SIEN6006 Entrepreneurship
Critical Reflection guide
IMPORTANT INFO
Due: 5pm Monday 5th June via Canvas
ULOs assessed: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Length: 1500 words (excluding references)
Weight: 25%
The task
Over the semester, you have explored how and why entrepreneurship occurs, how
entrepreneurship varies across different contexts and times, and your own entrepreneurial
interests. For this assignment, you will synthesise this knowledge by reflecting on your learning
and how it has contributed to your individual development in the field of entrepreneurship.
Identify two learning experiences from the semester and critically reflect on how they
have contributed to your future development in the entrepreneurship space.
The two examples should include:
• a learning experience where you discovered something about your personal
entrepreneurial identity;
• a learning experience where you discovered something about your approach to
entrepreneurship, now and after you have completed this unit of study.
You can use the 4Rs reflection framework outlined below to support your reflection, or another
model of your choosing.
Tips for writing your reflection:
Reflection is a crucial capacity for successful entrepreneurs. This unit has emphasised the
importance of reflection and reflective practice as a key entrepreneurial skill. By purposively
reflecting on active experiences, you can consolidate knowledge and build understanding.
Practising reflection and reflective writing throughout the semester will assist you when you
come to write your final reflection. Activities in the weekly workshops are designed to support
you with practising reflection regularly.
Strong critical reflections will move beyond simple description of the learning experiences to
analyse how and why these experiences were impactful. To do this, you will need to apply
relevant concepts and tools from the unit into your reflection.
You can use the 4Rs reflection framework to support your reflection, or another model of your
choosing.
2
The 4Rs framework for reflective writing involves four key elements:
1. reporting and responding to a critical issue or experience,
2. relating this issue or experience to disciplinary knowledge in this field,
3. reasoning about causes and effects of the experience according to relevant theories
or tools, and,
4. reconstructing your thinking to plan new ways to engage in similar experiences in the
future.
Level Stage Questions to get you started
1 Report (describe) the experience and
explain why it is important to your
personal entrepreneurial identity /
approach to entrepreneurship. Give
your initial response to the experience
or issue.
What happened? Why is it relevant?
Respond to the incident or issue by making
observations, expressing your opinion, or
asking questions.
2 Relate the experience to your own
discipline knowledge, skills, and
experience of entrepreneurship.
How does this connect to your knowledge
of the entrepreneurship field or your
professional/personal experiences of this
field?
3 Reason about (discuss) the experience
to show an understanding of how it
relates to your knowledge of the
discipline.
Which factors in the experience are
important for a new understanding? How
do these factors relate back to the
concepts and tools from the unit? What
evidence can support your claims?
4 Reconstruct your understanding for
future practice
What are the changes in your
understanding as a result of the
experience and your reflection upon it?
What are the implications of what you
learned for your future entrepreneurial
practice? What actions will you take and
why?
Source: this framework is based on Bain, Ballantyne, Mills & Lester (2002). The reporting and
responding stages in the 5Rs model have been combined in the model above to create 4Rs.
Format and style guide
Reflective writing can be more personal in tone than a formal academic essay. It is
appropriate to use first person perspective. However, as a critical reflection your work must
not be merely anecdotal, your style should be analytic, and your claims supported by
evidence.
There is no prescribed format for your report. However, you should structure your report
clearly and logically, including an introduction at the beginning and a conclusion at the end.
Avoid merely describing your experiences. Rather, demonstrate your understanding
by applying concepts and tools to your experiences within the unit.
3
You must provide appropriate referencing of any data sources or quotes, using
APA style 7.
Write in full sentences. Dot points are only for listing issues. You must still explain the
issues. Do not exceed the word limit. The top end of the word limit is the UPPER
BOUND. Anything beyond that will not be read. Present your ideas convincingly,
creatively and concisely.
4
Assessment Rubric
HD D C P F
Application of
disciplinary
knowledge
Critically identifies,
evaluates,
synthesises and
applies relevant
frameworks, tools
and concepts to
insightful examples.
Uses evidence to
support arguments.
Identifies,
evaluates,
synthesises and
applies relevant
frameworks, tools
and concepts to
good examples.
Uses evidence to
support
arguments.
Identifies,
evaluates and
applies
relevant
frameworks,
tools and
concepts to
examples. Uses
evidence to
support
arguments.
Identifies and
applies relevant
frameworks,
tools and
concepts to basic
examples. Uses
evidence to
support
arguments.
Does not
demonstrate an
understanding
of disciplinary
knowledge, tools
or concepts by
applying them
to examples.
Does not use
evidence to
support
arguments.
Reflexivity and
ethical
perspectives
Demonstrates
critical self-
reflexivity by
applying personal
perspectives to
examples with a
high-level of insight.
Seamlessly relates
entrepreneurial
identity to
challenging and
complex contexts.

Demonstrates
critical self-
reflexivity by
applying
personal
perspectives to
good examples.
Relates
entrepreneurial
identity to
challenging and
complex contexts.
Demonstrates
self-reflexivity
by applying
personal
perspectives to
examples.
Demonstrates a
basic level of
self-reflexivity
by applying
personal
perspectives to
basic examples.
Does not
demonstrate any
self-reflexivity
and does not
apply personal
perspectives to
examples.
Communication
style and form
Communicates
persuasively and
professionally to a
business audience
using well-honed
communication and
presentation
techniques.
The report is very
well-structured.
Referencing,
formatting,
grammar and
punctuation are to
a professional
standard.
Communicates
persuasively and
professionally to
a business
audience using
appropriate
communication
and presentation
techniques.
The report is
well-structured.
Referencing,
formatting,
grammar and
punctuation are
consistently
correct.
Communicates
clearly and
concisely to a
business
audience using
appropriate
communication
and
presentation
techniques.
The report is
appropriately
structured.
Referencing,
formatting,
grammar and
punctuation are
mostly correct.
Communicates
soundly to a
business
audience using
appropriate
communication
and presentation
techniques.
The report shows
some
consideration for
structure.
Referencing,
formatting,
grammar and
punctuation
contain errors.
Does not
communicate
persuasively
and
professionally.
Does not use
appropriate
communication
and
presentation
techniques.
The report is
poorly
structured. Work
is missing or
unclear.
Referencing,
formatting,
grammar and
punctuation are
incomplete or
poor.