Purpose: Teaching methods such as Flipped Learning and Team-Based Learning require students to pre-learn course materials before a teaching session, because classroom exercises rely on students using self-gained knowledge. This is the reverse to "traditional" teaching when course materials are presented during a lecture, and students are assessed on that material during another session at a later stage. The purpose of this paper is to describe an introductory class session that prepares and engages students to be successful participants in courses requiring pre-learning. Design/methodology/approach: A sequence of seven learning activities drawn from the education literature was implemented in an introductory undergraduate entrepreneurship class. These activities were evaluated using exploratory qualitative research. Findings: Student evaluations of the learning activities showed that they readily identified important aspects of learning, critical factors related to student success, and the learning purposes of the introductory session. Practical implications: The sequence of seven activities develops a positive learning culture where students understand their obligations regarding pre-learning, and are prepared for active engagement in the course. These also give the educator valuable information for understanding the learning motivations, expectations, and perceptions of student learners, that allows teaching approaches to be tailored to the needs of that class. Originality/value: The sequence of learning activities is novel and gives both students and educators insights into learning processes required for effective pre-learning for active engagement in student-centred classes. This approach can be applied in different fields of higher education.