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Online software offers an ‘Evolution’ in learning for Entrepreneurship students
Although for some the COVID lockdown has created feelings of isolation and disconnect, it has provided the Team Entrepreneurship (TE) students at Bishop Grosseteste University the opportunity to trial world-class simulation software that allows remotely and virtually 'run' an entire company. The software, called ‘Evolution’ allows participants to 'take over' a virtual company which has a trading history, product in development, staff and premises. As its new managers, they must use all of the information available to them in order to make decisions that affect staff, buildings, raw materials, sales and ultimately profitability, running the company over a number of virtual years. As in real life, all decisions impact on profitability and bad decision can have an adverse effect. Senior Lecturer Chris Jackson discusses how the software, created by a York based company called Simventure, became an invaluable tool on the course: "I had come across their product online while researching materials for both the TE course and the new MSc International Business and noticed that it's used globally by some big business schools. I wanted to know more, so I just picked up the phone and struck up a conversation with the company. It turns out that their CEO and I share similar backgrounds and are pretty passionate about entrepreneurship. The programme seems a perfect fit for the MSc, where we'll now be using it as the backbone of one module." "With the continuation of lockdown after Christmas, we realised that there was a possibility that Team Entrepreneurship students could struggle to create the learning experiences needed for them to be able to complete assignments - the Evolution programme seemed to be a perfect compromise, and we'll be introducing this to our learners in the next few weeks.". "We want to keep our students' learning as real as possible while encouraging them to try new strategies and tactics. Of course, things may go wrong, but then unlike real life, Evolution has 'pause' and 'rewind' features!" Alongside this, students are currently testing their business thinking and planning capabilities by using another online tool called Validate. Not only can this be accessed remotely, but it encourages learners to share their work with their peers and with supervisors. It doesn’t take students long to realise that the answers that they are looking for are neither in their heads of in text books - by gamifying their learning they are challenged to take their thinking outside of the classroom. Unlike many traditional models of venture creation, Validate also features sustainability in the initial stages and challenges the learner to map their thinking to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s). Now also introduced as an integral part of future business courses, this is another way in which BGU can combine ethical and sustainable thinking in our programmes. If you'd be interested in experiencing a 'virtual' business experience for your students or staff, you can contact Chris Jackson at chris.jackson@bishopg.ac.uk. To find out how you can create your own successes in our collaborative learning community, visit our website, speak to a member of our Enquiries Team or join us on one of our Open Days. Image credit (©Simventure) -
New virtual enterprise room provides first step for entrepreneurs at BGU
In January the Enterprise Team within BG Futures re opened their student enterprise room…in a virtual capacity. Sarah Moseley, Enterprise Development Manager explains: “National lockdowns and the ‘stay at home directive’ have led us to consider innovative ways to support our self-employed / entrepreneurial students and graduates. At the end of January, we held the launch event for the collaborative enterprise space via MS Teams. In the context of their business / enterprise / idea, attendees were asked to come prepared to give a brief overview if their business / idea, their very own ‘top tips’ for starting a business, and to share barriers to progression. We believe that our own BGU student’s and graduate’s experiences can offer a great many rich learning points; not just for their fellow entrepreneurs, but for ourselves as professional support staff.” Cassie Rainey, Enterprise Advisor added: “This is a safe and supportive environment where our students and recent graduates are given the opportunity to engage with like-minded people. We are keen to unearth common themes and to identify specific areas of support so we can tailor future sessions.” Initial responses to the session have been overwhelmingly positive with feedback from participants of “Great to chat with everyone and see how we can help each other” “Really good to meet other students wanting to start their own businesses” The next session will take place on Wednesday 24th March at 7pm – 8pm via MS Teams. We will be joined by Mikey, Student Enterprise Coordinator at the University of Lincoln who administers the Growing Graduate Enterprise scheme. This will be of particular interest to anyone who has graduated within the last 3 years or is due to graduate this summer and is thinking of starting a business in Greater Lincolnshire. On hand will be George Hughes, BGU Graduate of 2020 who made a successful pitch for £5000 for his venture. Email sarah.moseley@bishopg.ac.uk for the link to the session. To keep up to date:Check the Student & BG Futures portalsFollow us on Twitter Like us on FacebookConnect with us on LinkedIn -
LORIC Centre Announce Second Round of Funding for Lincolnshire Enterprises
Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) has been successful in securing over £399,030 of grant funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) in order to support Small and Medium Enterprises (including self-employed individuals) with data-driven innovation. The project will be delivered by the team at the Lincolnshire Open Research and Innovation Centre (LORIC). LORIC was first opened in 2018 with support from the ERDF and, following the success of the first project, has, to date, supported over 50 companies from various sectors. The funding awarded for the second phase of the LORIC project will enable the team to collaborate with even more beneficiaries than before, as well as expanding on the existing roster of services. Eligible SMEs will be given a minimum of 12 hours of support in the form of consultancy, a dedicated knowledge exchange project, or a digitization endeavour. Alongside that support, the team will also work to facilitate and nurture collaborations between researchers and companies in Greater Lincolnshire. Following the funding acquisition, Professor Scott Fleming, Deputy Vice-Chancellor at BGU, praised the LORIC project for its continued positive impact: “We are delighted that LORIC has been awarded a second phase of European funding. It’s recognition of the impact that the LORIC team has had on the business communities of the city and Greater Lincolnshire. We’re thrilled to be able to take forward the outstanding work that began in 2018 and we’re looking forward to continuing our successful collaborations and establishing exciting new partnerships.” The programme will run from February 2021 to June 2023. For more information on the project, eligibility criteria, and the researcher/business collaboration offer, please visit loric.bishopg.ac.uk. -
