Wee (Republic Politechnic)_-_A Problem-Based Learning Approach in Entrepreneurship Education__2004

8/13/2019 Wee (Republic Politechnic)_-_A Problem-Based Learning Approach in Entrepreneurship Education__2004

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lnr ~ g c h n o i o gManagemeni Voi. 28, Vos. 7/8, 2004

z r o b l e m b a s e d le a rn in g a pp ro ac h ino n t r e p r e n e ~ r ~ h i peducation: promoting authenticentrepreneur ia l lea rn ingKeng Neo Lynda Wee ++ z ~ ~ X WhPr inc ipa l s Office, R e p u b l i c P o l y t e c hn i c , S i n g a p o r e ,T a n g li n C a m p u s , 1 K a y S i a n g R o a d. S i n ga p o re 2 4 5 9 2 2E-mai l : [email protected]: In response to the positive impact of entrepreneurship on theeconom y, many institutions of higher learning offer entrepreneurship educationto address the manpower development needs. This article determines theef f~ ct iv en es s f the traditional lecture-tutorial entrepren eurship education i npromoting entrepreneurial learning. I t argues for a change in the content andprocess of entrepreneurship education to provide for authentic entrepreneuriallearning that can better equip the graduates to be ready for enrrepreneurship.This article d escri bes (rhe experie nce s of the faculty at a polytechnic inSingapore in their effort to help their students become entrepreneurs bvtransforming the entrepreneurship ci~rriculum sing problem-based learnind i tdescribes how they implemented the problem-based learning approach.Evidence of the succe ss of the new ci~ rricu lum s provided.Keywords: entrepreneurship; entrepreneurship education; problem-basedlearning; experiential learning; ourcome-based rduca tion: curriculum design.Re fer en ce to this pape r should be m ade as i ollo\.vs: Wee. K N L 2004) .-\problem-based learning approach in entrepreneilrship education: promotingauthentic entrep reneurial learning . / 7 t . .I. Teci7nolop .b/crnc~~ge~ent.ol. 2 8 .NOS.7 i S pp.655-70 IBiographical notes: Keng Neo Lynda W ee holds a PhD i n hlarketing andLectures at the Edwin L. Cox Business School, Southern Methodist Universityat Dallas (Texas), USA. Her fields of interest are entrepreneurship, marketing.retailing and education. She holds the concurrent post of a Consultant (SpecialProjects), Principal s O f i c e at the Republic Polytechnic in Singapo re.

There.. addres a r e m a n y e n t r e p r e n e u r s h i p e d u c a t i o n m o d e l s a t i n s ti tu t es o f h i g h e r l e a r n i n g t os t h e i n te r es t a n d g r o w t h of e n t r e p re n e u r s h i p ( H a t t e n , 2 0 0 3 ; DTI, 1998) . However ,me^ are o f t en condu c ted in the t r ad i t iona l l ec ture - tu to r ia l approach . Th i s a r t i c l e d i s cus ses:bow.*.. t he se p r o g r a m m e s c a n b e t r a n s f o r m e d t o a d d r e s s t h e d e m a n d s o f e n t r e p re n e u r s hi p

~ . d.... s h d e n t -e n t r e p r e ne u r s b e t t er w i r b y , 2 0 02 ) .--.--..:a ... ,>>,. L....w; x , . - . .


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iterature r vi w

2 lmpact of entreprenezlrsllip on the economyEntrepreneurship impacts the economy through job creation, employment oppoand economic development (Birch, 1979: Gibb, 1996; Birch, 1987). For instance,economic shifts in the Vnited States (US) sparked the increased interest ientrepreneurship via job creation. Between 1988 and 1993. small firms with fe50 0 emplo yees created 1.8 million jobs while large firms created 100?000 obs during tsame period (L ord, 1999 ). F o s t new jobs created in the US economy came from smaf i r m 9 ( ~ i r c h , 9 55). intrepreneurship provides an alternative employment opportunity. Theabour market makes the 'job-for-life' mindset unrealistic (Oa kcy , Mukhtar and2002). Job security is unlikely with the high corporate attrition rate, restructuringdow nsizin g (Lord , 1999; Oakey. M ukhrar and Kipling, 2002 ). There is an increased;%:upply of graduates from the newly established institutes of higher learning and distant ,:.;learning program me s (O akey. hluk htar and Kiplincz? 2002: .Lynch. 993 ). ~orkforce* .diversity plays a key role in promoting en trepren eursh ip. &linority groups, such a &women, had taken advantage of entrepreneurship to develop their own businesses rathe*

