Author(s): Noman Mahmood, Rizwan Elahi, Bazla Mukhtar, Marium Mateen Khan, Dr. Omar Javaid, Dr. Irfan Hyder
Purpose: Framework of experiential project-based 4-Year BS Entrepreneurship Program is provided to cover the educational, value creation and strategic management gaps that has been caused due to lack of several parameters, such as the balance between passive & active teaching methodology, theoretical & applied knowledge, commercial & academic interests of students, conventional & unconventional business knowledge and specialized & generalized domains in programs.
Design: A matrix approach has been used to design the framework for experiential project-based entrepreneurship program structure to simultaneously fill the gaps identified in various entrepreneurship education literature and entrepreneurship practice to cater on-going requirements of learning and surviving in real world.
Conceptual Findings: Through rigorous restructuring of educational program nature, it is understood that educational programs can be made flexible and productive through simultaneous conceptual working by using matrix approach with an incorporation of experiential project-based learning. Such an integration gave 8 thematic entrepreneurial processes to contextualize 8 semesters within 4 years of educational program that can work in combination with 5 business domains consisting of 40 conceptual courses with applied characteristics, while having 1 full-fledged project-based section having complete 8 hands-on overarching experiential courses to work as foundation for each thematic semester and each course per semester.
Practical Implications: This program can serve as the academia-industry linkage that has been concern of debate since ages, due to its simultaneous nature of combinatorial working and its tendency for in-program venture creation, management, development and several other business skills and acumen, rather than waiting for graduation and typically waiting for employment for the skills to be known or used. It provides both academicians and practitioners to see results with immediate effects and improve upon the course of action, which may minimize isolation that both academicians and practitioners feel due to lack of conceptual commonality and working between both forms of intelligentsia. Students will be able to see their brainchild grow within their years of continuous learning into a healthy entity that may provide them lifetime living, earning or survival skills to thrive in competitive world. It provides dynamic personality development ranging from venture creation traits to intrapreneurial traits of industry.