Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: Novosibirsk State University –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
From July 28 to August 28, Novosibirsk State University hosted a unique course, “Fundamentals of Economics and Business for Schoolchildren,” organized by the public organization “Laboratory of Economics and Business» with the support of Faculty of Economics, NSU and leading companies of Siberia. For a whole month, work was in full swing at NSU: dozens of schoolchildren from grades 9–11, united in teams, conducted negotiations with passion and concentration, built financial models, tested hypotheses using neural networks and defended their projects in front of real investors.
It was not just a course, but an intensive startup accelerator, where teenagers went from an idea to a ready-made business plan with a financial model, marketing strategy, and even the first pilots in a month. And the most amazing thing is that the teachers and mentors were the same schoolchildren, only a little older, who had already chosen NSU as their future alma mater.
— The schoolchildren themselves, who participated in organizing the economic quest that took place in July, suggested conducting the course. The idea was that during the very first lesson the children would come up with their own business, which has been operating on the market for 5 years. Based on these “fake” companies, they master basic economic and business concepts, develop business plans and present their projects to an external commission at the end. The main risk was whether the schoolchildren would join this format or not. But our fears were not justified. The schoolchildren were completely immersed in the process from the first day, our experiment showed that this is an effective tool in education, — commented Dmitry Markov, a lecturer in the Department of Management of the Faculty of Economics of NSU, head of the Laboratory of Economics and Business.
A format that inspires: when students teach students
The course included 10 sessions – interactive seminars, which were held twice a week, on various aspects of running a business.
— We didn’t want this to be another lecture course, — said Kira Kurmasheva, Development Director of the Laboratory of Economics and Business. — We wanted to create an environment where everyone would feel like a creator, not a listener. That’s why we focused on practice, teamwork, and student mentors — those who were recently in the shoes of our participants. They don’t give lectures — they conduct seminars, analyze mistakes, inspire, and say: “This is possible. I’ve done it.”
This approach became the main magic formula of the course. Future students of the NSU Economics Department — graduates of the strongest schools of Novosibirsk — acted as seminarians. They shared not only knowledge, but also their experience: how to choose a profession, how to prepare for Olympiads, how not to be afraid to speak on equal terms with adults.
— When a mentor comes to you and says: “I also took the Unified State Exam, and I did well in math,” it relieves the tension. You understand: he is not from a lecture, he is from where you are now, — shared Artem Bezrukov, a future NSU student and the leader of the financial modeling module.
Some of those who participated in the projects of the Laboratory of Economics and Business, while still schoolchildren, have already entered NSU this year. Anastasia Korneva is a first-year student of the Business Informatics program at the NSU Faculty of Economics.
— I fell in love with economics thanks to the Laboratory. I chose business informatics at NSU because it is a modern field and I could see myself in this field in the future. As part of the course for schoolchildren, I conducted several seminars — on business models; on how to build presentations and present a project; and also on finance. In addition, I was the host of the final event, when the participants presented their projects. What I like most about working with schoolchildren is that I can give them life knowledge, something that I myself could not get at their age; I like to teach the way I would like to be taught, — said Anastasia.
The interest in the course was very high: 40 applications were received in three days. Parents, teachers, the students themselves — everyone felt that this was not just “another club,” but a chance to look into the future. The course became a growth point for many teenagers, who for the first time felt that they could create, not just consume.
Future technologies in the hands of schoolchildren: neural networks as a tool, not a toy
One of the main breakthroughs of the course was the deep integration of artificial intelligence. Participants used neural networks as a working tool for entrepreneurs:
At the first seminar, schoolchildren filled out questionnaires of their businesses, and at the second, they already received full passports of their existing businesses with a description from neural networks. Creation of landing pages and presentations: AI helped to form texts, select slogans and visualize concepts. Data analysis: processing reviews, identifying trends, forecasting demand.
From idea to investor: final defense, like on a real Demo Day
The final of the course was the culmination of a busy month of work. Seven teams presented their projects to an expert jury, which included representatives of partners: the NSU Faculty of Economics, B1 Company, Sberbank, and the eco-quarter "Spectrum" and the public organization "Movement of the First".
Each team defended a business plan for the development of their fictional company – a network
fitness clubs with a Siberian character, travel services, a digital bank, an energy generating company with thermonuclear reactors in the Arctic zone, etc.
The projects included developing a business model, a full financial model, detailing a development project, customer journey maps, and calculating CAC and LTV.
— We observed not just school projects. We saw real business ideas, developed at the level of startups undergoing acceleration. It was clear: the guys were not just “playing business”, they were thinking, testing, making mistakes and learning, — noted the representative of the eco-quarter “Spectrum”, the jury expert.
The top 3 projects included: an energy generating company with thermonuclear reactors in the Arctic zone "Substance", a digital bank "Belobank" and an ecosystem for the tourism services market "Wanderlust". The winners were awarded memorable gifts from partners. All participants received official NSU certificates and gifts from the company. "Spectrum".
Demid Levkovitsky, educational center "New Facets", 11th grade
— The course turned out to be very intense and interesting! Despite the fact that we, the guys from the opposite end of the city, were not able to attend all the seminars, we were still pleased with the material! There is work with real reports (from the companies "Magnet" and "Sber"), and clever logic problems, and a creative component in the form of construction sets in the classroom. The friendly atmosphere between the student and the teacher made working on the project much easier. The coolest thing is the opportunity to implement something of your own, not limited by numerous rules. The "free format" tactic is an excellent solution.
Artem Sait, Gymnasium 3 in Akademgorodok, 9V (SE)
— I liked everything very much, there were great seminars and equally great homework. They gave really useful knowledge, not something hackneyed! At the end there was an equally interesting defense of projects in front of cool investors!
Daniil Pivovarov, Orthodox Gymnasium in the name of St. Sergius of Radonezh, 10th grade
— Despite the fact that I came quite late, I kept up with the others. I really liked the seminarians, they explained and motivated well. The final presentation was great and well prepared. I liked the courses, and I did not regret going to them. These courses really did have new information about economics, which was clearly useful, I hope there will be more of this in the future.
This is a unique educational format for Russia, and the organizers have big plans for the further development of the project.
— We are welcoming the new educational year with great interest and inspiration — and sincerely congratulate everyone on its beginning! There are ambitious plans ahead: we intend to replicate and scale our educational technologies and products in the economic sphere — both within the Novosibirsk Region and throughout Russia. This is a challenge that inspires our team and opens up new horizons.
Despite the fact that the school year has just started, we have already reached important agreements on cooperation with the regional center "Altair" – the key operator of additional education for schoolchildren in our region. Our unique expertise in the field of technological entrepreneurship turned out to be in demand and timely – and this direction is supported at the level of the Governor of the Novosibirsk Region.
We are full of enthusiasm, ideas and energy – and we are looking forward to new projects, partners and achievements this academic year! – added Dmitry Markov.
Fundamentals of Economics and Business for Schoolchildren. Review of the Course by the Belobank Team
Fundamentals of Economics and Business. Review by Alexander Kychakov
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