Resumen de Educating engineers: a postgraduate entrepreneurship and innovation perspective

Alex Maritz, Gerrit Anton de Waal, Chich-Jen Shieh

• The aim of this paper is to clarify the educational methods that effectively educate and develop engineers in entrepreneurship inspecific postgraduate programs. The purpose is to provide a framework by which entrepreneurship educators may develop andimplement programs that are unique to engineers and postgraduate entrepreneurship education programs. The paper integrates twoprominent frameworks and a strand of recent literature on entrepreneurship education to develop a conceptual model for engineersin a postgraduate entrepreneurship education setting. Findings include unique theoretical and applied initiatives in all dimensionsof postgraduate entrepreneurship education programs, including the addition of a new dimension: community and outreach. Theresult is a conceptual framework, highlighting components and initiatives within the context of ontology, learning, audience,objectives, outcomes, assessment, content, pedagogy, community and outreach. The predominant theoretical implication is the needto consider entrepreneurship education in a postgraduate context targeted at engineers. We add to the body of knowledge byidentifying education insights unique to this context. Limitations include applicability to the contextual scenario provided. Themain practical implications concern program developers, educators, teachers and trainers in postgraduate entrepreneurshipeducation for engineers. The paper sheds new light on the design and implementation of such programs. A conceptual frameworkis proposed for postgraduate entrepreneurship and engineering education, adding to the body of knowledge in scant literature inthis domain. Dimensions of entrepreneurship education programs are demystified within the context provided.