Developing an "Entrepreneurial Mindset" in Business Communication Courses: A Case Analysis (2011)

Introduction study of learners' expectations of various aspects of quality teaching has become prominent in the last two decades (Addison, Best, & Warrington, 2006; Ferreira & Santoso, 2008). As education is a dynamic human activity it is obvious that students, being the end users of the academic community, would be able to provide important insights derived from their experiences in the classroom (Cunningham, 2008). Such feedback can be interpreted at various levels of the scholarship of learning and teaching. These include generic expectations that might feed pedagogies across disciplines, as well as those regarding specific fields of study or particular educational settings. Over the past quarter century, much research has focused on the concept of experiential learning. Kolb (1984) asserted that knowledge is created through experience. Merizow (1990) indicates that experiences impact interpersonal relationships, organizations and the overall socioeconomic system. Most experiential learning experiences are geared around the concept of not only the student and faculty, but also a mentor (Alderman and Milne, 2005) who helps to facilitate the learning experience. Kolb (1984) established the experiential learning circle that involves four elements: * Concrete experience * Observation and experience * Forming abstract concepts * Testing in situations Kolb, Boyatzis and Mainemelis (2000) asserted that learning is conceptualized as an ideal learning cycle or spiral where the learner touches all the bases--experiencing, reflecting, thinking and acting--in a recursive process that is responsive to the learning situation and what is being learned. Further, Kolb and Kolb (2005) emphasize the role of students in self authorship, or the process of constructing one's own knowledge as a basis experiential learning. By developing their effectiveness as learners, students can be empowered to take responsibility for their own learning by understanding how they learn best and the skills necessary to learn (Keeton, Sheckley, Griggs, 2002). Many previous classroom models were based on the concept of observation and experience as a means of demonstrating abstract concepts. However, the typical classroom experience appears to have been lacking involves the concept of concrete experience and also testing in new situations. Freudenberg, Brimble and Vyvyan (2010) contend that work integrated learning positively impacts both student learning and motivation. According to Tellis (1997), case study research has been marked by periods of intense use and periods of disuse. Further, he indicates that The literature contains numerous examples of applications of the case study methodology. earliest and most natural examples are to be found in the fields of Law and Medicine, where cases make up the large body of the student work. However, there are some areas that have used case study techniques extensively, particularly in government and in evaluative situations. Thus, the use of a case study as an evaluative tool is a common practice. More pertinent to the current research, Zonabend (1992) indicated that a case study gives special attention to a situation through completeness in observation. Many classroom models focus on concepts of observation and experience or forming abstract concepts. However, short of cooperative education or internship programs, very few learning models call for full development of the experiential learning model. Further, virtually no models seek to integrate the experiential learning model with the traditional classroom paradigm. following case study presents an attempt to integrate the traditional classroom learning model for a business communication course with an experiential learning experience and provides concluding recommendations for similar initiatives. Method Yin (1994) presented four principles that should attract the researcher's attention, as they pertain to case study research: * Use evidence as a basis for analysis * Include all major rival interpretations in the analysis * Address the most significant aspect of the case study * Use the researcher's prior, expert knowledge to further the analysis Using Yin's (1994) guidelines, the following sections seek to meet these criteria for appropriate case study research. …