Track: Entrepreneurship and Innovation

Abstract

Fostering entrepreneurial mindset and opportunity recognition have always been essence in entrepreneurship education. Many contextual, environmental, social, personal  and psychological factors have been studied in entrepreneurship research to understand antecedents of opportunity recognition. To date although studies on digitalization in academic entrepreneurship as antecedents of opportunity recognition are a new growing stream of research many of these studies are still undertheorized or need a robust theoretical background.  The paper provides a literature review on digital learning tools and technologies in entrepreneurship education research and contributes to academic entrepreneurship literature through incorporating theoretical framework suggestions.  Scopus is used to extract research studies by entering the key work digitalization, digital infrastructure and academic entrepreneurship to identify innovative digital technologies used in entrepreneurship education. The study aims to understand theoretically how such digital technologies cultivate intellectual capital and entrepreneurial mindset in facilitating opportunities in academia. Building upon a multidisciplinary theoretical approach the paper intends to provide  a conceptual theoretical framework on how innovative digital learning methods provide an effective learning platform in cultivating entrepreneurial mindset. Grounded on various cognitive theories, entrepreneurship theory and economy theory the paper aims to theoretically address how digital platforms and digital infrastructures contribute to opportunity recognition in academic entrepreneurship. The conceptual framework has also implications for cognitive processes, emotional intelligence, self-efficacy and creativity. Suggestions are provided for future avenues of research in entrepreneurship education and curricula.