From Industry to the Classroom: My Journey Teaching Entrepreneurship at UET Lahore

Oct 24

14 min read

Practical entrepreneurship education, outcome-based learning, academic challenges, and the pursuit of meaningful change in Pakistan's higher education system.

By Syed Khurram Abbas Sherazi | Founder of ProRecruit | Doctoral Researcher

Introduction: Why I Chose to Teach

My journey into teaching at the University of Engineering and Technology (UET), Lahore, began with a question that had emerged from my professional experience: why do so many people complete their education without feeling fully prepared to apply their knowledge in the real world?

Through my work with ProRecruit, a recruitment business focused on connecting talent with professional opportunities, I had encountered the gap between academic qualifications and workplace expectations. Employers needed people who could demonstrate practical skills, solve problems, communicate effectively, and contribute to business objectives. Qualifications were important, but the ability to apply knowledge was equally essential.

This experience led me to consider how education could better prepare students for employment, entrepreneurship, and professional independence.

During my PhD journey, I took on teaching responsibilities at UET Lahore. What began as an academic commitment gradually became an opportunity to bring professional experience into the classroom and explore a different approach to entrepreneurship education.

I wanted students to understand that entrepreneurship was not simply a subject to study for an examination. It was a process of identifying problems, developing solutions, understanding customers, using technology, building professional networks, and creating economic opportunities.

My objective was straightforward: help students move from knowing about entrepreneurship to experiencing how it works.

1. Bringing Industry Experience into University Education

My professional work had taught me that practical capability matters.

A person may understand marketing concepts without knowing how to reach potential customers. Someone may study business planning without knowing how to organise a project. A graduate may possess technical expertise but struggle to explain the commercial value of a product or service.

These gaps are particularly important in engineering education, where technical knowledge can become much more valuable when combined with communication, commercial awareness, and entrepreneurial thinking.

I therefore began exploring how an entrepreneurship course could connect engineering students with practical business activities.

Rather than focusing exclusively on definitions and theoretical frameworks, I wanted students to engage with tools and tasks that could be useful beyond university.

This meant thinking about how students could identify a problem, develop a business idea, research potential customers, establish a digital presence, organise their work, and communicate a value proposition.

I did not expect every student to become an entrepreneur. My aim was to give students a broader understanding of how ideas become products, services, professional opportunities, and sustainable businesses.

2. Developing a Practical Entrepreneurship Course

I gradually developed a technology-enabled approach to teaching entrepreneurship, using digital resources, guided activities, assignments, and projects.

The intention was to create a learning experience in which students could demonstrate their understanding through practical work.

The course incorporated several areas.

Professional branding and communication

Students explored how to develop professional profiles, communicate their skills, and present themselves effectively in professional environments. LinkedIn was one of the platforms used to examine personal branding and professional visibility.

Business ideation and problem identification

Students were encouraged to identify genuine problems and consider how a product, service, or business model might address them. The emphasis was on connecting ideas with needs rather than generating ideas without a clear purpose.

Project management and business planning

Digital project management tools, including ClickUp, provided opportunities to organise tasks, structure business-planning activities, and think about execution.

Market research and customer acquisition

Students explored how businesses identify potential customers, evaluate markets, and develop lead-generation strategies. The objective was to introduce the practical work involved in reaching customers rather than treating marketing as an abstract concept.

Digital marketing and online presence

The course also introduced concepts associated with websites, search engine optimisation, digital content, online visibility, and customer acquisition.

Practical projects and assessment

Assignments and projects encouraged students to apply concepts to their own ideas. The intention was to make learning visible through tangible outputs that could be evaluated against clearly defined criteria.

These activities required preparation, research, digital resources, instructions, and assessment planning. Developing a practical course was not simply a matter of delivering lectures; it involved thinking about the entire learning process.

I wanted the course to help students build a foundation they could continue developing after the semester ended.

3. Teaching Entrepreneurship to Engineering Students

One of the most interesting aspects of teaching at UET was the opportunity to work with students from different engineering and design disciplines.

During Fall 2025, my teaching responsibilities included students from Chemical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Product and Industrial Design, and Mining Engineering.

These students had different technical interests and professional aspirations. Their future careers might involve established organisations, research, product development, consulting, startups, or independent professional work.

Entrepreneurship offered a common framework through which they could consider how their technical knowledge might create value.

A design student might explore the commercial potential of a product. A computer engineering student might investigate a software-based solution. A chemical engineering student might consider an industrial process or service. A mining engineering student might examine a problem connected to operations, efficiency, or resource use.

