Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to develop knowledge about the nature of student assessment practice in entrepreneurship education.Design/methodology/approach: This paper introduces general assessment practice issues and highlights key considerations. It explains prior research on assessment practice in entrepreneurship education and argues that there is too little empirical research on the subject. Finally, it outlines a typology of entrepreneurship education that highlights variation between different: forms; learning outcomes; subjects; and, possible methods of assessment practice. The methodology for the study gathers data from course outlines (syllabi) and explains how these were collected and analysed.Findings: The results show that educational practice in entrepreneurship education continues to be dominated by the “About” form and highlight that there are different cultures of assessment practice in the UK and the USA. The paper finds compelling evidence that different forms are using assessment in different ways.Research limitations/implications: This paper identifies that there have been few studies exploring assessment practice in entrepreneurship education and argues that further research is required in this area. It also highlights a need for a focus on assessment practice in disciplines beyond the business school. The work demonstrates that further research could explore other stakeholders in the assessment process and seek to understand how these external assessors affect student learning.Practical implications: In conclusion, the paper highlights that assessment generally needs to become more innovative, more reflective in nature and include more stakeholders in the process.Originality/value: Understanding is enhanced because the paper explores what entrepreneurship educators actually “do” when they assess entrepreneurship education and, therefore, the research moves beyond prescriptive accounts and provides a detailed understanding of actual practice.

This article focuses on the role of student entrepreneurship clubs and societies. It explores their impact on student learning in order to understand the extent to which such activities simulate entrepreneurial learning. The article reports three studies conducted between 2006— 2007, which explored three different forms of clubs: entrepreneurship clubs; SIFE (Students In Free Enterprise) teams; and investment clubs. Data from 10 unstructured interviews, a series of telephone interviews and an e-mail postcard are reported. The results show that students’ motivations for engaging in clubs vary and that they differ between different types of clubs. In terms of entrepreneurial learning students’ engagement in clubs and societies provides enhanced opportunities for ‘learning by doing’ through action and experience. The data show that increased action leads to reflective practice and that social learning is important. The article highlights the capacity of entrepreneurship education to simulate entrepreneurial learning, illustrating the value of entrepreneurship clubs and societies and explaining why students engage in them.

This paper explains Dr Jason Cope's work on entrepreneurial learning, and illustrates his approach and how it can be applied to deepen understanding of, and practice in, entrepreneurship education. It begins with a biography of Cope, which summarizes his academic life and offers a timeline for his publications. This paper then explores his philosophical position, before dividing his research into three main phases. In the first, it examines and explains his early work into experiential learning; reflective learning; learning from crises and the role social influences play in entrepreneurial learning. In the second, developments stemming from his PhD are explored. Here, ideas in relation to entrepreneurial learning and the links he makes to transformative learning and double-loop learning are discussed. Finally, in the third part, Cope's entrepreneurial learning framework is explained and key contributing concepts are introduced. This part examines how Cope's theoretical framework was used to undertake research and subsequently to explain how entrepreneurs learn from failure. In the final sections of this paper, the practical implications of his contribution to entrepreneurship education are presented, in the contexts both of higher education and of the development of students, and then for entrepreneurs themselves.