entrepreneurs, imposing upon them arrays of
neoliberalism through making “entrepreneurship less about business enterprise and more a kind
of learned decision-making capacity useable in any and every context” (Newstadt, 2015). But
what if the decision to take part in entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial learning was left in the
students’ hands?
Co-op on the EDGE allows students to use their co-op term to work on a business idea
that interest them, while meeting the requirements to acquire a co-op credit. The students who
choose Co-op on the EDGE are taking the decision to spend an academic term exploring an
idea that brings together their interest in a specific area and the knowledge they acquired
through their academic program. They go through a set of workshops and training programs
that teach them how to take their idea from the ideation phase to creating a minimal viable
product by the end of the term. This co-op opportunity is unpaid, although students are given
the chance to pitch their ideas for a chance to win some funding. The ideas they work on are not
expectation of the program. The success from the opportunity, whether the idea pops or flops, is
the learning and experience gained of taking something from a mere idea captured in
someone’s mind, to a product that addresses a need faced by a group of individuals who may
benefit from having access to the solutions it provides. Through the process, students learn to
innovate and create, problem solve and think critically, collaborate with others, and
communicate to the public their creation and its potential. It demonstrates that entrepreneurial
education involves solving problems in a creative manner, including trial and error and
RUNNING HEAD: Entrepreneurship in Higher Education Institutes 12
experimenting with different solutions to the problem at hand, this making failure an expected
and accepted part of the learning process that the student goes through (Abualbasal, 2019).
identified as crucial for robot-proofing one’s career. The support offered by EDGE allows SDNE
students to carry their capstones past graduation and into the working world as incredible and
potentially profitable new ventures”, Simon Hood, Professor and Program Coordinator -
Software Development and Network Engineering (SDNE), Faculty of Applied Science and
Technology.
“EDGE has provided a higher level of value for my entrepreneurship class, by making
students aware of various resources that are available to entrepreneurial minded individuals.
Since utilizing EDGE’s facility as an introductory visit to showcase what Sheridan College has to
offer students, and as the platform of the students’ business plan presentations, I have received
very positive feedback from students”, Fortunato Pitaro, Professor - Pilon School of Business.
“I believe that EDGE promotes fundamental career-long skills that every graduate needs
about the energy to pursue an initiative and work through a process to add value. The set of
skills and perspectives that EDGE facilitates are transferrable and applicable in all aspects of
the professional career of a student. It is always inspiring to participate in an EDGE event and
observe students engage and think about the possibilities”, Jose Rueda, Professor - Bachelor of
Conclusion
RUNNING HEAD: Entrepreneurship in Higher Education Institutes 13
higher education institutes enhance students’ employability skills through providing them with
between maker spaces and entrepreneurial spaces in that they empower students to learn
through application, creating new things or innovating on uses of existing items. Entrepreneurial
skills allow students to be more creative, innovative and adaptive to whatever changes they are
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