The technical details differ, but the underlying questions remain relevant:

What problem are we trying to solve?
Who experiences this problem?
What evidence suggests that the proposed solution is useful?
How can the solution be developed and delivered?
What resources would be required?
How could its value be communicated and sustained?

These are questions that connect technical knowledge with entrepreneurial thinking.

I believed that exposing students to this way of thinking could help them understand their professional opportunities more broadly.

4. The Challenge of Large-Class Teaching

As teaching responsibilities expanded, the practical requirements of classroom delivery became increasingly important.

At one stage, I sought suitable teaching space for four sections representing approximately 200 students. I did not obtain the hall arrangement I had requested at that time.

Later, my timetable placed nine Entrepreneurship sections together in a large hall for a common teaching block.

Teaching several sections simultaneously creates challenges that go beyond the delivery of a lecture. Large groups require appropriate sound systems, projection facilities, reliable internet access, suitable seating arrangements, and workable procedures for student participation and assessment.

These requirements become even more significant when a course involves practical activities.

Entrepreneurship education depends on more than the transmission of information. Students need opportunities to ask questions, discuss ideas, receive feedback, present their work, and demonstrate their understanding.

The larger the class, the more important it becomes to design a structured learning and assessment system.

I therefore continued to consider how digital learning resources, online quizzes, assignments, and clear assessment criteria could support teaching at scale.

My concern was not simply the number of students in a room. It was the relationship between the educational objectives of the course and the resources available to achieve them.

If universities want to expand entrepreneurship education across engineering disciplines, classroom arrangements and supporting systems must reflect the practical nature of the subject.

5. Outcome-Based Education: Measuring What Students Can Do

My interest in practical teaching became closely connected with outcome-based education, commonly known as OBE.

OBE focuses on what students should be able to demonstrate at the end of a learning experience. It encourages educators to define learning outcomes, align teaching and assessment with those outcomes, measure attainment, and use the findings to improve educational practice.

I saw a natural connection between OBE and the entrepreneurship course I was developing.

If a learning outcome required students to understand business planning, their work could include a business model or structured plan. If students were expected to understand customer acquisition, a practical lead-generation assignment could provide relevant evidence. If professional communication was an intended outcome, presentations and other appropriate assessments could be used to evaluate it.

However, practical activity alone is not sufficient. Every assignment needs a clear purpose, suitable evaluation criteria, and a defensible relationship with the course's intended learning outcomes.

For me, this was the important distinction between simply introducing digital tools and designing a meaningful educational intervention.

The objective was to establish a coherent relationship between:

Course learning outcomes.
Teaching and learning activities.
Assessment methods.
Evidence of student achievement.
Course evaluation and continuous improvement.

These elements can help educators determine whether students are actually developing the capabilities the course intends to teach.

6. Course Documentation and the Importance of Academic Evidence

In September 2026, a request concerning the Entrepreneurship and Business Management course folder appeared in the context of PEC accreditation and OBE documentation.

The request identified the course for Fall 2025 and recorded its folder status as not submitted. The stated purpose of course folders was connected with documenting teaching, assessment, course learning outcomes, and continuous improvement.

For me, this raised important questions about how the practical work undertaken during a semester should be organised and evaluated.

Course documentation should provide an accurate account of what was taught, how students were assessed, and what evidence was available to demonstrate learning.

It should also help educators identify gaps and improve their approach in subsequent semesters.

My intention was to understand the documentation requirements and ensure that the course's learning activities and assessment evidence could be reviewed appropriately.

A practical course should not be judged solely by the number of digital tools it introduces or the variety of assignments it contains. Its value should be assessed through clear learning objectives, suitable assessment, student work, and evidence of attainment.

Equally, if course documentation is incomplete, the appropriate response is to identify what is missing, clarify responsibilities, and establish a process for completing the record.

I believe this is an important lesson for any institution seeking to strengthen OBE: innovation and documentation must work together.

7. The Human Side of Teaching

Teaching requires time and effort beyond classroom hours.

Course development, assignment preparation, student communication, assessment, research, and administrative responsibilities all require sustained attention.

For me, taking on teaching responsibilities also involved a personal and professional decision. I had been building ProRecruit and investing time in my own professional work, yet I chose to devote significant effort to teaching because I believed the work could have a wider educational impact.

I wanted students to gain skills that might improve their employment prospects, support their professional development, or help them explore entrepreneurial opportunities.

However, commitment to students does not eliminate the need for institutional clarity and support.

