Abstract:

Digitalization and environmental concerns are reshaping job markets and the skills that companies are looking for. Universities play a vital role in educating future workers who can make a real environmental and social impact (Ridwan et al., 2025). However, these skills are not always effectively incorporated into teaching systems (Valencia-Arias et al., 2025). In this context, we seek to address this educational need.

This work promotes sustainable and digital entrepreneurial skills among university students by using diagnostic tools and active learning methods, which have been demonstrated to be effective (Michel and Förster, 2025). More specifically, we analyze the students’ sustainable and digital entrepreneurial intentions through a survey; we design and implement challenge-based learning activities oriented towards sustainability and digitalization; and we foster key skills such as critical thinking, creativity, collaborative work, and employability.

In terms of methodology, we first conducted a pre-test in the form of initial survey to assess entrepreneurial intention and key skills. Afterwards, we implemented a challenge-based learning activity based on a real-life challenge, in which students were required to develop a sustainable and digital solution through collaborative work. Finally, we carried out a post-test using a final survey to evaluate changes and assess perceived learning. We statistically analyzed the differences between the pre- and post-tests.

The name of this approach is ‘Entrepreneurship with impact: Design a sustainable and digital solution’. The challenge is to design an innovative digital solution (app, platform, system, campaign, prototype, etc.) that contributes to one to three Sustainable Development Goals and generates a positive environmental or social impact.

We have divided the intervention into three phases:
1. ENGAGE: where students connect with the challenge;
2. INVESTIGATE: where students conduct research to understand the situation and the challenge; and
3. ACT: where students may define, design and prototype the solution.

Through this work, we aim to contribute to the understanding and improvement of sustainable and digital skills among students, based on active learning techniques (Michel and Förster, 2025; Ridwan et al., 2025). This work will be useful for education institutions which seek to promote sustainable and digital entrepreneurial skills among their students, based on a specific active learning approach.

References:
[1] Michel, S., & Förster, M. (2025). Challenge-based learning for social entrepreneurship education in vocational schools—a promising learning environment to foster entrepreneurial intentions? Empirical Research in Vocational Education and Training, 17(1), 21.
[2] Ridwan, M., Fiodian, V. Y., Religia, Y., & Hardiana, S. R. (2025). Investigating the effect of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in shaping digital entrepreneurial intention: the mediating role of self-efficacy. Asia Pacific Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, 19(3), 190-207.
[3] Valencia-Arias, A., Londoño-Celis, W., Moya, L. P., Iparraguirre Sanchez, G. K., Cardona-Acevedo, S., & Rodríguez-Correa, P. A. (2025). Sustainable entrepreneurial intention in undergraduates: the influence of entrepreneurship education. Discover Sustainability, 6(1), 588.

Keywords:

Challenge-based learning, sustainable entrepreneurship, digital entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial intention, higher education, active learning, sustainability education, digital skills, employability skills, student competencies.