Joint Research Venture to Help Better Equip Lincolnshire Visitor Economy
Bishop Grosseteste University’s (BGU) Chris Jackson has successfully been awarded funding from the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) to run a collaborative research project with Dr Georgiana Els, University of Lincoln (UoL). The purpose of the project is to engage with communities and organisations in the Lincolnshire visitor economy (“City -County-Coast”) to explore what skills and attributes may be needed to better-equip the sector to cope with high levels of uncertainty in an fast-changing environment. “This is a great learning collaboration” says Chris. “We’re using the industry-specific practice and experience of UoL and combining this with research into future-fit adult learning.” “There’s also a twist to this that QAA jumped on – we’re using students to design and deliver a programme in a team-learning initiative. This builds on work that Georgiana and I have already carried out with Team Entrepreneurship students from BGU working on 24-hour business challenges with Leisure and Tourism Students from UoL.” Professor of Educational Learning, Phil Wood commented, “This is an exciting initiative that is looking to establish catalytic questions rather than definitive answers, with all participants benefitting from the outcomes. It can also help to inform us as educators how we can develop engaging, relevant learning that supports the communities that we serve.” The programme launches in May and will be looking to recruit a small group of students from both universities who would be interested in engaging in live collaborative research whist developing their own skills and attributes. Further information on the venture can be found by contacting chris.jackson@bishopg.ac.uk -
Benefits of Refugee Doctors Project Highlighted in LORIC Review
The Lincolnshire Open Research and Innovation Centre (LORIC) team at Bishop Grosseteste University have worked with the Lincolnshire Refugee Doctors Project (LRDP) to conduct an independent evaluation of their programme, which has recently completed its first year in operation. The evaluation, funded by Research England’s Strategic Priorities Fund, involved: Summarising the work of the programme to date including ‘The LRDP model’Reviewing how the programme has gone so farConsidering the programme in comparison to other refugee doctors programmes Considering the specific challenges that operating in a rural area bringsConsidering the social impact of the programme for its participants, NHS organisations, and other stakeholdersWriting up a report of the findings It has highlighted the breadth of organisations that LRDP are involved with across the region and nationally, the benefits of a flexible approach to recruitment, and the value the doctors place on the friendly, “family ethos” of the programme in assisting them with their holistic support needs. Following the culmination of the review, Vince Ion, Chair of the Board for the LRDP, thanked the LORIC team for their work: “We are delighted to present this independent review of our work to date, which describes what we have achieved so far on our journey. We would like to thank all those who contributed to the production of this review, especially our members whose journeys to join us continue to amaze and reward us, and are the reason why we are delivering this project. This report is a description of our beginning; there is much more to be done, including a further review of our work to detail our effectiveness and value for money and we hope to commission this in the next few years.” The report will be used by Lincolnshire Refugee Doctors Project to support their business strategy and also to raise awareness of the programme, and of refugee doctors in the UK. If you would like to discuss how the LORIC team can support your business or organisation please contact loric@bishopg.ac.uk -
BGU Team Entrepreneurship Graduate Secures Role as an Associate Team Coach
Bishop Grosseteste University Business (Team Entrepreneurship) graduate Jordan Shaw has secured a role an Associate Team Coach at Birmingham's Aston Business School. Jordan, who graduated from the course in 2020, will be working with students on Astons' Team Entrepreneurship programmes where he will be growing the links and connections that he established while studying at BGU. Team Entrepreneurship Programme Lead Chris Jackson commented: "Jordan's progression is pretty unique in that while at BGU he was also awarded a bursary to study International Team Mastery with UK-based Akatemia CIC. This saw Jordan travelling to visit other institutions running Team Academy style courses including TAMK in Finland. "It's sometimes assumed that the TE-style courses are all about business start-up, which they're not. Some graduates do indeed and pursue self-employment but the most important outcome is that we develop graduates who are equipped to meet the challenges of the modern world. "As interest in team learning continues to grow globally, within organisations as well as HE, it's important that progressive institutions embrace this as a way to meet the demands of learners. It's great to see Jordan moving into such an exciting and rewarding career." You can find out more information on our Business courses by clicking here, speaking to a member of our Enquiries Team, or by joining us at one of our Open Events. -
Holocaust survivor and discrimination campaigner among those recognised with honorary awards at BGU in 2020 Graduation Ceremonies
Bishop Grosseteste University is delighted to recognise an incredible group of individuals with honorary doctorates as part of its 2020 graduation ceremonies. Those selected represent a wide range of backgrounds including Holocaust survivor and discrimination campaigner Simon Winston, Operations Manager for the England Men's World Cup winning Cricket team in 2019 Phil Neale and the former Director of INSET at the National Centre for Language and Literacy Prue Goodwin. You can read more about each of the exceptional recipients below: -
Bishop Grosseteste University ranked 2nd position in Top 10 Universities in the country for social inclusion
Bishop Grosseteste University has been announced 2nd in the top 10 ranking for social inclusion in the country in this year’s Sunday Times Good University Guide. -
International Men’s Day 2021
To celebrate International Mens Day, academics from across the University have highlighted influential men within their fields that have made a difference in their subject area. -
BGU launches first digital Maths newsletter
The new, collaborative project is aimed at showcasing how fantastic, fun and accessible mathematics can be.
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