Instead of traditional "desk-based" lectures, Tianjin University's (TJU) Entrepreneurship Training course includes lectures given by CEOs of listed companies, field trips to businesses and invites to big meals, where students can discuss their commercial plans and business philosophies.

The course opened at the beginning of this semester and soon became a hit. Its creative form and rich content has attracted the attendance of more than 1,000 students, who join in discussions online and offline.

The course is student-centered. Successful entrepreneurs with rich experience in starting up businesses serve as lecturers, and teachers act as their assistants. The lecturers lead students out of campus, heading for companies founded by TJU alumni in various industries and fields. 

Implementing the teaching philosophy of integrating theory with practice, students learn from a real commercial environment and have training in eight areas, including self-cognition, opportunity discovery, team building, product improvement, commercial model argument, financing technique, business planning and case analysis. 

The new model allows students to develop a spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship, and prepares them for future pioneering work in relevant fields.

"We have to make a lot of choices in our life. As for me, when choosing the path to the future, I tend to step onto the most daunting one, which due to its challenging nature may be less competitive," said Li Shoujun, CEO of Ringpu, a biotechnology company in Tianjin, during the first class of the course. He shared his start-up story and experiences with students both online and offline, and invited them to do field research in his factories.

According to He Yongjun, general manager of the Peiyang Malus Fund and one of the course designers, entrepreneurship training courses are key to fostering innovation and entrepreneurship. Most of the course is designed to provide students with off-campus activities. 

It enables students to gain first-hand experience in internet, manufacturing and service industry start-ups in a brand-new way, and connects them with listed company founders and experienced entrepreneurs. 

"Students are the most valuable assets for the university," remarked Gong Jinlong, vice-president of the university. "Our Entrepreneurship Training course is student-oriented and has been designed in the best interest of students’ development. In future, we will further improve the layout of innovation and entrepreneurship courses and cultivate more innovative talents."