The Starting a Business module at Abertay University supports third-year undergraduate students in developing entrepreneurial ideas through practical, team-based learning. Each year, between 40 and 60 students from programmes such as business management and accounting take part in the 12-week module. Students collaborate to develop business concepts and pitch them to industry partners, gaining hands-on experience of venture creation and entrepreneurial thinking.
Context and Rationale
Entrepreneurial skills are increasingly important for graduates entering a rapidly evolving business landscape. The Starting a Business module was designed to provide students with an opportunity to develop these skills in a practical setting, complementing their academic learning with real-world enterprise experience.
By focusing on opportunity recognition, innovation and collaboration, the module helps students understand how entrepreneurial thinking can be applied across different sectors and career paths. It also connects students with local industry networks, helping them see how ideas developed in the classroom can translate into real business opportunities.
The Learning Activity
The module runs over a 12-week teaching period and is structured around experiential learning and collaborative project work. Teaching follows a typical venture development timeline, guiding students through the stages of identifying opportunities, developing ideas and presenting a viable business proposal.
Sessions are designed to be student-led, with fewer traditional lectures and a strong emphasis on practical activities. Students work in teams to generate and refine business ideas, exploring potential market opportunities and developing solutions that could address real customer needs.
A central feature of the module is the development of a business plan that students present as part of a group pitch. These presentations are delivered to a panel that includes industry representatives involved in the local enterprise ecosystem. Panel members provide feedback on the quality of the idea, its feasibility and its potential in a commercial context.
Industry engagement is also supported through collaboration with Bell Street Ventures, Abertay University’s enterprise hub. Representatives regularly attend pitch sessions and introduce students to opportunities for continuing venture development beyond the classroom. Bell Street Ventures offers access to co-working space, workshops and a network of business contacts that can support students interested in pursuing their ideas further.
Following the group presentations, students complete an individual reflective assessment where they analyse their learning experience and consider how their ideas might be further developed in the future.
Skills and Capabilities Developed
The module develops a range of entrepreneurial capabilities through collaborative and practical learning experiences.
Students learn to identify opportunities and develop innovative solutions through the process of creating and refining their own business ideas. Working in teams strengthens collaboration and communication skills, while pitching to industry panels builds confidence in presenting ideas and responding to feedback.
The module also encourages resilience and adaptability, as students refine their ideas in response to critique and changing market considerations. Through this process, learners gain insight into how entrepreneurial thinking can be applied to real-world challenges and professional contexts.
Impact and Outcomes
Since the module was introduced five years ago, several students have gone on to establish their own businesses locally. Alumni entrepreneurs are occasionally invited back to share their experiences with current students, helping demonstrate how ideas developed in the classroom can evolve into real ventures.
Student feedback on the module has consistently been positive, scoring above the university average for modules at a similar level. The experience has also encouraged students to apply entrepreneurial thinking across other areas of their studies.
Importantly, the module helps students understand that entrepreneurial learning does not end after the 12-week course. Through initiatives such as Bell Street Ventures, students are introduced to pathways and support systems that allow them to continue developing their ideas beyond the classroom.
Academic Perspective
“Nothing captures their attention more than when you have a former student who they can see was sitting in their chair a few years ago and is now doing the things we are learning about.”
— Angus Brodie, Module Leader
Further Information