. .L.than working for large firms because oTpossibla discrimination or perceived glass cei1ing)h;(Hatten, 2003). There were 8.5 million women entrepreneurs representing an 89/o,..-increase from the period of 1957 to 1997 (Go vern me nt Printing Oftice. 1997). --.-E .4 .t h e entrepreneurial activities foster innovation. reinvention and dynamism thro~gh:,~:.constant discovery, creation and exploitation. Hence. they generate econornii* .dive rsifica tion and market expansioii] For instance, i n {lie period from 1960 to 1983, th$&number of firms in the US more than doubled from 3 miilicn to 4.5 million and the*econom y reflected stron g performance by these new firms (h lcln tyr e and Ruche, 1999Innovation allows the economy to command premium prices in a coinpetitive business*environment and contributes to the economic development (Gibb. 1996: McIntyre and &-,--Roche. 1999). The Senior Minister of State for Education and Trade and Industry gSingapo re, hlr. Tha rman Shanmugaratnam (20 02) shares that *a :@. :

"an innovative economic system requires entrepreneurs. and a culture thatrespects entrepreneurs. A society with high leve s of 'knowledge and .management skills will not produce the breakthroughs in products or processes .needed for economic advance without a strong base o f entrepreneurs, and aspirit of entrepreneurship that extends acrcss society". (Shanrn~garatnarn~2002)he services of small firms are in high demand. The shift in consumers' preferemore personalised products presents opportunities for smaller firms) (4lcInVreRoche, 1999). Small firms are able to respond faster to increased global competitionto their flexibility (hlcIntyre and Roche, 1999). It is rare for large firms to focusspecialised bus iness functions. To achieve optimal efficiency, they rely on entreprento provide thess s pecific services (Hatten, 2003).

Soc iety is enter ing an e ra of unprecedented change (Peters, 1987). It needs toto initiate, anticipate and accommodate change in order to stay corn(Drucker, 1989). Hence, enterprising individuals who can envision and lead innowould contribute sisnificantly to the econo mic and social environment (Kirby, 200


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A problem-based learning approach in entrepranezrrship education 687The increasing importance of entrepreneurship around the world as a form ofcompetitive vantage motiv ated the education system to respond to the manpow er

development needs (K irby, 20 02). Th is was demonstrated by the increase in the numberof schools in the US that offer entrepreneurship education, from 16 schools in 197 1 toover 400 in 3003 (Hatten, 2003). The importance of entrepreneurship is also underscoredn the White Paper on Competitiveness for the United Kingdom (UK). t states thedevelopment of an entrepreneurial culture as its main focus (DTI, 1998). The Uationalcommittee of Inquiry into Higher Education UK)ecommends that the higher zducationiIlstinitions cons ider the s cop e for encou ragin g entrep reneu rship through innovativeapproaches to their programm e design (Kirby, 2002). And the entrepreneurialdevelopment is listed a s on e of four stra tegic goals for British Universities (Kirb y, 2002).

Llimpovver development isszlesspit an increase in entrepreneurship education to develop more sntrepreneurs, bc ul tydiffer in their view s on w hethe r en trepren eurs are born or bred. and ~ vh et he rentrepreneurship edu cation can be accepte d as a teachable discipline)(\.lick. 20 03 ). t isimportant at this junctu re to defin e en trepre neurs and entrep reneu rship.

2 7 1 DeJining entreprenezlrs and entreprenezlrship.Enmprendre' is a French verb that means to undertakekn entrepreneur is someonewho undertakes to make things happen (Kirby, 2002). Heishe is regarded as a changeagent who disturbs the status quo of things in an attempt to discover, create and exploit(Kirby, 200 2). Tim mo ns (1 98 9) defines en trepre neur ship as the ability to create and buildsomething from the scratch. t is about initiating, doing, achieving and building anenterprise or organ isation , rather than just w atching, an alysin g o r describin g on e. It refersto the knack for sensing an opportunity when others sense chaos. contradiction andconfusion (Timmo ns. 1989). Sh ape ro defines entrep reneu rship as 'the pursuit o f anopportunity irrespective of existin g K me ger and Brazeal. 994 ).2.2.2 Are entreprenezlrs born or bred?

