The phrase ‘learning-by-doing’ is well known and often accredited to John Dewey, but also Aristotle. By integrated doing (work) into the curriculum (learning) the likelihood of work-ready graduates is enhanced. Therefore, if an aim or expected outcome of a learning programme is entrepreneurial orientation, incorporating such learning opportunities in the curriculum seems necessary.
The converse, providing work-integrated learning (WIL) opportunities through start-ups, incubator initiatives, or entrepreneurial activities, is quite different. The adverb ‘vice-versa’, means ‘in reverse order from the way something has been stated’, is derived from two Latin words vicis change + vertere to turn — literally relations being reversed or the other way around.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic WIL placement challenges, the University of Cincinnati made extensive efforts towards “facilitating student engagement in new forms of WIL” (Alanson et al. 2020: 509). Students were presented with “a suite of nine options: Study abroad, service learning, research, career-related travel, international experience, creative practice, entrepreneurship, leadership, or open source development”. The definitions of two of the mentioned options, taken from Table 1 (p. 510) are presented below.
It is further deemed necessary to point out that “entrepreneurship extends beyond the creation of new businesses”, but that ‘entrepreneurial’ comprises characteristics such as “autonomy, innovativeness, risk-taking, proactiveness, and competitive aggression” that are often “linked to organizational performance, increased profits, growth, and innovation” (Pretti et al. 2020: 451).
Alanson, E.R., Alanson, E.M., Arthur, B., Burdette, A., Cooper, C. & Sharp, M. (2020). Re-envisioning work-integrated learning during a pandemic: Cincinnati’s experiential explorations program. International Journal of Work-Integrated Learning, Special Issue, 21(5), 505-519. https://www.ijwil.org/files/IJWIL_21_5_505_519.pdf.
Pretti, I.J., Parrott, P., Hoskyn, K., Fannon, A-M., Church, D. & Arsenault, C. (2020). The role of work-integrated learning in the development of entrepreneurs. International Journal of Work-Integrated Learning, 21(4), 451-466. https://www.ijwil.org/files/IJWIL_21_4_451_466.pdf
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