Guest Editor: Daniel Spikol Assistant Professor of Computer Science, Malmö University
New models of innovation for education are emerging in Europe. Education is by and large a public endeavour, the responsibility of governments and international institutions. We think of education in terms of large and complex systems. Hence, the common assumption has been that change in Education will be driven by institutions: governments, universities, consortia of large stakeholders, and resource-rich foundations. Yet recently, we are seeing more and more grassroots entrepreneurship playing a disruptive role in this ecosystem. Admittedly, the entrepreneurial scene is still dominated by American players. Can that change? Does Europe have a voice of its own, which will promote different values and pedagogical approaches? What are the promises and challenges of entrepreneurship in education?
These questions need to be considered in a broader context: according to a recent OECD study, young SMEs account for 42% of new jobs. Europe is acknowledging the importance of fostering a vibrant startup culture, a change of mindset is reflected in initiatives such as startup Europe the startup manifesto and the startup Europe partnership. Universities are responding with entrepreneurship education programmes and the market is private responding with a wealth of incubators and accelerators. This trend has been driven by business schools and technology faculties for several years, without a specific domain focused. Recently we are witnessing initial signs of a an emerging stream of activity focused on educational innovation and educational technology. In this special issue, we aim to turn a spotlight to this phenomenon.
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