/b e chool of thought that holds that entrepreneurs are born with certain characteristicsbat predispose them for entrepreneurial success states that entrepreneurs share commonhits, such as restlessness, independence, freedom of action, a tendency to be loners,have extreme self confidence, a desire for control and status, a high need for personal' mltlative, taking responsibility, involvement in decision-making and willingness to workor small firms)(~ ohe n. 198 0; Perry et nl. 1986). This school o f thought assumes a static.Product focus by dec iding w het he r individua ls c an or can not be entre pren eurs at birth.

-: Tlmmons et al (1985) present a similar list of characteristics for entrepreneurs buthat they do not need e ve ry single se t of the characteristics all the time. Instead, the~~arac ter i s t icsemanded are based on the contexts and ca n be learnt (Timrnons, SmollenyIT

- and Dingee, 19 85). This leads to a m ore dyn amic ap proa ch to en trepre neuria l personali-cyp holds that entrepreneurs are bred. It argues that human behaviours are linked to a* m ~l e~ nteraction of innate background and the environment factors. Peo ple respond tob..I . stimulus in the environment by forming perceptions, attinldes and assumptions.perceptions are translated to intenticns and expressed through behaviours.:


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The decision to assume entrepreneurship is related to personal characteristics, suchsocial class, level of education and previous experience (Oakey, ~Mukhtar nd Kiplin3002; Perry et al., 198 6; Broc khaus and Horow itz, 1985; Hami lton, 1987; Rober ts, 199::"1ross, 195 ; Cooper, 198 ; Evans and Leighton, 1990). Hence, this school of thoug$.assumes a process focus where entrepreneurial behaviour can be planned, developed anmanaged. (Krueg er and Brazeal, 1994; Solomon, 1989). $A survey conducted by the Small Business Research Trust in the U n 1998 als&indicated that only 13% of the respondents believed that entrepreneurlal skllls could nokgbe acquired by a process o f learning (Sm all Business Research Trust. 1988). Accordin%to Robert (19 85) , /entrepreneu rship is teachable and that it is possible to produce betteientrepreneurs thanyn the pa s? (~ ob er t , 1985). The key findings of the survey conducted$by Alberta Charney and Gary Libecap at the University of Arizona on the impact -.entreprene urship education reveal the following (bley er. 300 1): k

t;?- candida tes wh o undertake en trepreneu rship ed uc at ~o n re three times more likely to) start their new businesses .12,their annual incomes are 2 7 % higher than their peers L-.,they a re more satisfied w ith their job ,1-r-

for those emp loyed by large firrrs. the entrepreneurship education helped them -contribute to the development of these entities. 7-.

2.3 Arldit on traditional en(rzprenezirship zdlc atio nAssuming that entrepreneurs can be bred, this section examines the effectiveness of the.,;iraditional lecture-tutorial entrepreneurship education in developing entrepreneurs. ..

3. :2.3.1 Wh at to learn: i - q- y\.+..-The traditional entrepreneurship education focuses on formulating a business plan,zunderstanding the entrepreneurial decision-making, knowing how to acquire funds from?venture capitalists, angel financing and external financing possibilities, managing an@growing the enterprise (Solomon and Fernald, 1991; Hisrich and Peters, 2002). ~ h e f @focus on educating 'about' entrepreneurship and enterprise where students would cI;equipped with the technical knowledge on how to grow and manage small businesses;?+qBut knowing the principles and practices do not mean that the students would become:.+su cc es sh l business persons (Solom on and Fernald. 199 1). They need to be equipped w k h. . . qqthe set of attributes, skills and behaviours to enhance their entrepreneurial capabllltles..-This m eans introducing courses specifically designed f to de velo p the awarenesscharacteristics of the entrepreneur namely: planning, p ~ b le rn -s o lv in g , ornrnunicatcreativity, critical thinking leadership, negotiation, social newor200 1; Rae, 1997).

on the hnctional control-orientedsuch as Marketing, Finance, Accounting, and so o $ ( ~ e y e r ,2001). It comprises suandlor topics instead of critical entrepreneurial incidences. The cellular subject-cum cul um is fragmented and promotes silo thinlung ( B en y, 1993; Doyle, ,Therefore, students need a further step of integrating their subject-based h o w ,before they can use it to solve entrepreneurial problems (Barrows, 2003).


