Michael Kristiansson and Henrik Jochumsen tell us about the course: Entrepreneurship and partnership.
An entrepreneurial course with an effectuation approach.
The course is based on the entrepreneurial principle, effectuation, formulated by Saras Sarasvathy. Based on the principles of effectuation the students are to create ‘pre-commitments’ for partnerships in relation to an actual entrepreneurial project. This could be e.g. a cultural project, a social project or starting up a company.
The course theme and entrepreneurial approach is connected to a current focus on entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial skills existing both in the industry but also at the Faculty of Humanities in general. This has also to do with a labor market where candidates in some extend have to create their own “positions”. The course is based on the fact that entrepreneurship today is different and much more than management thinking and ideas about economic growth. The entrepreneurship covered in the course is basically about creating value – cultural and social as well as economic value.
The learning objectives of the course are defined as 1) knowledge of how to manage communication and knowledge sharing, 2) the ability to think and act creatively and innovatively and 3) the ability to put yourself and your professional skills into play.
A teaching format entailing student leadership and commitment
The teaching method in this entrepreneurship course is mainly group work with a high degree of student leadership where the teachers function as catalysts and sparring partners, says Henrik and Michael. The method Open Space is used for group formation and the students’ project management is coupled with the underlying approach of effectuation. Henrik and Michael point out that it has been rewarding to use a specific approach or innovation model as the basic structure for a course which entails student project work: “The innovation process supports independent behavior and commitment. The theoretical goals of the course are reflected through practice-theory interaction whilst adding a demand for action oriented competencies”
When organizing a practice-oriented course which involves companies that present specific requirements and expectations of the students’ projects, the learning experience will be different. Henrik and Michael explain: “We find that students are challenged compared to traditional teaching, but it is also very stimulating for them. We also see that the tension between a practical project and a traditional academic assignment is quite fruitful”
Read more about Saras Sarasvathy principles of effectuation here