Entrepreneurial Skills Training: EPFL and BFH Jointly Develop a “Serious Game” in Entrepreneurship
EPFL and BFH jointly develop a module of a serious entrepreneurship game for vocational learners that incorporates the concept of productive failure.
Duration: June 2022 – April 2025
Status: Completed
Educational Level: Upper Secondary Level – Vocational Education, Tertiary Level
Topic: Digital Tools
Keywords: Digital Learning Games, Entrepreneurship Education
Initial Situation
Entrepreneurial thinking and acting are critical skills for shaping the future economy and society, yet they are underrepresented in vocational education in Switzerland. The initiative “Entrepreneurial Thinking and Acting at Vocational Schools in Switzerland – Economic, Social and Ethical Dimensions” (ETA) addresses this gap by integrating entrepreneurship into general education at vocational schools. The existing program, myidea, uses real-world case studies, project-based learning, and a documentary to introduce learners to entrepreneurial processes. To foster deeper engagement and personal connection to the topic, this research project was initiated.
Objectives
The project aimed to design, develop, and test a modular, scenario-based serious game that introduces apprentices to entrepreneurship. It also sought to evaluate changes in entrepreneurial competencies and problem-solving strategies before and after the course.
Method
The game was co-developed by BFH (pedagogical design and content) and EPFL (interaction design and technical implementation). It focused on the early stages of a business, incorporating productive failure and uncertainty as core learning principles. The game was piloted in a pre-post study with vocational school students from the cantons of Bern, Solothurn, Valais, and Ticino. Feedback from an initial test round informed improvements in a second iteration, which included AI-generated content to allow for more diverse learning paths.
Results
Feedback from the initial game testing phase was positive, highlighting both learner engagement and areas for improvement. The second iteration introduced AI-generated content to expand the variety of scenarios and better accommodate different learning strategies. A pre-post study is underway to assess the game’s impact on learners’ entrepreneurial competencies, but final evaluation results are not yet available.
Implemented Translation
The game module is designed to be integrated into the myidea curriculum, replacing the existing documentary. It offers learners a more interactive and personalized experience of entrepreneurship and gives educators a new tool for fostering entrepreneurial skills. Clickstream data generated during gameplay also provides researchers with valuable insights into learning behaviors and strategy development.
If successful, the game will become a permanent part of the myidea program disseminated by the Swiss Center for Entrepreneurial Thinking and Acting (scETA). It has the potential to enhance vocational education across Switzerland by providing a modern, engaging, and pedagogically grounded way to develop entrepreneurial thinking and acting among young learners.
