Assessment: examining practice in entrepreneurship education
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop knowledge about the nature of student assessment practice in entrepreneurship education.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper introduces general assessment practice issues and highlights key considerations. It explains prior research on assessment practice in entrepreneurship education and argues that there is too little empirical research on the subject. Finally, it outlines a typology of entrepreneurship education that highlights variation between different: forms; learning outcomes; subjects; and, possible methods of assessment practice. The methodology for the study gathers data from course outlines (syllabi) and explains how these were collected and analysed.
Findings
The results show that educational practice in entrepreneurship education continues to be dominated by the “About” form and highlight that there are different cultures of assessment practice in the UK and the USA. The paper finds compelling evidence that different forms are using assessment in different ways.
Research limitations/implications
This paper identifies that there have been few studies exploring assessment practice in entrepreneurship education and argues that further research is required in this area. It also highlights a need for a focus on assessment practice in disciplines beyond the business school. The work demonstrates that further research could explore other stakeholders in the assessment process and seek to understand how these external assessors affect student learning.
Practical implications
In conclusion, the paper highlights that assessment generally needs to become more innovative, more reflective in nature and include more stakeholders in the process.
Originality/value
Understanding is enhanced because the paper explores what entrepreneurship educators actually “do” when they assess entrepreneurship education and, therefore, the research moves beyond prescriptive accounts and provides a detailed understanding of actual practice.
Keywords
Citation
Pittaway, L. and Edwards, C. (2012), "Assessment: examining practice in entrepreneurship education", Education + Training, Vol. 54 No. 8/9, pp. 778-800. https://doi.org/10.1108/00400911211274882
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2012, Emerald Group Publishing Limited