Enhance your curriculum by addressing the QAA Guidance on skills for your subject, and incorporating the QAA (2018) Guidance on Enterprise and Entrepreneurship.
The following ETC tools can help you to deliver these skills in the curriculum
These guides have been selected to build QAA (2018) enterprise skills in your teaching.
Group Size
?
1.) Small group (teams of 4-6)
2.) Individual Task
3.) Large Group
4.) Any
Large Group
Learning Environment
?
1.) Lecture Theatre
2.) Presentation Space
3.) Carousel Tables (small working group)
4.) Any
5.) Outside
6.) Special
Any
QAA Enterprise Theme(s)
?
1.) Creativity and Innovation
2.) Opportunity recognition, creation and evaluation
3.) Decision making supported by critical analysis and judgement
4.) Implementation of ideas through leadership and management
5.) Reflection and Action
6.) Interpersonal Skills
7.) Communication and Strategy
8.) Digital and Data Skills
1Creativity and Innovation
5Reflection and Action
6Interpersonal Skills
This series of three short improvisational exercises offers students the opportunity to identify personal limitations to idea generation and reflect on situations where creativity may have been stifled. Students will consider their personal abilities and reactions to their improvisational abilities, as well as approaches to incorporate improvisational thinking in entrepreneurial endeavours. The overall goal is to demonstrate how students can develop an entrepreneurial mind-set through improvisation. Such exercises are routinely used for developing improvisational actors as well as for pre-show warm- ups for the actors. This methodology was created in the 1960s and remains the standard by which individuals learn to improvise. Improvisation is an important component of the entrepreneurship method because idea generation and the ability to incorporate relevant, timely information are critical skills for developing new ventures that will not only survive but thrive.
Usage Suggestions
These exercises work for all audiences, undergraduate, graduate, or practitioner. It is particularly relevant for new venture creation courses, entrepreneurial creativity and/or leadership courses, entrepreneurship boot-camps, and workshops.
Pre-Work Required by Students
The optional readings may be used for pre-work or post-work, depending on the audience (see ‘Theoretical Foundation in ‘References’).
Time Plan (1 hour)
This exercise can be extended to longer sessions so that students can begin brainstorming entrepreneurial ventures. For the purposes of an initial introduction to improvisation, this teaching note has been written so that the exercise requires at least 60 minutes.
Introduction 0:00–0:05 (5 minutes)
Begin the exercise by introducing the concept of improvisation: Ask students generally if they know what improvisation means. Opening questions for the discussion can include:
Overview 0:05–0:15 (10 minutes)
Explain how the students will learn the basics of improvisation and see how they could apply it to entrepreneurship, in particular idea generation and creating new ventures. The instructor can show examples of comedy improvisation performance (either live or through video clips from YouTube. Some good short examples include scenes from the ABC show Whose Line Is It Anyway? An example clip can be found at http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v5Qd8bvNW9_h4).
After sharing an example, discuss how performing improvisation can be learned: there are lessons offered for comedy improvisation and improvisational acting performance in improv theatres worldwide. An established framework exists to learn how to improvise. For this class, improvisation equals thinking on your feet. They will now be “in” an improv classroom, and every improvisation theatre class begins with warm-ups. In order to think on their feet, they have to get up on their feet.
Warm-Up 1 0:15–0:20 (5 minutes)
Summary of Warm-Up 1
Students should experience and be able to articulate:
Warm-Up 2 0:20–0:25 (5 minutes)
Summary of Warm-Up 2
Students should experience and be able to articulate:
Warm-Up 3 0:25–0:35 (10 minutes)
After another one to two minutes of word association, ask them to stop and be silent. You can have them return to their seats at this point or have them stay where they are for the final group discussion. Now have them discuss how the word association experience was for them. Most will say this was easier to do, as they were in a group setting. So push them to explain what was happening rather than what they were feeling. Some of the following questions can be used for this debrief:
Summary of Warm-Up 3
Students should experience and be able to articulate:
Discussion 0:35–1:00 (25 minutes)
Once the students return to their seats, have them form groups of three to four and discuss what might be preventing their idea generation efforts related to initial new venture concepts. They should explore what holds them back when considering what they might do. Have them discuss the specific difficulties they experienced personally during the improvisation exercises and how they might get past these limitations to develop a more entrepreneurial mind-set. Have a member of each group report out one recommendation for fostering creativity through improvisation. A closing discussion should include how to incorporate improvisation in their idea generation practices.
Teaching Tips
It is important to keep the warm-up exercises moving fast. It might be helpful to tell the students before they begin the exercises that they will feel really uncomfortable, but feeling uncomfortable is the point of the exercise. In the debrief discussions, some students will genuinely enjoy the exercises and will say they found nothing in them difficult. Asking for a show of hands of those who found the exercise difficult to do first is often a better way to begin the debrief, before asking about how they found the experience (in case the students who enjoyed the exercises stifle the discussion). In warm- up 3 it is very helpful to move around the room encouraging groups to speed up their words so that there are no long pauses. It is important for them to think quickly and see how to come up with new ideas rather than thinking or planning and judging their ideas before they see where the new ideas can take them.
Key Takeaways
The full text ‘Teaching Entrepreneurship: A Practice-Based Approach’ can be purchased here > http://www.amazon.co.uk/Teaching-Entrepreneurship-A-Practice-Based-Approach/dp/1782540695
This exercise is taken from;
Attribution
Theoretical Foundations
Group Size
?
1.) Small group (teams of 4-6)
2.) Individual Task
3.) Large Group
4.) Any
Small group (teams of 4-6)
Learning Environment
?
1.) Lecture Theatre
2.) Presentation Space
3.) Carousel Tables (small working group)
4.) Any
5.) Outside
6.) Special
Carousel Tables (small working group)
QAA Enterprise Theme(s)
?
1.) Creativity and Innovation
2.) Opportunity recognition, creation and evaluation
3.) Decision making supported by critical analysis and judgement
4.) Implementation of ideas through leadership and management
5.) Reflection and Action
6.) Interpersonal Skills
7.) Communication and Strategy
8.) Digital and Data Skills
4Implementation of ideas through leadership and management
5Reflection and Action
6Interpersonal Skills
This task focuses a group of people to organise themselves to set up a production line to exactly replicate an existing product as many times as possible in set amount of time. They are giveqaan the opportunity to reflect on and improve their approach twice to increase efficiency, quality and productivity. This gives participants and others the opportunity to see how their own and other behaviour, ideas, approach affects the development and outcome of the task and how by working together and reflecting and analysing a situation it can be adapted and improved going forward.
This activity could take from 30 minutes to a couple of hours depending on how much review, reflection and analysis takes place at the end of the session.
Group gathers around a table with all the resources on it. There is a sample product : a booklet with 13 squares of paper 10cm x 10cm, secured with 2 staples in a x shape in the top left hand corner of the booklet.
The group is asked to put together a production line replicating this booklet. They will have 2 minutes to discuss how they think they could best do thisand to allocate roles. Then 3 minutes to put this into practice and produce as many booklets as possible. When the time is up the facilitator then countsand inspects the finished products, looking for quality and accuracy ie:
The group then gets 2 minutes to discuss and review their methods, systems and procedures and come up with improvements or a different approach. They then get another 3 minutes on the production line to best their last score.
The above process is then repeated for a third time.
This could be done with any size group as long as there are sufficient facilitators to split into smaller groups. The optimum numbers in each group wouldbe between 6 and 10, however multiple groups could be working at the same time. They would have to work at the same time so as not to hear the discussion of other groups.
