Institutions and Partner Organisations

• University of Galway
• PwC
• SCCUL Enterprises CLG
• Galway City Partnership
• Venture Out
• Udaras na Gaeltachta

Description

This initiative centres on a module in sustainable entrepreneurship: Innovation, Creativity and Enterprise (ICE), delivered to final-year undergraduate Commerce students at J.E. Cairnes School of Business & Economics, University of Galway. It is designed to foster critical understanding of, and action for, the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It encourages students to design innovative, values-driven responses to pressing social and environmental challenges, as well as nurture the social consciousness of our students.

The module blends theory and practice. Students self-form into multi-disciplinary teams to ultimately develop a viable business plan for a social business that addresses one or more SDGs. Throughout the semester, they are introduced to core themes and frameworks in social innovation, entrepreneurial ecosystems, and ethical business models, focussing mainly on design thinking for sustainability and the social business model (BMC) canvas. Students engage in practical experiential activities including stakeholder mapping, needs analysis, ecosystem exploration, strategic planning and SDG alignment.

As well as large lecture-style classes, each week a select group of postgraduate students and external industry mentors interact with the students in an effort to guide them in refining their social business ideas. This is in addition to guest speakers from the social enterprise sector, who provide hands-on insights to the challenges specific to the social entrepreneur. Students present the groups’ ideas to their respective mentors towards the end of the module, where the most promising ideas are funnelled into a final round of pitches. The module culminates in a Dragon’s Den-style event, where students pitch their ideas to external judges who come from the social enterprise arena, as well as our University’s Director of Sustainability. Students’ families and friends are invited to this event, which makes it a fun and engaging “wrap-up” of their final day of studies as a Commerce student. All finalists are awarded generous prize money by our module sponsor PwC.

What makes this initiative distinctive is the integration of structured reflective practice as both a learning and assessment tool. Over the course of the module, students engage in phased reflective exercises, scaffolded around Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle, Mezirow’s Transformative Learning Theory and Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle. Reflection is embedded in weekly activities and culminates in an individual reflective journal, to be submitted at the end of term.

Students are encouraged to examine their values, social identities, assumptions, and positionality in relation to the social issues they aim to address. They also reflect on their group dynamics, entrepreneurial challenges, and the ethical dimensions of their business design process. This creates space for deeper self-awareness and a more critical understanding of sustainable development beyond the classroom. Rubrics for the journal assess depth of reflection, integration of theory, and evidence of personal and professional growth

The initiative supports Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) by:

• Linking classroom learning with real-world action.
• Promoting systems thinking, collaboration, and problem-solving.
• Encouraging personal and civic responsibility through reflective inquiry.
• Grounding innovation in the lived experience of communities.

Over 480 students have completed the module to date. Analysis of their reflections reveals evidence of transformative learning, with students reporting heightened awareness of social issues, changes in mindset, and a commitment to advancing social impact. The initiative has become a cornerstone of our University’s and School’s commitment to embedding sustainability and civic engagement within the undergraduate curriculum.

ICE Final (2025) video

Intended Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the module, students will be able to:

1. Critically evaluate the relationship between entrepreneurship and sustainable development.
2. Apply entrepreneurial principles to design a socially innovative solution aligned with one or more SDGs.
3. Conduct stakeholder analysis and understand entrepreneurial ecosystems including public policy addressing the social enterprise sector.
4. Demonstrate reflective and critical thinking through structured reflection.
5. Collaborate effectively in a team setting and communicate their ideas persuasively.
6. Articulate ethical considerations and personal learning in relation to social impact.

Teaching and Learning Approach

The module combines experiential, reflective, and transformative learning methodologies. Teaching includes a blend of lectures, peer-to-peer learning, guest talks, design thinking workshops, and case-based discussions. Students engage with problem-based learning to develop solutions to real-world challenges. Reflection is scaffolded using Gibbs, Kolb and Mezirow’s frameworks, embedded throughout the module. Learning is iterative, encouraging students to critically examine and adapt their assumptions, behaviours, and strategies based on real-world feedback and self-inquiry.

Assessment Strategy

Assessment is both formative and summative. Formative assessment includes weekly presentations to update mentors on progress. Summative assessment consists of the following:

• A group social business plan (including social BMC) for a social venture (worth 35%)
• A group presentation (worth 15%)
• An individual reflective journal (worth 44%)
• Weekly workshop participation (worth 6%)

Impact and Outcomes

Student feedback consistently highlights the module as one of the most transformative learning experiences of their degree programme. Many report increased confidence, empathy, and a desire to work in impact-driven sectors. Several venture ideas have gone on to external competitions or pre-incubation hubs. The module has also influenced broader curriculum design, with elements of reflective practice and SDG integration adopted across other business modules. A qualitative study of over 480 reflective journals has provided valuable insights into student learning and will inform institutional strategies for embedding sustainability and civic engagement into undergraduate education more broadly.

Discipline

Business, Administration and Law

Programmes

Bachelor of Commerce; Bachelor of Commerce Global Experience; Bachelor of Commerce International; Bachelor of Commerce le Gaeilge

Collaboration, Partnerships & Student Participation

Students co-create their social ventures by engaging with real-world stakeholders, including non-profits, SMEs, community groups and ultimately the potential beneficiaries of their social business offering. These external partners provide feedback on business concepts and help contextualise local and global sustainability issues. Guest speakers from social enterprises and the wider impact sector also enrich the learning experience. Mentors from the commercial and social enterprise sector also provide weekly guidance to students, supporting them to refine and pivot, where appropriate. Student teams drive the design of their projects, conduct user interviews, and reflect on their learning through collaborative and individual reflective tasks. Our module sponsor PwC also provides mentorship and generous prize money (as already highlighted)

Student Engagement

485 per cohort, annually

Best Practices & Resources

Top Tips

• Start with structured reflection: Scaffolding reflection using established models (e.g. Kolb, Mezirow, Gibbs) provides students with a clear framework and deepens learning outcomes.
• Embed real-world relevance: Collaborate with local social enterprises and / or community stakeholders to ground student work in lived issues.
• Prioritise values and identity work: Encourage students to reflect on their personal motivations and ethical positions early and often. This fosters authentic engagement and transformation

Funding Details

PwC kindly sponsor the ICE module and our wider BComm programme Skills suite of initiatives and modules.