Bridging The Theory–Practice Gap in Entrepreneurial Learning: An Experiential Learning Framework for Higher Education

Entrepreneurship education has gained considerable importance within higher education institutions as universities increasingly aim to cultivate innovation, opportunity recognition, and venture creation skills among students. Over the past two decades, entrepreneurship courses and programs have expanded rapidly across academic disciplines. Despite this growth, scholars continue to debate the effectiveness of current pedagogical approaches used to teach entrepreneurial competencies. Many entrepreneurship courses still rely heavily on traditional lecture-based instruction, which may not adequately reflect the uncertain, experiential, and practice-oriented nature of entrepreneurial activity (Neck & Greene, 2011). Consequently, there is a growing call for more innovative teaching approaches that combine experiential learning with digital tools and real-world engagement. This study examines the existing literature on entrepreneurial learning and teaching in higher education in order to identify major pedagogical challenges and emerging opportunities. A systematic review of academic publications produced between 2005 and 2025 was conducted to explore how entrepreneurship education has evolved and to identify persistent gaps in teaching practices. The review indicates several key issues, including an overreliance on theoretical instruction, lack of consensus regarding effective teaching methodologies, insufficient integration of digital technologies, and limited mechanisms for evaluating long-term entrepreneurial outcomes (Fayolle & Gailly, 2015; Nabi et al., 2017). Based on these findings, the paper proposes a conceptual framework that integrates experiential learning strategies, digital learning platforms, and collaboration with entrepreneurial ecosystems such as industry mentors, incubators, and startup networks. This integrated approach aims to strengthen students’ practical entrepreneurial capabilities while aligning entrepreneurship education with contemporary technological and economic developments. The study contributes to the expanding body of research on entrepreneurship education by offering a structured model that can support curriculum innovation, institutional policy development, and future empirical research within higher education.