Progressing Pedagogy for a Post-Industrial Era of Entrereneurship

Academic Paper from the year 2012 in the subject Pedagogy - Higher Education, grade: Post Doctoral, University of Teesside (Teesside University | Business School), course: NA, language: English, abstract: This paper looks to 'The Institute of Digital Innovation' (IDI), based in the North East of England. Being a recently conceived establishment the IDI has developed a forward-thinking pedagogy that supports and equips budding entrepreneurs with the necessary skills for commercial success, and is thus in keeping with current policy rhetoric that future economic growth will depend on private enterprise. But perhaps more importantly, these authors argue, the IDI embodies a broader vision than the health of the economy alone; it both reflects and projects a changing culture in which the signature of success lies less in 'quantity' (wealth and conspicuous consumption) but in 'quality', which Inglehart defines as "belonging, self-expression, and the quality of life" (1990, p.11). Drawing on qualitative primary data provided by both IDI staff and Fellows, we conclude that a more culturally relevant approach to education is called for: Innovative and progressive pedagogical thinking will provide an educational model better equipped to accommodate both a sustainable economy, and the cultural shifts that are reshaping the desires and preferences of younger generations. The previous decade has seen a mushrooming of academic commentary on the pedagogic underpinnings of entrepreneurship education within universities and colleges, a prevailing theme being the embeddedness of organisational and teaching practices that are hopelessly out of date, and which do little to equip students with the skills they will need to operate in a commercial environment which demands creativity, innovation, flexibility and entrepreneurial competencies.