Explore UCD

UCD Home >

IA50002

Academic Year 2024/2025

Entrepreneurship: Application and Mindset (IA50002)

Subject:
Innovation Academy
College:
VP - Research, Innov & Impact
School:
Innovation Academy
Level:
5 (Doctoral)
Credits:
5
Module Coordinator:
Mr Maurice Knightly
Trimester:
Autumn&Spring&Summer(separate)
Mode of Delivery:
On Campus
Internship Module:
No
How will I be graded?
Pass/Fail (GPA Neutral)

Curricular information is subject to change.

Please note this module is designed for Graduate Taught and Graduate Research students. This module cannot be taken by UCD undergraduate students.

The purpose of this module is to develop your entrepreneurial mindset - helping you see the world, think and act in a more entrepreneurial manner - either for starting your own business or for leading initiatives within an organisation.

Dynamic changes in technology, demographics and the environment are creating turbulent, unpredictable marketplaces and workplaces. Coping with such complexity is increasingly challenging for individuals, commercial organisations, social enterprises, public bodies and government. Founders, managers and employees in all sectors need to think more creatively, innovatively and entrepreneurially in order to make effective decisions. They need to develop an entrepreneurial mindset.

An entrepreneurial mindset is one that focuses on who you are, what you know and whom you know rather than what you need. It is an approach where action trumps everything, where the focus is on our own experience of doing rather than procrastination or studying the actions of others. It’s a culture that believes that collaboration, team working and community resilience promotes success. It’s a mindset that views the calculation of risk as fundamental rather than the taking risk per se. Entrepreneurial Thinkers see failure as a means to learn rather than a lack of success.

Entrepreneurs view the world around them in terms of problem-solution fit and product-market fit. The entrepreneurial mindset is to first and foremost clearly define 'a problem-to-be-solved'. This is discovered by observing and talking to potential customers/users about their needs, wants, pains and gains. This is the difficult part. Only after that do you move on to the easier part whereby you ideate a number of alternative, creative solutions to the defined problem. The mindset is to then carry out tests or experiments to identify the best solution by prototyping minimal viable products (MVPs). This cycle of trying to find 'fit' is very much an iterative process.

This module will embrace the ideas and concepts above by facilitating students to practice key innovation and entrepreneurial tools and techniques and develop life-skills including creative confidence, curiosity, communication, collaboration and commitment. This module will also enable student teams to develop a commercial, social or community venture.
UCD Innovation Academy
At the UCD Innovation Academy, we are a group of Educator Practitioners with extensive real-world experience as academics, business and social entrepreneurs, tech thinkers, creative professionals and design thinking practitioners.
We take an action-oriented approach to learning, with a combination of individual, group and class tasks and activities, including discussions, presentations and reflection. All of our teaching is grounded in academic rigor, but our focus is on learning by doing in a real-world context.

**Enrolment on an Innovation Academy module means a commitment to active participation and engagement, which necessitates attendance at all scheduled classes**
www.innovators.ie

Please note that assessment for this module largely takes place during class time - with the exception of a small amount of pre-work, and the individual reflective report which is typically due within two weeks of the module finishing.

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

On successful completion of this module, students should be able to:

• Demonstrate understanding of the concept of an entrepreneurial mindset and why it is so important for all of us in our everyday lives
• Demonstrate understanding of the principle of problem-solution fit as well as product-market fit
• Application of the following to a new venture; lean startup tools and techniques such as ideation, customer discovery, empathy mapping, customer journey mapping, business model canvas, prototyping, testing and pitching
• Critically analyse the challenges and benefits associated with working in teams
• Understand that failures along the way can be opportunities and how to capitalise on those opportunities
• Practice pitching and presenting ideas and concepts clearly and professionally in a safe environment

Indicative Module Content:

•​ Identifying and defining problems-to-be-solved (jobs-to-be-done, pains and gains) using customer discovery techniques such as interviews, observation and secondary research
•​ Generating solutions for problems defined through brainstorming, empathy mapping and customer journey mapping
•​ Value proposition design: identifying value propositions for chosen customer segments
•​ Business model canvas; taking a helicopter view of your new venture
•​ Prototyping, experimentation and testing
•​ Iterating and pivoting
• ​Pitching

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Small Group

20

Practical

20

Specified Learning Activities

40

Autonomous Student Learning

20

Total

100


Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
•​ Identifying and defining problems-to-be-solved (jobs-to-be-done, pains and gains) using customer discovery techniques such as interviews, observation and secondary research
•​ Generating solutions for problems defined through brainstorming, empathy mapping and customer journey mapping
•​ Value proposition design: identifying value propositions for chosen customer segments
•​ Business model canvas; taking a helicopter view of your new venture
•​ Prototyping, experimentation and testing
•​ Iterating and pivoting
• ​Pitching

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 

Assessment Strategy
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade In Module Component Repeat Offered
Reflective Assignment: Personal Reflections/Self Realisation Report Week 1 Pass/Fail Grade Scale Yes
20
Yes
Assignment(Including Essay): Individual Report on Individual or Group Venture Week 1 Pass/Fail Grade Scale Yes
20
Yes
Participation in Learning Activities: This module requires active participation and engagement, which necessitates attendance at ALL scheduled classes Week 1 Pass/Fail Grade Scale Yes
30
Yes
Participation in Learning Activities: Individual and Group Presentations throughout the module Week 1 Pass/Fail Grade Scale Yes
30
Yes

Carry forward of passed components
No
 

Remediation Type Remediation Timing
Repeat Within Two Trimesters
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Feedback individually to students, post-assessment - Feedback will be given to students upon request. This will include feedback based on their participation during the module and their deliverables.

Name Role
Dr Mairéad Pratschke Lecturer / Co-Lecturer

Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
Summer Workshop Offering 51 Week(s) - 40, 41 Fri 10:00 - 16:50
Summer Workshop Offering 51 Week(s) - 40, 41 Thurs 10:00 - 16:50
Summer Workshop Offering 51 Week(s) - 40 Wed 10:00 - 16:50