INNOVATION & INITIATIVE
This was precisely the question addressed by the Erasmus+ project, EICAA (Entrepreneurial and Intrapreneurial Competences Assessment Alliance). Over a period of three years, an international team developed a free, accessible platform providing concrete answers and practical tools for this purpose. The MCI project team played a key role in this, with
- FH-Prof. Priv.-Doz. MMag. Dr. Anita Zehrer
- FH-Prof. Mag. Desiree Wieser, PhD
- FH-Prof. Mag. Gundula Glowka, PhD und
- Christine Pirhofer.
EICAA was initiated by the EU Commission's observation that entrepreneurial skills such as recognising opportunities, critical thinking, and dealing with uncertainty are key competencies that are often insufficiently embedded in curricula.
The European competence framework EntreComp[1] served as a reference framework for the project. EICAA built on this, supplementing it with additional entrepreneurial skills. The result is the EICAA Competence Framework, which formed the theoretical basis for the EICAA platform. This online platform consists of two elements:
The EICAA Competence Monitor, a self-assessment tool that measures entrepreneurial and intrapreneurial competencies. Based on a rubric system and an evaluation matrix, the results are evaluated and presented in the form of clear competence profiles. These reveal the areas in which respondents already have strengths and where there is potential for development. The EICAA Competence Development Kit (CDK) comprises teaching and training modules on 19 entrepreneurial competencies, each at three levels.
The EICAA Competence Monitor, a self-assessment tool that measures entrepreneurial and intrapreneurial competencies. Based on a rubric system and an evaluation matrix, the results are evaluated and presented in the form of clear competence profiles. These reveal the areas in which respondents already have strengths and where there is potential for development.
The EICAA Competence Development Kit (CDK) comprises teaching and training modules on 19 entrepreneurial competencies, each at three levels.
The particular added value of the EICAA platform lies in the close integration between the self-assessment and the CDK, as well as the flexible use of the modules. Based on their competence profile, learners receive recommendations for suitable modules, which they can work on directly. In addition to individual use, EICAA can be used strategically in university teaching to refine learning content and for (re)accreditation purposes, e.g. as an AOL action item. It can also be used in companies for personnel development.
At MCI, the EICAA platform was trialled in degree programmes and formats in 2023. The competency profiles made entrepreneurial skills at MCI visible and supported further curricular development on a data-based basis.
EICAA gives us at MCI the chance to systematically and data-based promote entrepreneurial skills:
- Lecturers receive an easily integrated tool that can be incorporated into existing curricula, - as well as detailed competence profiles of student groups, and - a wide range of teaching and learning materials to support course design.
- Lecturers receive an easily integrated tool that can be incorporated into existing curricula,
- as well as detailed competence profiles of student groups, and
- a wide range of teaching and learning materials to support course design.
[1] The European Competence Framework for Entrepreneurship (EntreComp), developed in 2016, aims to strengthen the entrepreneurial capacity of citizens and organisations in Europe. It establishes a shared understanding of the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary for entrepreneurial action, emphasising that entrepreneurship is a fundamental competence applicable throughout life, from education to professional settings and civil society. Entrepreneurship is not just about starting and running a business; it is also about entrepreneurial thinking and acting. This involves recognising opportunities, having a vision, thinking ethically and sustainably, valuing ideas, and having motivation and perseverance.
On 20 October, ALFA Labs brought together experts in higher education, teaching and technology for an online panel discussion entitled 'A New Era of Learning. AI in Higher Education is Here to Stay'. Moderated by Prof. Dr. Claudia Mössenlechner, Higher Education Expert (MCI), the panelists - Diane Freiberger, Managing Director (FIBAA), Prof. Dr. Peter Mirski, CDO (MCI) and Prof. Dr. Markus Frischhut, Professor (MCI) - discussed how artificial intelligence will change universities.
It became clear that AI is impacting the entire value chain, from applications and admissions to teaching and learning processes, examinations and quality assurance. Competence orientation is becoming a guiding principle. Micro-credentials are gaining importance as building blocks for lifelong learning, complementing traditional qualifications.
A second focus was on responsibility and governance. Universities must integrate ethics, values, and legal frameworks such as the EU AI Act, while also promoting transparency, fairness, and critical thinking. This requires secure data infrastructures and reliable technical services. Institutionally bundled, controlled and quality-assured AI systems are central to ensuring data protection, ethical use and transparency.
Curious? Further information on the topic and the AlfaLabs project can be found here.
MCI addresses the need for an internal AI system by introducing Academic AI: a secure, data protection-compliant AI system for employees and lecturers to support teaching, research and administration. With its various modules, Academic AI offers solutions for a wide range of application scenarios. These include a general chatbot, a document analysis tool for summarising and extracting content from text documents, and an AI lab for the secure testing of AI functions. Recently, an image generator and a translation tool have also been integrated into Academic AI.
With the individually created Tailored AI feature in Academic AI, you can easily develop reusable templates for your own teaching activities, such as personal chatbots for efficient course planning. Such Tailored AI can help, for example, to …
- structure learning objectives into clear modules,
- suggesting suitable teaching methods based on constructive alignment
- and designing exam scenarios based on the content.
Particularly helpful: Tailored AI can be set up to fit institutional framework conditions. Syllabuses, didactic guidelines and AOL goals can be stored as references. This means that MCI standards are automatically incorporated into every teaching plan.
