During this presentation and associated paper we will share our experiences as module leaders of the Business Planning and Sustainable Entrepreneurship module; a core module for 400 second-year undergraduate students at The School for Business and Society, University of York.

We offer a case study of the module to argue that experiential learning can help provide students with essential skills and competencies for the future and we demonstrate that a rich, practice-based learning experience can be achieved, even with a large student cohort.

During the module, students work in teams to develop their own idea for a sustainable new venture, and write a comprehensive 4,000-word business plan including primary market research and financial projections. By closely simulating the professional environment, students acquire practical experience in managing and communicating across diverse teams. Their learning culminates in writing an individual reflective essay to critically analyse their team dynamics and appraise their own contribution to the teamwork.

The pedagogical framework of the Business Planning and Sustainable Entrepreneurship module is profoundly shaped by experiential learning, the flipped classroom model, and other innovative methodologies. These strategies help to foster a dynamic and engaging educational environment, effectively addressing the challenges associated with a large cohort size. The module's design incorporates practice-based activities, including peer-review formative activities, interactive presentations, and process-design group tasks, to immerse students in practical, real-world applications of their learning. Furthermore, faculty adopt a coaching role, using small group tutorials as a teaching method to provide bespoke mentoring that reflects the unique needs and experiences of each team.

Using our collective 10 years’ experience of teaching this module, combined with data collected from students and tutors, we will share insights of successes and lessons learned.

Keywords: Experiential learning, large cohort, entrepreneurship education, flipped classroom.