Teachers need appropriate resources, clear responsibilities, constructive communication, and transparent processes for academic development.

When questions arise about workload, recognition, or career progression, they should be addressed through fair procedures and evidence.

My experience led me to reflect on how difficult it can be to sustain an ambitious educational initiative when important professional questions remain unresolved.

I believe universities should be places where teachers can raise legitimate concerns while continuing to focus on their educational responsibilities.

8. My Lecturer Application and Career Uncertainty

As my teaching experience developed, I also applied for a Lecturer position at UET.

For me, this application represented an opportunity to explore a longer-term academic future. I wanted to understand whether my teaching experience, professional background, and interest in practical entrepreneurship education could contribute to the university's academic objectives.

However, as of October 2026, I had not received a clear response to my application.

I recognise that an application does not guarantee an appointment. Recruitment must follow the applicable rules, selection criteria, and institutional procedures.

My concern was the uncertainty surrounding my professional position and the difficulty of planning the next stage of my career without clear communication.

When people invest time and effort in teaching and academic development, they need to understand the relevant processes and their own status within them.

A transparent process benefits both applicants and institutions. It helps applicants make informed decisions and allows universities to communicate their requirements and decisions clearly.

I wanted clarity about my application and about the possibilities for continuing my academic work.

9. My PhD Journey: Research, Direction, and Recognition

Alongside teaching, I was pursuing doctoral research and exploring how digital tools and practical learning might influence educational outcomes.

My interests included technology-enabled learning, student engagement, self-efficacy, entrepreneurship education, and the relationship between learning activities and measurable outcomes.

I wanted my research to be connected to real educational questions rather than remain separate from the teaching experience that had motivated my interest.

However, I also encountered difficulties obtaining the clarity I needed regarding my research direction, conceptual model, and supervisory guidance.

At different points, I felt uncertain about the next steps and about how best to move my doctoral work forward.

I also had concerns about the recognition of contributions to earlier academic research. Questions of authorship and intellectual contribution require careful examination of the underlying work, documentary evidence, and applicable academic policies.

These matters should not be decided on assumptions alone. They deserve a fair opportunity for the people concerned to explain their contributions and for the relevant evidence to be reviewed.

I believe research integrity requires both responsible attribution and transparent procedures for resolving disagreements.

My objective was to develop research that could contribute to a better understanding of how teaching methods and digital learning activities influence student outcomes.

I wanted to connect my practical experience with a rigorous research process that could be examined, tested, and improved.

10. The Connection Between Teaching, ProRecruit, and Employability

My work in entrepreneurship education was closely connected to the questions I had encountered through ProRecruit.

In recruitment, businesses seek people who can apply their skills to real tasks. In education, students need opportunities to develop and demonstrate those skills before entering the workplace.

These are related challenges.

A student who learns how to research a market, communicate professionally, organise a project, evaluate an opportunity, or use a digital platform gains experience that may be relevant to a variety of professional settings.

Similarly, an engineering graduate who understands how technical knowledge connects with customer needs and commercial realities may be better equipped to explore different career paths.

This does not mean that every course should become a vocational training programme. Universities must continue to develop theoretical understanding, critical thinking, disciplinary knowledge, and research capabilities.

The opportunity is to combine these strengths with appropriate practical experience.

I saw potential for entrepreneurship education to connect with university incubation, industry collaboration, mentoring, digital skills development, and startup exploration.

Such initiatives require clear educational objectives, suitable support, and evidence of results. They also require collaboration between teachers, departments, university leadership, industry, and students.

My ambition was to contribute to this wider conversation about connecting academic education with the realities of employment and entrepreneurship.

11. Considering Resignation, Then Continuing

As professional and academic questions accumulated, I reached a point where I considered stepping away from teaching.

I communicated that I was contemplating resignation. However, I had not submitted a formal written resignation, and I subsequently communicated my intention to continue teaching while seeking clarity about the matters that concerned me.

This is an important part of my story because it reflects the tension between personal and professional difficulties and my commitment to the educational work I had undertaken.

I remained conscious of the students who were expecting classes and had invested time in the course.

Their educational experience mattered to me, regardless of the administrative or professional uncertainty surrounding my own position.

At the same time, I came to recognise that a commitment to students should not require a teacher to leave every legitimate professional question unresolved.

Both responsibilities matter: students deserve a constructive and well-organised learning experience, and teachers deserve fair procedures, appropriate support, and clarity about their professional circumstances.

My hope was to find a constructive way forward without losing sight of the purpose that had brought me into the classroom.

