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), Individual Task
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
6Interpersonal Skills
Students should be able to:
The focus within this task is open idea generation, pooling the expertise/wisdom of the group to create ideas that can then be evaluated and explored; all focused within time constraints and a clear objective to 'trade up' or enhance their resources.
The focus on this task is to encourage learners to learn outside the "classroom", independently or as part of a group to influence, create and establish effective networks through negotiation and building trust. It requires a range of skills including research, idea generation and networking or sales techniques.
Description:
The activity is run over 2 or more weeks and is learner directed experience.
Each learner/ group is given a low value object (such as "Red Paperclip") and asked over an agreed period of time to "trade the item up" to something of a higher value. Over time learners are tasked with seeing who can come up with item of highest value through the individual trades, in order to achieve this. Each trade MUST BE recorded by signature and photographic evidence the trade has taken place.
Learners are asked on completion of the task to create presentation e.g. Petcha Kutcha 20 x 20, video story, blog to share their experience with peers at a showcase event where the individual trading experience is shared and lessons learnt identified through clear/directed reflection.
All items traded up to are donated to chosen charity identified by learners, to avoid any issues of 'personal gain'.
As well as working within teams, enterprise and entrepreneurship involves the ability to build effective relationships with others. Well-developed interpersonal skills form the core of relationships both within and beyond the team. Reflection on this task should acknowledge the group reaching the (perceived) highest value object, but also explore the transactional experience and the motivations to engage. This also provides the opportunity to reflect upon social and interpersonal skills, such as
Per person:
Key Authors
http://oneredpaperclip.blogspot.co.uk/
Books
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
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
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
5Reflection and Action
6Interpersonal Skills
7Communication and Strategy
Participants gain confidence in responding to questioning under pressure. They may importantly also learn that they need to ‘act’ differently with different stakeholders. They learn quickly to adapt to others’ point of view.
This is a group exercise. Members of the group in turn are put in the ‘Hot Seat’ to respond to intensive questioning from other group members. Traditionally, this ‘Hot Seating’ technique is used by actors to help them identify with the character they are playing. It is used in entrepreneurship education to enable participants to get inside the culture and values of stakeholders with whom they might have to deal. But it can also be used for intensive questioning of an individual’s own personal aims, objectives and plans including business plans. Other participant’s (the group) act as interrogators in this exercise; note: it can be useful to agree ground rules as what is appropriate in terms of questioning and approach within this task.
The hot seat itself is in the middle of a semi-circle of chairs. The person in the ‘Hot Seat’ can be himself/herself or represent a client or stakeholder. Dependent upon the role, questions fired rapidly may relate to personal issues; business/organisational problems or community activities (part of ground rules).
Example Hot Seat: Business/plan/idea
The individual is surrounded by those role playing different stakeholders which the plan might need to convince. The aim is to create recognition that the plan will be seen very differently by very different stakeholders. Interrogators may, for example, play the roles of bankers, venture capitalists, family, local government officials offering grants; a potential large customer who will be judging whether to include the client on a buying list or a major potential supplier who may be asked for credit.
Other participants can then be similarly hot seated. At the end of the hot seating there can be a review of what has been learned about the business plan as a relationship management instrument and how it might be best developed to meet different needs.
Example Hot Seat: different stakeholders
Using the same focus of the business plan; hot seater’s, in turn, can be asked to play the roles of different stakeholders, as above, and are quizzed about what they are looking for and why?
Example Hot Seating: on a problem
The technique can be used to role-play individuals from a case study with the aim of creating lively personalised discussion of major points for learning from the case. It can also be used to focus discussion on how to deal with a particular problem set out in a simple brief.
This is an exercise in thinking and responding under pressure. It also is designed to stimulate understanding of relationship management and the value of thinking empathetically. It can be used to throw light on the ‘organisational cultures’ of different stakeholders that make them see the same things in different ways.
A Compendium of Pedagogies for Teaching Entrepreneurship. Professor Alan Gibb and Alison Price - (PDF)
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
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
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.
