Applied practices and emerging perspectives towards entrepreneurship education

The evolving university model (Etzkowitz, 2014; Foss and Gibson, 2015; Crammond, 2020; 2023b), including that of entrepreneurial activities and ambitions, has had a remarkable effect on the motive, methods, and mediums of entrepreneurship education (EE) (Bell, 2021; Crammond, 2023a). Institutional change, exacerbated by sector shifts, demands of industry, and both entrepreneurial and technological advances, has impacted on the many forms of EE and their purpose within short courses or wider programmatic delivery (Blenker et al., 2011; Bell, 2023; Bell and Bell, 2023; Crammond, 2023a). As universities deal with these changes and shifts, they must respond with relevant and timely education which centralises enterprise, the development of entrepreneurial skills, and prepares students for the world of work and industry. Within this chapter, the authors discuss the concerns of enterprise educators, current subject areas of interest, and the practical forms upon which EE is delivered and maintained. Intervening perspectives, or interrelated dimensions of EE, including educational philosophy and the need to embed suitable methods of delivery and assessment, are also addressed. EE has traditionally been focused on a diverse range of learning objectives and contained an extensive range of pedagogical approaches (Ramsgaard, 2018). Chapters within this book showcase the continued emergence of new perspectives and approaches that aim to achieve varied results and outcomes. These new directions continue to advance EE as a multipolar domain and create an eclectic educational discipline without one singular purpose or direction of growth. EE as a field relies on educational principles and foundations to build legitimacy as a discipline (Bell and Bell, 2023). This is particularly important for EE given that its focus can range from knowledge acquisition to learning through participation (Bell and Cui, 2023). To accomplish effective learning within EE, it can be useful to bring together multiple philosophies and approaches, potentially in a single module or class (Bell and Bell, 2020; Robinson et al., 2016). This can make navigating the EE philosophical landscape challenging for educators, and a firm grasp of the linkage between educational practice and philosophy is valuable to understand and ensure the alignment of teaching and learning with the desired outcome (Bell, 2021). Following this, emerging talking points are evaluated and the chapter closes with an outline of the subsequent 14 chapters across the book’s three parts.