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problem-based learning approach in enfrep>eneu -hip erilrcatiar~ 659The syllabi of subjects are written based on textbooks (Berry, 1993; Doyle, 1995).

(inis means that the curriculum becomes dated very quickly and fails to addressissues)In short , the curriculum is static (Be rry, 1993; Ham el and Prahalad,1994; Gro nroo s, 1989; Gu mm esson , 1987; Calonius, 1985). Besides, the textbooks mayfrom curricular deficiency if they are written by authors who laI entrepreneurialenpe"ene and fail to consult with pr ac ti ti o ne rs )( ~ ym e, 1993; Denison and

B f c ~ o n a l d ,995).~ c c o r d i n go Bartlett (I 9SS), educa tion in formal acad em ic training 'du lls the cutting?dge of comm erce' (K irby, 200 2).(~ radir iona l education does not develop the creativitychange strategies necessary for entrepreneurship)(Kirby, 2002). Entrepreneurs need

to be equipped w ith the ca pabil ity to learn an d learning on a con tinuo us basis so that theycan sustain their learning and continue to adapt to achieve success in a complex,competitive and c hallen ging w orld (Do si and Ma lerbam , 1996). Th ey need to be able toengage in generative learning which embodies the capacity to create knowledse insteadof waiting and learning from i t (Ha me l and Prahalad, 1994).t h e y need specitic skills and knowledge to manage the critical entrepreneurialincidences. process information. adjust strategy, make decision and learn from it(Deakins, Sullivan and Whittarn. 20 02) . According to Barrow s (2 00 0). critical incidencesrefer to tasks with a high frequency of occurrence and/or those with high impact. whichmeans that the entrepreneurs should be able to manage it. Failing which. there \v i i l beundesirable cons eque nces (B arr ow s. 2000 ).

Formal education devclops mainly left-brain thinking in their students. The left side ofthe brain handles language, logic and symbols. I t is narrowly focused and processesinformation in a systema tic, step-by-step fashion (L ew is , 1957; Orsn tein. 19SG). I trequires students to acquire subject-based knowledge one step at a time i n a verticalstacking manner. Lessons are taught to the students first in an instruction-based approachwhere the teach$ transm its know led ge to stud ent s wh o listen, absorb , transcribe andmemorise them. The teacher actively initiates. seeks, organises and delivers the contentwhile the students absor b them passively ( Barr ow s, 2000; W ee and Kek, 2002 ; Wee, Kekand Kelley, 2003). To demonstrate the extent of learning, these students are givenproblems to solve. These problems are often artificially tidy and lack the complexity andmessiness of the real world (Jonassen, 2000). It requires analytical thinking from thestudents and they are assessed based on their organisation, logic and reasoning.Learning becomes highly structured and bureaucratic. Students are demotivated tolearn. Their only motivation is linked to passing the examination. To do well in theexamination, they rely heavily on textbooks, lecture notes, tutorials and the teacher. Theydemonstrate their learning by regurgitation of the content. This does not constitute deeplearning (W ee and K ek, 2002; W ee, Kek and K elley, 2003; W ee and K ek, 2002). The endresult is that the teacher bec om es more intelligent because of the opportunity to prepare,SYnthesise and elaborate the material. The students are still ill-prepared for theirProfessional practi ce sin ce there is minimal authenticity in the learning en viron me nt tothem for the real work demands of being entrepreneurs (Wee and Kek. 2002;, -.-.=?oo~s. . . et 01. 997)..-... . .- .It,x This may form part of the reasons wh y so many successful entrepreneurs appear not

:-- O- have performed well in their form al educatio n and arg ues that for iadividu als to exhibit.. .


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entrepreneurial benaviour, the learning environment should reflect the following (2002):ives students the ow nership for their 1earning)lhis includes negotiating with teachers on their o1,vn learning objectives, formulating a plan to achieve theseobjectives and as sessing their own progress. T his is to stimulate motivation, pro

for inde pend ence and reduce bureaucracy that ap peals to entrepreneurs (Perry1986 ; Brockhaus and Horowitz, 1985 ; Ham ilton, 1957; Roberts, 199 1; Cross, 1981Cooper, 198 ; Evans and Leighton, 1990).

