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
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
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
6Interpersonal Skills
This exercise is a fantastic way to get people working together to complete a simple challenge. The idea is that they are given a pack of spaghetti, a pen, scissors, a reel of cotton, two chairs and a bar of chocolate for each member of the team. They are asked to build a bridge using the equipment provided that will hold the bars of chocolate. The first team to do this wins.
This activity could take from 30 minutes to complete, reflection and analysis takes place at the end of the session
An example of the tools they will be given is laid out on the facilitators desk where the spaghetti packet is opened and the cotton is cut into a few lengths, providing visual example of what is possible (if potentially misleading!).
The chairs are spread two feet apart and cannot be moved (ideally these will be away from other groups to stop cheating) items are given to the group and they are advised that they are to have a 5 minute team talk to prepare before they start, however the first one to build the bridge wins (and invariably they race ahead and start to build the bridge, but you can reflect upon this approach with the whole group at the end).
Typically the further they race ahead (without planning and discussion) and open the items, the more problems they will face. For example, once the spaghetti is opened it becomes a lot harder but the more creative constructions emerge. The best solution is to leave the packet closed, pierce the ends and use the cotton to secure the packet to the chair and rest the chocolate on the packet of spaghetti. However it is still possible to complete the task once the spaghetti is opened, but they will do well not only to hold the chocolate, but complete the task in 30 minutes.
At the end of the 30 minutes, the groups get a chance to see what the other teams have done and see how creative they have been in creating a bridge.
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 would be 4, however multiple groups will 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.
This activity can develop a wide range of skills including the following:
It is useful to spend additional time reviewing the group process and explore how the task was tackled as a group. Ask the groups to reflect on the following within their team process:
How the initial discussions went, did someone take the lead, was it a bit of a shouting match, was it chaos, was there a lack of ideas/too many ideas
In advance you need to purchase resources.
Each team will need a pack of spaghetti, scissors, reel of cotton, two chairs and a chocolate bar for each team member. Someone will need to watch the time or you can add time keeping to their responsibilities.
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
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
6Interpersonal Skills
7Communication and Strategy
The learner will be able to explore an idea or concept as openly as possible to gather a wide range of solutions through the power of group work and seek to build a consensus through:
The focus within this task is open idea generation within a team, pooling the expertise/wisdom of the group to create ideas that can then be evaluated and explored.
Within this scenario, participants must pretend that they've been shipwrecked and are stranded in a life boat. Each team has a box of matches, and a number of items that they've salvaged from the sinking ship but they can’t keep them all within the lifeboat. Members must agree which items are most important for their survival as they need to prioritise.
The challenge should be issued to the group, and time given to the challenge individually. This is important in creating the challenge of consensus building as it allows to think about the problem individually; continues the cycle of presentation and discussion in groups evaluate the process to draw out their experiences until the whole team has had a chance to voice their opinions and how teams arrive at consensus decision where everyone's opinion is heard.
Time: Flexible, but normally between 25 and 40 minutes
Number: Up to 5 people in each group
Instructions
1. Divide participants into their small teams, and provide everyone with a ranking sheet (with two columns).
2. Ask team members to take 10 minutes on their own to rank the items in order of importance. They should do this in the second column of their sheet.
3. Give the teams a further 10 minutes to confer and decide on their group rankings. Once agreed, they should list them in the third column of their sheets.
4. Ask each group to compare their individual rankings with their collective ones, and consider why any scores differ. Did anyone change their mind about their own rankings during the team discussions? How much were people influenced by the group conversation?
5. Now read out the "correct" order, collated by the experts at the US Coast Guard (from most to least important):
Once the general discussion relating to the individual scoring has died away, draw the discussion to the team approach and explore issues of leadership, listening, negotiation, decision-making and consensus building.
It is typical of many ice-breaker tasks that the learning is not within the task objective, but within the team process and often the desire to complete the task can mask the transferable learning that has been gained. It is therefore key, that once the discussion of the challenge itself is complete, that the debrief explore the skill development within the task and team work itself.
Either within the groups themselves, and then as a larger group, or working directly with the full group, seek reflections and comment on what they have learnt about:
As a facilitator, it is important that you allow them to explore their team process and find the learning within that. This can involve team members sharing difficult feelings about not being listened to, and this needs to be acknowledged, accepted and the lessons drawn from it (would it have been a better process to take view from each member and vote? Should individuals have been more forthcoming if they had strong views and how do they ensure they are heard in the future?). The lessons from each group can be usefully heard by the wider group, in order to understand and learn from different approaches as this allows deeper reflection as to how to approach similar challenges in the future to be explored.
