The Effect of Students Engagement and Effort on Developing an Entrepreneurial Mindset in Online Entrepreneurship Education

Objectives
The purpose of this study is to provide a better understanding of how an entrepreneurial mindset is developed in online entrepreneurship education. Specifically, this study focuses on the engagement and effort of students in online education and how this effects the development of their entrepreneurial mindset.

Prior work
The development of the entrepreneurial mindset is researched in depth, especially over the last decade, with also a strong focus on the role of education in developing this entrepreneurial mindset, and how engagement and effort play a role in this. There is however only limited work on the role of online education on the development of the entrepreneurial mindset.

Approach
We analyze the engagement, effort and the development of the entrepreneurial mindset of 748 MSc level students in an online entrepreneurial course.

Results
Our findings demonstrate that both student engagement and effort positively influence entrepreneurial mindset, with Engagement showing a stronger effect. Additionally, both engagement and effort significantly improve the Skills component of entrepreneurial mindset, with engagement again exhibiting a greater likelihood of impact. Other factors like student performance and study program show no significant effect.

Implications and Value
Our findings contribute to the body of literature on entrepreneurial mindset by specifically addressing how this development takes place in online education. Given the growing attention of both policy makers and educators on educating ALL students about the entrepreneurial mindset, online education is one of the promising ways to reach many students at once. Understanding how students’ engagement and effort play a role in the process are crucial to maintaining a high level of education.