Designing Practical Entrepreneurship: A Case Study of an Online Entrepreneurship Course for Secondary Students

This design case describes the development and pilot implementation of Practical Entrepreneurship, an online entrepreneurship course created for Year 10 students in three non-government secondary schools in Greater Sydney. The course adapts the principles of the university-level Rapid Value Creation (RVC) program into a modular, student-facing learning experience that uses real digital platforms to support creative experimentation and small-scale entrepreneurial practice. The design was shaped by several contextual constraints, including the accreditation requirements for a New South Wales University Developed Board Endorsed Course (UDBEC), the need for scalable and accessible materials that could operate without specialist teacher expertise, and emerging ethical and regulatory considerations related to the online participation of minors. Drawing on feedback gathered through surveys and interviews with students and teachers, as well as their own reflections, the case highlights how learners engaged with authentic tasks, exercised autonomy, collaborated organically, and negotiated tensions around the use of generative AI tools. The pilot also revealed challenges relating to developmental readiness, the need for clearer guardrails around appropriate content creation, and variation in school infrastructure and timetabling. Reflection on these findings informed a set of pragmatic design revisions, including enhanced scaffolding, optional advanced pathways, platform-agnostic mission structures, and contingency planning in response to proposed national restrictions on social media access for young people under sixteen. By documenting key design decisions, contextual constraints, and lessons learned, this case provides practical insights for designers seeking to create authentic, ethical, and adaptable online entrepreneurship experiences for school-aged learners.