Develop a simple chart for each team member. This should comprise six columns. The first simply lists each item (see below). The second is empty so that each team member can rank the items. The third is for group rankings. The fourth is for the "correct" rankings, which are revealed at the end of the exercise. And the fifth and sixth are for the team to enter the difference between their individual and correct score, and the team and correct rankings, respectively.
If this cant be done in advance and handed out, then it can be drawn by each team member at the start of the challenge.
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
7Communication and Strategy
The focus within this task is to simulate innovative thinking within a curriculum topic, using creative methodology to create ideas that can be evaluated and explored.
This creative thinking activity is potentially run over 2 hrs.
The academic tutor will need to identify a problem linked to curriculum topic or industry/sector e.g. 5 items that cannot be recycled. This topic can be prompted by recent news in the sector or the latest research update in your area. The task is then to explore this problem, but without using traditional methods. This problem therefore needs to be explored by the teams using drawing/ playdough to think through the problem and discuss solutions. No writing is permitted during this task. Music and creative freedom is encouraged to establish a comfortable and learner directed environment. The time allocated for this first part of the challenge is 1 hr.
The second segment of the session is run as a presentation showcase and requires presentations from each team's problem/visualisation and the audience are invited to discuss what they feel the solution/s are. The original group is then given 5 minutes to draw in addition comment from their peer group and confirm their final solution.
Students have the opportunity to work creatively an d beyond the traditional limits or expectations of their subject area or background. Such freedom brings its own challenges and constraints but provides a rich opportunity to innovative think and problem solving through creativity. The peer-review and comment aspect of the presentation allows the continued support of peers in the development of solutions and allows them to work co-operatively, rather than competitively to support the development of solutions. As 'chair' of this "solution-conference" your role will also be to draw out key reflections on the following topics:
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
5Reflection and Action
Given the unprecedented level of uncertainty in business and entrepreneurship, students must learn how to navigate effectively in an increasingly uncertain world. The exercise consists of students starting in one room with the task of completing a jigsaw puzzle. Students are systematically moved toanother room, where they are asked to create a quilt from a selection of fabric pieces. The debrief explores jigsaw puzzles as managerial thinking and quilt making as entrepreneurial thinking. There is an optional debrief that includes leadership.
Usage Suggestions
This exercise works for all audiences, undergraduate, graduate, or practitioner. Ideally the exercise should be done on day one of a general entrepreneurship course as a way to set up how entrepreneurs think and the difference between entrepreneurial and managerial thinking.
Pre-Work Required by Students
None.
Time Plan (60–80 minutes)
The exercise begins in a room with tables for each team. Students are asked to clear their table in preparation. The second room required is a large empty space. A table (fairly long) is placed in front of this room or space, and fabric pieces are piled on the table. The piles should be messy, with all the fabrics mixed up (not sorted by size, colour, or any other dimension).
Puzzle time 0:00–0:05 (5 minutes)
Divide students into groups of five to seven and give them the following directions: “Your task is quite easy but you don’t have a lot of time. Your goal is to put together the puzzle that is sitting on the table as fast as you possibly can. It’s only 300 pieces! You can do it. Get started. You are being timed. Don’t worry; there are no cameras in the room!”
Random Pull - Out to Quilting Room 0:05–0:30 (25 minutes)
Pull students at random from the puzzle room, one at a time, asking for one volunteer from each group. The individual volunteered or selected from each group is taken to the empty room with the table of fabric.
At the fabric table the first group is told: “Your new task is quite easy but you don’t have a lot of time. You are now designated quilt leaders. Your goal is to construct a design for a quilt. Choose six pieces of fabric from the table – no more and no less. Select an area in the room and begin to construct a quilt. You may not come back to the table for more or different fabric. No sewing is required. Simply place your fabric on the ground as if you were going to sew patches of fabric together to create the quilt. The goal is to build the best quilt you possibly can. Others will join you a bit later. Have fun!”
Note: Each quilt leader should choose six pieces of fabric, and each will begin his or her own quilt in different areas of the room. Subsequent “volunteers” are taken out of the puzzle rooms at two to three minute intervals and instructed to take six pieces of fabric and join any quilt in progress that interests them. “Your new task is quite easy but you don’t have a lot of time. Join one of the groups in the room. You do not have to stay with the team members from your puzzle group. Your goal is to construct a design for a quilt. Choose six pieces of fabric from the table – no more and no less. Next, join a group to help them build the best quilt you can. You may not exchange fabric once you choose. No sewing is required. Simply place your fabric on the ground as if you were going to sew patches of fabric together to create the quilt. Have fun!” When all individuals are out of the puzzle room and in the quilt room, allow two more minutes to complete the quilts.
