Faculty publishes article on the impact of COVID-19

A University of North Georgia (UNG) faculty member and a retired faculty member have published an article in the journal Entrepreneurship Education and Pedagogy.

Dr Mariangela Vecchiarini-Piazzaassistant professor of management and entrepreneurship at the University Mike Cottrell College of Businessand Dr. Ruben Boling, recently retired UNG director Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovationjoined two authors from Emporia State University on “Experiential learning in an online environment: How entrepreneurship education has changed during the COVID-19 pandemic.” Vecchiarini-Piazza was the main author.

The article explores how faculty have responded to the challenges of adjusting a largely experiential education model in light of COVID-19. One of the major changes maintained by educators, according to Vecchiarini-Piazza, was inviting guest speakers in an online format. This opens up a much wider range of speakers for universities.

Whether that means hosting online pitch competitions, creating opportunities for virtual engagement with the local business community, or finding ways to facilitate group work and foster creativity while students online create their business plans, entrepreneurship teachers have introduced new teaching practices that have had a major impact on entrepreneurship education.

“Our study aims to guide future research and education efforts, filling gaps in the literature and providing insight into the future of entrepreneurship education,” said Vecchiarini-Piazza. “We discuss the impact of the sudden shift to online learning on entrepreneurship pedagogy, innovative strategies employed by educators to engage students, and lasting changes in the field.”