Skill Development:
As has been described this task involves many different skills and objectives on all different levels and can be assessed and analysed either briefly or in great depth across some or all of the objectives. For example, if this is an exercise for managers or recruiters to assess staff skills and abilities it can be finished there at the end of the last count. However it can be extended further, so each team then breaks off with a facilitator to analyse what happened at each stage and why.
For example : the focus could just be on the outcomes, ie the quality and quantity of the finished products. Often the first time, people are rushing and slapdash and may do quite a few but get a lot rejected, so need to slow down. Or get them all passed but do a small number, so need to speed up. So it's finding that balance between speed and quality/accuracy.
Or the focus can be on the review and reflection, how the method was changed or improved each time to give better results.
Or the focus can be on the team dynamics how they evolved through each stage, or on the leadership and management of the task and how that changed and fluctuated at each stage, how the balance of power shifted as the task went along.
Or it could very much focus on the individual, the role they played, how this evolved, how they felt, how they were affected by the different characters,how they affected other members in the group, positively or negatively what they would do differently next time.
Depending on whether the focus is on 1 or 2 of the objectives and skills or all of them, all of these and more angles can be identified and explored after the task.
Large sheets of paper (A3 or larger, could use old newspapers) minimum of 60 sheets per team, pens, pencils, markers, rulers, scissors, staplers.
Group Size
?
1.) Small group (teams of 4-6)
2.) Individual Task
3.) Large Group
4.) Any
Small group (teams of 4-6)
Learning Environment
?
1.) Lecture Theatre
2.) Presentation Space
3.) Carousel Tables (small working group)
4.) Any
5.) Outside
6.) Special
Outside
QAA Enterprise Theme(s)
?
1.) Creativity and Innovation
2.) Opportunity recognition, creation and evaluation
3.) Decision making supported by critical analysis and judgement
4.) Implementation of ideas through leadership and management
5.) Reflection and Action
6.) Interpersonal Skills
7.) Communication and Strategy
8.) Digital and Data Skills
4Implementation of ideas through leadership and management
6Interpersonal Skills
7Communication and Strategy
This exercise is a fantastic way to get people working together as they tackle up to 10 tasks in a given time frame. With limited information (on each other and the tasks presented) the group must navigate through the challenges in order to be the most successful group (back within the time frame; most tasks achieved; most accurate delivery of the tasks). Depending on the tasks selected, specific industry or sector knowledge can be tested as widerskills of background knowledge, research and creative thinking are required. Insist upon evidence of the achievements (photos on flip or camera phones) as well as delivery of objectives.
Activity : This activity needs a long session (such as 120 minutes) to complete, reflection and analysis takes place at the end of the session.
The groups of up to 6 people are sent out to complete > 10 tasks (usually 3 cryptic, 3 researched and 4 fun)
Examples of these could include:
These tasks should be developed beforehand to suit the environment where the day is taking place. Ensure there are fun tasks involved and that everyone has a chance to engage by creating a range of challenges that involve the physical, mental, social aspects of your learners.
To manage this challenge effectively, if it important that you:
Practically it can also be helpful to give them a puzzle to solve before they can leave and a further one when they return. This means they are leaving at different times and they return to a final challenge, so that you can record time and award points.
Depending upon the challenges you create, there is a wide range of transferable skills and knowledge base that you can test during this challenge. You can create tasks that draw upon their:
It is important that you review the challenges and how the groups tackled the tasks in order to draw out the subject learning and these wider skills, before reviewing the wider team experience by exploring:
Drawing out the team dynamics will allow the students to identify the lessons that they can take forward that will improve their future group work and learning experiences.
Ask if they started by sharing their knowledge and skill set or just started on the tasks (the most typical response) and whether they would do that again. Ask when, or if they ever start a task by reviewing when they have collectively or individually undertaken something similar and what was learnt that they could take forward.
Group Size
?
1.) Small group (teams of 4-6)
2.) Individual Task
3.) Large Group
4.) Any
Any
Learning Environment
?
1.) Lecture Theatre
2.) Presentation Space
3.) Carousel Tables (small working group)
4.) Any
5.) Outside
6.) Special
Presentation Space
QAA Enterprise Theme(s)
?
1.) Creativity and Innovation
2.) Opportunity recognition, creation and evaluation
3.) Decision making supported by critical analysis and judgement
4.) Implementation of ideas through leadership and management
5.) Reflection and Action
6.) Interpersonal Skills
7.) Communication and Strategy
8.) Digital and Data Skills
4Implementation of ideas through leadership and management
5Reflection and Action
7Communication and Strategy
This physical task engages the whole person in supporting a colleague and ensuring their safety through good communication. The activity can be used at any time during the session, however it is highly effective as and ice breaker. It is a fun method to start participants communicating and is simple to deliver in an appropriate environment and can be adjusted depending upon group size, age etc. However health and safety is paramount and you must consider the appropriateness of the group and room for this challenge.
You should initiative this activity by stressing the nature of the challenge and stressing that the safety of those involved is paramount. You can also agree across the group that “stop” can be initiated by any member of the team by raising a hand if they don’t feel that it is safe to proceed. This can be actioned by anyone and will not result in any penalties.
To run the task, gather the group outside the room and:
It could also be possible to create a preferred route or course (as seen in horse show jumping) which they need to accomplish (if you didn’t wish to use obstacles for safety or mobility reasons) which would lead the pair to particular numbers/letters indicated on the wall.
Subject specialisms could also be tested by placing knowledge based answers on the walls and asking the pairs to walk to their answer through the course (see QAARunaround for details of how to do a multiple choice but don’t mix the games in play for safety reasons).
This task requires listening and communication skills and also helps builds trust and connections across the pairings. However the skill development and improved future practice comes from evaluating performance across the group and understanding how and when particular techniques were effective and what lessons that provides for the future. It is important to acknowledge fears and concerns, or frustrations between the pairings but keep the discussion to the general learning, rather than focusing upon particular experiences of individual pairings as the depth of learning will come from the lessons that can be applied in future group work or communication challenges. These lessons include clear communication; agreeing ground rules for working together; recognising the need of feedback or support; understanding the importance of clear short messages within these circumstances etc.
Group Size
?
1.) Small group (teams of 4-6)
2.) Individual Task
3.) Large Group
4.) Any
Small group (teams of 4-6)
Learning Environment
?
1.) Lecture Theatre
2.) Presentation Space
3.) Carousel Tables (small working group)
4.) Any
5.) Outside
6.) Special
Carousel Tables (small working group)
QAA Enterprise Theme(s)
?
1.) Creativity and Innovation
2.) Opportunity recognition, creation and evaluation
3.) Decision making supported by critical analysis and judgement
4.) Implementation of ideas through leadership and management
5.) Reflection and Action
6.) Interpersonal Skills
7.) Communication and Strategy
8.) Digital and Data Skills
1Creativity and Innovation
7Communication and Strategy
This is a lively exercise which works well with 25 or 36 learners, respectively in groups of 5 or 5 at a carousel table.
Feedback from participants who have engaged in this activity is very positive indeed, and they often comment that ‘the time flew by’, and ‘we wished to do another round of this straightaway’.
This creative problem solving exercise starts with learners in groups identifying specific aspects of a problem situation they may encounter, and phrasing the problem in the format of ‘What can I do when…’ questions. Each group supplies one question, which is written up on a slide or flipchart. Then a system is used where one member of each of the other groups in turn suggests a tactical response to the problem being addressed, and after all the tactics have been heard, the problem returns to the group who thought of it, who then discuss the pros and cons of each of the tactics they have heard from the other groups.
The exercise can be used for a wide range of problem scenarios, but is particularly productive when addressing interpersonal or communication contexts, or working with ‘difficult people’.