..r.:z.?.> c'involves students in problem-solving of reol-world situations, possibly in teams to $.&i - ?develop their intuitive and rational thinking in managing integrated problems:through c01 labora t ion)~n t re~reneursre intuitive thinkers who do more holistic . - .~2synthe sis and ad opt random methods o f exploration (Carland, 1982). Experience is ,..* Ltheir main sou rce o f learning. They buiid their experience based on managing criticalL..i.+ ,entrepreneurial incidences (Williams, 1998). Experience becomes the substancewhere lea rning em erges to influence their beliefs and behaviours (Deakins and Freel Z$ x x1997). Acc ording to Choue ke and A m s tr o n g (1992), entrepreneurs learn mostly 4..,.-..:...from their past experience (95?6), colleagues (6 1%) and self learning (54% ) : is:::+:..,-.(Choueke and Armstrong, 1992). ..+@.. F., ..FA.:.... : TIs

0 [ ~ n c o u r a g e sstudents to formulate decisions on data; which are immediate, .-.Gi. v..,:,;rf35incomplete and messy>~his evelops their abilities to cope with ambiguity. .* 7/ 4 z.*-(provides stu dents with role models who are involved in both the learning and -.qG,.....+&&assessm ent processe s. such as facilitatorslmentors w ho guide by the side)llentors ,zprovide useful insight to help the students dissect, reflect and learn from their action&%: :?for their futu re decisions (Denkins, Sullivan and W hittam, 2003). According to +$&l? +2:;Collin 1 979), effective intervention by the mentors assists the students to -;experiment and learn from mistakes (Collin, 1979). I t helps them to reason and leah-@.. q7 Ainstead of seekin g prescribed solutions from their mentors. I n the end, they learn to^?rely less on their m entors as they gain confidence and start to tap other s

their own.According to Oakey, ~Mukhtarand Kipling (2002), students are more likely to becentrepreneurs if there is a network of advice readily available to support theirThe netw ork o f advice comprising m entors can help to de upk thehTJntrepreneurship, reduce the fear of unknown and create awareness o the oppomniin self-em ploym en t (Lim , 2003). Mento ring provides 'expert' help to sustudents. It is about sharing experiences and bringing different skill sets together,'team (Lim, 2003). For instance, the Singapore's Economic Development Board in$the Phoenix Mentoring Scheme to promote the entrepreneurial spirit byrelationship of sharing and trust in the entreprene urs' c omm unity.( ~ s s u m i n g hat student-entrepreneurs are active, experiential and reflective lewho seek independence, reduced bureaucracy and mentoring support, the author Frothat the traditional lecture-tutorial entrepreneurship education be transformauthen tic entrepreneurial learning that prepares them for their entrepreneurship. cterms of com peten cies and confidence.)kroblem-based Learning (PBL) is considered a alternative becaus


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4 problem based learnrng approach in entrepreneurship education1 . 69 1a,b,,ltic problem in its contex ts (B arro ws , 3-000). Barrows (2000) defines AP BL as ana,bentic education that requires the students to go through the same activities duringle ing ihnt are valued in the real world. The intent is to challenge students withrobjems that they will encounter in their practice. These problems serve as stimulus forLyning and focus on organising what has been learned for later recall and application.They work on the problems under their facilitator's guidance in a small learningthrough discussion and argumen tation: Eventually, they become independentlc3rners (Wee and Kek, 2002). PBL started in bIcMaster University, Canada inszptember 1969 in the field of medical education to train physicians to manage patient'sProbiemS effectively, eff iciently and ethically (Ba rrow s, 2000).

3 Research q u e s t i o n sBased on the literature review. the author proposes that the traditional lecture-tutorialtnuepreneurship education be transformed to provide for authentic entrepreneuriallesrnin,o where students learn by managing critical entrepreneurial incidences that they

I re likely to face In their professional practice. Table 1 summarises the issues andimplications in entrepren eurship edu cation and demonstrates how PBL can address them.ng the benefits of curriculum development and elaborating on thein ent rep reneur ship education. this article extends these bodieso f the entrepreneurship literature by using the in Singap ore as a case study todiscuss how to transform entrepreneurship P L and what evidence of thetnnsformation exists.

