Business involvement during studying the subject

Veronika Karlina, Visiting Lecturer, Department of Management, Higher School of Economics

Head of the Department of Benchmarking of Medical Organizations of the Almazov National Medical Research Center

My teaching experience at HSE began with a course on Data Analysis for Optimization of Marketing Expenditure which was attended by a group of students from the master’s program in Management and Analytics for Business (transformed into postgraduate programme Data analytics for Business and Economics from 2023/2024 academic year). The main feature of the group was diverse backgrounds: from marketers and managers to linguists.

At the first class, a short feedback form was collected from students with questions about basic knowledge and expectations regarding the subject. Most requests (80%) were focused on obtaining practical skills, “without what we can already read on the net.” Thus, the composition of the group and their expectations set the general framework for our cooperation: a focus on practical examples and a diversified analysis of the results.

The course consisted of 6 lectures and 6 workshops and ended with the presentation of group projects. At the seminars, students worked on native datasets, and during the lectures they listened to the necessary minimum and participated in discussions. One of the classes was held at the analytical center of the Almazov National Medical Research Centre, where students were able to see the practice of research analytical work: generation of hypotheses, direct work with data, data analysis and formulation of conclusions - that is, those principles and ideas that were discussed and worked out in the classroom.

Despite being practice-oriented, one of the key objectives of the module was to focus the participants' attention on the importance of data analysis for solving many different problems. We were solving business cases and used specific analytical tools; however, we repeatedly discussed a much wider range of both analytical methods and points of application of the results obtained. In my opinion, nowadays working with data, or at least understanding the principles of collecting, processing, analyzing, and interpreting them is a universal skill that is in demand in most areas of activity: from fundamental science to applied problems of trend research, from reading scientific articles to evaluating daily news.

For me, the key final impression was certainly the involvement of students, their activity in the classroom and in self-study. I would like to wish students to keep such a high level of curiosity and a critical approach to learning - this combination will allow you to reveal your potential and reach any heights.

Best regards,

Veronica Karlina.