Activity
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:
Running the marketplace: The instructor should ask all students to stand up. The instructor should read the rules and, if possible, display them on a screen. Students should be told that the activity runs for a limited time. Recommended marketplace times are: 10-25 students should take 5 minutes; 25-100 students takes 10 minutes; 100+ students will take 10-15 minutes.
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 judgement 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.
This fast-paced activity builds student confidence in their decision-making and ability to handle new data within a short time period. The nature of the market place requires interpersonal skills which must be balanced against the time constraints of the challenge itself.
It can be powerful to debrief the whole group on their experience of the task, including their emotional responses to the challenge and how they handled the interpersonal elements. Important reflections can be gained by asking the students to consider:
By reflecting upon their personal experience, as well as the challenge, the skill development is deepened and potential action points for future practice can be identified (relating to personal learning as to how to handle time pressures; ambiguous tasks; decision making etc).
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 mayprefer 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).
Additional Resources
Bock’s Innovation Market Place: Resource Sheet
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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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
Any
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
6Interpersonal Skills
7Communication and Strategy
The learner will be able
This quick ice-breaker can be used with any size of group (if you have sufficient resources for each group/individual) and acts an immediate energiser.
All participants are given a scrabble letter (or similar) at the very start of a session (You can either run this as an individual challenge, or with larger groups, create teams/groups).
Set the challenge to make the longest word possible within a set time frame (3 mins).
An enhancement of this can be to bind the task in some way – so to make the word to do with the topic/subject or related on the up-coming challenge.
This very busy activity results in people getting to know each other very quickly, having fun and finding immediate common ground.
This active and engaging task brings the students together, energising them before they are issued with their main group challenge (to run SIMVENTURE – business start-up simulation). It is highly effective as an ice-breaker task as the task is sufficiently engaging, but 'low-risk' as not related to the large challenge of the day (competitively running a business simulation).
The need for good interpersonal skills, working within specific time constraints, means that the students engage in the task and each other from the first moments of the class.
Reflection the task at the end of the 'game' can allow for key points to be bought out regarding team work, expectations of team members or colleagues and provide a foundation for creating ground rules for working together.
Scrabble letters – or similar
Timer (watch/phone)
http://simventure.co.uk/the-product/overview
Simventure www.simventure.co.uk
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)
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
To develop an interdisciplinary network of exchange which promotes innovation, design thinking, new-product development. Bringing together a students from across the University, who value innovative thinking, ideas generation and interdisciplinary working as part of their student experience.
Interdisciplinary has been recognised as a key contributor in solving complex global social problems (BIS, 2009; 2009a; DIUS, 2008, QAA 2012). It therefore follows that graduates as societies leaders with a genuine interest in making the world a better place must have the ability and confidence to work across disciplines. In today’s global economy and in society as a whole, we are faced with many complex challenges which require new ways of working and graduates need to be prepared for this through the integration of interdisciplinary working within their under graduate (UG) curriculum.
The 24 hour design challenge: Second year students from across 3 schools within the university were invited to register for this event, places were limited to 40 students, a maximum on 10 students from a single discipline area.
The impact on learning was evident through the student feedback, we categories it into skill development, Collaborative working, Entrepreneurial development.
“There is never a stop-point in learning – there is always room for more”. (2015 student)
“Competing in this design challenge was a thoroughly enjoyable process. As an engineer, it is important that I develop the ability to work with multiple disciplines and in the 24 hours we were given I have been given a massive insight into how completely separate skill sets can come together to generate an idea. I also find it incredible that after only a day, I came away with a team that I had formed a friendship with and now have an insight into demonstrating an idea to someone who has the means to make it a reality. Overall I cannot fault the opportunity of taking part and enjoyed every stress inducing minute of it. I would definitely do something similar again.” (2014 24 hour design challenge).
