Final report - European Commission - Europa

AN INTEGRATED APPROACH TO ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATIONJon Erik Svendsen, BI Norwegian School of Management, NorwayMany students have started their own companies, either during or after their studies at the Norwegian School ofManagement BI. We have developed and offered Entrepreneurship Education in different forms and at different levelsduring the past ten years.Our philosophy is to offer research-based education with high academic standards in amanner practitioners find useful. The portfolio of Entrepreneurship Education includes everything from singlecourses in setting up your own business to a specialized Bachelor in Entrepreneurship offering all the dimensions ofsetting up new businesses.The latest Entrepreneurship Programme at BI is the Bachelor in Entrepreneurship. The BE Programme Structureallows students to establish and develop their own company as part of the programme, and the students developtheir own network of central actors. The integrated approach to Entrepreneurship Education is enhanced by theCentre for Entrepreneurship’s ability to provide an active network, thus ensuring students needed help from advisors,incubators, venture companies etc.The Entrepreneurship Education is based on Active Participant Learning, meeting with actors in the field andpractical learning by doing when the students develop a real company. For those being at an earlier stage of developingthemselves as entrepreneurs, the integrated approach involves possibilities to participate in Business Plancompetitions, Youth Enterprise activities, or other practical activities enhancing learning by practical assignments.The students are systematically introduced to investors and other actors valuable to entrepreneurs. This is donepartly in the classroom, and partly by visiting the actors in their own environment. The students have alsoexperienced how entrepreneurs meet and discuss with consultants and investors when a Connect Springboard ® waspresented in the classroom with the entire class sitting ringside. The students have also experienced Real Time LiveCases when the entrepreneurs develop business plans together with the class, for instance before the company wasto seek refinancing.45Entrepreneurship Education in Europe: Fostering Entrepreneurial Mindsets through Education and Learning