Strategies of expert teachers for teaching identification of business opportunities

Abstract

The process of opportunity identification is under-emphasized in higher education; and there is a need for validated educational strategies to foster this competence in science students. In a previous study, three strategies were elaborated and evaluated in the classroom: stimulating the use of idea generation techniques, stimulating the conceptualization and evaluation of business opportunities, and promoting the transfer of knowledge and skills in opportunity identification. The focus of this validation study is on whether expert teachers use these strategies in teaching, which sub-strategies they use and whether they use additional strategies with the same objective. It was found that expert teachers frequently applied the previously reported strategies feasibly and effectively and reported various sub-strategies. Moreover, they described three additional strategies: selecting students for an elective by assessing their business idea, providing time for incubation of the business opportunity and challenging students to abandon routine problem-solving patterns.