Presentation at the HEA-funded workshop 'Using active and experiential Learning to improve student employability in Business and Marketing'. This workshop was aimed at colleagues seeking ideas and advice about incorporating active and experiential learning into the marketing curriculum or wishing to improve upon current practice. The workshop identified various approaches which enable students to gain valuable employability skills and considered the benefits and disadvantages of these approaches. This presentation is part of a related blog post that provides an overview of the event: http://bit.ly/NanSOJ For further details of the HEA's work on active and experiential learning in the Social Sciences, please see: http://bit.ly/17NwgKX

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Entrepreneurial Creativity
and Innovation
Embedding active and experiential
learning within the curriculum – the
experience of a large cohort undertaking
fundraising activities
Barry Whitehouse

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The start of our journey from learning
to doing!
• We want to share our experiences and
practice
• To outline what we are trying to do
• How we are trying to do it
• Reflect on the outcomes

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The Justification………..
• The module team wanted students to be able to practice enterprise
and engage in creative activities. The challenge was to come up
with creative fundraising ideas and deliver them for local charities
• Lourenco and Jones (2006) suggest entrepreneurs learn primarily
though learning-by-doing and reflection. They cite Cope and Watts
(2000) and Deaking and Freel (1998) ‘ learning by copying and
opportunity taking; and learning from making mistakes’ Gibb (1997).
• Raising funds for local charities proved most opportune, they are
always looking for people to help and institutionally the least
contentious route, it is difficult to disagree with a good cause
• It provided a degree of creative freedom, was not resource or time
hungry and introduced the students to the third sector. Lourenco and
Jones (2006) less than 3% of HEI’s made use of action/experiential
learning which are regarded as ‘the most effective route to
entrepreneurial education’ (McKeown 2006; Pittaway and Cope
2006)

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Designing a curriculum for enterpriseDesigning a curriculum for enterprise
• A shift from a transmission model (learning about) to
an experiential model (learning for)
• Learning that is centred on investigating ‘real’
problems and opportunities (not discipline focused).
• Student project-based learning involving independent
and team based investigation and presentation of
solutions.
• Experiential, practice-based, work/ community located
learning opportunities
Rae, 2007

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Designing a curriculum for enterpriseDesigning a curriculum for enterprise
• On-going Personal development and self assessment.
• Alumni, practitioners and entrepreneurs contributing to
the learning experience.
• Conditions of risk, uncertainty and ambiguity
introduced into the learning and assessment process
to develop students’ judgement.
• Affective learning being valued as much as cognitive
learning.
Rae, 2007

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N. Moreland Entrepreneurship and HE:
an employability perspective HEA
• Graduates need to:
• Show initiative, work independently, in
teams, under pressure, communicating
effectively, managing time effectively, take
decision, be responsible, adaptable, plan
co-ordinate, organise

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The assessments
• Firstly the students have to
produce and evaluation of their
entrepreneurial potential based
on the evidence of their
diagnostics
• Secondly the students in a team
have to come up with a creative
fundraising idea for one of our
charity partners and then deliver
it. This is then assessed by ‘an
Exhibition of Applied Creativity’
and via a presentation
The Practice…..

8. WOLVERHAMPTON BUSINESS SCHOOL
The assessments
Firstly the students have to
produce and evaluation of
their entrepreneurial potential
based on the evidence of their
diagnostics
Secondly the students in a
team have to come up with a
creative fundraising idea for
one of our charity partners and
then deliver it. This is then
assessed by ‘an Exhibition of
Applied Creativity’ and via a
presentation

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Understanding and evaluating
entrepreneurial potential
• Students were introduced to the FACETS model ( Focus,
Advantage, Creativity, Ego, Team and Social - Bolton and
Thompson 2003; Thompson2003), using online
diagnostics and workshop activities on creativity, team
roles, personality and IQ tests and culminating with an
assessment via the Bolton and Thompson Entrepreneurial
Indicator http://www.efacets.co.uk/login.aspx.
• Creativity techniques and creative problem solving
methods including Hermann brain tests (Lumsdaine and
Binks 2007), idea showers, combining ideas and Scamper
techniques to enabled students to consider the issue of
fundraising from new perspectives.