The processes described below typically take around an hour with a group of 25 learners, but can be extended to two hours by using a second round of the whole sequence (by which time the learners will be much better able to engage with the process based on experience, and will often have come up with more-challenging questions, causing deeper thinking).
This process means that just about everyone has a turn at answering one of the ‘What can I do when…’ questions. If there were six groups of five members, everyone would have a turn, but it is probably best to leave the flexibility of one person in each group not being required to answer, in case any of the learners has a particular problem with ‘being put on the spot’ in this way. However, if a second round of questions is then generated, the response can start in each group with the person who did not speak in the first round.
An alternative way of running this exercise includes asking for ‘what would make this situation worse?’ (i.e. ‘what I should not do when …? responses – ‘negative brainstorming’).
This can be great fun for a second round of the whole exercise.
Group Size
?
1.) Small group (teams of 4-6)
2.) Individual Task
3.) Large Group
4.) Any
Small group (teams of 4-6)
Learning Environment
?
1.) Lecture Theatre
2.) Presentation Space
3.) Carousel Tables (small working group)
4.) Any
5.) Outside
6.) Special
Carousel Tables (small working group)
QAA Enterprise Theme(s)
?
1.) Creativity and Innovation
2.) Opportunity recognition, creation and evaluation
3.) Decision making supported by critical analysis and judgement
4.) Implementation of ideas through leadership and management
5.) Reflection and Action
6.) Interpersonal Skills
7.) Communication and Strategy
8.) Digital and Data Skills
1Creativity and Innovation
2Opportunity recognition‚ creation and evaluation
3Decision making supported by critical analysis and judgement
5Reflection and Action
7Communication and Strategy
This group task challenges the teams to generate ideas within constraints. This task engages students by allowing them to draw upon their knowledge, connections, hobbies, subject experience, social networks etc. The open brief allows them to be creative but the constraints of time and “no spend” heighten their creativity.
There is an abundant supply of free-to-use resources which are not readily considered by those addressing a task. This challenge asks “How can you use one or more of these to provide an innovative product, service or experience which creates value for its users?” and seeks to engage the learners to consider the multiple forms of value creation - financial, economic, social, cultural, environmental, aesthetic.
Process – By placing your students into small working groups, suggest the following challenges to them:
Depending upon time and the skills that you wish to develop, you can run this task within 1 session or extend the communication and reflection stages to create a half day task or a task that runs over 2 weeks. This allows the groups to access their resources and showcase their ideas in the presentation the following week.
Within the group work, a range of skills are developed and as the tutor, you can place the emphasis on different areas, depending upon the time you have available. The core skills being developed are around idea generation and evaluation, however it is possible to extend this task to include deeper reflection and communication skills where the groups are required to analyse the challenge and their response to it, as well as present their idea. This reflection can either form part of the presentation brief so that the teams are both presenting their ideas and exploring their experience of the challenge, or you can draw the group together after the presentation-showcase to reflect collectively on:
And you can finally explore issues of cost with the group by recognising that some of these resources could be accessed once for free, but not repeatedly. Ask them to consider how they could achieve the same output/outcome regularly and attempt to cost this.
(if available – flip chart or post its for brain storming; pens etc)
Resources to assist with presentation – access to powerpoint; flip charts etc
http://www.palgrave.com/page/detail/opportunity-centred-entrepreneurship-david-rae/?sf1=barcode&st1=9781137474100
Rae, D (2015) “Opportunity-Centred Entrepreneurship” Palgrave
Group Size
?
1.) Small group (teams of 4-6)
2.) Individual Task
3.) Large Group
4.) Any
Small group (teams of 4-6)
Learning Environment
?
1.) Lecture Theatre
2.) Presentation Space
3.) Carousel Tables (small working group)
4.) Any
5.) Outside
6.) Special
Carousel Tables (small working group)
QAA Enterprise Theme(s)
?
1.) Creativity and Innovation
2.) Opportunity recognition, creation and evaluation
3.) Decision making supported by critical analysis and judgement
4.) Implementation of ideas through leadership and management
5.) Reflection and Action
6.) Interpersonal Skills
7.) Communication and Strategy
8.) Digital and Data Skills
1Creativity and Innovation
2Opportunity recognition‚ creation and evaluation
5Reflection and Action
6Interpersonal Skills
7Communication and Strategy
In this exercise,we use brainstorming and idea generation techniques such as
To be successful, students must be prepared to work like an entrepreneur. This means:
‘What makes Entrepreneurs Entrepreneurial’ by Sarasvathy Explore more here: http://www.effectuation.org/
‘The Idea Agent: The Handbook on Creative Processes’ (2013) by Jonas Michanek and Andreas Breiler
Author: Lynda Povey, Enterprise Adviser, University of Portsmouth.
If you would like to have your How to Guide featured, please download the template and email the completed version to hello@etctoolkit.org.uk.
We have produced a guidance sheet which will assist you in completing the How to Guide.
If you have any questions regarding completing the template, please Contact Us.
Group Size
?
1.) Small group (teams of 4-6)
2.) Individual Task
3.) Large Group
4.) Any
Small group (teams of 4-6)
Learning Environment
?
1.) Lecture Theatre
2.) Presentation Space
3.) Carousel Tables (small working group)
4.) Any
5.) Outside
6.) Special
Lecture Theatre, Carousel Tables (small working group)
QAA Enterprise Theme(s)
?
1.) Creativity and Innovation
2.) Opportunity recognition, creation and evaluation
3.) Decision making supported by critical analysis and judgement
4.) Implementation of ideas through leadership and management
5.) Reflection and Action
6.) Interpersonal Skills
7.) Communication and Strategy
8.) Digital and Data Skills
1Creativity and Innovation
6Interpersonal Skills
To develop awareness and capability for enterprise amongst second year business undergraduate students.
During the autumn term of 2012 Cardiff University Enterprise supported Dr Sarah Hurlow of Cardiff Business School develop and deliver a contained exercise to develop awareness and capability for enterprise.
The 20 credit module entitled 'Management Theory and Practice' is a second year undergraduate optional module. The intervention was delivered to a total of 27 students.
Business graduates leave university with a high level knowledge about how businesses operate; however there is increasing evidence that 'knowledge' is only one element of what employers and new businesses need.
"It is not just the possession of knowledge or skills that define a graduate and the contribution she (or he) makes to the workplace, it is the capacity to articulate them, to think about how they relate to other forms of knowledge and skills, and to reflect upon the different domains in which they may be applied" Sir Tim Wilson (2012) A Review of Business–University Collaboration, pg. 32.
Enterprise capability has a connection to employability, innovation, commercialisation, knowledge transfer and business start-up, however there is a distinction between the generic use of the term 'enterprise' in reference to business venture creation and a sense of 'practical action'. The development of an entrepreneurial capability moves beyond knowledge acquisition to a range of intellectual, emotional and social skills that allow for the application of creative ideas and innovations.
During the semester students' were asked to collaboratively generate business ideas using Ketso.
Ketso is 'a hands-on kit for creative engagements' [http://www.ketso.com/] and was run as a four hour workshop which, due to time timetabling, was split over two weeks.
Ideas and collaboration were inspired by two guest speakers. The first guest speaker was Christian Amodeo who established the local Cardiff brand called 'I loves the diff' in 2009. The second was Gwion Larsen who established 'iPhone sales and repairs' with a gift from his parents on graduating from Cardiff University in 2010. Both highlight that entrepreneurs are not always the known national celebrity faces, but often just an ordinary local person with a good idea.
The teaching intervention was successful with generally received positive student engagement and feedback. The student groups developed their business ideas into well considered business propositions that were presented as part of final assessment. The final assessed presentations demonstrated a good level of research, interpretation, understanding and application of commercial awareness and associated skills among students.
