Combining technology and entrepreneurial education through design thinking: Students' reflections on the learning process

There has been a growing call to educate scientists and engineers in entrepreneurship. However, how entrepreneurship should be taught to these students is a question that scholars and practitioners are still intrigued with. Design thinking has been put forward as a pedagogy that could be particularly suitable when introducing entrepreneurship to science and engineering students. Empirical evidence to support this claim are scarce. This study therefore seeks to enhance our understanding of this issue through an exploratory case study of students' reflections during and after participation in a course that uses design thinking to teach entrepreneurial skills through a technologically challenging case. The findings indicate that the course constituted a major challenge for the students, but also an opportunity for developing both tangential skills and knowledge about the commercialization of technology. Further, there is evidence of transformational learning as students began to apply design thinking in real-life beyond the context of the course. •This article focusses on understanding how students perceive design thinking as a teaching methodology.•This article is an exploratory case study where student reflections form the main basis of analysis.•Design thinking assists students develop tangential skills, such as team work, communication and to thrive in ambiguity.•There is evidence that transformational learning is occurring in the course.•Design thinking is one experiential learning methodology useful for teaching students about commercializing technology.