Third-level courses must place emphasis on learning by experience, writes THERESE MOYLAN.

A CONFERRING ceremony that produces graduates with degree parchment in one hand and a well-crafted business plan for a start-up in the other is a vision the Ministers for Finance, Enterprise and Education would love to see. In a changed economic climate, so too does the emphasis policymakers place on the role entrepreneurs play in Ireland’s economic life.

In recent decades, there has been a surge in the take-up of entrepreneurship courses at third level. In Ireland, there are approximately 400 modules/courses relating to entrepreneurship.

Behind the popularity of these courses a debate rages about the role of teaching entrepreneurship and whether it is something that must be self-taught in the corridors of life rather than the classrooms of third-level institutions.

The argument over what constitutes an “entrepreneur” has been ongoing in research literature. Initially, it was thought that to be an entrepreneur required an inherent set of personality traits, but this has shifted recently towards the idea that it is possible to learn the behaviours and actions associated with entrepreneurship. Prof Alan Gibb, chairman for the Foundation of SMEs at Durham University, views entrepreneurship as skills and attributes that can be applied in an individual or organisational context to deal with innovation, change and high levels of uncertainty and complexity. The implication is that it may be feasible to teach people these behavioural patterns and, therefore, facilitate entrepreneurship.

In teaching entrepreneurship, a range of approaches is essential to ensure students develop core competencies and skills needed for survival in a career in business. In recent times, there has been a move away from traditional third-level models of teaching – based on lectures and exams.

A recent EU report (2008) on entrepreneurship education at third level advocates experience-based teaching methods, saying “traditional educational methods [like lectures] do not correlate well with the development of entrepreneurial thinking”. It follows that traditional modes of assessment like exams do not facilitate the development of entrepreneurial attitudes and behaviours.

What does all of this mean at a practical level? At the Institute of Art, Design and Technology in Dún Laoghaire, the business lecturing team has developed a programme that allows students to apply what they learn in the classroom to real world contexts, favouring ongoing continuous assessment over exams. Business and enterprise students must complete a major project each year which involves setting up and running an enterprise.

In first year, students set up a micro enterprise and trade in the municipal markets; in second year they set up an online business using eBay and, in third year, they develop a social enterprise project.

In 2008, third-year students initiated, wrote, funded, marketed and distributed More €ents – a magazine which offered financial advice to young people aged 18-25.

Business and arts management students follow this approach, organising cultural events every year. The purpose is to give students a feel for the complexity of running a business, expose them to issues around working with and through others, encourage them to look for opportunities that they can exploit, help them to integrate content from different subjects and help them to develop networks. Assessments are complemented by teaching that includes the use of case studies and guest lecturers, business simulations and business games, site visits, group and team techniques for developing new ideas and business planning.

Initiatives like the Newstalk 106-108fm Student Enterprise Competition complement the curriculum, encouraging students to use what they have learned to analyse real-life business case studies and develop solutions. What if any, is the value in such an approach? It is unrealistic to expect the third-level sector to “produce” a quota of entrepreneurs. However, there is little doubt that embedding entrepreneurship in the third-level curriculums will encourage graduates to see entrepreneurship as a viable career option. It can encourage openness to investing in a new venture, promote a culture that will reward risk-taking, provide positive role models and ultimately assist in the development of skills that are transferrable into many other walks of life.

The aim is to embed a spirit of entrepreneurship in all disciplines and the challenge is to find the key to make this possible. So while we make no claim to deliver the business plan with every degree issued, we can and must endeavour to develop flexible, innovative graduates who have a sound skill set adaptable to the challenges they will be presented with.

• Therese Moylan is head of the department of business and enterprise at the Institute of Art, Design and Technology, Dún Laoghaire