Gender Equality in Digital Entrepreneurship Erasmus Project

Project Title

Gender Equality in Digital Entrepreneurship

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for higher education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2016

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; ICT – new technologies – digital competences; Gender equality / equal opportunities

Project Summary

Context / background of the project:
‘Gender Equality in Digital Entrepreneurship’ is a cross-country strategic partnership focusing on the issue of digital entrepreneurship and gender equality in a European context. This partnership is based on a key objective of the Erasmus+ programme, which aims at promoting equality and development of female entrepreneurs. The EQUALdigitalent project contributes to gender mainstreaming by developing a gender-sensitive master level curriculum in digital entrepreneurship delivering all elements according to the Bologna Reform.
To stimulate entrepreneurship and innovation the European Commission innovative entrepreneurial programmes need to be developed. In line with a newly defined master programme ”Gender Equality in Digital Entrepreneurship” at three partner institutions in Liechtenstein, Austria, and Germany, four different learning courses have been drafted, developed, tested, and evaluated. For each course different teaching methods were combined with distinct gender and diversity approaches. Results of a four-step learning evaluation process are provided, while improvement opportunities and learnings are derived.

Objectives:
1) Develop a strong international cooperation between all partner organisations for the promotion of gender equality in the digital economy;
2) Deliver a fully engendered master curriculum for digital entrepreneurship;
3) Contribute recommendations on single modules for electives in established master programs and further educational programs that serve to empower women and offer firms and public organizations opportunities to learn and improve their ways in fostering gender diversity in design, implementation and use of ICT and digital services.

Number and profile of participating organizations:
Lead Partner: University Liechtenstein: an internationally recognized top-rated university, with teaching and research being closely interlinked.
• top-rated owing to its close connection between study
• Berlin School of Economics and Law (HWR), a leading business school and most distinguished academic institution for business studies and post-graduate management education in German
• Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU), EU’s largest educational institution for business and economics, business law, and social sciences
• Catholic Social Academy of Austra (KSOE), practice research, education and training organization in the fields of social analysis, political adult education and organizational development.
Description of undertaken main activities:

The intellectual outputs of this project were:
• 01: Program design for a gender mainstreamed master curriculum in digital entrepreneurship
• 02: Program course material (both physical and virtual)
• 03: Critical module test run as elective and further educational modules in established channels
• 04: Evaluation report on key modules intertwining gender and theoretical contents
• 05: Dissemination of results

Project results and impact attained:
Gender-sensitive education is of paramount importance in ensuring that digital goods and services are designed to meet the specific needs and gender preferences of both women and men, so that women and men are equally represented in the digital economy.
Gender mainstreamed teaching of theoretical and practical contents in critical disciplines of entrepreneurship, information systems and digital business management has been elaborated with real world experience and test regarding learning objectives, teaching contents, course material and didactical approach.
• Program design of a gender-sensitive, interdisciplinary master’s program “Gender Equality in Digital Entrepreneurship”, incl. selected course materials
• Didactic guidelines for gender-sensitive teaching
• Evaluation and improvement of the tested modules
• Dissemination activities such as conference contributions, workshops and publications

Overall impact was assured through:
1) Raised quality of education through the use of learning analytics and learning semantics.
2) Supported open learning environments and opportunities to innovate for organisations, teachers and learners.
3) Increased open educational resources and provided opportunities to use open knowledge for better quality and access.
4) Connected and innovated through partnerships for infrastructures, new products, services, interoperability.
5) Promoted innovative collaborative teaching and learning.
6) Opened up (virtual or physical) infrastructures of education and training institutions to adult learning and provision of modular certified learning opportunities
7) Improved quality and relevance of higher education to make it more diversified, responsive and competitive
8) Supported transnational cooperation focusing on emerging issues.

Potential long-term benefit:
1) Sustainability and maintenance of project results and impact through website and other project outputs and resources.
2) Development of new partnerships an

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 281941 Eur

Project Coordinator

UNIVERSITAT LIECHTENSTEIN & Country: LI

Project Partners

• WIRTSCHAFTSUNIVERSITAT WIEN
• Katholische Sozialakademie Österreichs
• HOCHSCHULE FUR WIRTSCHAFT UND RECHT BERLIN