Debrief 0:30–1:00 (30 minutes)
The debrief may take place inside the quilt room or back in the classroom depending on group size. If debriefing inside the quilt room, have each quilt leader describe how the design of the quilt emerged. If debriefing outside the quilt room, give students time to walk through the quilt room to study all of the quilt designs before leaving the room. Begin with questions:
Focus on quilts:
Summary
At this time, it’s important to introduce the concepts of puzzle as managerial thinking and quilts as entrepreneurial thinking. Puzzle as managerial thinking:
Quilt as entrepreneurial thinking:
Optional Leadership Debrief 1:00–1:20 (20 minutes)
Key Takeaways
Teaching Tips
It is preferable not to refer to the exercise as the “quilt exercise” prior to conducting the exercise, as it rather gives away the punch line. Pacing is very important. As soon as the quilt leaders have placed their fabric on the ground, volunteers should be pulled out of the puzzle room approximately every three minutes. Fast pace is much better than a slow pace.
This exercise is an interactive challenge designed to help raise student awareness of the difference between managerial and entrepreneurial thinking. It also is a strong illustration of how to gain a better understanding of the impact of increasing degrees of uncertainty on the entrepreneurial process.
Materials List
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;
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
1Creativity and Innovation
2Opportunity recognition‚ creation and evaluation
5Reflection and Action
6Interpersonal Skills
Groups of students compete to see who can build the tallest freestanding structure supporting a marshmallow on top out of 20 pieces of spaghetti, three feet of tape and three feet of string. This exercise is used to illustrate that under conditions of uncertainty, entrepreneurs rely on experimentation and iterative learning as a means to discover information about their environment.
Students are often taught and are familiar with traditional methods of planning and analysis, which work well in stable environments where the future is likely to be similar to the present. In these cases the future is fairly well known and understood. While some uncertainty exists, it can be categorized as risk.
However, if the future is unknowable, the only way to learn what may work is through experimentation. Typically many of the students spend a large portion of their time designing and planning the structure and only start to build it at the end to find out at the last moment that it cannot support the weight of the marshmallow, and they then go into “crisis” mode. The teams that perform the best are usually those that just start experimenting, learning what works and then modifying their tower based on what they learn. If you are using lean start-up concepts it is also a good way to illustrate the value of market tests.
Usage Suggestions
This exercise works for all audiences, undergraduate, graduate, executive, or practitioner. It is appropriate for new venture creation courses, entrepreneurship boot-camps, or workshops. The session is best positioned early in the course for discussions around planning versus action.
Pre-Work Required by Students
Time Plan (45 minutes)
Step 1 0:00–0:05 (5 minutes)
Hand out the kits (see resources) to each of the teams. Introduce the challenge. Be clear about the goals and rules of the Marshmallow Challenge. It is also helpful to tell them that this has been done by tens of thousands of people around the world from children to CEOs. The rules and goals are as follows.
Goal
Build the tallest freestanding structure: The winning team is the one that has the tallest structure measured from the table top surface to the top of the marshmallow. That means the structure cannot be suspended from a higher structure, like a chair, ceiling, or chandelier.
Rules
Step 2 0:05–0:25 (20 minutes)
Step 3 0:25–0:30 (5 minutes)
Step 4 0:30–0:45 (15 minutes)
Start by asking some of the teams about the process they used to go about building their structures. You can choose based on what you observed during the challenge. You will generally notice as you go around the room that teams that spend most of their time planning will fail to have a standing structure in the end. Those who experiment and learn through trial and error tend to do much better. It is usually best to start with some of the teams whose structures collapsed.
What process did you use in building your structure?
Focus on whether they spent a lot of time planning and drawing their structure or trial and error.
What went wrong?
Repeat this with one or more of the more successful groups and try to capture differences and commonalities between them.
You can draw comparisons to various other groups who have done this challenge. The creator of the challenge, Tom Wujec, has
performed this challenge numerous times with a variety of different groups and has found the following:
Emphasize the importance of market tests and experimentation when entering a new, unknown environment. If your students are already working on business ideas, this can be a good place to have them try to think about low- cost ways they could experiment with their concept before making large investments. As an alternative debrief, you can show the TED talk by the creator of this exercise by going to http://www.marshmallowchallenge.com.
Teaching Tips
Be very clear about the goals and rules of the challenge. Generally, you’ll want to repeat them three times and reinforce them visually. In almost every challenge, there is at least one team who will want to cheat or bend the rules in their favour. The clearer you are about the rules the better the results.
Key Takeaways
Materials List
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
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
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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
4Implementation of ideas through leadership and management
5Reflection and Action
6Interpersonal Skills
7Communication and Strategy
'To infuse employability-related activities across the curriculum, aiming to engage students, and to raise both their aspirations and awareness of suitable opportunities.'
