A Window to the World: Using Technology to Internationalise Entrepreneurship Education

Authors

  • Sabine McKinnon Glasgow Caledonian University
  • Anne MJ Smith Glasgow Caledonian University
  • Julie C Thomson Glasgow Caledonian University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14297/jpaap.v3i3.178

Keywords:

internationalisation, online learning, virtual mobility, entrepreneurship, curriculum

Abstract

The discourse about internationalising higher education has often been dominated by discussions about the needs of international students in a UK classroom. These students have already taken the first step towards improving their international awareness and are still a minority in our classrooms. What about the vast majority of our home students who are often local and have not had the opportunity to study abroad? Given that the uptake of physical mobility schemes is still low in the UK using technology to connect students with their peers in other countries offers a cost effective way of enhancing their cultural awareness.

This paper presents the results of a pilot study in entrepreneurship education which used the COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning) approach to internationalisation at home. Students at Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) worked in teams with their peers at a Japanese institution using a Wiki, Skype and Facebook. During their six-week collaboration the Scottish students were monitored for their perceptions of their own intercultural sensitivity and their understanding of innovation and entrepreneurship in Japan and Scotland. Drawing on the results from an online evaluation survey this study makes a contribution to the pedagogical debate in entrepreneurship education which has not always paid sufficient attention to the relevance of intercultural skills in entrepreneurial activity. The data shows that students increased their awareness of the demands of cross-cultural team-working and improved their knowledge of entrepreneurship, innovation and trade across nations. On a more general note, this paper also reflects on the benefits and challenges for academic staff who collaborate with colleagues across national borders using internet based tools.

Author Biographies

Sabine McKinnon, Glasgow Caledonian University

abine McKinnon is a senior lecturer in the Centre for Learning Enhancement and Academic Development at Glasgow Caledonian University. She is leading the university-wide Global Perspectives project which supports staff in internationalising the curriculum. Her research focuses on the impact of national cultures on learning and teaching.

Anne MJ Smith, Glasgow Caledonian University

Dr Anne M.J. Smith lectures on entrepreneurship at Glasgow Caledonian University. She has been involved in the design and delivery of several industry-based entrepreneurship programmes and global management education initiatives. Anne publishes in international journals with articles on entrepreneurial learning within communities and enterprise education.

Julie C Thomson, Glasgow Caledonian University

Dr Julie C. Thomson has a multidisciplinary background in both science and business. Following a period in industry, she lectures at Glasgow Caledonian University on Business Management including entrepreneurship and innovation. As well as research into teaching practice, Julie’s research interests lie within innovation management and in particular open innovation and social innovation.

References

Bandura, A. (1977) Social Learning Theory. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall.

British Council. (2015). Broadening Horizons: The value of the overseas experience. London: British Council.

Carbonell, J.A. (2014). Further up the Road. Six Years of Growth for Outward Student Mobility in the UK (from 2007–08 to 2012–13). London: Kingston University.

Carroll, J. & Ryan, J. (Eds). (2005). Teaching International Students: Improving Learning for All. London and New York: Routledge.

Cooper, S.Y. & Lucas, W. A. (2007). Building entrepreneurial self-efficacy and intent through education and experience. Proceedings of the 30th ISBE Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship Conference, Glasgow, 7-9 November.

Deardorff, D. K. (2006). Identification and assessment of intercultural competence as a student outcome of internationalization. Journal of Studies in International Education, 10(3), 241–266.

doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1028315306287002

De Wit, H. (2013). COIL – virtual mobility without commercialisation, University World News, Issue No. 274, 1 June 2013.

European Commission. (2014). ERASMUS: Facts, Figures and Trends, Brussels: European Commission.

Fayolle, A. & Gailly, B. (2008). Teaching models and learning processes in entrepreneurship education. Journal of European Industrial Training, 32(7), 569-593.

doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/03090590810899838

Global Perspectives Project at Glasgow Caledonian University. (2015). Retrieved 14 August, 2015, from http://www.gcu.ac.uk/globalperspectives/

Hauck, M. (2007). Critical success factors in a TRIDEM exchange. RECALL 19(2), 202–223.

doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0958344007000729

Jones, E. & Brown, S. (Eds). (2007). Internationalising Higher Education, London: Routledge.