Skill-development:
“....in the 24 hours we were given I have been given a massive insight into how completely separate skill sets can come together to generate an idea” (student quote, 2013 challenge).
“It was an enjoyable challenge, bringing in different skills we have learnt throughout our time here so far. I would defiantly recommend it to anyone and do it again” (student quote, 2013 challenge).
“…enjoyed every stress-inducing minute of it. I would definitely do something similar again” (student quote, 2013 challenge).
“I learned a lot from my peers in my team and this experiment will benefit me in future group projects” (student quote, 2014 challenge).
Collaborative working:
“....I really enjoined the challenge and it was good to start viewing things from different discipline angles” (student quote, 2013 challenge).
“This design challenge was great. I love working with all of my team who were from different specialisms” (student quote, 2013 challenge).
“It has shown me what some of my lecture have been trying to tell us which is that collaboration and working with people from different specialisms is when design can really take off and become exciting” (student quote, 2013 challenge).
“I really enjoyed the 24 hour challenge as I valued meeting new people and exploring different areas of study” (student quote, 2014 challenge).
“It was really helpful to speak to the different tutors and pick their brains about our ideas, as I would never normally come into contact with tutors from these courses” (student quote, 2014 challenge).
Entrepreneurial development:
“The challenge has made me even more interested in working with people I don’t know and also has inspired me to think about business ideas for my future career” (student quote, 2013 challenge).
“It was a great experience, thank-you! It is a great insight to the business world that we are entering” (student quote, 2013 challenge)
“Overall it was a great experience and I now have contacts and friends on completely different courses to me who I will no doubt be calling on for help on future projects as well as the one we started” (student quote, 2014 challenge).
Comment from external Judge: “Judging the 24-hour design challenge was a pleasure and revealed an impressive arsenal of talent the University of Huddersfield has amongst the students. Each multi-disciplined team presented well thought out and researched concepts which impressed the judging panel and stimulated much debate. Being spoilt for choice meant the pressure was put back on the panel when it came to us choosing a winner. In my experience, great ideas occur when a creative person or team is constrained by time and/or budget. When placed under pressure, right brain instinct coupled with pragmatic decision making, causes inventive and exciting concepts and solutions. Events like the 24hr Design Challenge are a great example of where you'll see this in action.” (David Bailey Creative Director UX&D, BBC Future Media).
The learning is not within the task objective, but within the team process, networking and cross-fertilization of skills 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 de-brief encourage the teams to explore the skill development within the task and team work itself. As a facilitator, it is important that you allow the teams to explore their team process and find the learning within that. Within the dragon’s den the teams are asked to reflect on this experience.
BIS (2009). Skills for growth, the national skills strategy, Department for Business Innovation and Skills. Nov 2009 (pp. 1-78). Retrieved from https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/228764/7641.pdf
BIS (2009a). Higher ambitions: The future of Universities in a knowledge economy, Department for Business Innovation and Skills. (pp.1-78).
DIUS (2008). A new ‘University Challenge’. Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills. (1-20).
QAA (2012). Enterprise and entrepreneurship education: Guidance for UK higher education providers
September 2012. Quality Assurance Agency. Retrieved from http://www.qaa.ac.uk/en/Publications/Documents/enterprise-entrepreneurship-guidance.pdf Page 1-32
Contact details: Dr E. J. Power, University of Huddersfield
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
The Global Enterprise Challenge is an international enterprise skills competition, where teams of students from around the world compete within a 12-hour period to come up with a solution to a significant global challenge.
In 2015, a team of students from (North East Wales based college) Coleg Cambria went through to compete in the international finals of the challenge, having successfully come through their national heats (a three-day long challenge held in Cardiff), and the college-wide Team Enterprise Challenge (see How-To Guides).
The students, who were all studying A-Level Business, successfully beat the competition to be crowned Global Champions!
As stated on the Global Enterprise Challenge Website, the brief presented to students for 2015 was as follows;
“To Design an innovative exhibit, to inform communities, government and the media about the ways light affects our lives.
