'CREATE' (CREATIVITY, RESOURCEFULNESS, ENTERPRISE AND TASK EVALUATION) - 2021/2

Module Overview

The purpose of this module is to build independent learning and research skills which have a practical value for progression, whether that be undergraduate study or employment. The module will run throughout the academic year but will effectively be split into two halves.

The first half will focus on applied professional presentation and networking skills: students will work in groups of 5 to identify and approach a local entrepreneur and secure an interview with them. They will devise relevant questions between them and then video the interview to present back an edited version to the other students on the course.

In Semester 2 they will again work together in (different) groups of 5 to plan and execute their own business practice. Each member of the group will be assigned a specific role (Managing Director, Marketing Director, Finance Director, Operations Director and Human Resources Director). They will invest their own money (up to £20 each) in a product or service and offer it to the open market. The means by which they do so will be entirely their choice. They will present the business plan and their reflections on the whole process at the culmination of the module.

Module provider

Surrey Business School

Module Leader

EDWARDS Nick (SBS)

Number of Credits: 45

ECTS Credits: 22.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 3

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Year long

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

None

Module content

Indicative content includes:

• Experiential learning

• Entrepreneurship

• Employability and professional development

• Team working

• Networking

• Innovation and creativity

• Interview techniques

• Commercial awareness

• Business knowledge

• Self-reflection

• Numeracy and literacy development

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

For Semester 1 summative assessment students will interview an entrepreneur or final year entrepreneurial student and provide a synopsis for course tutors; for Semester 2 summative assessment students will complete an individual business plan and undertake market research as part of this process.

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate their understanding of what it takes to become a successful entrepreneur, how to start, run and liquidate a business, and how to identify personal strengths and weaknesses whilst reflecting on personal learning and experiences.

Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of:

• Group entrepreneur interview video and presentation (semester 1)

• Development of a business and a group business plan with presentation (semester 2, developed across the year)

• 6 Reflective journals with a 750-word year overview (year long, developed across both semesters)

Formative assessment and Feedback

Students will receive an extensive amount of verbal formative feedback across the year when completing their summative assessments of interviewing an entrepreneur (semester 1) and planning, running and liquidating their businesses (semester 2). The students will be closely mentored and guided into making decisions which best represent themselves and the University as they engage with external parties.

Additionally, the students will conduct forms of self-evaluation and self-assessment. This will take the form of numeracy and literacy ‘assessment centre tests’ where feedback will be provided to guide on areas for improvement. Students will also complete the ‘Belbin Team Roles’ test to discover behavioural strengths and weaknesses in the workplace and the ‘Myers Briggs Type Indicator’ (MBTI) test to provide an insight into personality type and behavioural tendencies. These formative assessments will enable students to learn more about how and when they work best – identifying core strengths and weaknesses.

Students will also produce 6 reflective statements, following a pro forma, where they reflect on their personal learning and experiences in both lectures and seminars. These journals, as well as a 750-word overview will encapsulate personal development and learning across the entire module. Feedback will be provided throughout the module to ensure students are reflecting critically and analytically as opposed to describing the situation. The ‘Gibbs Reflective cycle’ will be introduced and feedback will be provided on a trial reflection.

Module aims

• Develop knowledge and experience of team working, networking and independent research skills
• Build awareness of the characteristics of successful entrepreneurs
  o Apply these characteristics through experiential learning
  
• Empower students to build an entrepreneurial mind set, commercial awareness and business intelligence
• Build confidence to approach business challenges and devise creative solutions to overcome them
• Enhance employability through a developing awareness of the workplace and associated skills
  o Numeracy and literacy skills will be targeted and developed through assessment centre related activities
  

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The teaching and learning strategy is designed to expose students to a range of entrepreneurial theories, insights and experiences. This will empower students to build an entrepreneurial mind set, develop commercial awareness and advance business intelligence. From this, students will be supported and encouraged to generate creative and innovative solutions throughout the module and be given the opportunity to put these into action.

Students will be mentored but given the freedom to explore avenues and interests they wish to pursue (Semester 1: interview an entrepreneur of their choice and Semester 2: plan and execute a business of their choice). This freedom will allow students to flourish on a creative level whilst instilling them with the confidence to become independent learners.

Additionally, students will invest their own money in the business task (up to £20 each*), with the option of keeping all profits made or donating them to charity. This will provide students with a personal attachment to the activity whilst providing an incentive to achieve. The students will then be supported in liquidating their business with advice provided on any remaining stock.

*Students will be supported and advised on fundraising opportunities (bake sale, race night, etc.) if they are financially unable to invest

The learning and teaching methods include:

In semester 1, the teaching and learning methods will include a mixture of lectures and guest lectures (1 hour per week), seminars/tutorials (2 hours per week) and an experiential workshop at the start of the year. The lectures will introduce theories and methods of entrepreneurship, the characteristics of an entrepreneur, regulations for entrepreneurs, growing your business, business success and failure, liquidating a business, etc. Guest lectures will provide the students with insights from real entrepreneurs and public figures – each with a different and unique story to tell. The experiential workshop will provide the students with an induction to the foundation year (allowing them to meet and greet each other) and will include: team building activities, creative thinking, and problem solving – whilst introducing them to entrepreneurship and the module as a whole.

In semester 2, the teaching and learning methods will include collaborative seminars/workshops (2 hours per week) and an internal Surrey selling day. The seminars and workshops will be in collaborative spaces and allow the students the chance to work in their groups of 5 to develop their business. In these seminars and workshops, students will be mentored, guided and supported in the development of their businesses and given the freedom to be creative and innovative with their ideas. In week 3/4 students will produce a ‘Dragons Den’ style presentation to gain approval for their business idea to ensure they comply with the University Insurance Policy. The Surrey selling day will be in week 9/10 and will be a chance for the students to sell their products or advertise their services in an event set up by the teaching team on campus.

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: MAN0003

Other information

N/A

Programmes this module appears in

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2021/2 academic year.