'CREATE' (CREATIVITY, RESOURCEFULNESS, ENTERPRISE AND TASK EVALUATION) - 2025/6

Module Overview

The purpose of this module is to build leadership, independent learning and transferable skills which have a practical value for progression, whether that be to undergraduate study or employment.

 

As the module acronym suggests, students will focus on Creativity, Resourcefulness, Enterprise and Task Evaluation. This will be done through experiential, real-world learning tasks and assessments. The module contains a strong focus on Employability. Could you answer the question: “what will make you more employable than other graduates with the same degree as you?”. CREATE will address this very question and begin the process of you developing a strong personal brand. Through a range of carefully designed tasks, you will develop resilience, digital capabilities and explore a range of theoretical concepts that will be invaluable for your future studies and careers

 

The module is designed so that, as you progress through the year, you will increasingly be able to build on and apply your learning from other modules on the programme, allowing you to further develop as a well-rounded and high-performing individual.

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

Students will cover a range of contemporary themes and notions which feed into the module aims and learning outcomes. The topics and transferable skills which will be explored on the module include:

 

• Employability and professional development


• Intrapreneurship and entrepreneurship


• Leadership


• Culture


• Motivation


• Innovation and creativity


• Team working


• Networking


• Commercial awareness


• Resilience


• Self-reflection

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

Semester 1 summative assessment students will produce a detailed leader discussion, analysis, and evaluation, as well as a personal development plan.   Semester 2 summative assessment students will complete a comprehensive individual business plan and undertake market research as part of this process.

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to allow students to demonstrate the learning outcomes through a mixture of formative and summative work throughout the year. Seminar time will be dedicated to the development of the summative assessments. The module will run throughout the academic year but will effectively be split into 2 semesters:

 

• Semester 1 will focus on leadership, culture, professional presentation, and networking skills: students will work in groups to identify and contact real-world leaders to secure an interview. They will devise relevant questions, record the interview, and present back an edited version to the other students on the course. Students will be guided to apply taught theory to their presentations. Examples of leaders include CEOs, CFOs, high-level political figures, Olympic athletes, influencers; the choice is yours!

 

• In Semester 2 students will work in groups to execute a business solution of their choice. Each member of the group will hold a specific role (managing, marketing, finance/impact, operations, and human resources director). Students will be guided to trade in the real-world, investing their own money**: with the aim of making a profit and a positive impact on society. Students will apply theory and evidence of their external engagement and impact within a business plan. A group of 5 made £2,700 profit in 2023!

 

**Students will be guided on their investment and will require module leader approval on their business solutions. There is limit of £25pp investment, although all ideas will be discussed on a case-by-case basis. The investment can be generated through fundraising to combat financial constraints.

 

Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of:

 

• Semester 1: Group Leader Interview Video and Presentation, 40% (addresses learning outcomes 1, 4, 5 and 6)


• Semester 2: Development of a Business and a Group Business Plan, 60% (addresses learning outcomes (2, 3, 4)

 

Formative assessment

 

In collaboration with a dedicated learning developer, students will receive specialised seminars on self-reflection, how to network and communicate with working professionals, how to creatively edit videos, and how to deliver professional presentations. Students will produce ‘dragon’s den’ pitches to receive guidance and ensure the suitability of their business solutions.

 

Students will conduct forms of self-evaluation and reflection throughout the year. These formative assessments will enable students to learn more about how and when they work best – identifying perceived strengths alongside areas for future development.

 

  Feedback

 

Students will be closely mentored and guided into making decisions which best represent themselves and the University as they engage with external parties. Students will receive extensive verbal feedback across the year when completing their formative and summative assessments.

 

Students will receive comprehensive feedback and feedforward guidance on summative assessments to facilitate their future development.

 

Students will be guided on enhancing their employability through a range of seminar tasks and drop-in sessions.

Module aims

• Build students' awareness of the characteristics of successful leaders and apply these characteristics through experiential, real-world learning.
• Empower students to build an entrepreneurial mind set, commercial awareness and business intelligence.
• Support students to build confidence to approach business challenges and devise creative solutions to overcome them.
• Support students to develop knowledge and experience of team working, networking and independent research skills.
• Enhance students' employability through developing awareness of the workplace and associated transferable skills.
• Enable students to build a 'personal brand' and enhance presentation skills.

