Ways of Teaching Entrepreneurship in a Classroom

Clearly, the traditional educational methods and their limitations are not suited to teaching entrepreneurship.

However, there are ways business schools can adapt their curriculum because entrepreneurship can only be taught when:

1. The course is activity-based and presents live case studies for students to learn from and think upon.
2. The course motivates students to take action rather than fall into analysis paralysis of “What if this goes wrong?”.
3. The course is enriched with collaborative participation, encouraging students to share their ideas openly in front of their peers, and explore co-creating entrepreneurial ventures

Both sides have a strong viewpoint but in the end, it all depends on you. While studying entrepreneurship may give you an edge in the early stages, it’s your will that will help you in the long run.

A degree or a course is another tool in your toolbox but you cannot rely on a professor’s advice to run your own business. Learning entrepreneurship means expanding the mind beyond the curriculum or preparation beyond the tests or mark scheme.

That means as aspiring entrepreneurs you need to continue learning beyond the classroom. If you expect it to be spoon-fed in the same way as other subjects and do not approach it with ample self-motivation and an attitude of self-guided learning, entrepreneurship can not be taught to you.

Being an entrepreneur is both a fad and a need of the hour in today’s time. On one hand, where the pandemic has rebooted a lot of industries, resetting the level playing field, entrepreneurs such as Nikhil Kamath, Elon Musk, and Larry Page, on the other hand, have become role models for many. That said, it’s often debated, can entrepreneurship be taught?

There are people who think entrepreneurship can be taught in a classroom while others believe entrepreneurship is learned by doing since countless entrepreneurs have done it after having either dropped out of college or not undergoing any business education. 

Well, when it comes to getting the next generation of leaders prepped for the uncertain world, it’s true that the traditional means of education will not suffice. To adapt to the rapidly evolving world, entrepreneurs need to be visionaries who can act nimbly in face of challenges, reimagine the art of every possible and adapt to the unknowable future.

Before we dive deeper into each side of this debate, let us understand ‘entrepreneurship’.