Assessing skills from entrepreneurship challenges: Co-creating novel assessment ideas

Workshop objective: Challenge-based learning (CBL) is utilized by many entrepreneurship scholars as a pedagogical approach to train skills considered important for sensing, acting, and mobilizing entrepreneurial opportunities and capabilities (Steira et al., 2024). However, assessing whether students have acquired these skills and to what extent they have achieved the skills-related intended learning outcomes raises more questions than answers. In this workshop, we share experiences, discuss assessment tools, and co-create knowledge on how and through what means we can assess the skills we intend our students to train through CBL, both in general and within the specific context of entrepreneurship education. Background and Rationales: Skills such as the ability to communicate, critically analyse, and discuss ideas were introduced centuries ago by Greek philosophers, notably Plato in his Dialogues from 427–347 B.C. The importance of the interaction between knowledge and skills for learning was established in modern pedagogy by John Dewey (1986). It remains true that both these elements are essential for providing education that is relevant and appealing to trade and industry (Rotherham and Willingham, 2010). Despite this, there still seem to be knowledge gaps in this area (Scroccaro et al. 2024). CBL and skills assessment: Higher education aims to equip students with a variety of skills that are important for their future careers and roles as civic actors. Examples of such skills include what is labelled as "21st-century skills", which are crucial elements in challenge-based learning (CBL). These skills are well-defined, and several frameworks describe and categorize them (see e.g., Geisinger 2016; Kereulik et al. 2013). However, while knowledge assessment (cf. the SOLO taxonomy by Biggs & Collis from 1982) is a well-developed area within the academic educational system, the assessment of skills is underdeveloped. Educators often lack strategies for evaluating skills in an effective, transparent, and legally secure way (Scroccaro et al. 2024). Almost all traditional evaluation frameworks focus on knowledge assessment. Conversely, while teaching methods have seen developments in research and practice, assessment methods have lagged behind (Hägg & Gabrielsson, 2020). To bridge this gap, our ability to assess skills also needs to be improved. CBL in Entrepreneurship Education: In entrepreneurship education, CBL has been used as an action-based approach, particularly to train skills for sensing, acting, and mobilizing opportunities. CBL creates learning environments that incorporate volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity (Bennett & Lemoine 2014), which aspiring entrepreneurs often have to navigate and tolerate (Lackéus, 2014; Wenninger, 2019). Additionally, other important entrepreneurial skills such as finding creative solutions, mobilizing interest in one's own ideas, and communication can be trained through CBL. Workshop design: In this workshop, we aim to focus on how we can assess the skills included in our intended learning outcomes in a transparent, legally secure, and efficient manner. We will begin by presenting the issue at hand, followed by an introduction to several tools we have identified and tested, such as reflective tools, formative assessment matrixes, card games, and the EntreComp framework. Participants will then be divided into discussion groups and provided with materials to create a simple poster. The seminar will conclude with a poster session where each group will present their ideas on developing a skills assessment framework. The workshop is planned to last 90 minutes and is designed for a maximum of 40 participants. Educational relevance and impact: According to the current work within the ECIUn+ project, the assessment of skills seems to be a crucial issue. Many attempts have been made, but this area still requires further development. For example, an ongoing survey at Linköping University reveals that a large portion of respondents find assessing skills challenging and feel they need more knowledge. Previous European projects, such as the BOOGIE-U (Boosting Innovation and Entrepreneurship through European Universities) project, have shown that the group can share good practices relevant to educational courses, with practical tools that support the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Skills Assessment. The group behind this workshop is cross-disciplinary, consisting of teachers from several universities, countries, and disciplines such as innovation and entrepreneurship, psychology, and social geography. Based on this, we hope to bring in a wide range of perspectives, which can be complemented by the perspectives of the workshop participants. Hence, our hope is that this workshop will become an innovative melting pot. References: Bennett, N., & Lemoine, G. J. (2014). What a difference a word makes: Understanding threats to performance in a VUCA world. Business Horizons, 57(3), 311-317. Dewey, J. (1986, September). Experience and education. In The educational forum (Vol. 50, No. 3, pp. 241-252). Taylor & Francis Group. Geisinger, K. F. (2016). 21st century skills: What are they and how do we assess them? Applied Measurement in Education, 29(4), 245-249. Hägg, G., & Gabrielsson, J. (2020). A systematic literature review of the evolution of pedagogy in entrepreneurial education research. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, 26(5), 829-861. Kereluik, K., Mishra, P., Fahnoe, C., & Terry, L. (2013). What knowledge is of most worth: Teacher knowledge for 21st century learning. Journal of Digital Learning in Teacher Education, 29(4), 127-140. Lackéus, M. (2014). An emotion based approach to assessing entrepreneurial education. The International Journal of Management Education, 12(3), 374-396. Pittaway, L., & Edwards, C. (2012). Assessment: Examining practice in entrepreneurship education. Education + Training, 54(8/9), 778-800. Rotherham, A. J., & Willingham, D. T. (2010). 21st-century skills. American Educator, 17(1), 17-20. Scroccaro, A., Engzell, J., Norrman, C., Bigatto, M., Lundvall, C. (2023) Skills Assessment in Innovation and Entrepreneurship Education Initiatives" in The 19th International CDIO Conference proceedings: full papers, Trondheim, Norway: NTNU SEED, 2023, p. 705-719. - ISBN: 978-82-303-6186-3. Atti di: CDIO 2023, Trondheim, Norway, 6th-29th June 2023. Steira, I. M., Wigger, K., & Rasmussen, E. (2024). Variety of entrepreneurial skills measured in the entrepreneurship education literature. Education+ Training. Wenninger, H. (2019). Student assessment of venture creation courses in entrepreneurship higher education-An interdisciplinary literature review and practical case analysis Entrepreneurship Education and Pedagogy, 2(1), 58-81.