4. Social Media Presence: Students are shown the importance of using social media to promote themselves and their personal brand. They learn to populate and manage their social media profiles effectively, which is crucial for job searching and finding business partners. The way students handle their personal social media accounts can reflect their ability to use these platforms as promotional tools for their businesses. The long-term impact of social media on their professional lives is also emphasised. For example, students often enhance their LinkedIn profiles as part of group work, allowing them to recommend and showcase each other’s skills and competencies. 5. Group Work: Working in a group is a crucial learning intervention for entrepreneurs due to several key benefits: Enhanced Collaboration Skills: Group work fosters essential collaboration skills, such as communication, teamwork, and conflict resolution. Entrepreneurs often need to work with diverse teams, and learning to navigate different perspectives and manage group dynamics is vital for success. Diverse Perspectives: Collaborating with others exposes entrepreneurs to a range of viewpoints and ideas. This diversity of thought can spark innovation, enhance problem-solving, and lead to more creative solutions to business challenges. Real-World Experience: Group projects simulate real-world scenarios where entrepreneurs must work with partners, stakeholders, and clients. This hands-on experience prepares students for the complexities of running a business and helps them develop practical skills in project management and leadership. 6. Real-Life Project Partners and Proven ServiceLearning Model: The models outlined below illustrate how we have refined our approach over the years by partnering with businesses from the City of Johannesburg database. Many small businesses in the city struggle with inadequate documentation, which often contributes to their failure. Our students are given the opportunity to address these documentation issues and develop solutions. This hands-on experience is valuable for students, as their innovative ideas have contributed to the success of some of these businesses. Students gain practical experience and insight into the entrepreneurial process by engaging with real-world challenges. Figure 2: Service-Learning Model, Joyce 7. Introduction of Online Learning Platforms: Over the past five years, our students have engaged in a project where they taught entrepreneurship to Grade 11 pupils, which led to the development of an online entrepreneurship module for those who lack access to university programmes. This initiative allows thousands of young people to learn entrepreneurship from home. Additionally, we leverage various online learning platforms to expose our students to intrapreneurship content from universities worldwide. This global perspective helps students align our curriculum with international standards and earn certificates that are linked to their LinkedIn profiles. By familiarising themselves with online learning, students become global learners, continually updating their skills in entrepreneurship. This approach highlights the value of in-person classes and practical implementation, reinforcing the importance of blending online learning with direct experience. It also fosters a culture of lifelong learning, encouraging students to utilise online resources and executive courses offered by the university in the future. In collaboration with UJ Trace Academia, a free online learning platform for vocational learning was established. Teaching Innovation for the 21st Century | Showcasing UJ Teaching Innovation Projects 2024 87
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