Specific implementation tips will be provided in the training course, 'AI-supported Didactics in Face-to-Face Teaching – Is That Even Possible?', on 26 January 2025. You can register via the MCI Designer.
LEARNING & COMMUNITY CORNER
What is the best way to make the start of the first semester both engaging and contemporary? FH Prof. Dr Thomas Stöckl, programme director of the Bachelor's programme in Business & Management and a full-time lecturer, worked with his team to develop an Actionbound to familiarise students with the various MCI locations and service departments in a playful way at the start of their studies. In this interview, he reflects on his experiences using the tool and considers its opportunities and potential pitfalls, demonstrating how innovative EdTech approaches can enrich teaching.
Thomas, what motivated you to integrate an Actionbound into the introductory event for your Bachelor's programme?
For many years, I have been using a map to encourage freshman students to explore the various MCI locations independently during their first week. To this day, I cannot say whether this request was actually implemented or simply taken as a light-hearted suggestion. A change in the curriculum has now given us the opportunity to incorporate this familiarisation exercise into our introductory event in the form of a scavenger hunt (or Actionbound).
What specific goals did you have in mind for the ‘MCI Treasure Hunt’?
We have several goals in mind with the Actionbound. Students get to know the individual locations, as well as the infrastructure and services that will be important to them during their studies, in a playful way. At the same time, they experience a joint challenge outside the classroom and get to know each other better. We also mixed students from different groups deliberately, in the hope of promoting more efficient cross-group communication and cooperation in their future studies.
How did you design and create the Bound?
First, we looked at existing Bounds that had already been carried out at MCI. Magdalena Laner, Janina Platt and I then started developing tasks for the individual locations. Meanwhile, Katharina Matschl from the Learning Solutions team introduced us to the software's features and capabilities. After receiving some initial support from her, we soon became largely independent in our use of the highly intuitive software, enabling us to implement ideas and new tasks accordingly. As we now know, creating the tasks required more work than implementing them in the software.
Were you able to achieve your goals with the Bound?
The first implementation was very exciting for us. Despite all the testing, you can never be sure what problems will arise and whether you will be able to fix them. Ultimately, however, everything went smoothly, and the students returned to the seminar room within the allotted time (of course, to sign the attendance list). The feedback was very positive, although some students commented on the long and arduous climb to MCI III.
Following the successful initial implementation in the BA Business & Management programme, other degree programmes now have the opportunity to use Bound as a basis for their own developments. Is there anything else you would like to share with your colleagues in this regard?
I can only emphasise that the tool is easy to use and worth trying. Of course, adjustments will be necessary to meet the requirements of a different degree programme, as well as any different objectives. In addition to the documentation, we would be happy to share our experiences of the administrative implementation in a personal exchange. As well as its use in courses, it could be interesting to explore other possibilities for using the tool, e.g. in the onboarding process.
Thank you very much, Thomas, for your contribution to this newsletter, for taking the time to answer our questions and for your excellent cooperation in developing the Actionbound! If you are interested in the 'MCI Treasure Hunt' or Actionbound in general, Katharina Matschl will be happy to advise you and looks forward to receiving your emails.
Dear MCI community, we wish you all a peaceful holiday season, a good start to the new year, and people by your side who give you soap bubbles with an exclamation mark. (More on this in the fold-out conclusion 😊)
Mrs Hope reads the newspaper – a short story
Every morning, Mrs Hope picks up the newspaper from her doormat. Mr Doubt, her neighbour, has been leaving it there unsolicited for years. ‘You never travel,’ she likes to tease him. She prefers not to tell him that she herself is sometimes too lazy to go to the newsagent's. ‘When does he find the time to read all that?’ she wonders, opening the newspaper in her armchair in front of the window. Outside, sparrows squabble in bare branches, the sun struggles with the clouds. It looks like snow – and Mrs Hope sinks into her reading. With his usual care, Mr Zweifel has drawn exclamation marks next to the articles. They get thicker and thicker over time. More and more. ‘As if I could overlook the bad news!’ sighs Mrs Hope: ‘I'm not blind!’ She is often at a loss. ‘I was so confident,’ she had recently said to Mr Doubt while playing cards: ‘That the future will be better, at least on the right track, that ...’ Mr Doubt had just nodded and played his next trump card. Mrs Hope reads. The language seems harsh. Everything is black or white. Right or wrong. Not just the newspaper. The other day in the stairwell, she had overheard a discussion. Sentences she couldn't let go. For the first time in a long time, she had raised her voice, had contradicted – but it had taken a lot of strength. Something at the window makes her look up. At first she thinks they are snowflakes. Then she realises: they are soap bubbles. More and more float by. The wind changes their shape, the sun reflects the sky in them. More burst against the window pane. It's as if they're knocking. Mrs Hope opens the window. A fresh breeze blows into the room. She sees the children on the playground. They tirelessly blow soap bubbles into the air as if they want to fill the whole world with them. The fact that most of them burst doesn't stop them. In the evening, Mrs Hope paints a big exclamation mark on a label, sticks it on a box of soap bubbles and places it on Mr Doubt's doormat. He will find it silly. But maybe – just maybe – he will blow one anyway. The thought makes her laugh quietly. (Oliver Spies: Frau Hoffnung liest Zeitung, in: Der Andere Advent 2025/26)
Merry Christmas and all the best for the New Year! May you always have a few bubbles ready for life’s windy moments.🤍
Contact us under: learningsolutions@mci.eduHere is our website: https://www.mci.edu/en/university/the-mci/innovative-teaching
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