“This exhibit could be a trade display, website, travelling education experience or similar and could include a working model, smart phone apps, social media, print, or other material illustrating a new technique or approach and should be appropriate to your region.
“Your product, process, or service should feature light as a primary resource and deliver benefit in one or more of the following areas: education, health, community, home, leisure, entertainment or business.
“Your response may include new and creative ways to capture or generate light.”
The students were given 12-hours to complete the challenge, at the end of which they had to submit;
and to show
The electronic submissions were then assessed by a team of international judges, with the highest scoring team declared the winner.
The Coleg Cambria team met this challenge, with their idea for a new digital product called ‘LiteLearn’ – Learning at the Speed of Lite.
Their proposed product utilised the latest technology in augmented reality in order that learners could use their mobile phones to bring learning to life inside the classroom, capitalising on mobile phone usage amongst young people and offering them an engaging new way to learn.
To complete the 12-hour challenge, the students based themselves at Glyndwr University, and in the days preceding, undertook a series of site visits, workshops with guest speakers, and various activities to enhance their creativity and develop their skills and confidence. The students found out that they had been crowned champions, in an announcement via video-link in the days following the challenge’s completion (see references 'GEC –The Journey').
Figure 1: The winning team, their tutors and mentors.
Rona Griffiths Enterprise / World Skills Manager at Coleg Cambria said:
‘’We are delighted with the achievements of our students in this competition – they really showed their ability as young dynamic entrepreneurs. We based ourselves for the challenge at Glyndwr University and knew from the beginning that we had the winning ingredients for success.
“I would like to thank everybody involved including all of the mentors from Cambria, Glyndwr and local businesses namely Mel Henry, Lynn Williams, Joey Edwards, Heather Wilson, Mike Corcoran, Sid Madge and Big Ideas Wales for their support.
“Many congratulations to the team for their excellent business plan and winning this highly prestigious award, putting Coleg Cambria and Wales on the global map.’
All the students who took part found the experience to be extremely worthwhile, and in the weeks following the completion on the challenge, one of the victorious students went on to establish his own business.
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
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
3Decision making supported by critical analysis and judgement
7Communication and Strategy
This activity is designed to provide an opportunity for students to develop their understanding of the purpose and benefits of producing a business plan as well as expressing any concerns or issues relating to the process.
As an individual task – invite each student to consider the opposing statement below (that preparing a business plan is ‘a waste of time’ and ‘a valuable exercise’ and to make a list of the reasons why someone may agree with each of the statements.
Each point can then be researched, discussed in small groups, and challenged within the small group situation to create a consensus for presentation.
The activity should be concluded by asking the group to agree where they would rank themselves on the continuum and make their position to the wider group.
This will create a range of presentations, which will draw out of range of concerns and issues, that can then be discussed and explored across the wider group.
Preparing a Business Plan
A waste of time ...................................... A valuable exercise
0 10
This can also be repeated, following business planning work, to provide a useful reflection tool at the end of the business planning process, when students are invited to consider the statements again having completed the business plan. This can provide an indication of any change in the entrepreneur / small business owner’s view.
The decision making within this task is both individual and within a group and therefore develops consensus building through discussion and debate. The discussion will build deeper understanding of the business planning process and build confidence around this area, whilst the presentation skills to the wider group will build confidence in public speaking and debate.
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.
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
2Opportunity recognition‚ creation and evaluation
3Decision making supported by critical analysis and judgement
4Implementation of ideas through leadership and management
7Communication and Strategy
This type of module is appropriate on applied courses, or courses ‘with enterprise’. It is especially valuable where students from a range of disciplines are taught together, invited to ‘bring their discipline and interests with them’ (of course, discipline and interests are not always/often synonymous, and this approach helps with that!)
Students engage in a shared first lecture, setting the context for the module, discussing, and responding to individual learner expectations, and an introduction to innovation, delivered by an inventor, which asks the students to invest in one of a series of inventions, based on a case study of each in practice. They are encouraged to reflect on their choice, and in particular the reasons why they feel that their chosen option represents most value.