4 T r a n s f o r m i n g e n t r e p r e n e u r s h i p e d u c a t io n u s i n g PBL: a p i l o t t e s tThe pilot-test on transform ing en trep reneur ship education using PBL was concepti~alisedand implemented in a module named 'Practice of Entrepreneurship' at TzmasekPolytechnic, Singapore in 2000-2001. T he poly technic offers 3-year diploma levelprogrammes to fresh schoo l passouts age d 17 years and ab ove. Sixty-five final yearstudents (Diploma in Marketing) enrolled for the module. The pilot-test was hnded bythe Enterprise Challenge, Prime Minister's Office.

i The synopsis of the 'Practice of Entrepreneurship' is to provide an overview on newbusiness formation. Students assess their readiness to be entrepreneurs. They learn toSource for new business opportunities, conduct feasibility study, formulate a businessmodel, determine source for capital, and present their business plan to secure hnding. ...

. fmm investors.4 1 P L curriczii~irn esign.

i iPBL begins with the end in mind (W ee and Kek, 2002). Hence, the cu rr ic ~ ~ lu mesign ofp+?hctice of Entrepreneurship7 began w ith formulation of exit outcomes. Exit outcom es#%Pbe what the s tudents should be able to perform by the end of the module (Wee and&$$5..200?). The outcome s are com mu nica ted to the students at the start of the module so?shey are clear on the expectations ( W ee and Kek, 200 2). They serve as a benchm arkM:133


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f o r m o d u l e e v a l u a t i o n a n d f o r a s s e s s i n g s t u d e n t s p r o g r e ss o n t h ei r l e ve l of a t t a inmt h e s e o u t c o m e s . T h e y also s e r v e as an o r i en t a t i on fo r f ac i l i t a t o r s t o de l i be rac u r r i c u lu m r e vi s io n , d e l i v e r y a n d a s s e s s m e n t ( W e e a n d K e k , 2002).

students learn abo ut practice of entrepreneu rsentrepreneurshipworkplace

Goal-directed and Need co learn based on personal .Allow students to ana lyse probleexpe rience -base d goals from their personal angle

Capability to learn and Need to go beyond content ,-\llow students to inquire and planlearning On 3 address l -long the lr learning for solving thcon tinuou s basis learning problemNeed to be able tomanag e critical solve problemproblemincidences. processinformation. adjuststrategies and make knowledge on need-to-how basis.decision

Personal initiative Need for independen ce and learning process and output so aspersonal freedom of action seek areas for improvementTaking responsibility Willingness to be acco untab le for Allow s[udents to make

decisionsInvolvement in decision Need for independen ce and Tea cher s assume the role ofmak ing personal freed om of action thcilitators/mentors to developstud en ts meta-cogn itive skills,Willingness to work for Avoid bureaucracy is learning to learnsmall firms Keen to manage more smalltirms-related incidences andgather relevant expe rience

decision, assu me risk and

mentoring and retlectionrelevant discussion andpromote growth and un


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=;.- A p r o b le m - b a s e d l e a r n in g a p p r o a c h in m i r e p r e n e z i r s h ip e d u c a t io n*... 693-rl ...-I .%,= ::.:, ,it outcomes differ from the conventional curriculum and its content-based learning:,. .:,.fiee,--. i b j e C t i v e sby going beyond identifying and listing what students should know. Instead,

..:; focus on what they shou ld be a ble to perfoiin as entrepreneurs. This is because theNidence that students know does not guarantee that they can recall and apply theirmowledge to manage their work problems. However. if they can manage the problems,hen i t is clear that they know and can use their kno wledge compe tently (B ar ro ~v s, 003 ).m e n they enter the work force, the industry expects them to perform instead of listing

they have learnt (Barrows, 2003). Table 2 describes the exit outcomes for students;D the 'Practice of Entr epre neu rship '.~ ~ b l s Exit outcomes for practice of entrepreneurship~e r ia l\ umber Otcrcomes at [he end q [hemo~fzrle.rztdents wozrkd be able to demonsrm re (h e ol[orvin,o:

~ b i eo manage rhe en[/-epreneztrship roblenls ej;f ectil:eiy. jJcient(v and ethicaily viu:. Acquire practical and relevant knowledge on entrepreneurship (this segment will besupported by specific knowledge outcomes based on problems). Observe copyright and intellectual propeny issues. Reason and problem solveSet goals and priorities in managing the tasks within the resource constraint

