Enterprising Education Award

Open all

• Eligibility

  Open to individual academic or professional staff members and/or teams. Applications are self-nominated.

• How to apply

  Applications should include a reflective narrative of up to 1000 words and address at least three of the five areas listed. You may like to include up to three supporting documents with evidence alongside the reflective narrative.

  Development of the entrepreneurial mindset

  Recognises teaching that inspires entrepreneurial behaviours and competencies within the discipline. It includes an awareness, mindset, and capability to generate original ideas in response to identified needs, opportunities, and shortfalls, and the ability to act on them, even if circumstances are changing and ambiguous. Evidence might include:

  • module descriptors with entrepreneurial learning outcomes appropriate to the level of study
  • lecture or workshop designs that develop enterprise capabilities
  • assignment briefs requiring entrepreneurial thinking
  • student feedback or reflections

  Impact, innovation and opportunity recognition

  Highlights teaching that fosters creativity, innovation, and the ability to identify opportunities for impact by creating value and societal, economic, environmental benefit. Evidence might include:

  • design thinking workshops
  • futures thinking exercises
  • assessments valuing originality and creativity
  • collaborations with creative industries
  • projects where students develop and implement improved species classifiers using both the improved and existing extraction methods

  Experiential and action-based learning

  Celebrates learning by doing activities that allow students to apply knowledge in authentic, real-world contexts fostering practical skills and confidence. Evidence might include:

  • community or business-led challenges (challenge-based, project-based, service-learning learning, community projects)
  • practical (group) projects with real stakes
  • partnerships with external organisations
  • activities and assessment that allows students to apply knowledge in a real-world context

  Stakeholder engagement and collaborative relationships

  Recognises teaching that builds collaboration across disciplines, perspectives and methods and engages external stakeholders (alumni, entrepreneurs, enterprising people, innovators, businesses, charities, social enterprise, etc.) and meaningful partnerships. Evidence might include:

  • team-based (authentic) assessments and peer review
  • guest lectures from alumni or entrepreneurs (public, private, third-sector practitioners)
  • co-created learning experiences
  • students work on real-life problems provided by externals
  • evidence of a significant employer-led content/activities
  • student feedback on cross-disciplinary work

  Reflection

  Acknowledges teaching that develops resilience and critical reflection through learning from setbacks. Reflection allows students to learn from failure and reflect on the challenges faced during the module or activity and recognise them as opportunities. Reflection requires self-awareness, awareness of others, and facilitates integration of ‘head’ - knowledge, ‘heart’ – feelings, mindset and attitudes, and ‘hand’ – competencies and skills, which in turn allows students to develop resilience, confidence and adaptability as well as growth mindset. Evidence might include:

  • reflective journals or portfolios
  • assignments analysing challenges
  • assessment that requires students to apply the Gibb’s reflective cycle
  • structured reflection exercises
  • student testimonials on growth through failure

• Judging panel and criteria

  The application process will be used to select a shortlist. Shortlisted applicants will then be invited to give a short presentation in a finale event. Entries will be judged by a panel of five people including:

  • a representative of the University Court
  • a member of the Entrepreneurial Education Working Group
  • the head of Entrepreneurial Education
  • an officer in the Students’ Association
  • the Associate Dean Education (Arts and Divinity)

  The panel will be looking for entries which clearly demonstrate engagement with at least three of the core areas mentioned above. In making their selection the judges will consider originality, creative approaches beyond traditional methods, and clear evidence of positive student outcomes, including enhanced skills and mindset. Strong applications will also show critical reflection, awareness of challenges, and plans for future development, contributing to the wider understanding of entrepreneurial education.

• Resources and support

  • QAA Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Education Guidance (2018)
  • EntreComp: the entrepreneurship competence framework
  • HEInnovate: self-assessment tool
  • Enterprise Educators UK (EEUK)
  • National Centre for Entrepreneurship in Education (NCEE)