Joris, M., van den Berg, C. & van Ryssen, S. (2003). Home but not alone: information and communication technology and internationalisation at home. Journal of Studies in International Education, 7(1), 94–107.

doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1028315302250191

Killick, D. (2014). Developing the Global Student: Higher Education in an Era of Globalization. London: Routledge.

Kolb, D.A. (1984). Experiential Learning. Experience as the Sources of Learning and Development. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.

McKinnon, S. (2013). A mismatch of expectations? An exploration of international students’ perceptions of employability skills and work-related learning. In: Ryan, J. (Ed) Cross-Cultural Teaching and Learning for Home and International Students: Internationalisation of Pedagogy and Curriculum in Higher Education. London and New York: Routledge.

Nilsson, B. (2000). Internationalising the curriculum. In: Crowther, P., Joris, M., Otten, A., Nilsson, B., Teekens, H. , Wächter, B. Internationalisation at Home: A Position Paper, European Association for International Education (pp. 21–29).

O’Dowd, R. & Ritter, M. (2006). Understanding and working with ‘failed communication in telecollaborative exchanges. CALICO Journal, 23(3), 623–642.

Pittaway, L. & Cope, J. (2007). Simulating Experiential Learning: Integrating Experiential and Collaborative Approaches to Learning, Management Learning, 38(2), 211-233.

doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1350507607075776

Ringstaff, C., & Kelley, L. (2002). The learning return on our educational technology investment: A review of findings from research. Retrieved 12 May, 2015, from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED462924.pdf

Ryan, J. & Viete, R. (2009). Respectful interactions: learning with international students in the English-speaking academy. Teaching in Higher Education, 14(3), 303–314.

doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13562510902898866

Ryan, J. & Pomorina, I. (2010). The Teaching International Students Project. Presentation at the Higher Education Surveys for Enhancement Conference 2010, Nottingham. Retrieved 29 July 2015 https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/node/4576

Smith, A.M.J., Halcro, K., & Chalmers, D. (2010). Using web 2.0 technology in entrepreneurship education: Wikis as a tool for collaborative and collective learning. International Journal of Innovation in Education, 1(2), 124–138.

doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1504/IJIIE.2010.036855

Smith, A.M.J. & Paton, R. (2010). An entrepreneurship toolkit for intensive skills development. International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, 9(2), 162–176.

doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1504/IJESB.2010.030618

Smith, A. M. J. & Paton, R. (2011). Delivering enterprise: a collaborative international approach to the development, implementation and assessment of entrepreneurship. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour and Research, 17(1), 104–118.

doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/13552551111107534

Soria, K.M. & Troisi, J. (2014). Internationalization at home alternatives to study abroad: implications for students’ development of global, international, and intercultural competencies. Journal of Studies in International Education, 18(3), 261–280.

doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1028315313496572

Teekens, H. (2006). Internationalization at Home: a background paper. In: Teekens, H. (Ed.), Internationalization at Home: a Global Perspective (pp.7–18). The Hague: Nuffic.

Wing Yan Man , T. & Farquharson , M. (2015). Psychological ownership in team-based entrepreneurship education activities. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior and Research, 21(4), 600–621.

doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/ijebr-11-2012-0126

United Kingdom Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA). (2008). Mobility Matters: Forty Years of UKCISA. London: UKCISA. Retrieved 20 August 2015 http://www.ukcisa.org.uk/resources/29/Mobility-matters-40-years-of-international-students-40-years-of-UKCISA

Wächter, B. (2003). An introduction: internationalisation at home in context. Journal of Studies in International Education, 7(1), 5-11.

doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1028315302250176

Downloads

Published

2015-09-16

Issue

Vol. 3 No. 3 (2015)

Section

Case Studies

License

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

  1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
  2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
  3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).

Journal of Perspectives in Applied Academic Practice has made best effort to ensure accuracy of the contents of this journal, however makes no claims to the authenticity and completeness of the articles published. Authors are responsible for ensuring copyright clearance for any images, tables etc which are supplied from an outside source.

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.