Sport and Exercise Science students are natural multi-disciplinarians, studying psychology, physiology, and the biomechanics of movement. Students sometimes struggle, however, to identify how the wide-ranging skills and knowledge they accrue can best be conveyed to graduate employers. As a department at Aberystwyth University, the approach taken has been to infuse employability-related activities across the curriculum, aiming to engage students, and to raise both their aspirations and awareness of suitable opportunities.
The primary mechanism through which student employability is enhanced is through core taught modules. In order to maintain relevance to the academic degree content, skill-based modules contain activities applying academic knowledge to 'real-life' tasks.
In students' first year, these include 'Skills for the Sport and Exercise scientists I' and 'Group dynamics' – both of which require students to develop team-working and presentation skills. This foundation is then developed to include an enterprise-focused component in the second year.
In 'Skills for the Sport and Exercise scientist II', students seek funding for a novel social enterprise, business idea or community project, underpinned by an evidence base of research. In groups students pitch to a Dragon's Den-style panel composed of university staff, invited external funders, and representatives of local government and businesses. This is preceded by a programme of workshops and invited speakers (e.g. successful alumni) to inspire students and help refine their ideas.
By the final year, the focus shifts from skills and knowledge application towards awareness of post-graduation opportunities. In 'Applied and integrated studies' students research career opportunities and find an advertised job or placement at graduate level appropriate to their career ambitions. Studentsmay actually apply for the role or complete a mock application. In any case, for assessment, they write a professional CV and covering letter and deliver a poster presentation where they demonstrate what they know about the job, how they match the skills and criteria listed and their general suitability and enthusiasm for the role. The department worked closely with the careers service in the design of these activities, and a number of students have obtained their selected jobs.
Given current market patterns, the department emphasises the need for students to develop enterprising mind-sets so they are well positioned to provide innovation, whether in the form of business start-ups or within organisations. This is assisted by recognition for enterprising behaviours, for example by providing bursaries for final-year dissertations with applications to industry or business.
The approach was facilitated by the department's participation in the 'Academic champions of enterprise' scheme, with designated staff members responsible for promoting enterprise throughout the curriculum. One well-received element has been visits by 'dynamo role models', local early-career entrepreneurs who have shared their experiences with the students and run workshops 'incubating' original ideas. It is hoped that the department's multi-faceted approach develops students' awareness of employment opportunities and also their ability to maximise these. More information and module resources are available on request by contacting Emily J. Oliver and Les Tumilty (see authors). Learner outcome: 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.
N/A
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
3Decision making supported by critical analysis and judgement
5Reflection and Action
7Communication and Strategy
This activity works really well with students supporting each other to achieve a professional/research level challenge. It builds their confidence and understanding of their practice and gives them wider confidence across the whole of their studies.
The focus within this task is to stimulate team building and decision making through the research process.
Within this task, students will work together to explain their findings to group peers as they understand them and progress the plan as a group. (Some students may later undertake a summer studentship so they have been prepared for the situation as a result of this authentic assessment).
This task was based in Microbiology (Stage 2; Level 5) but would be accessible to any discipline where a research strategy will be required. It is typically given to the students “early” in their programme of studies. This creates a clear challenge but one that is highly relevant to their career and academic interests.
By placing the students into groups, issue the aims and introduction from a real research studentship (available from HEIs or via colleagues) and issue the task to design the activities required for the eight week research summer project.
This challenge is complex for the groups to address and requires them to utilise peer learning to understand what is required. Your role as tutor can beadjusted, depending upon the needs of the group, but it is suggested that you present yourself as a ‘resource’ to their learning, rather than ‘the guide to’ their learning.
You may wish to include regular contact time which could involve:
Students prepare a one page summary on their approach and what part of the project they researched. They also present their group studentship plan as a short group presentation (10 mins). Questions and comments from other groups should be welcomed, with the aim of enhancing their approach and improving their work through this final opportunity for peer-review and tutor comment.
The impact was significant across the whole of Stage 2. It gives them a lot of confidence to develop their skills and has clearly impacted positively ontheir overall performance. It was clearly a challenge to the groups, but achieving this project, and seeing the learning of other groups, really impacted upon their approach and professional confidence.
This task helps the students develop the mind-set of a researcher; questioning why and how for each experiment, and evaluating feasibility with respect to cost and time. Usually students would not develop these skills until postgraduate studies level so this encourages students to develop key skills early (so they may be utilised or referred to in an employability context).
Key skills include
However it is important that you draw out this learning within their presentation or within a final group discussion. It might also be helpful to review the ‘changed’ role of you as tutor, in directing the journey of their learning, and providing opportunities for review and enhancements, rather than immediately resolving their problems.
You can also explore with the groups how the decisions were made and resources accessed, exploring social networks as well as traditional academic resources (Guides; texts etc). Those that contacted senior researchers or their subject club/society may have drawn on expertise and experience and thisproject encourages them to access support as widely as needed. It also gives the opportunity to review and evaluate sources, and comment upon the validity of different materials.
