To read this content please select one of the options below:

Enterprise education: the frustration of a pure contest

Colin Jones (University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia)

Education + Training

ISSN: 0040-0912

Article publication date: 27 November 2007

1032

Abstract

Purpose

This paper seeks to discuss the development of a strategy game for enterprise education. It is argued that requiring students to initially struggle with the game's rules and strategies results in a worthwhile test of their persistence and ability to manage ambiguity. Further, that in the absence of uncertainty, students will not benefit from the game's potential contribution to their overall learning.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is constructed around the infusion of student narratives and the author's self‐reflective thoughts. The papers explores the process of developing a game that: provides the students with access to an enterprise reality; strengthens their engagement with the theoretical foundations of their studies; and provides a process for serious self‐reflection.

Findings

Despite the mixed views presented in this paper, the game's development thus far has been very successful. Students do enjoy and benefit from enduring the frustration of a pure contest. Having to work through uncertainty is a good practice for students in higher education, especially those engaged in enterprise education.

Practical implications

Whilst the use of games in experiential education is not uncommon, consideration of how and why they are developed is not always well understood. This paper suggests that enterprise educators have significant opportunities to develop games that genuinely provide student access to the entrepreneur's way of life.

Originality/value

This paper provides evidence of how a game can be constructed to add significant value to an existing curriculum. It also provides evidence of the inner thoughts of students frustrated by a challenge on which they refuse to give up. As such, it provides a valuable window through which to contemplate the minds of tomorrow's nascent entrepreneurs.

Keywords

Citation

Jones, C. (2007), "Enterprise education: the frustration of a pure contest", Education + Training, Vol. 49 No. 8/9, pp. 596-604. https://doi.org/10.1108/00400910710834030

Publisher

:

Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2007, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Related articles