Annual review article: The dual mindset of design-driven entrepreneurship: The case for a pedagogy of making and artefact-centred entrepreneurship education

Abstract

In the last decade, new design-driven approaches, such as Design Thinking, Customer Discovery, and Lean Start-up, have gained popularity in entrepreneurship education (EE). However, their adoption has been characterised by confusion in understanding their theoretical underpinnings and the challenge of introducing these new methods into a pedagogic culture emphasising ideation over experience, emotional intelligence, and making. This article argues that the implementation of these new pedagogic approaches can be improved by better translating the principles of design-driven and artifact-centered entrepreneurship into pedagogical practices. To achieve this goal, a model for a pedagogy of making in EE is proposed along with theoretical and economic arguments based on recent advances in the debate on entrepreneurship as a design science, the growing importance of intangibles in the economy, and the challenges of artificial intelligence (AI) to the job market and student employability. The critical elements for successfully adopting such pedagogy and common misconceptions that can hinder its full deployment are outlined.