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
Lecture Theatre, 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
Objective:
The Business and Biotechnology module was developed with two core aims in mind: firstly to introduce and develop core enterprise skills as defined by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (2012) alongside the development of a biotechnology specific commercial awareness which draws upon relevant disciplinary learning; secondly to enable students to begin the on-going process of constructing (or at least considering) notions of professional identity, interests and ambitions prior to pending work placements.
Key points;
Introduction:
From mid-2012 until course completion and handover in mid-2013, Cardiff University Enterprise worked closely with Dr. Kelly BéruBé and Prof. Jim Murray of the Cardiff School of Bioscience in supporting the development and first roll out of a 10 credit module entitled Biotechnology and Business. The module was delivered to a cohort of 13 students and was situated in Year 2 of the 4 year Biotechnology programme. It sort to develop a preparatory commercial awareness among participants prior to placement in industry in Year 3 and a second commercialisation oriented module in Year 4.
The Business and Biotechnology module was developed with two core aims in mind: firstly to introduce and develop core enterprise skills as defined by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (2012) alongside the development of a biotechnology specific commercial awareness which draws upon relevant disciplinary learning; secondly to enable students to begin the on-going process of constructing (or at least considering) notions of professional identity, interests and ambitions prior to pending work placements.
The need for commercially and entrepreneurially capable biotechnology students is well documented. Driving forces stem from within both industry and education sources. Examples include:
Activity:
Whilst varied, the pedagogical approaches taken to achieve these aims were very much rooted in the constructivist tradition of teaching and learning and thus sought to stimulate a deep level learning via actively, creatively and socially structured knowledge acquisition.
As such learners were encouraged to construct their own understanding of the commercial process as it relates to Biotechnology as an academic discipline and industry, through team based active learning approaches. This was primarily accomplished via a scenario based simulated commercialisation process which saw ‘company teams’ of learners collaboratively generate a (fictional) technology or product and test its business feasibility over the course of the module in response to identified real-world Biotechnology problems or market needs.
Learning was also developed through the teams’ engagement with one another, with module leaders (who all have some form of commercial experience of their own) and with a range of external speakers from within relevant industries (who were nearly all Cardiff University alumni). Finally, via inquiry and problem based learning approaches contextualised within the commercialisation scenario, students were given the opportunity to creatively test and discover solutions to core challenges and considerations involved in the process of innovation commercialisation.
Participants received 3 hours contact time a week over 12 weeks of learning further supported by directed and self-directed research and reading. Content was delivered via module leaders, external speakers, peer to peer learning and class based discussion. This was in turn consolidated via directed and self-directed class based activities which provided opportunity to discuss and apply relevant learning within the context of the commercialisation scenario.
Formative feedback was given and was available to students throughout the duration of the module. Students were summatively assessed via a number of means defined primarily by a 50/50 split between group work (feasibility reports, peer to peer group presentations and end of module dragon’s den presentations) and individual work (reflective practice and module portfolio). The use of group assessed projects sought to approximate the types of teamwork and collaboration required in professional project settings, requiring students to take responsibility for the sharing and delegation of work.
Figure 1: The2013 Biotechnology Dragon’s Den winning team TetraTek with the judging panel dragons. The dragons were all from within the local Biotechnology industry who delivered lecture seminars during the course and kindly gave up their time to come back and judge the end of course student business pitches. On the far left is Stuart Plant of Fusion IP, in the middle is Phil Barnes of Cardiff University’s Research, Innovation and Enterprise Services and on the far right is Lee Samuel of Symbiosis IP.
Impact:
The intervention was a success in a number of ways. The level of student engagement, participation and contribution was extremely high throughout the course. End of module evaluative feedback given by students quantitatively rated the module very highly in all areas whilst qualitative feedback communicated a clear appreciation of both the relevance of course content and the innovative approach to learning delivery.
Module assessment both formative and summative evidences the points made above. Peer to peer teaching tasks carried out through short weekly research and presentation exercises were exceptionally valuable for all participants both in terms of progressing subject and assessment relevant knowledge whilst also developing research, presentation and team-working skills. The standard of group feasibility reports was of a high level demonstrating among students a developed overview understanding of commercial awareness as it relates to the Biotechnology industry. A survey of student reflective logs and reports offers insight into the learning challenges faced and overcome during the course of the module, often highlighting the challenging yet rewarding nature of the concepts and skills addressed and also put into practice via the company team learning simulation.
