Module Catalogue 2024/25

Pre Requisite Comment

N/A

Co Requisite Comment

N/A

Aims

This module allows students from any subject area to develop entrepreneurial and enterprising solutions to challenges set within the module. This is a teamworking module so students will work as part of a group throughout the year. In a fast changing and highly competitive world all organisations need creative, enterprising and entrepreneurial people and so this module aims to enhance student employability by enabling them to develop these key attributes. Students taking this module should also see the link between the skills they develop for their employability and those for business start-up and self-employment.

• To develop students’ enterprising behaviours, attributes and competencies which enhance employability through working in teams on complex, real life problems and challenges.
• To provide inspiration and build confidence so students can tackle real life problems and create entrepreneurial solutions.
• To show that being enterprising and entrepreneurial is about making a difference, and making things happen in a variety of contexts.
• To create opportunities for experiential learning and assessing risk which aims to build confidence in handling the uncertain and rapidly changing employment landscape.
• To offer opportunities to apply knowledge of theory and practice of key business functions to new venture creation ideas.
• To enable students to evaluate the viability of solutions to problems and potential new ventures/products/services.
• To allow students to develop an awareness of personal strengths and capabilities, and how complementary strengths are essential to team and organisational success.

Outline Of Syllabus

Semester 1 – Idea Development – this semester is spent spotting opportunities and generating several solutions to real problems. Ideation and development tools are utilised to support idea generation and market research techniques are then employed to validate concepts. Topics covered include:
•       Spotting opportunities
•       Social enterprise ideation
•       Effectuation theory
•       Incremental and radical innovation
•       Conducting effective primary and secondary research

Semester 2 – Business Development – this semester is spent developing a sustainable business model around the group’s chosen concept with a consideration of feasibility, viability and desirability. Topics covered include:
•       Conducting further market research to test your idea
•       Marketing and social media
•       Sales
•       Financial sustainability
•       Intellectual Property and Legal Considerations
•       Team dynamics / talent planning
•       Pitching

Intended Knowledge Outcomes

• To be able to identify a range of opportunities for venture creation by building knowledge in various ideation methodologies including evaluating current and future market trends.
• To generate knowledge of appropriate theory and practice of: venture creation, innovation, market research, marketing, sales intellectual property and financial sustainability.
• To be able to apply the above knowledge to critically evaluate the potential of a new venture.
• To be able to understand the elements which are required to create an effective entrepreneurial team.

Intended Skill Outcomes

• To be able to identify opportunities which may lead to venture creation.
• To develop the ability to work successfully in a team.
• To develop interpersonal communication skills and presentation skills.
• To be able to successfully identify and reflect on skills and knowledge which have been gained throughout the module and understand how these skills contribute to your personal development.

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

The module will use a varied range of teaching methods. It will provide highly participative opportunities for experiential learning and use flexible pedagogy to meet the learning and skills outcomes.
•       Non-synchronous online lectures: Provides the core theoretical content of the module with an outline of relevant developmental tools and techniques for further learning.
•       Non-synchronous online structured guided learning: Provides students with the opportunity to apply the teaching in the lecture materials to practical activities.
•       Synchronous Small Group Meetings: Provides an opportunity for peer learning as groups discuss and critique the guided learning activities with one another and develop their group concepts.
•       Drop-in Surgery: Provides students with the opportunity to receive immediate feedback and support on their project/assessment ideas or to seek clarification on any assessment element.
•       Assessment preparation and completion: The group assessment requires students to work collaboratively across their disciplines. This multi-disciplinary environment requires additional coordination and for students to complete group independent work.
•       Reflective learning activity: As the module aims to enable reflection on personal development and strengths and weaknesses this element is regarded as an important individual developmental activity.
•       Independent study: Students will be required to read independently on enterprise and entrepreneurship topics and conduct extensive market research to validate their ideas.
•       Pitching Practice: Students will have the opportunity to conduct an early Semester 2 pitch to receive feedback on their ideas and understand where crucial development efforts need to be focused in Semester 2.
Note: This teaching activities outline is planned with hope for the best public health situation in 21-22. Should the public health situation require that present-in-person teaching moves online then the group meetings and full module face to face sessions will instead occur online using Zoom.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

Assessment 1
This two part essay requires you to: 1) Critically evaluate your chosen solution and the ideation process leading up to this; this part will outline your ideation strategy and evaluate which methods were the most/least successful. You will also briefly outline your chosen solution and evaluate why you have decided to progress this solution in Semester 2. This should include a consideration of your initial market research findings. 2) Critically reflect on your personal development in line with the above ideation and testing process. This part will discuss how your enterprising attributes have developed through your participation in this module and will demonstrate the knowledge and skills gained and applied. You will be expected to utilise Entrecomp as the theoretical underpinning of this part of your essay. Both parts are 1,000 words with the critical evaluation part presented first.

Assessment 2
Students will work in teams throughout the year to develop an innovative solution to a real problem, identified within Semester 1. Following idea and business development sessions students will need to create and deliver a 20 minute presentation, followed by 10 minutes for a Q and A session outlining the following areas:

•       Problem / Solution
•       Market Research
•       Intellectual Property and Legal Considerations
•       Marketing and Sales Strategies
•       Financial Sustainability
•       Team Dynamics / Talent Planning

Student teams are also expected to create a Group Appendix to provide supporting and additional information to that presented in the presentation.
Note: The oral presentation is to occur face to face as a live assessment. If the public health situation requires an alternative online assessment, then the presentation will occur live via Zoom instead.

General Notes

N/A