Utrecht University: Entrepreneurship e-learning for all UU Master’s students

The Master’s programme in Social, Health and Organisational Psychology, together with the UU Centre for Entrepreneurship, has developed an e-learning to help Dutch and international Master’s students prepare for a career as entrepreneur. The e-learning is available to all UU students via the LLL platform.

The e-learning Entrepreneurship: from spark to lift-off begins by overturning a prevailing stereotype, namely that entrepreneurship would only be about making a big money. ‘Starting a company’ is a very narrow perspective on entrepreneurship. Nowadays, it is acknowledged that we need to accept a much broader definition: begin entrepreneurial means taking action and learning via trial-and-error to create something new that has value for others (Lackéus, 2015 external link).

The online modules are an accessible means for students to see if entrepreneurship is something they would like to pursue, says Rianne Poot of the UU Centre for Entrepreneurship (UtrechtCE). For students who are already sure they want to set up a company, the e-learning will guide them through the process from idea to startup. The last module of the e-learning focuses on the practical side of starting and running a business in the Netherlands.

Entrepreneurship: from spark to lift-off
The e-learning is fully in English and takes about twelve hours to complete. No prior knowledge is required. Students who have fully completed the e-learning can apply for an edubadge, as digital proof of the knowledge and skills acquired.

Entrepreneurial internship
For students of the Master’s programme Social, Health and Organisational Psychology, the e-learning is part of a new course: an internship that will enable students to learn by doing by starting their own business. The pilot for this course starts in February 2023.

For the development of the e-learning, a faculty application from the Utrecht Education Incentive Fund was granted. Because there is a broader need within Utrecht University to teach students about entrepreneurship, the e-learning is made available to all faculties and programmes. Initiator Fréderique Purnot, Psychology lecturer: This is how we prepare our students for a future in a constantly changing world, where entrepeneurial skills can always be useful.