E-Learning Support for New Product Development Students Teams

The purpose of the paper is to present a case study about the use of E-learning platforms to support entrepreneurship spirit and form initiatives among students for new products development. The secondary objective of this research is to present a comparative analysis based on some common criteria such as given functionalities, technical characteristics, quality of graphical interface, of the main platforms which promote the concept of new product development (NPD) by offering their users access to free information about the steps of the product development process. Design/methodology/approach: The paper used bibliographic research and comparative analysis of the NPD platforms. The methodology also included a quantitative research which examined the ways in which the main entrepreneurial preoccupations of the students at Politehnica University of Bucharest are being directed towards the development of industrial products and services. The target group for this analysis consisted in more than 139 students (the majority having less than 25 years old) from Politehnica University of Bucharest. Findings: This study compares the available chosen NPD platforms based on pre-defined criteria and concludes on their most important and helpful characteristics. Also, the findings of the field research detail the use of E-learning platforms to support the entrepreneurship spirit of the students of Politehnica University of Bucharest. Research/practical implications: This research provides a significant contribution to the future development of a didactic product development platform which will support the teaching/learning process of the students at one of the largest technical university in Romania - Politehnica University of Bucharest. The didactic NPD platform will support the self-learning process of students and will provide its users with access to quality information and advice regarding the product development process, also promoting innovation, research and development-oriented entrepreneurship. Originality/value: The added value of the present research is twofold: it provides an up-to-date comparison and analysis of some of the online platforms dedicated to the new products development and emphasizes the perceptions and challenges of students having entrepreneurial preoccupations regarding the use of online platforms on NPD.