Fostering University Enterprise/Entrepreneurship Education (EE) Reform for Boosting Engaged Learning in Creativity

Beneficiaries: Ilia State University (ISU), San Diego State University (SDSU)

Project Name: Fostering University Enterprise/Entrepreneurship Education (EE) Reform for Boosting Engaged Learning in Creativity

Implementation Dates: 09/2023 – 03/2025

Total Project Cost: 314,433.00  GEL

Grant Amount: 290,033.00 GEL

Description

The project promotes (a) a culture of student and academic innovations, (b) entrepreneurship activities through curriculum, and co-curricular innovation and students spaces, and (c) start-up support system development and start-up creation at ISU.

These will be ensured (a) through the renewed EE courses and designing new co-curricular team development and acceleration services (through intensive programs, targeted projects, boot-camps, task programs, start-up competitions, career guidance, pre-acceleration, etc.) and (b) by helping students, alumni, and academics collaborate on ideation and developing innovations as they transform from being ideas to being products available on the market.

Activities

In frames of the project a network of SDSU-ISU peer-to-peer is set up to develop a continuous faculty professional development plan. With this aim, a 10-day ToT at SDSU (USA) will be organised and  a ToT Programme will be developed based on a thorough review of SDSU Courses, methodology, services, and programs.

Faculty upgrades and integrates new elements into the existing syllabi (Entrepreneurship (GEO) in BBA, Practical Entrepreneurship (GEO) in BBA, Practical Social Entrepreneurship (GEO) in BBA, Introduction to Entrepreneurship (ENG) in BBA, Introduction to Entrepreneurship in Culture (GEO) in Culture Management). More than 1300 students will benefit from the upgraded curriculum.

The SDSU will support ISU in developing a new extracurricular enterprise course/module – Team Development – Pre-Acceleration Program accessible for all ISU students,

Additionally, project aims at developing an Innovation Dormitory Concept. The new student housing programming should be in relation to entrepreneurship activities, innovation education programs in the student residence.

Sustainability

The outcomes (improved course syllabi (5), faculty-training program, ToT, extra-curricular program…) will become integral parts of the formal curricula and tech-entrepreneurship and innovations programming at the university. ISU’s co-curricular services and pre-acceleration programs have annual regular budget and dedicated human resources, which will ensure sustainability and regularity of the programs affecting 150 students annually.