Graduate Entrepreneur Training by Design (GET by Design): An Innovative and Self-Directed Approach to Instructional Design and Development

摘要

An innovation is a bottom-up or grassroots approach of implementing changes to conventional processes. This paper discusses the innovation of teaching, learning and research implemented in a higher institution in Malaysia. The project, Graduate Entrepreneurship Training by Design (GET by Design) was mooted to meet the challenge placed by the Ministry of Higher Education; to have graduates learn skills towards self-employment or in the industry, whereby the core skill to be developed is self-directedness towards lifelong learning. The design concept of GET by Design was a “design within design”, where 14 graduate students who enrolled in the Instructional Design and Development Course learn instructional design; through designing a pilot training of graduate entrepreneurs for their client. A design and development research approach framed the design decisions, implementation and evaluation. Findings from observation, interview and content analysis and supported by literature reveals that when teaching, learning and research are viewed as an integrated component in innovation, students gain important insights in knowledge, skills and attitude.