Naturally, all the universities investigated – being education and research institutions - live knowledge entrepreneurship to a certain degree. However, it is equally normal that, given that knowledge entrepreneurship as a normative paradigm is a concept developed in this research and not as an established paradigm in its own right, neither do (nor can) any of the institutions embody the concept fully. Allow me therefore in this section to use some ‘best of breed’ examples, identified during the research project, to support some of the conclusions and claims made within the paper.

The following examples were chosen to represent the variety of opportunities pursued by knowledge entrepreneurship and because they make extensive use of the internet. In the following paragraphs, a best of breed example for the following aspects is given: research practices (Internet Governance), teaching & learning practices (MIT’s Open Educational Courseware, Collaborative learning), as well as for an improvement in knowledge systems.

5.1.1.1. Contribution of Knowledge Assets as Public Goods
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), is evaluated to be the worlds most advanced university when it comes to web usage (Webometrics, 2006) and has a name for being a vanguard of establishing the 21st century idea of the university. In 2001, the MIT decided to pursue the opportunity of Open Educational Resources (OER) through its Open CourseWare [i] (OCW). Following an internal discourse and driven by the initiative of knowledge entrepreneurship, the MIT decided to take the risk of possibly losing students because they will enrol somewhere externally whilst benefiting from MIT’s materials. There was also the likely occurrence that MIT’s materials would be copied and used in other institutions. MIT’s leadership decided to take these risks for two very different reasons. First, it is the university’s top mandate to spread knowledge, and secondly, because it was foreseen that the marketing effect from people all over the world accessing and using MIT’s material would contribute greatly to MIT’s reputation. Despite the possible criticism that the latter was more important than the university’s moral obligation to spread knowledge, the practice can still be considered as predominantly positive and knowledge entrepreneurial because of the dissemination of knowledge assets as a public good.

-----------------------

[i] The OCW is a digital archive where MIT scholars can publish materials like course outlines, assignments, readings, recorded lectures or whatever they develop digitally, using an open license, which allows others to base their work – e.g. translations, or further developments, on the material.

Users' Comments (0)

Add your comment