The examples of curriculum development for enterprise related outcomes were originally outlined by Neil Coles at the International Enterprise Educators Conference under the heading 'From Archaeology to Zoology; an A-Z of enterprise in the curriculum'. For his work in contextualising enterprise for any subject, Neil won the 2013 National Enterprise Educator Award.
For a How To Guide on utilising external presenters, see 'Guest Lecture Guidance.'
Group Size
?
1.) Small group (teams of 4-6)
2.) Individual Task
3.) Large Group
4.) Any
Any
Learning Environment
?
1.) Lecture Theatre
2.) Presentation Space
3.) Carousel Tables (small working group)
4.) Any
5.) Outside
6.) Special
Special
QAA Enterprise Theme(s)
?
1.) Creativity and Innovation
2.) Opportunity recognition, creation and evaluation
3.) Decision making supported by critical analysis and judgement
4.) Implementation of ideas through leadership and management
5.) Reflection and Action
6.) Interpersonal Skills
7.) Communication and Strategy
8.) Digital and Data Skills
5Reflection and Action
7Communication and Strategy
The ability to communicate effectively through social media is an essential asset for any business.
The BSc (Hons) Entrepreneurship Degree Programme at Glyndwr University attracts students with a passion for business, and many who have already launched their own enterprises. However, many lack confidence with, and knowledge and understanding of, how to utilise social media to best effect to support their businesses.
Facilitated by programme tutor Sarah Elizabeth Evans, and delivered by Mike Corcoran and the University's enterprise service 'ZONE', the workshop 'Being Heard' was delivered to address these concerns for a small group of 4 students. The workshop followed the format as outlined in How To Guide 'Workshop: Being Heard' (see resources). The workshop was delivered from a computer lab, over a two hour session, and combined the presentation elements of the workshop, with group and one-to-one discussion, and opportunities to work in real-time on the students own social media platforms.
The AV presentation for use in the delivery of the workshop can be downloaded via the link to the 'ZONE Enterprise Hub' web pages listed in the resources and references at the end of this document.
(See Resources / References for materials to accompany the delivery of this activity).
Activity Part 1: Introduction
Activity Part 2: Communication
Activity Part 2: Personal Brand
Activity Part 3: Social Media
Activity Part 4: Conclusion
With thanks to Sarah Elizabeth Evans, PhD student, Business School, Glyndwr University
Group Size
?
1.) Small group (teams of 4-6)
2.) Individual Task
3.) Large Group
4.) Any
Any
Learning Environment
?
1.) Lecture Theatre
2.) Presentation Space
3.) Carousel Tables (small working group)
4.) Any
5.) Outside
6.) Special
Any
QAA Enterprise Theme(s)
?
1.) Creativity and Innovation
2.) Opportunity recognition, creation and evaluation
3.) Decision making supported by critical analysis and judgement
4.) Implementation of ideas through leadership and management
5.) Reflection and Action
6.) Interpersonal Skills
7.) Communication and Strategy
8.) Digital and Data Skills
1Creativity and Innovation
2Opportunity recognition‚ creation and evaluation
3Decision making supported by critical analysis and judgement
6Interpersonal Skills
This surprisingly easy and fun classroom activity simulates an innovation marketplace. Students generate a topic-specific innovation and participate in amarketplace of ideas. The results demonstrate how and why the best innovations are not guaranteed market entry or success, emphasizing the human and social nature of entrepreneurial action. This fast paced marketplace activity works with large numbers of students, in open work spaces and can takes 10-20 minutes.
Starting the activity:
The instructor should ask students to generate an innovation within a short time frame (2-5 minutes maximum). It is recommended that all students generate an innovation related to a familiar topic to facilitate comparison. A useful question, which may also provide valuable feedback to the instructor or the institution generally, is: "How could your student experience [in this class / at this university] be improved?" Additional guidance is suggested:
Market Place Rules:
The instructor should explicitly initiate the activity, for example by saying "Go!" As the activity starts, the instructor may choose to prompt recalcitrant students to participate. In rare cases, students might attempt to share all their ideas by broadcasting them one at a time. It's best not to intervene, as these usually degrade to individual or small group conversations, but if it appears that true organization is emerging (e.g. sequential pitches and voting) the instructor might choose to break up organised activity by reminding them of the time limit or splitting the group in half.
Stopping the marketplace: The instructor should use good judgment to determine when to end the marketplace. Some small groups converge to a limited set of ideas quickly; large groups are unlikely to converge to only a few ideas within a reasonable time. The instructor should gain the attention of the students and ask them to stand where they are. Remind them that if student A has joined student B's team, then student A should give her notecard to student B. So some students should be holding numerous cards, some students should have their own card, and some students should not have a card.
The instructor should ask students without a card to sit down wherever is convenient. It generally improves student engagement to list some or all of the "winning" ideas. The instructor may choose to whittle down the set of "winning" ideas depending on the size of the class. For example, in a class with 100 students, there may be 50 students holding cards. The instructor might ask students to sit down if they have less than 2 cards, less than 3 cards, etc. until few enough remain to read out and record. The instructor should ask the remaining "winning" ideas to read out their ideas, and may choose to record them on a board/flipchart. For larger groups, it may be interesting to note how many supporters the top ideas had accrued.
All students may then be asked to sit down as convenient.
The instructor may choose to comment on the winning ideas, especially if some are impossible, unusually inventive, or otherwise noteworthy. The instructor should then ask: "Are we guaranteed that the best idea won?" In many cases, students may note the lack of ideation time. The instructor may choose to address this or not as an unresolvable challenge, since it is not possible to know whether more time would lead to better ideas.
Below are some of the potentially useful lessons from the exercise. Sophisticated student groups may develop some or all of the lessons with limited prompting. Suggested prompts are provided. It may be useful to discuss one general concept, identify its "academic" label, and then move on to the next. The discussion should, obviously, be tailored to the type and number of students (undergrad vs. graduate, technical vs. business
Concluding the activity: The instructor may remind students:
The instructor may choose to collect all of the notecards, especially if the initiating question presents the potential for useful feedback. Instructors are encouraged to make the full set of ideas available to students after the activity for their own edification.
Whilst some learners can be reluctant to engage initially, typically this is a highly engaging activity that builds confidence in decision making and evaluation. It works with large numbers and therefore can be a great exercise for students from different programmes to experience together.
This student reflection is shared by Alanna Ford, University of Edinburgh
I participated in the Innovation Marketplace a Green Entrepreneurship course in Spring 2013. There were about 25 other MBA and MSc students in the class. After being asked to generate concrete ideas for ways to improve University of Edinburgh's Business School, we were then prompted to spend 10 minutes to convince our fellow classmates to back our idea – and in turn abandon theirs. After writing our ideas on post-its, the classroom became abuzz with activity as students energetically spoke about their ideas, working to win over other people as quickly as possible.
While the exercise was playing out, several small clusters started forming. My idea for innovation was more client projects to root learning to the real world. My idea required quite a bit of background explanation, especially to students from Asia and Europe where universities emphasize more theory. Other students' ideas were simple and immediately relatable to anyone in the room. For instance, one student suggested that the school should provide free tea and coffee to all Business School students. I'll admit that it was hard for me to compete with such a straightforward and attractive idea. It didn't matter where you were from, you could understand in less than 15 seconds why that idea would benefit you.
