Abstract:

The transition toward a circular economy (CE) represents both a major challenge and a key opportunity for achieving sustainable development. In 2020, the European Commission adopted COM (2020) 98 final, part of the European Green Deal, to accelerate this transformation. In this context, universities play a crucial role in preparing future professionals capable of designing sustainable business models that create economic, social, and environmental value.

Integrating CE principles into business and economics education is essential to equip students with practical competencies, critical thinking, and responsible decision-making skills. This educational innovation proposes the use of active learning methodologies, with a strong emphasis on gamification and challenge-based learning, to enhance student engagement and learning outcomes.

The innovation has been implemented in three courses: FC1034 – Corporate Social Responsibility (undergraduate, ~18 students), SRQ005 – Environment (Master’s, ~30 students), and SRQ012 – Dimensions of Corporate Social Responsibility (Master’s, ~80 students), involving a total of 130–140 students. The intervention is applied across all groups, ensuring a comprehensive assessment beyond pilot experiences.

As part of the gamified learning approach, students engage in practical exercises designed as real-world simulations, where business decisions are shaped by dynamic and context-dependent scenarios. Through game-based activities inspired by economic geography, students analyze how location, territorial structures, and resource distribution influence the feasibility of circular strategies. These tasks, structured as challenges and decision-making missions, provide hands-on experience and deepen understanding of complex environments.

Students also participate in gamified activities such as collaborative challenges and scenario-based missions, where they must design and evaluate circular business strategies. In addition, they develop multimedia outputs (games, podcasts, and videos) integrated into a 360° learning platform, reinforcing both digital and sustainability competencies.

The evaluation system combines quantitative and qualitative approaches. It includes analysis of participation in virtual platforms, rubric-based assessment of student outputs, comparison of academic performance, and satisfaction surveys for students and instructors. Learning outcomes focus on the development of critical thinking, analytical skills, teamwork, and the application of CE concepts to real-world contexts.

Preliminary indicators show high levels of engagement (target ≥90% active participation), and an expected improvement of +15% in learning outcomes compared to previous cohorts. These results suggest that gamification and active methodologies significantly enhance motivation and competence acquisition.

Overall, this proposal contributes to transforming teaching into a more active, participatory, and practice-oriented model. By combining gamification, digital tools, and real-world challenges, it strengthens the alignment between higher education, labor market needs, and sustainability goals, preparing students to lead the transition toward circular business models.

Keywords:

Circular Economy Education, Gamification in Higher Education, Sustainability in Business Education, Active Learning Methodologies, Sustainable Leadership Development.