Beyond the Buzz: Which Entrepreneurial Competencies Endure? A 12-Month Tracking of Cognitive vs. Affective Skills

This work-in-progress paper investigates the impact of Challenge-Based Learning (CBL) on the development and retention of entrepreneurial competencies among management university students. The study focuses on a master's management course on sustainability and social entrepreneurship at the University of Trento, aiming to develop business ideas with social impact that solve societal problems offered by the so-called challenge providers. Adopting a longitudinal case study methodology, data were collected through the two-course editions. For both editions, the EntreComp framework has been used at two stages: pre-course and post-course. Results show significant short-term improvements across all 15 entrepreneurial competencies after the course. Notable progression is observed, particularly in areas related to creativity, vision, valuing ideas, and mobilizing resources. However, others, including self-awareness, self-efficacy, motivation, and working with others and learning through experience, underline a low progression. These findings suggest that CBL effectively fosters entrepreneurial skills in the short term, especially for vision, creativity, and valuing opportunities. The study also provides practical recommendations for educators to enhance CBL design, including the development of soft skills, the selection of appropriate challenges, and strategies for post-course engagement. Limitations and further research directions are depicted at the end of the paper