Of course there were additional factors at play that determined which ideas got adopted. Some students were louder and more outgoing than others, making them more comfortable convincing their peers. For some of the more shy or quiet students, the process of having to instantly convince their peers in real time seem to make them uncomfortable (again, this could have been a cultural issue since we had people from Germany, South Africa, China, the US, etc represented in the room). For me personally, I liked sharing my idea with others because it was something I had been thinking about and discussing with some of my peers for months. As an outgoing American, I wasn't shy in trying to bring people on board and advocate for more applied learning in our curricula.
I found that the simulation was incredibly insightful for several reasons. First, providing a movement-based activity accommodated different learning styles and a definite break from the typical university learning environment where students often spend a lot of time sitting and listening rather than doing. Because I'd been personally involved in both promoting my own idea and having to listen to other people promote theirs, I could clearly relate to the challenges of getting consensus around an innovation. Secondly, the simulation became a tangible illustration for insights that apply to not only the classroom environment and the specific lesson at hand, but also to multiple areas of 'real' life. From the importance of effective communicationand initial context, to understanding network effects and opportunity recognition, I have continued to return to these ideas in the year since completingthe class. For instance, when launching a new business after graduating, I understood the importance of speaking with the right people in effective ways in order to gain new clients. I also knew that I needed to be in the optimum context for my industry, prompting me to move from Edinburgh to London where I could meet more like-minded and leading thinkers. I remembered these lessons watching an Edinburgh-based fashion app startup geared toward the American market fail; the founders were in the wrong place, with the wrong product, and the wrong time.
I think this activity could also serve career services departments of universities because many of the insights can be applied to a general job search.
The activity may be conducted with no materials or setup; the use of post-its or notecards, a flipchart, chalkboard, or A/V setup are recommended. Post-its or notecards offer a record of the full set of innovations which may be of separate value.
Instructors should distribute one post-it note or notecard to each student and ensure that writing instruments are available. Similarly, instructors may prefer a learning space that facilitates ease of student movement, though key lessons may be gained in a space that restricts movement by some or many students. (In addition background on drivers of innovation adoption may be provided at the instructors discretion and pedagogical preference).
Bocks Market Place Resource Sheet – link
https://sites.google.com/site/adamjbockentrep/
http://launchideas.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/EEEJ-Issue-1.pdf
University of Edinburgh Business School 29 Buccleuch Place, Edinburgh EH8 9JS
If you would like to have your Case Study featured, please download the template and email the completed version to hello@etctoolkit.org.uk.
We have produced a guidance sheet which will assist you in completing the Case Study.
If you have any questions regarding completing the template, please Contact Us.
If you or your students are interested in developing a business idea, becoming self-employed/freelance or creating a business here are some tools to help and also some links to business start-up support.
These guides have been selected to build QAA (2018) entrepreneurship skills in your teaching.
Group Size
?
1.) Small group (teams of 4-6)
2.) Individual Task
3.) Large Group
4.) Any
Any
Learning Environment
?
1.) Lecture Theatre
2.) Presentation Space
3.) Carousel Tables (small working group)
4.) Any
5.) Outside
6.) Special
Lecture Theatre, Presentation Space
QAA Enterprise Theme(s)
?
1.) Creativity and Innovation
2.) Opportunity recognition, creation and evaluation
3.) Decision making supported by critical analysis and judgement
4.) Implementation of ideas through leadership and management
5.) Reflection and Action
6.) Interpersonal Skills
7.) Communication and Strategy
8.) Digital and Data Skills
1Creativity and Innovation
2Opportunity recognition‚ creation and evaluation
5Reflection and Action
A well-structured, well-research and well-written business plan is an invaluable asset to any new enterprise. Yet many students considering starting up report difficulty in developing business plans and in particular, plans which actively work for them and their business.
Business Planning is a workshop serving as an introduction to the subject, inclusive of opportunities to reflect on skills and generate ideas, and information regarding how to build a strong and cohesive plan around those ideas, and advice regarding using that plan, to turn those ideas into successful businesses.
The activity is designed to fit within a typical one hour lecture session, but inclusive of ample opportunities for extension, through practical activity, group discussion or independent research, and could easily form the basis of a more comprehensive scheme of work on the subject. It is designed to be appropriate for students of any level or programme of study. It was originally developed through the HEFCW funded pan-Wales Enterprise Support Programme.
Lesson plans and AV presentations for use in the delivery of the workshop can be downloaded via the link to the ‘ZONE Enterprise Hub’ webpages listed in ‘References’ and ‘Resources.’
The activity follows the structure outlined in the ‘Business Planning’ PowerPoint presentation, inclusive of all links and examples.
Figure 1. PowerPoint presentation which accompanies this activity.
Pre-Activity
Students are not required to prepare anything in advance of this workshop. For workshop leaders, preparation is minimal, other than ensuring supporting AV resources are displaying correctly.
Introduction
Why Bother?
What to think about?
What to write down?
Help and support
Students are provided with links and information regarding the support, advice and assistance available to them as they develop their business plans.
Conclusion
The key themes covered in the workshop are re-capped, and students are invited to ask any outstanding questions which they may have.
Post-Activity
This workshop is intended only as an introduction to the subject of Business Planning. Following the activity, students may utilise the information provided to research and develop their plans independently, or each element of the workshop may be revisited and explored in more depth by the group.
Students will leave the workshop with greater confidence in their ability, with a better understanding of their skills, and how these skills will support the development of their endeavours. They will have a better knowledge and understanding of business plans and how to develop them, and a greater awareness of how to use business plans to effectively support them in their endeavours.
Resources:
PowerPoint Slides accompanying this activity can be downloaded here > Business Planning [PDF]
Zone Enterprise Hub, Topic: ZONE Resources. 2015. [ONLINE] Available at: https://moodle.glyndwr.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=37§ion=11 . [Accessed 05 August 2015].
Group Size
?
1.) Small group (teams of 4-6)
2.) Individual Task
3.) Large Group
4.) Any
Small group (teams of 4-6)
Learning Environment
?
1.) Lecture Theatre
2.) Presentation Space
3.) Carousel Tables (small working group)
4.) Any
5.) Outside
6.) Special
Special
QAA Enterprise Theme(s)
?
1.) Creativity and Innovation
2.) Opportunity recognition, creation and evaluation
3.) Decision making supported by critical analysis and judgement
4.) Implementation of ideas through leadership and management
5.) Reflection and Action
6.) Interpersonal Skills
7.) Communication and Strategy
8.) Digital and Data Skills
1Creativity and Innovation
2Opportunity recognition‚ creation and evaluation
3Decision making supported by critical analysis and judgement
4Implementation of ideas through leadership and management
5Reflection and Action
6Interpersonal Skills
7Communication and Strategy
Objectives:
Overview:
The focus within this task is developing a mini start-up lasting several hours, pooling the expertise/wisdom of the group to create an offer and sell it to real customers while fundraising. These activities can then be evaluated and explored in a written reflection. The practice outcome is to raise money for a “good cause” or charity the students select.
Introduction
The key learning themes of this learning activity are:
To engage students in a real-life entrepreneurial activity within the safe space of a university campus, they have to prepare and run, like a mini-start-up, and
To support them in reflecting on what they have learned about business start-up, themselves and business skills applicable to business start-up.
