Integrating AI-driven Business Simulations into Malaysian Entrepreneurship Curriculum Using Kolb’s Learning Cycle: A Concept Paper

Traditional entrepreneurship education within Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) often relies on passive pedagogical frameworks that fail to equip graduates with the dynamic competencies required to navigate volatile market landscapes. Within the Malaysian socioeconomic framework, this gap directly hinders the strategic national objectives articulated in the National Entrepreneurship Policy 2030 (NEP 2030) to cultivate resilient, innovation-driven job creators. To address this institutional limitation, this concept paper proposes a localized curriculum framework that integrates Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Generative AI (GenAI) into experiential learning structures. Grounded in David Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory (ELT), the model maps AI-driven business simulations and automated, real-time feedback loops onto the four quadrants of the experiential learning cycle. This systematic integration transforms traditional simulations from rigid, deterministic tools into context-aware, active cognitive collaborators. In doing so, the framework overcomes the instructor grading bottleneck, establishes a psychologically safe sandbox that mitigates student risk aversion, and normalizes entrepreneurial failure through continuous, data-driven reflective loops. Furthermore, by matching structural directives from the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) and the Ministry of Higher Education, this framework provides an equitable model designed to bridge the resource and digital mentorship divide between urban and regional Malaysian campuses. Ultimately, this paper outlines critical pathways for institutional implementation, highlighting the necessary evolution of faculty roles from traditional lecturers to data mentors and the transition from outcome-based metrics to rigorous, process-based student assessments.

Artificial Intelligence, Experiential Learning Theory, Entrepreneurship Curriculum, Business Simulations, Malaysian Higher Education

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