In week 2 students return to their own discipline (or choose an area of interest based on the available disciplines) and a session is led by academics and industry guests/entrepreneurs focussing on ‘the current and future trends in the XYZ industry’. This tends to be ‘products for users in Science and Engineering’ subjects (e.g. pets and children), and ‘approaches’ in other subjects (e.g. social and online media).
Week 3 is a facilitated session in which students join interdisciplinary groups (formulated with as wide a variety of disciplines as possible (e.g. 1xcomputing science, 1xbiology, 1xmarketing and management) and share their findings from the previous week to identify areas of shared interest and the skills each member can contribute.
The remainder of the sessions are built around convincing the module assessors, and industry/entrepreneurs that your emerging idea is worth spending more time, money and effort on developing, and that individual students have the appropriate skills and motivations to deliver on the opportunity. The design of the remaining sessions is aimed at students achieving this objective. Remaining module content and tools can be designed together with the students, using flipped classroom, online resources, and update meetings alongside taught lecture material.
The confidence gained by the students is seen as they engage with each other and with externals (industry experts). They are exposed to entrepreneurship through opportunity spotting and evaluation, and through building their reflective and persuasive/selling skills. By working in teams they are building collaborative approaches to problem solving and task completion.
Planned engagement – including engagement of academics, entrepreneurs and industry partners in each discipline where a student originates.
Time to coach groups individually, access to mentors or online interaction.
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
Each year an institution and region wide Business Idea Competition is run as a broad tool to stimulate and support entrepreneurship in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. The competition promotes creative thinking and problem solving for learners at all stages of the learning journey including upon graduation. Our institution comprises a network of tertiary colleges and research centres, spread across the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. The competition was devised and is organised by Create, an Enterprise and Innovation Learning centre based within Inverness College UHI and delivered across the university and all partner institutions including the surrounding Highlands and Islands community (subject to T&Cs).
The competition is supported across campus to significantly raise ‘Enterprise Awareness’ (via induction, workshops, talks, e-comms), develop ‘Entrepreneurial Mindset’ (through intensive engagement and support to submit entries to the competition with learners from all faculties) and for some students (who progress in the competition and beyond) to start to develop their ‘Entrepreneurial Capabilities’. We have examples of this being delivered as an extra curricula workshop/activity and within the curriculum as a tool to aid experiential learning.
The competition opens in August each year and is promoted widely across the university, all colleges and research centres and in the local community. Lecture ‘shouts’ and workshops have proven to be the most effective technique to engage the broadest range of staff and learners. Short films are included on our website to give tips on entering.
Online entries seek information on an idea, inspiration, resources, next steps rather than a business plan. It was inspired by the culturally popular ‘Dragons Den’ but was dubbed the friendly ‘Highland Dragons Den’. Plenty of support is provided for developing application, pitching and presenting. Independent and experienced judges are engaged each year and relevant follow-up support and advice is offered to all entrants. For winning entrants, start-up support is offered in addition to cash prizes.
CREATE has worked closely with regional partners and the business community to ensure the competition reaches the maximum potential budding entrepreneurs across the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. The competition was launched in 2006 with 27 entrants and has grown significantly to 150 entrants in 2014 representing all industry sectors and parts of the region. Subsequent business start-ups in both the commercial and social sector have proved to be a recognised economic benefit to the region.
In addition to business start-up, it is considered that the competition also has two key impacts: it significantly enhances ‘Enterprise Awareness’ across curricula areas (both academic/careers staff and students); and helps to encourage stronger working relationships with local business and enterprise support organisations.