The practice outcome is to raise money for a “good cause” or charity that the students select
Activity:
This activity of running a pop-up shop is embedded in a social constructive approach to learning (Hill, 2015). It employs experiential learning to effectively extend learners’ skills, knowledge and successful entrepreneurial behaviours, develops mindsets and attitudes towards selling to the public and raising money for a good cause. The activity allows simultaneous learning on cognative, cognitive and emotional level. Preparation? I have run pop-up shops without preparing learners directly for it, to allow students to apply their learning they should have had by month 2 or 3 on starting a new venture to a real life situation. This activity allows them to learn by doing or not being as successful as they thought they would be. Publish the invite with the guidelines, deadlines, risk assessment form and assessment details. The latter is only necessary, if the specific assessment details such as a reflection as part of a portfolio was not published at the start of the term or semester. During the time running up to the set date, I remind students that I am there to answer any questions they might have. Once the pop-up shop has run, however, I advise to engage students in a detailed de-brief activity. This debrief activity can happen on the day of the pop-ups shops or in the next seminar or lecture. Across self-chosen teams, engage students in pair-discussions exploring what they did, and reflecting briefly on how it went and what they learned. Questions on a handout given to students can get them talking and writing the first notes for themselves and the other student in the process. Organise a location and a date for at least two days or more depending on module student numbers - Ensure there is plenty of open space where students and staff pass by - Organise tables and chairs for students to use if they wish to do so. Invite students to run a pop-up shop and select their own groups a minimum of two weeks before the pop-up shops happen, ideally a month in advance. Groups of at least three up to 8 students work best. Set a deadline for registration of activity with you. (I have tried to put students into groups to ensure mixing international with other students, ensure gender and other social traits are mixed, but these groups did not work as well as self-chosen ones.) Inform them from the start that part of the assessment is to write a critical reflection of the whole process of group formation to delivery of the raised money to you on the end of the pop-up shop time. Whatever the chosen assessment form, learners need to know what they are being assessed on. a) Allow them to choose anything to sell they would like as long as it is legal and does not affect health and safety issues of the location and the university. With this wide open yet restricted approach you can prevent Sisha lounges in as much as betting places etc.
Preparation?
I have run a pop-up shop without any preparation, to allow students to apply their learning they should have had by month 2 or 3 on starting a new venture to a real life situation and allow them to learn by doing or not being as successful as they thought they would be.
I only published the invite with the guidelines, deadlines, risk assessment form and assessment details. The latter is only necessary, if the specific assessment details such as a reflection as part of a portfolio was not published at the start of the term or semester.
This approach is in line with experiential learning. For this option, I advise to engage students in a detailed de-brief activity.
This debrief activity can happen on the day of the pop-ups shops or in the next seminar or lecture. Across self-chosen teams, engage students in pair-discussions exploring what they did, and reflecting briefly on how it went and what they learned. Questions on a handout given to students can get them talking and writing the first notes for themselves and the other student in the process.
Another option: Teacher-led
You lecture about flexible start-ups and test trading in reality and talk about pop-up shops and commercial providers (Hill, 2018b). You offer training on how to design a stall and give out a hand-out with tips and good practice on how to deal with customers, practice selling skills etc. and then run the pop-up shops. You make market research a requirement of the registering for running a pop-up shop. I have tried out all options, yet found that students learn the most by the less prepared approach outlined above.
This approach might offer itself for a co-curricular activity, where no assessment follows that engages students in written reflection.
Organise a location and a date for at least two days or more depending on module student numbers
- Ensure there is plenty of open space where students and staff pass by
- Organise tables and chairs for students to use if they wish to do so.
Invite students to run a pop-up shop and select their own groups a minimum of two weeks before the pop-up shops happen, ideally a month in advance. Groups of at least three up to 8 students work best. Set a deadline for registration of activity with you.
Inform them from the start that part of the assessment is to write a critical reflection of the whole process of group formation to delivery of the raised money to you on the end of the pop-up shop time. Whatever the chosen assessment form, learners need to know what they are being assessed on.
a) Set a type of product or service you allow them to sell.
Send out a risk assessment form the university uses to critically evaluate what they plan to do.
Liaise beforehand with Facilities or the department that manages the space you use what they regard as unacceptable activities. But I do not advise students in advance, as learning by not being allowed to do something they would like to do is important.
Ensure you familiarise yourself with copyright if needed, as taking money from offering to play an online game a student bought and brings along together with his own laptop is a challenge even if money is raised for a charity. You might need permission from the publishers for this fundraising activity, which takes time students might not give you.
Ask them to select a slot of xx hours (you define how many hours you want them to run it; I suggest a minimum of four hours) and submit to you what they would like to sell and do, together with the risk evaluation form. Various online event management options exist for a selection process by students beyond email, if your interpretation of GDPR allows this data to be collected this way, such as Eventbrite. And to register the activity (with filled-in risk assessment from) with you.
Option A:
Then wait and see what happens. Send two reminders before the deadline. You might get an influx of activity the day and night before the actual pop-up days.
Option B:
You set a deadline for registering a team and actual activity with you and do not allow any submissions after that. This has not worked for me, as many students are working towards deadlines last minute and regard the actual pop-up shop days as the real deadline. Thus, as long as the deadline is two days before the pop-up activity, deadlines might pass without more than two registrations. Thus, I set the deadline a week before the actual pop-up shop days, and give extensions.
On the day:
Be there for questions if needed, but do not control what happens. Rather, monitor what students do to ensure they do not violate health and safety issues, and at least pretend not to be there all the time. Instead, arrange with colleagues to be there for various other times as paying customers to keep an eye on what students do. Pass by, be a customer, and talk to students. Be a mentor - Encourage them to reflect on behaviour and its success or failure and help them to find an alternative solution. Where and when needed, encourage them to get up from stalls where some might sit and wait for customers. Suggest them to walk about with product offers, tasters and the full product to engage customers. Be a sounding board - If something goes wrong, ask them questions on why they think something is not working. Help them to find a way forward, which can include signposting them to a university service. Plan to be there late on the day. Students might run the pop-up shop longer than they planned to do, and might want to boast to you about their great successes. These conversations and congratulations from you are part of the learning experience. You would also want to take the money raised minus cost students had evidenced with receipts and store it in a safe place until all activities have run. De-brief See above under Preparations for one set of activities. Part of the de-brief should be to reiterate the assessment requirements and the invite to write the reflection soon, independent on when the deadline for it might be.
Assessment
Assessments forms can vary - from reflective essay (15000 words) to video creation to short written reflection (350 words) on preparation to delivery and financial, the cognitive or knowledge dimension, behaviours towards customers and team members (conative) and increased self-awareness and emotional resilience. Reflection on actual practice is a valued learning outcome for higher education studies leading to reflective practitioners employers are seeking (Hill, 2015, QAA, 2018); learning can be enhanced through well-designed learning environments (Bruno and Dell-Aversana, 2018), which this type of pop-up shop activity offers. For assessment through written reflection students at all levels need guidance regarding what to reflect on. This can be supported through clear questions on what they should reflect on: The educator needs to develop questions around the below aspects of learning. Learning on (A)What does it feel like … (for example) to start a stall that has never existed before? - (emotional dimension of learning) (B)What have you learned about running a stall - and how does this compare to running a start-up in retail? (cognitive dimension of learning, codified knowledge through reading and preparation, and practical knowledge of doing and codified knowledge through reading and preparation) (C) What skills have you used and developed? (D) What have you learned about yourself - your attitudes towards business / team working / your skills / leadership / research etc. I set a minimum of academic journal references of two to use. The module reading list offers up to ten of those to start with. The quality of written reflections varied; those who made an effort and went beyond the description of what they did indicated a deep learning experience happened that will stay with them. This deeper learning includes learning about working with others in a live situation with customer interaction and the reasons for a difference between planning what is going to happen and what is actually happening when running a stall (Hill, 2018a).
