Assessment of Enterprise through Enquiry-Based Learning

Tim Jones (University of Manchester) project case study from November 2006.

The subject of Enterprise is about explaining how ideas are used and applied commercially usually using a business organisation. At the University of Manchester Enterprise is taught to a wide range of students drawn from many subject areas. The 10-credit unit ET3001 is for final-year students who have never previously studied Enterprise. 40% of the unit is assessed by assignment and 60% by examination. It is relatively easy to set a narrow assignment task which tends to drive the students to supply stock answers to familiar problems. However this approach tests mainly the surface of the subject and is a poor measure of deep understanding.