7 dbl e to ~cpdareheir kno\\.lec~;e ~lirozrgh eq- direcl r: / lecrrj.rii7g viu:Determine what they need to learnSeek and evaluate information resourcesAnaiyse and synthesise new information

,Able lo reflect on t/7ei/.petsor7al learning e.rperienc~.s i ~ r i ropose cu-etrsji~rn-~,?i-ove~nen~via:Ident i fy strengths and areas of improvement for self and peerProvide and receive feedback toltiom peerFormulate a plan to improve future learning and performance for self and peer

4 Able to cotnmunicate eflective/,v in oral and wriitenfirms via:Participate in team disc~lssionShare findings from self-directed learningI. Present solutions to other ,oroupsI . Clarify and respond to questions.- Reflect confidence

Able to work efectively, eficiently and ethicaltv in teams to accomplish a p e d g o n l s via:Chair and manage meetingsManage group dynamics

.--.-PBL curriculum is a compendium of critical entrepreneurial incidences that theneed to manag e (W ee and I< , 200 2). It is based on real work situations.

incidences refer to problems that the students will encounter in their work


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694 K.i?r.L. Wee : is. -,, :


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n zlrshipeduc tion 69

e PBL p r oc e ss a n d t he a m o u n t o fb r ic m a t r ix fo r the desc r i p t o r s o fo re s . The a s s e s s m e n t s e r v e s t o

b a s e d o n t h e at ta i n m e n t o f

el iveraole~

es five Studen ts work in amem bers team. Each teamEnsures that each team appoints roles submits a PBLamong members Worksheet Table j .Encourages the smdents to set groundrules to govern their learning behaviour

Clarify and id en ri b the Allo ws time for the students to read andproblem* thinkIdentify facts* Encourages students to sha re theirZ i a t e possible thoughts

Encourages critical and creativethinkingFormulate and. prioritise learning Moderates team participationissues* Ensures that each team clarifies andAssign research duties* identifies the problem

.. @ Discuss information Ensure s that each team iden tifies theresources* key factsEnsures that each team proposespossible ideasEnsures that the learning issues areidentifiedEnsures that each team consults avariety of information resources

dents seek and review information resources**.. 2

ii apply and synthesise new knowledge**

relevant, accura te and comprehensive list of references andhandoutsEnsures that students understand theknow ledge correctly Each team subm its aconc ept map on theirmanagement ofModerates discussion


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T a b l e 4 T he PBL process (Continued) .r

Identify any knowledgegapstAssign tasks to addressknowledge gaps, if any Students submit thandlor prepare individ ual ietlectiorpre sen tation t and peer evaluation. Formulate soiut iontPresen t solution (5-10 .-

Note: * Th ese activities are aligned to exit outcomes 1 2 ,1 , 5 (Table?) -** T h p w q r t v t ~ ~r ~licmed to exi t outcoppc T2hlr \ -.-. ....,- . ...-- -. - - .- - - - U., A . . -he se ac:ivities ar e aligned to 2xit ou tcom es 1. 2. 3 , J . 5 (Table 2 )

.----.T a b l e 5 Assessment plan ->*xF W-i--\r:.---,.Too s E.ri[ Ollrcomes B lse IVeigltrage OA)-z;z; y]Rz po n, resource list and PBL worksheet I 2. 3, 4 , Group 40 ~ i.-

Groupral presenta t~o n 1 ? -I.5 l o i jIntegrated test 1 l . J I n d ~ bdualConcept map 1 . 4 - 5 1nu1~ 1dua I 15S elf ~ n deer assessment 3 . 4 I n d ~ v ~ d u a lF a c ~ i ~ator assessment I 2. 3. J I nd~ bdual

Ear ly res ults of t h e P B L pilot-testThe 15-item close-ended, self-administered questionnaire was given to the srudents atend of their module an d covered the following areas:

Questions I an d ocused on the stud ents involvem ent in their learning journey.Que stions 3 to 10 focused on the quality of the PBL process.Questions 1 1 to 14 focused on the quality of the problem.Question 15 focused on the eff~ ct iv en es s f the PBL module.

The responses were based on a Likert Scale of 1 to 5 (l-Strongly Disagree; 5-StroA ~ e e ) .Table 6 sho ws the sum mary of the students survey results.

