Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic has had an uncertain impact on the global economy, especially for entrepreneurs and small and medium-sized enterprises that have suffered significant consequences. However, resilience has emerged as an entrepreneurial skill that allows companies to adapt and grow stronger in the face of challenges. Therefore, this paper conducted a literature review to identify the factors that comprise resilience to strengthen training programs for entrepreneurial skills. This study aims to lead to future empirical studies that will provide more understanding and equip professionals with the skills to adapt to crises.Design/methodology/approach: A systematic literature review was performed, analyzing studies related to entrepreneurship, resilience and crises. In total, 30 empirical studies were analyzed to determine the facts of the crises, the methodologies used and the actions taken to address them.Findings: The review identified resilience factors such as attitudes adopted toward the crisis, the characteristics of the business and the entrepreneur, the relationships with institutions, human and social capital and strategic management. These factors can be considered in training programs for resilient entrepreneurs and by the different actors in the entrepreneurial ecosystem, including the universities and public policymakers, who support them.Originality/value: This study provides a literature review that focuses on identifying the resilience factors of entrepreneurs who confronted past crises to know how to apply them to overcome the current situation and contribute to post-COVID-19 entrepreneurship. This paper hopes that the findings motivate others to conduct further empirical studies on entrepreneurship and resilience in times of crisis, especially in developing countries and emerging economies.

In the last year, educational experiences have become increasingly challenging due to teaching classes remotely. For this reason, it has been necessary to develop educational strategies that accompany the use of new technologies to maintain student interest. One of these methodologies is gamification, implemented in school environments more frequently due to the pandemic and whose impact on student motivation and engagement needs to be explored. The literature shows that student participation in these contexts should be increased when applying this methodology, where teachers can also provide greater support. This research proposes improving these aspects by developing a gamification strategy that can be easily replicated in other environments. This study was carried out for a chemistry course at a university in central Mexico. This proposal details the short-, medium-, and long-term bonuses which stimulated and motivated students and achieved specific objectives. We also present the quantitative results of a questionnaire applied to 48 engineering students to identify their perceptions of how gamification could increase motivation and engagement in learning the subject of chemistry. In addition, pre- and post-knowledge tests were applied to determine whether there were changes in the learning outcomes. The results indicated that gamification increased student motivation and engagement, improved attitudes, promoted actions such as keeping the camera on during lectures and regular attendance, and improved student grades. This study fills the need for planning strategies to help improve student motivation in online classes and proposes an instrument to measure the results. It can be helpful to those interested in applying or adapting it in other disciplines.

Challenge-Based Learning (CBL) is an innovative teaching methodology that engages students to resolve real-world challenges while applying the knowledge they acquired during their professional training. This article describes the results of the implementation of an online course on entrepreneurship that utilized CBL with a group of 20 undergraduate students from various disciplines in a university in Mexico. During the course, challenges related to the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations were presented to the participants, making it possible to observe the students’ interest in resolving these problems. This research uses a case study methodology and seeks to determine the CBL elements in the e-learning modality. The results showed that the participants generated sustainable business ideas aimed to resolve local, national, and global problems. The recommendations are to continue the formation of the businesses proposed in the project. These ideas can become real ventures that connect various actors in the entrepreneurial ecosystem and will continue to strengthen transversal skills such as teamwork and communication.

Scientific and technological developments bring new requirements for university education and, particularly, the training of education professionals. There is a regular need to update curricula to integrate market trends and educational approaches. It is necessary to know future trends in education and teaching programs. Our research in a higher education institution in Ecuador focused on providing perspectives on the future of educational programs by analyzing trends in educational programs’ designs, students and professors’ needs for innovative education. We used the descriptive/exploratory case study method, employing quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews, focus groups and benchmarking as instruments. The surveys were applied to 337 current students, 384 potential students and 313 graduates of Educational Sciences. We conducted interviews with 20 experts from Mexico, Spain, Colombia and Ecuador. We held focus groups with 32 education professionals, including rectors, principals, educational specialists and primary, secondary and university teachers. Benchmarking was used in our analysis of ten universities. The results focused on five elements that were units of analysis (1) characteristics of education programs, (2) student requirements, (3) required educational modalities, (4) trends in education and (5) future of education programs. The data and results may be of interest to decision-makers, academicians, researchers, students and citizens interested in professional education and other disciplinary areas.

The authors of the Education 4.0 concept postulated a flexible combination of digital literacy, critical thinking, and problem-solving in educational environments linked to real-world scenarios. Therefore, teachers have been challenged to develop new methods and resources to integrate into their planning in order to help students develop these desirable and necessary skills; hence, the question: What are the characteristics of a teacher to consider within the framework of Education 4.0? This study was conducted in a higher education institution in Ecuador, with the aim to identify the teaching profile required in new undergraduate programs within the framework of Education 4.0 in order to contribute to decision-making about teacher recruitment, professional training and evaluation, human talent management, and institutional policies interested in connecting competencies with the needs of society. Descriptive and exploratory approaches, where we applied quantitative and qualitative instruments (surveys) to 337 undergraduate students in education programs and 313 graduates, were used. We also included interviews with 20 experts in the educational field and five focus groups with 32 chancellors, school principals, university professors, and specialists in the educational area. The data were triangulated, and the results were organized into the categories of (a) processes as facilitators (b), soft skills, (c) human sense, and (d) the use of technologies. The results outlined the profile of a professor as a specialized professional with competencies for innovation, complex problem solving, entrepreneurship, collaboration, international perspective, leadership, and connection with the needs of society. This research study may be of value to administrators, educational and social entrepreneurs, trainers, and policy-makers interested in implementing innovative training programs and in supporting management and policy decisions.

Entrepreneurship is recognized as an engine for the economy. However, Latin America must promote higher opportunities for the creation of new businesses, especially for technology-based ventures. In this sense, the Center for Global Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CGIE) of the University of Texas at Austin offers a Master of Science in Technology Commercialization (MCCT) that prepares students with methodologies to promote the creation of new businesses in Mexico. This study aims to know the contribution of training to the creation of new companies, and its role in the innovation and the technology transfer processes, from the viewpoint of the participants. This research presents a case study that analyzes the impact of the MCCT through the analysis of the data of a survey answered by 109 former students of this center. Findings show that the methodologies developed by the MCCT allow the creation of technology-based enterprises and entrepreneurial skills in students. This study presents good practices that can be emulated by other countries in the region, as well as recognizing the great value the role of higher education in creating synergies between actors of the innovation ecosystem that strengthen social and economic growth.