The use of scenario based learning approaches proved to be successful in creating an immersive means of bridging the gap between disciplinary learning and related professional practice. It was highly effective in generating learner investment in the learning processes whilst offering suitable context for diversifying student research into differing sectors of the Biotechnology industry before feeding their findings back to the group as a whole. By providing opportunity for students to actively participate in commercial processes in a simulated manner, learners were able to gain practical insight into a broad range of cultures, roles and activities engaged in in order to commercially exploit Biotechnology research whilst beginning to develop understanding of their own potential professional identities and key enterprise / employability skills.
Having supported the development of the module with Cardiff School of Bioscience staff members, Cardiff University Enterprise now take less of a role in module delivery, although remaining available to consult on pedagogical matters. As such the module will run again in 2013/14 in a slightly iterated form with minor changes made to address the order in which aspects of the commercialisation process covered. Following the success of this Year 2 module it is anticipated that Cardiff University Enterprise will play a role in supporting Biotechnology programme staff in the development of a new Year 4 module which will seek to consolidate enterprise learning gained via the Biotechnology and Business module and through Year 3 work placements.
Academic feedback
“For students the intervention has provided opportunity for interaction with the real-world of industry, offering demonstrable benefits. The module utilised local and wider UK expertise to deliver real-life opportunities to practise enterprise, innovation and engagement from a biotechnology and business perspective. Local and UK professionals delivered tangible content to the students and inspired them to consider other possible careers in enterprise for scientists, aside from the usual lab bench jobs!” Dr. Kelly BéruBé – Module leader
Professional feedback
"The earlier students as well as older scientists are exposed to this the better. What you guys have created, is I think probably the most useful/practical way of doing this I have seen in the UK. Every year I do both the BBRSC YES and Biocity’s Boot camp events, all of which are in my opinion too short to have a lasting impact. Taking the time, as you have been doing, ensures a more thorough learning outcome relative to these rather brief annual events." Frank Rinaldi – Director and Owner, Evolution Bioscience Ltd.
Learner outcome:
Examples of student reflection;
“Within my science education I understood that I had to learn certain concepts and then learn to apply them, unless I was involved in further research this is where my learning stopped, my experience in business has taught me skills that I put into practice every day. Additionally the skills I have learnt put me at an advantage over other prospective students who I may be in competition with for a job and more importantly to me; I am a more developed learner and thinker than I ever was before.”
“The module has allowed me to appreciate both the scientific and business aspects of my degree and resulted in a drastic improvement in my ability to present, work as part of a team and exhibit initiative and leadership qualities. The course has also dealt with real-life business examples allowing me to gain hands on, practical experience of problems within the bio-business sector. In addition the module has broadened my career opportunities and highlighted prospective career pathways that I was previously unaware of.”
“My way of thinking, and therefore the way I now tackle problems, has been developed considerably during the course. One of my weaknesses during brainstorming, was that I would rush the problem, trying to find a quick solution, which would yield an end product, but wasn’t of the highest quality. I no longer take such a head-on approach to problems, I now prefer to generate an overview of the problem itself, and I create a solution from there.”
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.
Resources:
References:
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
5Reflection and Action
7Communication and Strategy
The workshop is based around the ‘Scottish Institute for Enterprise (SIE) Ideas Lab’™ in which students are set a real-life challenge rooted in a real social and community problem.
In this case, the challenge is to explore how society can deal with the growing number of dementia sufferers and how they can play a more active part in everyday life. Using some of the key processes of design thinking, students are asked to identify the true extent of the problems faced by dementia sufferers, and to put themselves in their shoes and in the shoes of their carers.
Working in small groups, students develop a solution to one of the problems they have identified within this scenario and develop their idea into a possible pitch.
The workshop finishes with a period of reflection which encourages students to think about how they approached the problem and how they communicated and worked within their small groups. It aims to support students at an early stage in their degree programme to start developing core behaviours for enterprise through bespoke learning activities.
This approach enhances students’ employability as it helps them to understand how they are learning and improves their general skills for study and career management. After an Ideas Lab™, some students have also approached staff for assistance with the development of a business idea.
(For learner outcomes see references for ‘Culturing Enterprise Skills in Life Science Students’, in ‘HEA - Enhancing employability through enterprise education: Examples of good practice in higher education).
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
Small group (teams of 4-6), Large Group
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), 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
5Reflection and Action
7Communication and Strategy
Rocket pitches or elevator pitches are often the first opportunity for an entrepreneur to convince potential investors that they have an idea that represents a profitable opportunity. These are often only one to five minute presentations, but they can have a significant impact on the entrepreneur’s ability to attract investors as well as other potential stakeholders. This can be particularly true in the early stages of a venture before the entrepreneur has a viable product, and he or she has to quickly convince potential stakeholders of his or her vision and the potential of the idea. Entrepreneurs often think that their idea is the most important aspect of the pitch, but studies have shown that U.S. venture capitalists consider personal characteristics such as the entrepreneur’s ability to articulate his or her venture to be critical in determining whether or not they will reject an entrepreneur’s plan.