Skill Development:
Feedback on the day of the pop-up shop was only very positive, students showed excitement during the day; many showed more outgoing behaviour and developed or demonstrated good team working skills. Unsolicited feedback in the next module lecture was immensely positive, for example “This was the best thing I have done this year”, This is the most important learning experience of all my studies”. Students tend to go for very similar offers such as selling cupcakes, sweets, bags of salty snacks. Once each time I ran it (out of six occasions), I saw unique services developed, from throwing balls into paper cups to win small prizes to darts for in-doors with balls at a target where they stick. Learners have developed the following competences after having taken part in the pop-up shop activity. These competences are matched against the EntreComp framework (Bacigalupo et al, 2016, Hill 2018a): Students develop these competencies: Competence area “Ideas and opportunities”: Students have to creatively spot opportunities for selling products or services to the known target audience on campus, reflect on their knowledge of customers and put the learning into action. They agree as a team on their selection and value each other’s contributions in the process. In planning what they do they develop a vision of how the day might run and how they set up the stall. Through carrying out a risk assessment using a given form, they evaluate the consequences of their ideas on running the stall and the impact this activity will have on customers and the organisational environment (Hill, 2018a), considering health and safety and ethical issues. Competence area “Resources”: As a group they pull together their skills and resources to run the stall, evaluate skills to decide who does what activity and role on the day and in the preparation phase. They bring own possessions along on the day, such as boxes, glasses. If they chose a location with little footfall, they have to move their tables, and/or find solutions and show determination in finding customers allowing them to sell to. They have to estimate their cost for buying products in advance in as much as how many they are most likely able to sell to break even, developing and extending financial planning skills and forecasting skills. A team leader and all members need to keep each other motivated in the planning phase and on the day, and when needed mobilise additional support from other seminar students. Competence area “Into action”: Students take initiative in selecting a charity to raise money for and make a decision so that all students then raise money for it. They have to decide on the products they sell and plan what resources they need on the day to run the stall. They have to manage how to take the money and keep track of takings, and change how they interact with customers thinking on their feet when needed. The forecasting of potential buyers deals with uncertainty - and safeguards buying products they can bring back if the packing is not damaged - needs to be integrated into the purchasing strategy of products and the pricing strategy. Team working is needed for all decisions that lead to activities for running the stall, demonstrating interpersonal, communication and strategy skills.
Resources:
Open space or a larger class room or hall
Tables and chairs
And other resources learners need to self-organise the stall, dependent on the product / service they decide to sell.
References:
• Bacigalupo et al., 2016. EntreComp: The Entrepreneurship Competence Framework. Brussels: Joint Research Centre Science for Policy. (last accessed, 30-7-2018; https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/publication/eur-scientific-and-technical-research-reports/entrecompentrepreneurship-competence-framework)
• Bruno, A. And Dell-Aversana, G. 2018. Reflective practicum in higher education: the influence of the learning environment on the quality of learning. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education 43 (3), pp. 345-358.
• Hill, I. And Bass, T. (2019, forthcoming). Embedding emotional resilience and reflection in the curriculum – pop-up shops as a tool to learn about and reflect on enterprise. In A. Diver (Ed.), Employable scholars in Higher Education: Challenges and choices in times of austerity (Vol. (in press). Berlin / New York: Springer.
• Hill, I. (2018a). Birmingham City University. Using EntreComp to bring credibility to practical entrepreneurial learning activities. In: Joint Research Centre (European Commission), EntreComp into action. Get inspired, make it happen. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union (last accessed 27-7-2018, https://publications.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/ 4542fd58-20f3-11e8-ac73-01aa75ed71a1/language-en
• Hill, I. 2018b. https://www.linkedin.com/in/dringehillstrategy/ - for an article with links to business practice examples of pop-up locations and How-to-Guides for real-life pop-up shops.
• Hill, I. 2015. Start-Up. A practice led guide to new venture creation. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
• QAA = Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education. 2018. Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Education: Guidance for UK Higher Education Providers. Gloucester.
If you would like to have your How to Guide featured, please download the template and email the completed version to hello@etctoolkit.org.uk.
We have produced a guidance sheet which will assist you in completing the How to Guide.
If you have any questions regarding completing the template, please Contact Us.
Group Size
?
1.) Small group (teams of 4-6)
2.) Individual Task
3.) Large Group
4.) Any
Small group (teams of 4-6)
Learning Environment
?
1.) Lecture Theatre
2.) Presentation Space
3.) Carousel Tables (small working group)
4.) Any
5.) Outside
6.) Special
Presentation Space, Carousel Tables (small working group)
QAA Enterprise Theme(s)
?
1.) Creativity and Innovation
2.) Opportunity recognition, creation and evaluation
3.) Decision making supported by critical analysis and judgement
4.) Implementation of ideas through leadership and management
5.) Reflection and Action
6.) Interpersonal Skills
7.) Communication and Strategy
8.) Digital and Data Skills
1Creativity and Innovation
2Opportunity recognition‚ creation and evaluation
3Decision making supported by critical analysis and judgement
4Implementation of ideas through leadership and management
5Reflection and Action
6Interpersonal Skills
7Communication and Strategy
Introduction:
The module is based around students working in groups to form ‘company teams’ which collaboratively generated a (fictional, use of pseudo-science allowed) biotechnology product (e.g. medical device, new therapeutic etc). The product should answer a real-world biotechnology problem and/or market need, they then tested its business feasibility. Students receive 3 hours contact time per week, over 12 weeks; learning was further supported by directed and self-directed research and tasks. In order to form the companies students undertook a Belbin role audit and were ranked for their suitability for each role; from this, module leaders chose ‘company leaders’ (Highest Co-ordinator scores). Each company leader received their Belbin role audit back and selected their team members based on the ‘skills’/roles they felt were most needed in their company.
The module contains numerous small tasks throughout (formative/summative, written/presentation and individual/group work) and culminates in a group Dragons’ Den style pitch for investment and a group Feasibility Report for their product.
The creation of the companies is done within the first week and when each student is selected for a company they have to give an elevator pitch on who they are, what are their strengths and what can they bring to the company. We also do some icebreaker games with the class to break down any barriers between the students both within a company and within the class. Once the companies are formed it is up to them to decide what real-world and/or market-need they will meet with their product. The three main fields of biotech are medical devices, pharmaceuticals and agribiotech, we guide the students (if required) to ensure that each of these fields are represented (as long as we have 3 companies).
The weekly sessions are designed to guide the students through the process of creating the feasibility report and are broken down into a 1-hour session early in the week and a 2-hour session later in the week. The 1hr sessions generally involve some content delivery (short lecture) by a lecturer and the rest of the time is a company development workshop based on the lecture content (for example, market analysis, IP, finance). The 2-hour sessions will contain a talk by an external speaker (someone who works either for a biotech company or in a related industry e.g. patent lawyer) and student presentations or company development workshops. Throughout the module students will come across barriers to their product (e.g. a saturated market or key patents held by other companies) and they have to problem solve and navigate these in order to keep their product viable.
Students will give a total of 6 presentations throughout the module (not counting the Dragons’ Den Pitch), half will be formative and the rest summative, they are also broken down so that the students start with a group presentation then do a pair presentation, then an individual presentation before returning to a group presentation – allowing them to get sufficient practice at presenting and build up to an individual presentation. The student presentations are all based around a common theme (e.g. Biotech Ethical Issues) but the companies are asked to make their presentations relevant to their company. This way a student who is involved with a pharmaceutical based company can still learn about the subtle differences that would apply to the other biotechnology companies’ fields (i.e. Peer-learning). All elements of group work are subject to self- and peer-assessment. Apart from the individual presentation (summative) individuals also have a chance to display their own proficiency through weekly reflective logs (7 formative and 3 summative) and a final reflective log (summative).
