Student and faculty perceptions on an entrepreneurship course: an exploratory study from Oman

Abstract

Purpose Entrepreneurship-oriented courses are increasingly being offered in higher education institutions (HEIs) around the world. However, in the case of Oman, where this study was conducted, little or no research has been conducted, to date, to explore the perceptions of students and faculty members regarding the entrepreneurship-oriented courses they participate in, which is a serious gap in the literature. This study aims to fill this gap by examining the beliefs and conceptions that learners and faculty at a private HEI in Muscat, Oman, had about the course entitled Entrepreneurship and New Venture Creation (ENVC). Design/methodology/approach The primary and secondary research questions are addressed using a mixed-methods approach that includes an online student questionnaire answered by 110 students who had studied the ENVC course, a focus group discussion with eight students facilitated by MS Teams and semi-structured interviews with two faculty members. Findings The findings revealed that the study participants had a very positive view of the ENVC course discussed here as they pointed to several benefits, including improved knowledge of business and entrepreneurship concepts, increased familiarity with the local business environment, development of entrepreneurial intention and improvement of their critical thinking, creativity and innovation skills. In addition, the results revealed some concerns among the participating students, particularly regarding the lack of adequate training sessions on risk management and financial planning. The participants also requested hands-on experience through industrial entrepreneurship training and in-residence-entrepreneurship programs. Research limitations/implications This study raises a number of possibilities for further research on this type of course in terms of students’ employability skills, know-how and agency when the time comes for them to enter the real world of business and employment. Future work would benefit from using a longitudinal survey on a group of alumni to triangulate and compare the various findings that were reached here. It would certainly be even more fruitful if conducted at two or more HEIs and with larger population samples to ensure broad coverage, representation and generalization. Work along these lines would certainly refine and extend our findings. Practical implications This study has significant pedagogical implications for future graduate students seeking employment, entrepreneurship course developers and faculty. Relatively, the educational outcomes of entrepreneurship education will also rely on the way entrepreneurship is being taught to students. It is recommended that entrepreneurship teaching should focus on cognitive development and active implementation of in-house incubation for well-planned innovative business ideas. This will provide opportunities for students to gain real-life experiences and identify their strengths and weaknesses, as well as the areas and skills that need to be maintained; hence, further research on the effectiveness of in-house incubation could best be considered for the next study. Another concern raised in this study is the lack of training in financial planning. Hence, further research can be considered on how to improve the financial planning skills of students for a start-up journey. Social implications This course is designed in alignment with Oman Vision 2040, which places great emphasis on entrepreneurship as it plays an important role in the planned economic diversification and sustainability, in which innovation derived from entrepreneurship development will be used as the main driver for the development of infrastructure and educational systems that encourage entrepreneurship. Moreover, the ENVC course focuses on the concept of social entrepreneurship. It inculcates a sense of responsibility for supporting the immediate society among students. Learning the perceptions of students and teachers will provide opportunities to achieve their academic goals, which will reap economic and financial returns in the long run. The development of entrepreneurial skills and intentions of students will eventually help in boosting the country’s economy and its social fabric, thus improving the overall quality of life of Omani society. Originality/value Even though this study is an exploratory investigation, the framework sets out clear empirical insights into the entrepreneurship course development, its main contents, assessments and learners’ and faculty members’ perceptions of the design, intent, content and delivery of the ENVC course and has crucial implications for all the stakeholders. The originality of this case study lies in the fact that it is the first of its kind in the body of research as it links theory to practice and will be a useful reference for entrepreneurship course developers, higher education faculty and students.