In this exercise, students design a paper airplane that must be capable of carrying a predetermined amount of currency in the form of coins. The airplanes will compete in two categories – time that the plane can stay aloft and the distance it can travel. However, students pitch their design to their classmates (the investors) in an effort to convince them their design is the best before the contest takes place.
The exercise has worked well for illustrating the importance of a good pitch and helps students to better understand what constitutes a good pitch from an investor’s perspective.
Usage Suggestions
This exercise works with both undergraduate and graduate students. It is appropriate for new venture creation courses, entrepreneurship boot-camps, or workshops. The session is best positioned after students have identified a venture concept, project, or family or corporate initiative to pursue and are preparing for an elevator speech or rocket pitch type presentation. Technology entrepreneurship or innovation classes are also appropriate.
Pre- Work Required by Students
Students are to be given the following instructions in the class period prior to running the exercise: “You are to design and create a new paper airplane capable of keeping one U.S. dollar of coins aloft for as long (time) as possible while simultaneously transporting the coins as far (distance) as possible. The assignment is as follows:
You will be required to pitch your design to your classmates. You will have two minutes to convince your classmates that your design will perform the best. Performance on the exercise will be based on a combination of actual performance of your airplane and the number of votes your design gets from your classmates in each category (time and distance).”
Time Plan (80 minutes)
Because each team will pitch their idea, the time required for the exercise will vary with class and team size. The timing outlined here is based on a class size of 30 students and ten teams.
Step 1 0:00–0:02 (2 minutes)
Begin the exercise by explaining the voting rules to the students. Students are allowed to vote for only one team (excluding their own) in each of the two categories (distance and time). They are not required to vote for the same design in each category. It helps to provide a sheet for each of the students to record their votes, or, if your students have computers and internet access, you can use an online voting system (this will require you to set it up before the class).
Step 2 0:02–0:27 (25 minutes)
Next, have each team pitch their idea to their classmates. Teams should be strictly limited to two minutes each.
Step 3 0:27–0:32 (5 minutes)
Have the students record their votes for the design they think will perform best in each category. Remind them that they cannot vote for their own design.
Step 4 0:32–0:52 (20 minutes)
Take the class to an open area in which to conduct the actual flights. An indoor area such as a gymnasium works best, but you can run it outdoors as well (which can introduce additional uncertainty into the performance for the students). Each team gets one throw. You should have a line that they cannot cross for throwing, and you should record the time that their plane stays aloft. After the plane has landed, measure and record the distance. It helps if you assign this task to one or more of the students.
Step 5 0:52–1:00 (8 minutes)
Return to the classroom. Record the votes and the actual performance for each team on the board.
Step 6 (exercise debrief) 1:00–1:20 (20 minutes)
If time allows, you can have a short discussion about their process with regard to creating their design. This can help to illustrate how an entrepreneur can take a constraint and turn it into an opportunity. Additionally, this can highlight the importance of prototyping and learning from failure, and many of the teams that perform well often trial several different designs. Some possible questions include:
Next, discuss the aspect of effective pitching. The idea here is to get them to appreciate the importance of the entrepreneur and his or her pitch to investors. Owing to the uncertainty inherent in many early- stage entrepreneurial ventures, investors will typically put more emphasis on the entrepreneur and his or her ability to “sell” the idea, as well as their confidence in the entrepreneur’s ability to execute on his or her pitch – one has to be careful not to oversell the concept.
Wrap the discussion up with a summary of the importance of clearly articulating your idea and convincing the audience of your ability to execute on your idea.
Post- Work
Have the students read the following articles (this can be done beforehand if you prefer):
Teaching Tips
Students will often try to game the system (depending on how much freedom you give them). For example, they may choose to use different weights of paper or design a flying disc as opposed to a traditional airplane. You can decide how vague you want to be. If you want to have more discussion on the creative process and pushing the boundaries, then being more vague in the instructions can lead to a good discussion on how entrepreneurs try to push the rules and boundaries. Some students will feel “cheated,” but this can still provide a good learning point.
Key Takeaways
Materials List
Provide students with paper for their airplanes in order to maintain a standard paper type and weight. Alternatively, you can leave this open to interpretation as a means of encouraging greater creativity among the teams. You will need a tape measure and a stopwatch for the actual competition.
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
MacMillan, I.C., Siegel, R., and Subba Narisimha, P.N. 1985. Criteria used by venture capitalists to evaluate new venture proposals. Journal of Business Venturing, 1, 119–28.
Ries, E. 2011. The Lean Startup: How Today’s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses. New York: Crown Publishing.