This activity shows how education ‘for’ enterprise can successfully engage a wide range of students, staff and members of the community both within and outside the curriculum. Over the years, more teaching and career staff are building in this opportunity as an awareness raising and experiential tool for learners at all levels. Those who participate, are extremely positive about the experience and can articulate evidence of creative thinking, opportunity spotting, and business awareness and, for those who proceed in the competition, they are able to develop their presentation, commercial awareness and network building skills. They talk of an increase in confidence and greater awareness of ‘know who’ and ‘be known’. Through CPD sessions, more academic staff now have the confidence to introduce these concepts and encourage learners to try this opportunity ‘to make something happen’ which adds to a student’s experience of how it ‘feels’ to be enterprising, which is very much in tune with the philosophy of enterprise education.
For 2015/6, we are extending the competition to early stage start-ups as we find many entrepreneurs start to test their idea earlier each year and still benefit from this type of engagement and encouragement.
Partnership: A critical success factor for this type of region wide initiative is partnership working. Within the institution, we engage with Deans, Faculty and Subject Leaders as well as Careers and Student Services areas.
Externally, this initiative has helped to build strong working partnerships which have grown year on year with local enterprise support organisations (Business Gateway, Prince’s Trust Youth Business Scotland, HISEZ, FirstPort and SIE) together with an extensive range of regional businesses (large corporates and SMEs) who wish to be associated with helping to build a vibrant entrepreneurial culture.
Funding: The activity has been substantially funded by institutional funding with support in the early years from the local enterprise agency, latterly EU funding sources and local council funds. All prizes (£8,000 in 2015) are sourced via sponsorship from local business and enterprise support organisations which CREATE attracts each year.
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
4Implementation of ideas through leadership and management
To devise innovative business proposals and prototypes to transform a waste asset into something that could be sold or traded; a product/service that creates impact for the community while also demonstrating a sustainable approach to using physical resources to achieve this, respecting the natural environment.
In setting out to achieving this objective it is anticipated learners will be better able to:
Hotbox 500 provides a unique opportunity for students to develop their entrepreneurial skills for community and environmental benefit. In short, a company is asked to donate 500 units of a product. Given the sustainability element of this project these are typically products that would otherwise be recycled or go direct to landfill. The aim of this activity is for students to repurpose these products in another context.
Session 1 (1.5 hrs) In one large group students are introduced to the idea of flourishing organisations; that is those characterised by values-based, vision driven business, with stakeholders who are committed to creating products, processes, and business models that address the major issues of our time (Senge, 2014). Following this an introduction to the Hotbox 500 brief (see below) is given and several units of the donated product distributed among the group.
Hotbox 500 Brief
To devise innovative proposals and prototypes to transform this asset into something that could be sold or traded; a product/service that creates impact for the community as they define it, while also demonstrating a sustainable approach to using physical resources to achieve this, respecting the natural environment.
Students are then separated in to groups working in 4-6 in a team. Between now and the following session each group is to go away and initially brainstorm ideas of potential alternative uses and applications for the product. They are prompted by three questions that will aid them in this process:
1. What is the opportunity they are trying to create with this asset?;
2. What are they trying to do differently?;
3. How are they trying to address a real-world need?
Session 2 (2 hrs) – The groups are introduced to creative thinking in the context of identifying what creative people do that is different- their methods and behaviours- to aid students in the formulation of alternative applications for the product. Following this students put into practice these methods and behaviours. This part of the session is informed and supported by the text Sticky Wisdom (Allan et al, 2002). The role of facilitator here is to nurture the student’s ideas and build on the core questions set from the previous session. The facilitator sets ‘SUN not RAIN’ ground rules to the students (see below).
Suspend Judgement,
Understand others proposals, no matter how crazy,
Nurture and build on Ideas
SUN
Don't React and judge an idea as being no good;
Assume that you know all the facts;
Insist on your point of view being the only right one;
Be Negative
RAIN
After establishing the ground rules the facilitator then leads the group through a creative thinking tool which enables students to explore the issues/challenges with their product from an entirely different perspective. Random Links (Allan et al, 2002) is suggested but others can be used by the facilitator.