Ov erall , the stud ents response to the pilot-test was positive and affirmed thatworke d w ell on mos t areas. They indicated strongly that they have acquired knowledwell as developed process skills for rheir professional practice. They shared that:groomed them professionaliy and felt that the learning was applicable to realsituation. They felt effective in this approach of learning. They highlighted that


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A problem omed learning approach in enrreprenet/rsnip edzrcafion 697rovements are needed in the communication on assessment and learning outcomes.

Toere areas are identified as future research work as well as the longitudinal studies toperformance of these grad uates. -le 6 Studen ts' responses: practice of entrepreneu rship

Stronsly StronglyDisagree/ Nzutral AgreeDisagree (I )%) Agree ( )e prepared for the discussions 0 5 75

actively in my group discussions 2 2 77n e roblem a llowed me to acquire new knowledge 0 8 92

4 f ie problem allowed me to develop reasoning skills 15 83; The problem allowed me to develop self-directed 0 15 85lesrning skills5 The problem allowed me to develop problem-solvingskills

The problem allowed me to develop team skills 7 128 The problem allowed me to develop prokss ionally 0 I 1 89

The problem was applicable to real work situations 0 I4 56I0 The assessment components were clearly explained 39 5

I I understood the contents of the problem better 712 The learning outcom es o f the problem were clearly 44 lcornmi~nicatedI3 The learning outcom es of the problem were achiev ed J 2.8 69through the problem-solving processI My knowledge level of entreprcnei~rship t the end of - 19 79the semester has improved15 Overall, feel tha t the P BL aooroach is effective 5 Y

Literature review reveals areas for improvement for the traditional lecture-tutorialmtrepreneurship education. This article proposes transforming entrepreneurshipducation program mes to make them more en gaging, relevant and 'real ' for the students.

IShdents are more likzly to con sider e ntrep rene ursh ip if they are aw are of and canmanage the critical incidences faced by entrepreneurs competently and confidently.H'3 he dem ands of the pro fes s~ on al ractice in entrepren eurship serve as the basis forProposed transformation.

Lb PBL suits the teaching and learning of entrepreneurship education well because it isi -hut equipping students to be able to . do 7 instead of 'k no w '. T he PBL approac h mirrors'r- d emands of the entrepreneurial wo rld in the classroom and allows students to become[-pmducers of entrepreneurial so lution s instead of mere consu me rs of edu cation at ever y[-- n. The space to inquire, rssearch, manaoe and reflect on authentic entrepreneurial


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Personal dlar an eri st i a orstudent-enrrepreneurHigh personal initiativeTiking respo ~~sibi i i~ylnvolvemc~~tn decisionmakingWiiiingncss to work or smallirmsGwal-dirrcrcd le m lr nExpcricnriill l c m e nb l e ~ ~ ~ o n l ~ i p

Knowledge managenlerlt onentrepreneurshipSupp'n llcrwl>rI ~ i i o n ~ u ~ i o i ~11cn~rrprrncun;liipCx cer 111li)nll311o11Prcvious w~)rk np cn c~ ~c cF ~ l l ~ i l y)lc ll~t)clcls

O Y K IV L wee

problems under the guidance of mentors/facil i tators allows stuinitiative, independence and responsibility for their learning. They record, reflerevise their discussion and knowledge on entrepreneurship. This becomes a re1resource base to support the growth and understanding of esum ma rises the rationale and proposition to promote authenticentrepreneurship education so as to allow the students to encounter and exper?entrepreneurship in a meaninghl way that will result in a positive influence ondecision to becom e entrepreneurs.Figure 1 A summary of rationale and the proposed PBL approach

Prefers indepndence and; i rdoln o f ~cr ionll :he Icm~ing- c ~ l v i m n m c n ~i

To ums orm h eieachln: x d e ~ n ~ i l ~ go c n m n r r ~ ~ c u r s l i ~ peduwtlon in higllercduc311~)11

S u pp ln s I c ~ n ~ i n py pn)vlull~puld inlu1ap111g rc ic va ~l lr wur s I I I I currrprc~~cursl~~p

The authenticity in learning offers a closer simulation toentrepreneurship. The acquisition of the critical entrepreneuriskil ls through the PBL entrepre neurship educa tion sh ould prepare the students to beceffective entrepreneurs.

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Wee (Republic Politechnic)_-_A Problem-Based Learning Approach in Entrepreneurship Education__2004