The Dragons’ Den panel is made up from some of the expert external speakers as well as two members of the module team (including the module leader). The students pitch is 20minutes long and they are asked questions at the end by the panel. The presence of the external speakers provide a critical real-world eye on the actual business feasibility side of the product both in terms of questions to the company and feedback on the pitch to the staff when considering the marks. We actually make an event of this part of the assessment asking students to dress smart for the occasion and have a small reception (with the Dragons) afterwards. The feasibility report is quite a substantial piece of work that they have been slowly creating throughout the module and is usually in the region of 40-60 pages in length.
Students gain a great deal from this 100% coursework based module. The module is very student-centred with minimal content given by the lecturer/s and the external speakers, developing great independence in the students. Having to work in a group for a whole module (12 weeks) poses a lot of challenges for the students, but also enables them to learn how to work effectively in a group (as opposed to being in a group for a couple of weeks to undertake one assignment) and how to communicate well. Giving the students repeated opportunities to give presentations in class is an excellent way to enable them to develop good presentation and communication skills. In fact after the first presentation I also inform them that from this point on they are no longer allowed to use notes during their presentations – this is met with horror initially but this simple act has an enormous impact on increasing the quality of the presentations. Students also appreciate the opportunity to ‘work up to’ an individual presentation, which otherwise they may not get the opportunity to do until their placement year or even their final year dissertation presentation. Throughout the module the students get the opportunity to be creative and innovative, as well as spot opportunities, critically analyse, problem solve and make decisions as they develop their product and their company (including name, logo and product design).
Here are some comments from past students about the module:
“During this module self-assessment has been import and I have learnt about myself through reflection in order to improve my skills & learning processes more efficiently.”
“I feel like this course has taught me valuable lessons in how to not only work well in a team, but how to best resolve a conflict situation”
“The skill of presenting & speaking has helped me throughout the term whilst taking part in assessment days for companies, where the final activity for both involved having to present to the interviewers. I believe this [module] provided me with a strong advantage over the other candidates and this purely was due to this course.”
“Constant practice of public speaking & presenting also allowed me to work on my skills and see the improvements I was making first hand.”
“Working in a team is clearly an important skill for nearly any future job and in normal life, as it is the skills needed for effective interaction with others and for being productive and not disruptive when working with others.”
“The teaching process whereby we moved from doing whole group presentations to individual presentations, helped me build up my confidence at presenting and my general presentations skills.”
“This [module] was far more effective for long-term understanding and information storage than hour lectures and cramming for exams as for nearly all my other modules.”
“This module is more useful for preparing me for an actual career.”
“I especially enjoyed applying some of the developed skills during the course.”
“Having applied the entrepreneurial skills throughout this module, I now feel that I can easily identify opportunities within the field of biosciences and making informed decisions regarding the applicability of such opportunities.”
“I feel I have learned to approach problems by immediately developing a strategy to tackle them.”
“I found the whole process of developing these [enterprise] skills, attributes and behaviours extremely rewarding as I was actively improving myself in terms of professional and personal development.”
“The reflective writing we had to do proved to be extremely useful and has helped me develop both professionally and personally.”
“It is ok not to always be perfect or the best, even as a group leader. On occasion, it can be useful as a leader to show your team that everyone can make mistakes and then use them to learn from and act sensibly to this failure”.
External Speakers
References:
Adams & Sparrow (2008). Enterprise for Life Scientists: Developing Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the Biosciences. Scion Publishing Ltd. Bloxham, UK.
Group Size
?
1.) Small group (teams of 4-6)
2.) Individual Task
3.) Large Group
4.) Any
Small group (teams of 4-6), Individual Task
Learning Environment
?
1.) Lecture Theatre
2.) Presentation Space
3.) Carousel Tables (small working group)
4.) Any
5.) Outside
6.) Special
Outside
QAA Enterprise Theme(s)
?
1.) Creativity and Innovation
2.) Opportunity recognition, creation and evaluation
3.) Decision making supported by critical analysis and judgement
4.) Implementation of ideas through leadership and management
5.) Reflection and Action
6.) Interpersonal Skills
7.) Communication and Strategy
8.) Digital and Data Skills
2Opportunity recognition‚ creation and evaluation
5Reflection and Action
6Interpersonal Skills
7Communication and Strategy
The focus within this task is to help Business/Enterprise students to engage with an environment i.e. external to the University and develop inquisitive and presentation skills. Remember, “When questioning stops, progress of knowledge ceases”, the task intends to help students develop the ability to ask the right questions and develop curiosity by helping them learn through a ‘sense of discovery’. The satisfaction of discovering information independently is a effective learning tool. The task asserts that one of the key ways for a student to understand Business or Enterprise is to engage with people who enterprise themselves by the method of an informal or semi-structured interview and use the findings to analyse and reflect on the ‘content’ i.e. available to them through the module at University.
Stage 1) Fix an appointment with an Entrepreneur of your choice.
Stage 2) Record a video interview. Do not have a question oriented approach, this will curb the inquiry process. Ask the Entrepreneur instead to ‘tell a story’ which may include the following aspects:
a) How thy came about doing business?
b) Who helped them in the process of start-up? (For example in funding the business- family/friends)?
c) What were the challenges they encountered in the process?
d) Did they have a formal Business plan, if not, how did they go about setting up the venture?
e) How is it that they keep up with changing consumer behaviours, changing technology etc.?
Stage 3) Reflect on the Entrepreneurs’ narrative and then relate the findings with the content of a subject you study (for example Business Planning etc.).
Stage 4) Prepare a presentation of your reflection emerging out of stage 3.
Stage 5) Play the recorded interview in the classroom for all your peers to see and hear.
Stage 6) Now present your reflection as per your understanding and allow the students to ask questions and encourage them to share their reflection.
The task will allow the student to develop an inquisitive mind-set, it’s a practice of asking the right questions in order to uncover the right answers. It will also help increase the confidence of the student to communicate with Entrepreneurs and develop their network with key people in the industry. The best ways for students to learn Business or Enterprise as per me is to have a triangular approach which involves learning (at University), researching/doing (with the Entrepreneur interview) and reflecting (by yourself) and along with your peers.
This approach helps students to engage with interesting businesses and Entrepreneurs who share their Effectual/Informal knowledge of Enterprise and Business. This knowledge in unique and helpful in its own right as not everything written in text books applies in the real world. This is a chance for students to experience how things ‘really happen out there’.
The students tend to learn through a variety of different business case studies and experience the knowledge of diverse entrepreneurs.
The task enables student learning through doing and reflecting. The element of discovering the facts themselves is a very effective learning tool. The students feel in charge of the task, right from choosing the Entrepreneur/Business to setting the questions and presenting their reflection/findings.
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can be found in Higher Education Academy booklet (2014) Enhancing Employability through Enterprise Education Case Studies and includes several examples from university-wide modules as well as the Business Schools at Edinburgh Napier, Buckingham and Glasgow Caledonian Universities.
Enterprise Educators UK (EEUK) regularly share members practice, including examples such Sheffield Hallam's innovative approach to providing students with opportunities to address real-life challenges, getting work experience in a safe and secure environment - the Venture Matrix.
BOSS stands for the Business Online Support Service, provided by Business Wales. This service provides online learning courses to help people who are thinking about, or actually, starting a business, already running a business or looking to grow their business.
Big Ideas Wales The Big Ideas Wales campaign is part of the Business Wales service, designed to support the next generation of young entrepreneurs in Wales.
Nesta Creative Enterprise Toolkit
Our enterprise resource toolkit contains tried and tested methods for teaching enterprise skills to creative individuals who are thinking about setting up a business. Available for purchase - with access to resources here http://www.nesta.org.uk/sites/default/files/cet_worksheets_case_studies_and_tutor_notes.pdf
