Abstract:
Purpose – The development of teaching methods in the field of entrepreneurship education is a challenge for
academics to achieve “real active learning.” This paper aims to investigate the effectiveness of learning
experience through internship program at start-ups. This paper examines the benefits and challenges from
stakeholders’ experiences and perspectives (business students, start-ups and universities). The authors focus
on the entrepreneurial values obtained by exploring start-up processes, culture and work environments.
Design/methodology/approach – This study uses qualitative research with a case study approach by
applying experiential learning. The objects of this research are students of the School of Business and
Management and start-ups in Indonesia. This study divides the pilot program of internship at start-ups into
three stages, designing process, execution and evaluation. The analysis technique uses an interpretive
approach from interviews and observations of internships based on experiential learning.
Findings – The results showed that the internship program at start-ups in this study has benefits for all major
stakeholders, especially students. The results of student learning experiences show that start-ups’
characteristics such as a creative work environment, egalitarian work culture and dynamic workflow
flexibility can increase their professional and moral values.
Research limitations/implications – This study has several limitations, including the internship program
designed in this study, which is still raw and has several shortcomings. Time series in testing experiential
learning is another limitation. For further study, it is necessary to conduct longitudinal research to measure the
effectiveness of the start-ups’ internship program.
Originality/value – This study provides new insights on experiential learning in developing an internship
program at a start-up as an effort to increase entrepreneurial value for business students. This study highlights
the possibility that an internship program at a start-up will have an impact on students’ entrepreneurial values
and competencies.
