Entrepreneurship is often taught through theories, definitions, and business plans written for imaginary companies. But real entrepreneurship starts somewhere else: with a challenge that matters, uncertainty that cannot be Googled, and a team that must turn ideas into action.
That is exactly why the ENTER-CBL project was created - to help students build an entrepreneurial mindset by working on real-world challenges using Challenge-Based Learning (CBL). And to make this approach usable across institutions and countries, the project built a dedicated digital ecosystem: the ENTER-CBL Platform.
What is the ENTER-CBL Platform?
The ENTER-CBL Platform is a Moodle-based digital environment designed to support entrepreneurship education through CBL. It is not just a place to store files. It is a collaborative learning space where students, educators, and stakeholders can access resources, work through structured learning paths, share insights, and continuously improve course quality based on evidence and feedback.
The platform is available online and structured to serve two main needs:
- a knowledge and collaboration hub for educators and stakeholders
- a structured learning space for students through the NextGen Entrepreneurs Course
Why Challenge-Based Learning?
CBL is a learning approach where students learn by engaging with complex, real-life challenges - often connected to societal, environmental, or industry needs. Instead of memorizing content first and applying it later, students move through an active process of exploring a challenge, investigating it deeply, and creating actionable solutions.
CBL follows three connected phases:
- Engage: identify a meaningful challenge and connect it to real contexts
- Investigate: research, collect data, consult experts, understand root causes
- Act: design solutions, prototype, test, and present outcomes to stakeholders
In short: students learn entrepreneurship by practicing entrepreneurship.
Two spaces, one ecosystem
1) The Knowledge Hub (for educators and stakeholders)
One part of the platform is designed as a shared space where educators and stakeholders can explore how CBL works in entrepreneurship education, exchange practices, and co-create better teaching solutions. It includes curated content, forums for discussion, and a resource repository that can grow over time through community contributions.
The goal is simple: build a living knowledge base where teaching practices do not stay isolated within one institution, but become shared, improved, and reusable.
2) The NextGen Entrepreneurs Course (for students)
The second part of the platform is a structured course space where students actually experience CBL through entrepreneurship learning activities. It is designed as a practical journey, combining short microlearning content with activity-based course modules that require teamwork, deliverables, and reflection.
What makes the NextGen Entrepreneurs Course different?
The course is built to be both structured and flexible.
For educators, the course is designed as a framework that can be customized to institutional needs and teaching styles. Teachers receive a copy of the course and can adapt it while keeping alignment with the overall ENTER-CBL course framework.
For students, the course is organized into three main parts:
- General section: objectives, group setup, surveys, course organization
- Microlearning modules: short, focused learning units that prepare students for action
- Course modules: the main activity sequence guiding teams through the entrepreneurial process
Because most work is group-based, the course uses group selection and structured progression. Educators can also manage visibility of modules (unlocking content step-by-step), and the platform supports completion tracking to keep the learning flow coherent.
Microlearning: small lessons that unlock big progress
A key feature of the platform is microlearning: short modules that fill specific knowledge gaps right before students need them.
Examples of microlearning topics include:
- Design Thinking
- SCAMPER
- Business Model Canvas
- SMART Goals
These microlearning units are not “extra reading.” They are practical tools that support course activities and help students move from abstract ideas to workable solutions.
Learning through artefacts: evidence, not just attendance
One of the most important design decisions in the NextGen Entrepreneurs Course is that many activities require students to submit an artefact - a tangible output of their work.
This matters for two reasons:
- it supports institutional requirements to store evaluated work
- it helps students reflect on progress and build accountability within teams
In CBL, the learning process is as important as the final result. Artefacts capture that process.
Feedback and improvement built into the system
The platform supports continuous improvement through structured evaluation. Students complete surveys before and after the course, giving educators evidence about learning progress and course effectiveness. This helps partners improve content over time and keep quality high.
A platform that grows through collaboration
ENTER-CBL is not designed as a “finished product.” It is designed as a shared ecosystem.
Educators are encouraged to contribute:
- customizations they created
- teaching strategies that worked well
- case studies and examples
- improvements and reflections
The platform’s knowledge hub serves as the main communication channel where these contributions can be shared and discussed - so the course improves not only within one institution, but across the whole international community.
The bigger purpose: entrepreneurship with impact
The ENTER-CBL Platform does more than teach business development. A core focus is on responsible and sustainable entrepreneurship: developing solutions aligned with real societal needs and sustainable development priorities.
By combining structured learning, hands-on challenge solving, and international knowledge exchange, the platform supports the development of students who can think entrepreneurially - and act responsibly.
A simple way to describe it
The ENTER-CBL Platform is a Moodle-based ecosystem that helps educators teach entrepreneurship through Challenge-Based Learning, and helps students learn entrepreneurship by working on real challenges, producing real outputs, and building real skills.