Promoting interdisciplinarity through an intensive entrepreneurship education post-graduate workshop

Abstract

Purpose

While creativity and innovation are found within many disciplines, the opportunity to develop a tangible skill set and share ideas with contemporaries can be limited within the siloed structure of many tertiary institutions. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate a model that addresses the pedagogical challenge of interdisciplinary learning.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper adopts a case-based approach. The case subject is Aalborg University that founded an intensive entrepreneurial education workshop that incorporates a problem-based learning (PBL) approach. This paper evaluates the program design, development, and replication plus compares the motives and subsequent experiences between workshop participants in Denmark and Australia.

Findings

The findings of this case study validate the centrality of entrepreneurship education as a discipline which has the capacity to unite staff and students approaching problems from various fields. The workshop design was adapted to the changing needs and expectations of staff and students and was successfully replicated overseas.

Originality/value

Denmark established an innovative, intensive workshop which seized the opportunity to deliver an engaging program that unlocks untapped creative potential among students from diverse cultures and multiple disciplines. Overall, this research contributes toward the body of knowledge examining student engagement and the delivery of PBL activities within an interdisciplinary learning environment.

Citation

McDonald, S., Gertsen, F., Rosenstand, C.A.F. and Tollestrup, C. (2018), "Promoting interdisciplinarity through an intensive entrepreneurship education post-graduate workshop", Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, Vol. 8 No. 1, pp. 41-55. https://doi.org/10.1108/HESWBL-10-2017-0076