Random Links
Step One: Pick any random object it may be immediately around you or be something from your imagination. It has to be as unconnected from the current issue you are trying to resolve as possible.
Step Two: Having picked an object (e.g. a keyring) the group now considers everything they know about said object from its physical properties to its function and symbolic value.
Step Three: Having considered the qualities of the random object at great length students then connect the properties of the object to the issues they’re facing asking the question ‘What can this object usefully tell us about our issue?’.
Step Four: They then build up a picture of their issue and the qualities of the random link that have developed their thinking. This should enhance the business case they subsequently develop. They may even wish to role play a scenario around the service or product they are developing. This adds “realness” to the idea and is great way to prototype their ideas through innovative presentations with an audience.
Between now and the following session students are asked to complete a business case framework and develop a short presentation.
Session 3 (10-15 mins per group)
Each group gives their presentation in answer to the original brief in front a panel which includes the organisation that donated the original product. The panel will be looking for a product that incorporates the sustainable and environmental values of the brief. presentation (10-15 minutes).
Includes:
500 donated products.
Random objects for random links exercise.
Business Case Framework Template
Allan, D., Kingdon, M., Murrin, K. and Rudkin, D. (2002) Sticky Wisdom. London: Capstone Publishing Limited.
Senge, P. (2014) Foreward. In Laszlo, C. and Brown, J. Flourishing Enterprise- The New Spirit of Business. California: Stanford University Press.
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
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
2Opportunity recognition‚ creation and evaluation
7Communication and Strategy
Ned Snogard (Dragon’s Den in reverse) tasks business experts to pitch fictitious business ideas to students. The session aims to help students to understand the art of pitching and securing funding for new business ideas. This has been delivered with HND Business and Enterprise Year 2 but would work with any group working on entrepreneurship and could use themed (subject-related examples).
Time required 1:30 – 2 hours.
Pre-session: Entrepreneurs are invited to take part in the event and are given the chance to pick from a list of fictitious business scenarios or come up with one of their own. Their task is to prepare a 5 minute funding pitch to an audience of students and then be questioned by the students for an additional 5 minutes.
In this case study the ideas included iBooze, an iPhone app which turns a phone into a breathalyser, To Dye For, a clothes up-cycling business, and Silky Road Tyres, a new composite tyre formula using traditional rubber combined with recycled materials to produce a tyre which reduces road noise and fuel consumption.
The winning pitch can be decided through a show of hands, cheering the loudest for the preferred pitch or if time/space permits allowing the students to decide as a group and a nominated student feeding back the pros and cons of each pitch and why the winning pitch was chosen as the one they would be most likely to invest in.
The entrepreneurs are given time to confer which they felt was the most relevant and insightful question of the session. The winning student is presented with a gift voucher or other small prize.
Finally it is revealed to the students during the round up session that the business ideas are fictitious – which so far has been a complete surprise to the students, further embedding the importance of confidence.
Paul Peachey: “We initially trialled Ned Snogard as an extra-curricular activity, it will now run annually as part of the undergraduate degree programme. The students were stunned at the event when it was revealed that none of the ideas were real – demonstrating the polished pitching skills of the entrepreneurs.
Emma Forouzan, Enterprise Start-up manager at the University, said: “This is the second Ned Snogard event we have run at USW and it provides a fantastic learning opportunity for our students to take the seats of the Dragons and learn from the pitches of real entrepreneurs. We were all impressed by the quality and range of the questions from the students – they didn’t hold back in asking tough questions.”
http://www.southwales.ac.uk/news/2015/ned-snogard-turns-tables-dragons/
Key authors: Idea originated by Stuart Miller of Bybox
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.
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 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 as this 20-credit multi-level, multidisciplinary module "Making Ideas Happen" which introduces the fields of enterprise, entrepreneurship and innovation, whilst emphasising the generation and development of ideas with a distinctly social flavour.
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
Interested in becoming an ethical entrepreneur?
check out this sustainable, values based approach in this free access e-book by Paul Palmarozza