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
5Reflection and Action
The Business Model Canvas (http://www.businessmodelgeneration.com/ canvas) has become a popular teaching tool in entrepreneurship classrooms. It is not my intention here to introduce the canvas or illustrate how it works. Osterwalder and Pigneur (2010) do a magnificent job explaining the canvas, articulating the theory behind the canvas, and offering many ways to use the canvas. This exercise is a quick game to help students reflect on the nature and ordering of the nine business model components found on the canvas as proposed by Osterwalder and Pigneur.
Usage Suggestions
This exercise works well for both undergraduate and graduate audiences. The exercise is best used in a course or class session where the Business Model Canvas is first being introduced.
Pre- Work Required by Students - None.
Time Plan (30 minutes)
The Game Setup 0:00–0:05 (5 minutes)
Before introducing the canvas, simply introduce that there are nine components of a business model. I typically show a PowerPoint slide with the nine components listed in random order. Tell the students that there is a particular order to the components, but they need to figure out what the order is. In other words, they need to determine which of the components should be considered first, second, and so on. What’s most important to start with and what’s least important? Separate students into teams of five (maximum).
The Game 0:05–0:15 (10 minutes)
Give each team a deck of cards (see resources) and ask them to place them in order from one to nine (10 minutes). After 10 minutes, give each team a long piece of masking tape and have them tape the order of their cards to the wall or board, so everyone can see the differences across the team.
The Discussion 0:15–0:30 (15 minutes)
Now it is time to introduce the ordering that Osterwalder and Pigneur use. Their book (see Theoretical Foundations) is quite helpful if you are not familiar with the canvas. I typically give out a copy of the Business Model Canvas to each student prior to disclosing the order. The ordering of the components is:
Usually student teams will have either customer segments or value propositions first and this creates a wonderful debate in the class. Introduce the order of the components one by one while also explaining what each component is. After walking through the components and discussing the differences in order created by each team I end the exercise with a brief discussion summarizing the order. At the end of the day, the ordering really does not matter because the canvas is meant to be an iterative, working document that will continuously change as you learn new information from every action taken or experiment conducted. What is most interesting about the design of the canvas and its ordering is found when you fold the canvas in half (left to right).
According to Osterwalder and Pigneur, the right side of the canvas is concerned with creating and generating value. The left side of the canvas is concerned with generating efficiencies to deliver that value. As such, an entrepreneur needs to first determine or create the value and then develop the approach to deliver that value. Innovation, novelty, creativity, and competitive advantage are most often found in the value creation. So, start on the right!
Teaching Tips
The most important reason that I do this exercise is to get the students thinking about each component on their own in teams rather than just “telling” them about each component. Expect raging debates about customer segments versus value propositions as being first in the order. It is always a great conversation to have.
Key Takeaways
Materials List
Instructors will need to create decks of “business model component cards.” One deck is needed per team in the class. Each deck is comprised of nine index cards. On each card should be one of the nine business model components: customer segments, value propositions, channels, customer relationships, revenue streams, key resources, key activities, key partners, cost structure. Given that this is the actual order recommended by Osterwalder & Pigneur, it is important that the cards in the deck are not in this order. You may also want to have copies of the Business Model Canvas to distribute as well, but after the game. A copy of the canvas can be obtained at http://www.businessmodelgeneration.com/canvas.
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;
•Heidi M. Neck, Patricia G. Greene and Candida G. Brush, 2014. Teaching Entrepreneurship: A Practice-Based Approach (pp.136 – 138). Edition. Edward Elgar Pub.
Theoretical Foundations
•Osterwalder, A., and Pigneur, Y. 2010. Business Model Generation. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
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.
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.
can be found in Higher Education Academy booklet (2014) Enhancing Employability through Enterprise Education Case Studies and includes examples from BSc Bioscience at the University of Aberdeen and from the School of Bioscience at Cardiff University.
This resource pack is a timed and scripted guide of mixed-media learning material. It is designed to provide Bioscience students with opportunities to explore and develop the following:- Entrepreneurial self-awareness and team-working Ability to seek out and develop viable commercial opportunities in the Biosciences for employers or for themselves as individuals Business planning skills Presentation of a business idea to professional investors Learning materials support a series of 12 x 2 hour sessions in the following process: Context setting: Introduction to the learning activities, provision of context including presentation of importance of new product and process development to the UK and world economies, applications of Biosciences, key Bioscience sector characteristics. Material includes video clips showing experiences of real life entrepreneurs. Emphasis is placed on issues relevant to the Bioscience sector. The pack is designed to be presented in a class/lecture room equipped with broadband/internet access and projection facilities and utilising the presentation timing guide. Each session is to be facilitated by experienced individuals with general business knowledge and an understanding of the bioscience sector. - See more at: https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/resources/detail/subjects/bioscience/enterprise-framework
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