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to expose students to a range of theories, insights, and lived experiences. This will empower students to build an entrepreneurial mindset* with wider application, develop commercial awareness and advance business intelligence. Students will be supported and encouraged to generate creative and innovative solutions throughout the module and are given the opportunity to put these into action.

 

Students will experience lectures, seminars, workshops, and guest talks from industry professionals. Students will also be mentored but given the freedom to explore avenues and interests they wish to pursue (whether this be business, economics or hospitality and tourism). This freedom will allow students to flourish on a creative level whilst instilling the confidence to become independent learners.

 

*“An entrepreneurial mindset is a set of skills that enable people to identify and make the most of opportunities, overcome and learn from setbacks, and succeed in a variety of settings. Research shows that an entrepreneurial mindset is valued by employers, boosts educational attainment and performance, and is crucial for creating new businesses.” (Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship, 2023).

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

In conjunction with receiving departments, the Foundation Year programme is committed to developing graduates with strengths in Digital Capabilities, Employability, Global and Cultural Capabilities, Resourcefulness and Resilience, and Sustainability. This programme is designed to allow students to develop knowledge, skills, and capabilities in the following areas:

 

Digital Capabilities: this module contributes to ensuring that students enter the first year of their degree programmes equipped with understanding and competency in applying a range of digital skills to their work. In this module, students have opportunities to develop their digital literacy skills through enhancing their digital content creation and communication skills.  They are also encouraged to use digital tools of their choice (e.g. WhatsApp, MS Teams) to support the groupwork elements which form the basis of the module.

 

Employability: this module has been designed with a strong emphasis on employability in mind.  This comes in part from the guided opportunities provided to students to develop their knowledge and understanding of theory around leadership, entrepreneurship and organisational culture; from participating in activities and undertaking assessments which foster a critical approach within the subject area, with application of theory to practical contexts; and in the supported development of specific skills and attributes relevant to employment and self-employment.  Visiting speakers from industry add varied perspectives to the programme.

 

Through in-class and out of class activities, the module strongly emphasises the development of effective teamworking skills which will be relevant to the workplace. This is accompanied by authentic assessments, i.e. those which allow rehearsal of real-life skills and task fulfilment, in a) the group interview task and b) the development of a business and group business plan task.  The module scaffolds students’ ability to reflect critically on individual performance and learn from feedback, which are also sound preparation for the world of work.

 

Global and Cultural Capabilities: the module encourages students to engage with, and learn from, other students in formal team-working situations. To succeed in this task, students need to engage through interaction and teamwork with diverse perspectives of others from varied educational backgrounds.

 

As part of the interview task, students are encouraged to consider the culture of the organisation within which their chosen leader operates, in line with relevant theory they have studied as part of the module.

 

Resourcefulness and Resilience: this module poses particular challenges in the quantity and variety of effective teamwork necessary to complete the two assessments to high levels. These pose challenges different to self-directed individual work that typify other modules on the programme, and as such, are supported by input around teamworking both on theoretical and practical levels. The bonds formed during completion of these tasks are generally supportive and often long-lasting, and contribute significantly to the independence, confidence and resilience that students are able to apply to this and future study contexts. Skills of project management, organisation and time management for the team as a whole are also key to successful completion and students are encouraged to reflect on their own strengths and weaknesses in these areas as part of each summative assessment, with a view to developing strong and sustainable habits in the future.

 

By its task-based nature, the module provides opportunities for students to develop resourceful approaches to study and professional contexts in the demands it places on students to contact organisational leaders of their own choosing outside the university sphere through cold-calling and/or personal connections in Semester 1. This also demands and develops resilience as there is always a likelihood of rejection and a need to re-plan. The Semester 2 assessment similarly requires significantly resourceful approaches in order for students to develop real business ideas with small budgets and promote their original businesses in real-life competitive market environments.

 

*Entrepreneurial Mindset definition reference:

Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (2023) Entrepreneurial mindset, NFTE. Available at: https://www.nfte.com/entrepreneurial-mindset/#

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 2025/6 academic year.