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Abstract: The need for entrepreneurial mindset, skills and creativity in the future work-life will require the renewal of pedagogical methods used. The studio based learning is one of the promising pedagogical methods enabling this change. The LAB studio model, pre-incubator style studio education in Oulu University of Applied Sciences in Finland, develops connections between work-life based problems and the recognition and development of the related business prototypes and start-up companies. Projects, based on the given problems are medium for educating self-aware future professionals, who will gain skills and attitude to work in interdisciplinary teams with entrepreneurial mindset. This article is a study by a literature review of the recent higher education practices utilising studio model as pedagogical method in variety of disciplines. The study will identify the common elements of entrepreneurship education and studio model practices described in the literature. The findings of the study indicate that entrepreneurship as a concept is not sufficiently addressed in the studio model literature; several similarities in the pedagogical principles between the LAB studio model and other studio models; and that LAB studio model has several unique practices compared to other studio model educations.
Keywords: studio based learning, studio model education, lab studio model, higher education, activity system model, entrepreneurship education
1. Introduction
The current economical decline in Europe causing the increased unemployment rate has challenged also the higher education institutions to renew their offering. One solution to overcome this societal problem is to increase and develop the entrepreneurship education offering in the universities. In Finland, Oulu University of Applied Sciences has responded and taken the initiative to develop the LAB Studio Model (LSM) for the need. LSM is grounded on the studio based learning as a pedagogical solution and is among other targets educating entrepreneurial skills in a small company like environment. Traditionally learning studios have been used to educate disciplinary skills for professional areas, such as architecture, design and software engineering. Since LSM has a significant focus on new business development, this article is a study of entrepreneurship education aspects within the educational settings utilising the studio based pedagogics. In addition the research of entrepreneurship education has shown the requirement of aligning the used methods and pedagogical solutions with the entrepreneurship phenomena, since the traditional...