Raja Suzana Raja Kasim
Global Entrepreneurship Research and Innovation Center, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, Malaysia [email protected]
Highlights: Emerging methodologies within entrepreneurship education research field is immersed into the importance of the theory and the application of theory into practices. The course presents an immersive and blended focus:
engaging teaching of entrepreneurship process orientation and research issues associated to it. Some 1,700 students locally and abroad with 9,323 comments participated in MOOC OpenLearning.com platform from 2016-2017. While another 232 students using e-Campus online learning platform at Universiti Malaysia Kelantan in 2018-2019. With the high levels of uncertainty permeating the entrepreneurship field, the research focus is not just about new company, capital and job creation; nor innovation, nor creativity, nor breakthroughs. The entrepreneurship research should foster an ingenious human spirit and improving humankind. The immersive and blended focus of introducing the methodology is to unleash research setting in the entrepreneurial spirit among students, cultivate a mind-set of practice and build environment in which entrepreneurship research could be made robust, rigorous and the implication of its practical and theoretical can occur. Like any other discipline, entrepreneurship is a discipline and it can be learned and ultimately, research methodology in entrepreneurship can also be learned, offers systematic approach, transferable and scalable. By introducing entrepreneurship research methods; this course aims to pave the way for increased application of innovative research methodologies and techniques, allowing teaching and supervision quality. This paper is one of the evidence to indicate that innovative entrepreneurship research ideas can be developed once the students know and understand on how to connect with theory development, information literacy skills through online, secondary and primary sources. The paper is also offering e-assessment on the quality of the research methodology and writing up the proposal.
Keywords: research methodology, entrepreneurship, immersive, blended learning Introduction
Many students are struggling in writing research proposal and weak in understanding the research methodology.
Entrepreneurship research in this era of 4th Industrial Revolution has the answer to connect interdisciplinary nature of entrepreneurship study in an effort to exploit opportunities within diverse networking and collaborative economy;
green and climate changes; waste-to-wealth; big data analytic and entrepreneurial digital marketing; social products, and sustainability issues; to name a few. Thus, demand for research in entrepreneurship issues has grown exponentially. The research methodology is thus needed to be advanced for all type of students using specific entrepreneurship research tool of practices. The methodology is to make the research process of learning interesting.
By understanding on how to summarize all of the concepts in research methodology that is required to write research proposal - students will find their journey of writing less painful and an exciting one.
The following are the objectives of this paper:
• To provide students with the tool to develop an understanding of the research methodology in the entrepreneurship issues and its processes using appropriate pedagogical practices
• To innovate entrepreneurship research ideas after learning on how to connect with theory development, information literacy skills through online, secondary and primary sources;
• To assess on the quality of the research methodology and writing up the proposal.
Approach
The theoretical foundations of experimentation in guiding the new context of innovation in research methodology course was integrated from the pedagogical practice of the work of Howard etal (2003) and Bilsker and Goldner (2004). The evidence-based learning was originally used in the field of health care and medical practices.
In the context of entrepreneurship discipline, this course adds the value of humanistic approach to the practice; where entrepreneurship students examine a situation, consider the evidence (literature/setting/phenomena of issues) from possible effective interventions and apply the intervention using a combination of judgment and evidence. The model works on the evidence-based learning integrating the entrepreneurship as a discipline and it is further illustrated in Figure 1. Skills required in this course demands the ability of the students/researchers: to search for empirical evidence; to critique, interpret and synthesize the findings; and finally to decide how the literature (evidence) supports or not the particular intervention.
DeTAR Putra, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak
99 Figure 1: The Evidence-based Learning is framed in the context of Entrepreneurship discipline
Implementation
The evidence-based learning process is interactive and iterative. Learning on the research methodology aspects in the entrepreneurship education is rooted in student experience and faculty interaction around a problem. Students evaluate evidence, critically assess perspectives and look for patterns that can be understood in order to meet the objectives of the research.
The approach in every research has its own systematic conduct. There are two main approaches used in this course, firstly, the inside and the outside classroom. The Inside and outside classroom engagement appears to inculcate the immersive, blended and interactive moments between students and faculty. As illustrated in Figure 2, this course offers new innovative solutions to promote research quality, both in writing skills and presentation skills. In the classroom, for example, the transferable values would be in the format of a shared set of exercises that can be used in the classroom to help the students with their research ideation, conduct primary and secondary data for evidences, identify suitable methodology, proceed with entrepreneurship research proposal and present their result in both oral and research proposal writing.
In the scalable approach, this course uses a research evidence-based learning through experimentation methodology. Outside the classroom, students live entrepreneurship through the engagement and guidance from the Faculty; which is the result of faculty and students working together to define a framework of their research plan.
This provides access to resources for students to move on with their research ideas forward.
