Using a Live International Challenge to Foster Student Agency and Entrepreneurial Learning (QAA 2,5,7) #FEEUK

Objective:

• To empower students to take ownership of their learning by immersing them in a real-world entrepreneurial challenge, enhancing their problem-solving, communication, and self-reflection skills in a cross-cultural setting.

Introduction: 

This case example draws on an activity delivered during the NTU International Summer Programme 2023 in Mexico, where I facilitated a live challenge based on my personal entrepreneurial journey. Students applied their learning to a real business problem and collaborated in teams to propose solutions. The approach enabled students to practise enterprise skills in context and share responsibility for their development. Learning from this activity was presented at the AdvanceHE 2024 conference.

Activity:

Students in this programme were enrolled in the Entrepreneurial Citizen course which include formal lessons and a group challenge where they got to work with a local Mexican business. To prepare the students, I delivered an unscripted, immersive simulation based on a real challenge my business had faced when exploring international expansion.

The session was structured around a staged intervention:

1. Context Setting: I shared my personal journey from graduate startup founder with a Psychology background to running an international business, including key challenges and turning points. This helped to build rapport and show students the real-world relevance of enterprise education.
2. The Challenge: Students worked in groups to develop a market entry plan for my product in the local Mexican context. After a short development period, they pitched their plans, received peer and facilitator feedback, and refined their ideas for a second round of presentations.
3. Facilitated Peer Review: Groups gave and received constructive feedback across teams, practising critical thinking and communication. They also reflected on how well they scoped the challenge, encouraged to adapt their assumptions and approach.
4. Preparation for the Live Client: To bridge the activity with the afternoon's local industry challenge, students completed a reflective task to refine their scoping questions. This ensured they could approach the upcoming real-world brief with greater confidence and curiosity.

The activity encouraged students to take ownership of their learning in a high-engagement, low-risk setting. Students from diverse academic and cultural backgrounds collaborated effectively, drew on their individual strengths, and demonstrated entrepreneurial competencies including opportunity recognition, creative problem-solving, and reflective learning.

Post-session feedback showed students valued the opportunity to receive authentic, iterative feedback and develop ideas based on a live scenario. The activity helped them connect enterprise skills to their own goals, whether business ownership or future employment.

 Beyond the summer school, this experience formed the foundation of my joint session with NTU Employability colleagues at AdvanceHE 2024. Our presentation explored how global experiential learning like this can be adapted and scaled to benefit a wider cohort, strengthen inclusion, and build economic value.

Pictures or images:

Students identifying each others strengths.

Students planning working on their challenge with their newly formed team.

Students pitching their plan and received feedback from peers and facilitators.