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Expert Help
• Our partners the Compton http://www.compton-hospice.org.uk/
• The Steve Bull Foundation http://thestevebullfoundation.co.uk/
• Acorns Children’s Hospice http://www.acorns.org.uk/
• The charity partners produced a framework in terms of
fundraising
• We all learned from their experience and used their
resources
• We created event approval forms and risk assessment
templates and Exemplars students needed to complete
prior to their fundraising

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We enlightened and enthused about
the Third Sector
• Students were not considering careers in
the Third Sector, one which was growing at
the time and which will undoubtedly have to
fill the gaps as the frontiers of the state are
rolled back because of spending cuts

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The result..
And not just in the UK

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Examples, Awards and Prizes
• Prizes are provided by a KTP company we had worked with
(Fabweld Steel Products Ltd) and the IOD and there were awards
for the group that raised the most money and those who were most
creative in the opinion of the module team.
• Example Fundraising winners – Liaised with a local school and
organised a music event with pupils, raised £400 which was used to
pump prime an event at a local hotel (they negotiated the price down
from £850 to £200) with a band, food, raffle and auction (secured
donated prizes) selling 120 tickets at £10 per head, followed by
themed bag packing at a superstore. 5 Students raised £2,000 over
a 3 week period
• Example Creativity winners – group set up a society in conjunction
with the students union, to ensure fundraising was continued and to
channel student fundraising across the university. A small sum was
raised during the exercise but the sustainability of the idea was
judged as very creative, they are engaging with other students and
business organisations

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Benefits - students
• Students were the decision makers and were active
• They began to understand why the third sector exists,
why it is likely to grow in significance and the
opportunities it might offer for them – ‘The Big Society’?
• A vehicle for the release of creativity
• An opportunity to assess and take risks in a structured
environment
• Confidence, initiative and experience
• Learning by doing
• Adding CV value
• Understanding of the principles and practice of
enterprise and fundraising
• They now achieve a Volunteering award and an
Employability award as part of the module

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Active learning
• The students were enthused, had to make real things
happen, many were moved out of their comfort zone and
had to change their modus operandi.
• They had to take decisions and evaluate risks, contact
and negotiate with third parties, plan and implement.
• Their creativity was challenged throughout, they had to
deliver an exhibition of their efforts and assess and reflect
on their entrepreneurial potential through their research
and experience.

17. Does it work? Yes according to our student feedback
•
Excellen
t
Very
Good
Good Average Poor
Clarity of module aims and learning outcomes? 16 25 20 2 0
Structure and quality of content? 13 30 20 1 0
Classroom sessions/ lecturer? 22 18 15 7 1
Support for learning out of the classroom (e.g.
WOLF?)
20 22 20 6 0
Clarity of assessment criteria and tasks? 13 25 19 8 0
Feedback/ Discussion with tutor in class or
online?
13 19 16 12 1
Contribution of this module to my overall
programme of study?
16 28 15 5 0
Value of this module to my knowledge, practical
skills and general learning?
20 29 19 1 0
Enjoyment of the learning experience? 17 28 15 1 0

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What did they like?
• What have been the BEST aspects of this module?
• Practical x12,
• Teaching x 7
• Fundraising x7
• Creative x6
• Active x2
• Brainstorming,
• Structure,
• Add to CV
• Different
• Exciting,
• Blended Learning
• Confidence
• Freedom
• Groups

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Benefits - Charities
• £80,000 in terms of funds raised in the last 4
years
• The local charities were able to spread their
message
• To engage with demographic segments and
community groups outside their normal sectors
• The opportunities to ‘capture’ activists and fund
raisers at an earlier stage of their lifecycle

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Benefits – Business School
• We produce better rounded, more confident and more
competent graduates that enhance our reputation
• Community engagement,the opportunity for the university
to stimulate active involvement, giving back
• It strengthened partnerships with business and third
sector organisations and provides a good PR message
• Given all the above we felt this activity was win-win for all
partners

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And us?
• Staff have been reminded of how fulfilling a creative
approach to teaching and assessment can be

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Sources
• Bolton, B and Thompson, J. The Entrepreneur in Focus, Thomson
Learning 2003, London.
• Laurenco, F. & Jones, O. (2006) Developing Entrepreneurship
Education: Comparing Traditional and Alternative Teaching
Approaches, International Journal of Entrepreneurship Education 4:
111-140
• Lumsdaine, E and Binks, M Entrepreneurship from Creativity to
Innovation, Trafford 2007, Oxford
• Moreland, N. Entrepreneurship and HE: An Employability Perspective,
HEA, Learning and Employability Series 1
• Thompson, J. (2004) The facets of the entrepreneur: identifying
entrepreneurial potential, Management Decisions Vol 42 No. 2
• Rae, D. From Opportunity to Action, Palgrave Macmillan 2007