DeTAR Putra, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak
100 Figure 2: The Evidence-based Learning Inside and Outside Classroom and the Tools Used
Benefits of Immersive Learning
This approach assists the learning to be immersive in that it creates a more rounded interaction between students and faculty. The approach used appears to benefit students in developing various skills to produce quality research proposal and use appropriate methodology. This includes benefits as set in Figure 3 below:
1. Students generate and explore research ideas in entrepreneurship issues. Please refer to Figure 4: Evidence from MOOC-OpenLearning Platfrm. The link can be accessed here:
https://www.openlearning.com/courses/ research-methololody-in- entrepreneurship;
2. Students acquire digital online search skills to explore data search and develop a unique literate matrix to look for the research gap and trend in entrepreneurship issues;
3. Students develop critical thinking, creative thinking and leadership skills in delivering judgments, best guesses and interpreting the evidences;
4. Students benefits from the engagement with faculty who serves to mentor and coach students in writing quality proposal; and
5. Students benefits to develop new social skills using Web2.0 tools where they interact, weight, discuss and present their final research proposal. Refer Figure 5: Evidence from E-Campus Platform by Universiti Malaysia Kelantan. The link can be accessed here: http://ecampus.umk.edu.my/sep2018/course/view.php?id=212
DeTAR Putra, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak
101 Figure 3: The benefits of Immersive Learning
DeTAR Putra, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak
102 Figure 4: Evidence from MOOC-OpenLearning Platform
DeTAR Putra, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak
103 Figure 5: Evidence from E-Campus Platform by Universiti Malaysia Kelantan.
e-Assessment in Methodology in Entrepreneurship Research
More than 1700 students participated in the design and assessment of the methodology in entrepreneurship research.
Results as indicated in Figure 6 demonstrated that students from L1L2 groups (240 students) had achieved better performance than other groups. L1L2 was guided using the learning approach as offered in this course.
The course offers novelty and and inventiveness in the aspect of:
• use of E-Campus Platform by Universiti Malaysia Kelantan and MOOC online OpenLearning Platform (3) Facebook Close group platform
• interactive tools and animation to construct various teaching materials
• engagement of mentor and coaching of information search, research writing and presentation skills both at physical and online interaction
DeTAR Putra, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak
104 Figure 6: e-Assessment Results on Student Performance
New Skills Developed
The course had developed several important skills as illustrated below.
Figure 7 : New Skills Developed
The approach is able to increase the understanding on the need for risk taking, creativity and team building in order to effectively plan the activities. The e-assessment of the research-based process and action is able to exploit opportunity recognition in entrepreneurship research methodology. The pitching of long term funding plans as a result of being able to address the entrepreneurial issues and problems for pre-startup activities has helped to develop
DeTAR Putra, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak
105 students’ presentation skills. Students are able to transfer their knowledge to meet the need of the research objectives and to develop and redevelop business plans for potential future projects. This paper is one of the evidence to indicate that innovative entrepreneurship research ideas can be developed once the students know and understand on how to connect with theory development, information literacy skills through online, secondary and primary sources. The paper is also offering e-assessment on the quality of the research methodology and writing up the proposal.
Acknowledgement
The author thanks Universiti Malaysia Kelantan for the support on the MOOC platform and funding assistance to participate in IIDEL, IUCEL 2019.
Recognitions
• MOOC In Teaching And Learning Competition 2019. Evidence-based in teaching and supervision using MOOC At Universiti Malaysia Kelantan – Gold Award
• Innovation and Research Week and STEM CARNIVAL, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan 2017 – Bronze Award
• KNOVASI 2017 – Using The Methodology In Research Interventions That Assist To Develop Meaningful Teaching And Learning Tools - Gold Award
• Innovation and Research, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan 2018 – Using The Methodology In Research Interventions That Assist To Commercialise Two Products – Mobile Apps In TVET2U (Silver Award) And Silver (OKU2U)
• MOOC In Teaching And Learning Competition 2018. Research Methodology In Entrepreneurship Course: A Platform For MOOC At Universiti Malaysia Kelantan – Silver Award
• Teaching Enhancement And Learning Innovation Carnival 2018. UMK Bachok Campus, Kelantan, 16 May, 2018. Gold Award
• ITEX 2018 – Using The Methodology In Research Interventions That Assist To Commercialise Two Products – Mobile Apps In TVET2U (Silver Award) And Gold (OKU2U)
• Two Certificate Of Appreciation On Receiving Awards At International Level For Both Item 4 Above From The Vice Chancellor UMK
• Teaching Enhancement And Learning Innovation Carnival 2018 - Gold Award And Overall Best Award
• Certificate Of Appreciation - Anugerah Khidmat Cemerlang 2017
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