12. What UET and Other Universities Can Learn

I believe engineering universities have an important opportunity to strengthen entrepreneurship education.

Engineering students develop technical knowledge that can contribute to products, services, industrial processes, software, design, and new solutions to existing problems.

Entrepreneurship education can help students understand how to evaluate opportunities, communicate value, consider customers, and explore the commercial or social potential of their ideas.

To make this work effective, universities should consider several priorities.

First, design courses around measurable learning outcomes. Students should understand what they are expected to learn and how their achievement will be assessed.

Second, provide suitable teaching resources. Large-group teaching requires appropriate facilities, reliable technology, and a realistic plan for interaction and assessment.

Third, connect practical assignments with academic standards. Digital tools should support learning objectives rather than become ends in themselves.

Fourth, maintain clear course documentation. Assessment records and evidence of learning should support evaluation, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Fifth, strengthen doctoral supervision and research support. Researchers need clear expectations, meaningful academic guidance, and fair procedures for addressing concerns.

Sixth, establish transparent career processes. Applicants and faculty members should be able to understand the relevant requirements and procedures.

Seventh, encourage collaboration with industry. Universities can explore partnerships that expose students to real problems, professional practices, and opportunities to test their ideas.

These principles are relevant beyond one university. They can contribute to a wider discussion about educational quality, employability, innovation, and institutional development in Pakistan.

13. Why I Am Sharing My Story

I am sharing this account because I believe experiences from the classroom can contribute to a constructive discussion about higher education.

My experience has included opportunities to work with engineering students, develop practical assignments, explore digital learning, and reflect on the relationship between teaching and measurable outcomes.

It has also involved uncertainty about career progression, doctoral direction, academic recognition, and the resources available for teaching.

I do not expect readers to accept every concern without examination. Nor do I believe that any institution or individual should be judged without considering the relevant facts.

My intention is to explain what I experienced, identify the questions that remain important to me, and encourage a discussion about how educational systems can improve.

A strong university should be able to encourage innovation while maintaining academic standards. It should be able to evaluate new teaching methods, address concerns fairly, and learn from both successful initiatives and difficult experiences.

The willingness to examine questions openly and improve institutional processes is an important part of educational progress.

14. The Lesson I Take Forward

When I entered teaching, I wanted students to understand that knowledge becomes more valuable when people can apply it meaningfully.

I wanted entrepreneurship education to introduce students to real problems, practical tools, business thinking, and professional opportunities.

I wanted to explore how learning activities could be connected to OBE and how evidence could help determine whether students were achieving their intended outcomes.

My experience at UET Lahore strengthened my belief in the importance of practical education. It also showed me that educational innovation needs appropriate institutional support, transparent processes, and opportunities for constructive dialogue.

I continue to believe that universities can play a significant role in helping students become capable professionals, critical thinkers, problem-solvers, and potential innovators.

The question is not whether theory or practice is more important. The question is how universities can bring them together effectively.

A strong educational system should help students understand ideas, question assumptions, develop skills, and apply their knowledge responsibly.

It should also create an environment in which teachers can contribute, researchers can develop their work, and legitimate concerns can be addressed through fair and transparent procedures.

Conclusion: More Than a Teaching Assignment

My journey into teaching was motivated by a desire to connect academic knowledge with practical opportunities.

Through my work at UET Lahore, I explored ways to make entrepreneurship education more applied, technology-enabled, and connected to the professional realities students may face after graduation.

I developed learning activities, worked with students from different disciplines, and reflected on how OBE could provide a framework for assessing learning and improving course delivery.

Along the way, I encountered professional and academic questions that remain important to me. I hope these matters can be addressed through appropriate procedures, clear communication, and constructive dialogue.

I am sharing this story not as a claim that one person has all the answers, but as an account of what can happen when professional experience, educational ambition, and institutional realities meet.

The purpose of education is not merely to complete a syllabus. It is to help people develop the knowledge, judgment, and capabilities to do something meaningful with what they learn.

That is the principle that brought me into teaching. It is the principle that shaped my approach to entrepreneurship education. And it is the principle I hope to continue advancing through teaching, research, and my professional work.

If we want graduates who can innovate, solve problems, and create opportunities, we must be willing to build educational systems that make those outcomes possible.

That is why this conversation matters.

About the Author

Syed Khurram Abbas Sherazi is an entrepreneur, founder of ProRecruit, and doctoral researcher with interests in entrepreneurship education, digital learning, employability, and outcome-based education. His work explores how practical, technology-enabled learning can help students connect academic knowledge with real-world opportunities.