Fundamentals of edupreneurship

Entrepreneurship means many things to many people. The biggest misconception is that entrepreneurship refers, exclusively, to starting businesses. In fact, if we use the definition that entrepreneurship is the pursuit of opportunity with scarce or uncontrolled resources with the goal of creating user defined value through the deployment of innovation using a VAST business model then it means much more. In fact, there are many ways to innovate and create user defined value, whether it be in sick care or education, other than taking care of patients, starting a business or teaching students.

The conventional wisdom is evident in articles like this one that talks about how institutions of higher learning can help targeted segments start businesses. Instead, they should be talking about how to create entrepreneurial universities and medical schools.

The missing link in all of this is that we don't recruit, develop, and promote edupreneurs- faculty-technologists/social activists acting like entrepreneurs in their schools who are trying to create student and other stakeholder defined value through the deployment of innovative, value creating educational technologies, structure, process and outcomes.

Here is what the academic intrapreneur dossier looks like and what would appear in an updated teaching portfolio when it's time to be considered for promotion and tenure.

Here are some questions academic medical faculty should be asking themselves.

Edupreneurship rests on several foundational principles:

1. Having an entrepreneurial mindset
2. Intra- and entrepreneurial knowledge, skills, abilities and competencies
3. Design thinking focused on creating stakeholder and beneficiary defined outcomes
4. A systems engineering approach to solving wicked problems, like how to fix outcomes disparities and their social determinants
5. A different business model
6. More respect for and attention to edupreneurial champions
7. Better teacher education and training
8. An incentive and reward system for not just tweaking a failed system , but rather, making it obsolete given the basic structural changes in the US economy
9. Eliminating unnecessary and burdensome bureaucracy, credentialing that does not add value and administrivia
10. Paying more attention to and measuring student defined outcomes
11. Better public-private integration
12. K-20 integration and alignment

13. Teaching students what they need to win the 4th industrial revolution

14. Embracing cradle to career integration

15. Creating a competent diverse and equitable talent pipeline

16.Using new and improving information and communications technologies to teach and learn.

17. Artificial intelligence is transforming education.

18. Using the right teachers, technology (AI and VR), and techniques to improve learning e.g. case-based and project-based learning

19. Leading edupreneurial change

Other types of edupreneurs, in addition to faculty, are educational technology entrepreneurs, foundations and funders of educational technologies, work force agencies and those in the government sector experimenting with college to career and retraining models and those offering support for at risk and vulnerable student populations.

The challenges facing education reform are like those of sick care reform:

1. Highly vested, well healed interests

2. Highly resistance to change

3. Tribal mentality?

4. Issues are quality, cost, access and experience?

5. Lack of equity, diversity, and inclusion

6. Intense oversight by third parties

7. Hot button issues

8. Antiquated business models dating back over 100 years

9. Inadequate quality and quantity of workforce pipeline

10. Smoke stacked innovation ecosystems

11. Social determinants impact both

12. Sick students have difficulty with academic achievement. Underperforming students make poor patients.

It is important to state that despite the huge benefits offered by the adoption of technology and the adaptations that enabled continuous teaching with optimal results during the COVID-19 lockdown as discussed, there were a number of limitations these teachers of anatomy identified.

Cadaveric dissection gives students a real?time learning experience and helps them develop surgical skills at a very early stage, whereas virtual cadavers provide realistic visualization of 3D anatomical details. Learning anatomy with virtual dissection is unrealistic. The feel of touching the cadaver, incise the skin, and looking into the natural complexities of the body cannot be simulated perfectly. So, these newer technologies can be used as an add on to visualize the anatomy of complex structures, such as middle ear cavity or ethmoidal air sinuses for the improvement of fine motor skills in a stress?free environment.

Although, Cadaveric simulation has been proven to be useful in content delivery but to improve surgical skills among post graduate trainees practicing on cadavers is unparalleled.

Cost (buying and maintenance) associated with all these newer modalities is too high, not all medical schools can afford.

Most of the faculty are not well accustomed to these newer educational tools, thus pedagogic training for faculty is strongly recommended across the globe

Inequality of access to online technology: Despite many online modalities or software programs available for students to use, they can often be expensive. Not every student can afford or has exclusive access to a device suitable for remote learning. In country like India, where most of the students belong to rural and suburban, the nonavailability of reliable Internet connection makes the situation worse.

Performance anxiety due to lack of confidence: Anatomy education simply providing an online atlas is unlikely to give students an appreciation for the fabric of the human body. While these might not absolutely stop teaching and learning activities, it would become important specifically to address them to specifically address their implications and mitigate their effects.

Here is how iCorps can be used to help edupreneurs . Here are some other experiments in edupreneurship.

How can Coursera continuously improve its GenAI-enabled offerings to stay competitive as the technology evolves?

Edupreneurs are a neglected pool of talent who are being stifled, ignored, and buried by an industry highly resistant to change. Since talent goes where it is treated best, the result will be a death spiral, and students will be the victims.

Arlen Meyers, MD, MBA is the President and CEO of the Society of Physician Entrepreneurs on Substack and Editor of Digital Health Entrepreneurship