e-learning for Enterprise Education
Hi Everyone
Thanks for following the link to this post; I am about to start working on project at the university to create a suite of accessible e-learning materials to help higher education students develop entrepreneurial skills and a more enterprising mindset. I have lots of ideas about how to do this and the form they could take, so many in fact that I am from suffering opportunity paralysis trying to decide on the spirit and direction of the venture.
So I thought I would try something a bit crazy, I want to offer you, my audience the chance to help shape the development of these resources by asking for your input;
• If you’re an educator what’s worked for you? Are there any ideas for activities or content you could recommend? Or are there any resources kicking around I don’t know about?
• If your student what kind of content, activities and ideas would you like to learn about? What format would you like it to be in? How long should each resource take?
• And If you’re an entrepreneur what are the lessons we should be teaching? And the skills we should be developing?
These are some ideas but any thoughts or feelings would be useful, this information will really help me thrash out the key ideas that should go into the project moving forwards, and of course any ideas that end up in the resources will get credit.
If you have any input you feel would be valid, please leave a comment below.
Thanks
Matt
I think for me personally it is important – HOW and WHAT and WHO
- what was the idea at beginning and how develop later
- what kind of skills did people have before setting up business
- who did they know – still I am not sure what is more important people who do you know or skills do you have
- MONEY – did they have any funds from uni, local council, government etc
- what were mistakes which can be avoided
- where should I start?
- how to make sure that is good idea and it is suitable for me
hi, matt,
for me the first step for anyone on the road to becoming an entrepreneur is to trust there own idea’s and recognise that absolutely anything goes, they just have to do it! So this is where I would start.
ways to do this:
1) online uni wide competitions- students vote for the entrepreneurial idea of the week/ month, the winner gets help to do it.
2)you could get the gaming courses to develop an online entrepreneurial game to simulate what it is like to be an entrepreneur- maybe they could play against each other starting with ideas creation through to full business
3) use inspirational video’s such as ted talks and a must Shed Simove’s book “The Ideas Man” http://www.shedsimove.com/
4) you could set weekly challenges to take people out of there comfort zone such as create a piece of modern art and sell it, interview someone on your course and post it on the site creating a community of thinkers and doers etc
5) you could get them to set up affiliate programmes on the net to sell goods
other ideas:
look at financing options
6) create live web chats/ networking evenings
7) look at articles on when to stick and when to quit
9) look at communication skills- how to influence people and get things done, how to sell to different audiences, how to pitch your idea, how to communicate your vision etc
10) look at people management skills
11) look at how to be a great leader (not always the same as an entrepreneur but essential)
12) look at business planning tools
13) practical resources on marketing, selling, partnership develop, setting up a business, getting a service/ product to market and how to growth a sound business model etc
find something that they will immediately connect with and could achieve to build confidence. loads more but I guess you will have most of these down. need any more give me a shout. hey do you know about unltd dare to be different awards? could one of these be used to develop this? http://culturegroup.co.uk/Hefce_Website/
As a student… i want to do something real, not only to be taught and have the backing to jump though the hoops i need to but how to pave my own way. Business is scary for me, im glad i have that ‘fuck it – go for it’ mentality. The main thing that ticks me off is when people ta;l about team work, people should be shown the art of delegation and how to play to your own personal strengths. I like to be taught hands on, something practical which is then backed up by the information to understand the make up of it.
As an entrepreneur… people should be taught to pick them selves up and keep on working (quote matt), personal promotion could be a good topic…
Probably not what you wanted but i had to have my imput
Hi Matt,
I saw your post on twitter looking for comments and said that I would add my two cents – although Lucy and the others appear to have covered most of it.
I completed a taught Masters in International Entrepreneurship Management. While I enjoyed researching and writing papers the best aspects of the course were by far interacting with and listening to real life entrepreneurs. From an e-perspective I wonder could you get different entrepreneurs on Skype or something at particular junctures of the course or have pre – recorded sessions.
Also, at your virtual enterprise conference my colleague and I discussed how it would be great to use the virtual world of second life to give students an opportunity to set up a real life business ( ha , the irony)
Finally, for me it’s all about creativity. Check out “whole brain thinking” . Pretty suitable to what you are trying to achieve I would think. Relates to using the left and right side of the brain … ya, i know who would have thought eh with a name like whole brain thinking ! But deffo worth checking out IMO.
Hope this helps or that something I said sparks a thought with somebody else that ends up in a new thought