Serbian partner Open University Subotica Ltd prepared a case study on a polytechnic programme for social entrepreneurship education in secondary schools.

The programme in question was developed as part of an international project with the support of the Ministry of Serbia.

The Regional Agency for European Development and Integration in Belgrade, in a broad consortium of nine countries from the Danube region and in cooperation with the project’s national strategic partner, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia, developed the international project InnoSchool – Strengthening social innovation and entrepreneurial spirit of secondary school students through the use of a highly innovative teaching system (www.innoschoolplatform.eu).

Programme

The aim of the programme is to equip young people with knowledge in the area of social entrepreneurship and social innovation so that they can function, develop within these areas in the future. Which brings many benefits also for the social entrepreneurship sector itself.

The InnoSchool Learning System (ILS) and its elements like serious games and pilot programmes is a modern tool for learning about social entrepreneurship. After the testing phase, it is planned to integrate its elements into the curricula of secondary schools in Serbia after the end of the project.

The ILS was tested in Serbia by 11 Belgrade secondary schools in the 2020/2021 school year (School of Commerce, School of Pharmacy and Physiotherapy, Middle School “Sveti Sava”, Fifth Economic School “Rakovica”, Technical School Železnik, Sixth Middle School of Belgrade, Modern Middle School, Agricultural and Chemical School Obrenovac, Middle School “Milena Pavlović Barili” – Antoni Center, Electrical Engineering School “Zemun” and Traffic Technical School).

As part of the pilot, schools competed against each other while gaining increasing knowledge in the area of social entrepreneurship.

A key highlight of the programme is the educational game prepared as part of it.

What is the game about?

The online game developed as part of the programme helps to introduce students to social entrepreneurship in a fun and friendly way. Through the game, young people will experience how their actions can contribute to solving social challenges and problems.

It is a digital learning tool that provides students with the opportunity to gain experience and generate social business ideas through an online simulation.

SG is designed as a responsive web-based application to be used both in and out of the classroom by teams of students to learn, play and complete learning tasks. Innovative aspects such as social media and a final inter-school competition have been incorporated into the Serious game.

The game is divided into six separate modules. Each module consists of a theory section, followed by a quiz and open-ended tasks. This division is optimal for keeping students motivated and the game running smoothly. Other tools available for successful implementation of the game include teacher guides and video tutorials.

For more information about the game, the programme, including materials for teachers, visit: https://innoschoolplatform.eu/teaching-resources/