Design and evaluate a digital entrepreneurial skills training program for business students

Thesis Abstract

The increasing demand for entrepreneurial competencies among business students necessitates innovative approaches to skills development, particularly in integrating digital tools and resources within entrepreneurial training programs. Although traditional entrepreneurial education offers foundational knowledge, there remains a significant gap in equipping students with practical digital skills essential for contemporary venture creation and management. This study aims to design, implement, and evaluate a comprehensive digital entrepreneurial skills training program tailored for undergraduate business students, with the overarching objective of enhancing their digital literacy, creativity, and venture management abilities. Specific objectives include assessing students' baseline digital entrepreneurial competencies, developing a modular training curriculum grounded in the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Self-Determination Theory (SDT), and evaluating the program’s impact through both quantitative and qualitative measures. The research adopts a mixed-methods approach, combining a quasi-experimental design with pre-and post-intervention surveys complemented by focus group discussions. The population comprises 200 final-year undergraduate business students from a major university, with a purposive sampling technique employed to select 120 participants for the experimental and control groups, ensuring comparable demographic characteristics. Data collection instruments include a validated Digital Entrepreneurial Skills Questionnaire (DESQ) and semi-structured interview guides, with the DESQ demonstrating high internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha > 0.85). Ethical considerations encompass obtaining informed consent, ensuring anonymity, and securing approval from the university's ethics review board. Quantitative data will be analyzed using descriptive statistics, paired t-tests, and multivariate regression analysis to determine changes in digital entrepreneurial competencies and predictors of skill acquisition. Thematic analysis will be applied to qualitative data from focus groups to explore participants’ perceptions, challenges, and contextual factors influencing learning outcomes. The study hypothesizes that students undergoing the digital entrepreneurial skills training will demonstrate statistically significant improvements in digital literacy, innovative thinking, and venture planning capabilities relative to the control group, with regression analysis identifying key predictors of skill enhancement. Furthermore, thematic analysis is expected to reveal motivational factors, barriers to digital engagement, and perceptions of the training program's relevance and usability. It is anticipated that the findings will contribute to the body of knowledge by providing empirical evidence on the effectiveness of structured digital skills interventions within entrepreneurial education, supporting the theoretical propositions of TAM and SDT in technology adoption and motivation contexts. The study aims to bridge the gap between traditional entrepreneurial curricula and the digital demands of modern enterprise environments, offering a replicable model for integrating technology-driven skill development across higher education institutions. The expected results will inform policymakers, educators, and curriculum designers on best practices for embedding digital entrepreneurship competencies into undergraduate programs. In conclusion, the study underscores the importance of targeted digital skills training in fostering innovative, digitally literate entrepreneurs capable of leveraging emerging technologies for business creation and growth. It advocates for the institutional integration of such programs as a strategic priority to enhance students’ readiness for the digital economy. Based on the findings, recommendations will include curriculum enhancements, investment in digital infrastructure, faculty development, and the development of continuous learning modules to sustain entrepreneurial digital engagement. Future research directions suggest longitudinal studies to assess long-term entrepreneurial success post-training and comparative analyses across different educational contexts to generalize the program’s efficacy.