Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: Novosibirsk State University –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Teacher Faculty of Economics Dmitry Markov, a professor at Novosibirsk State University, presented and conducted an educational program at Sirius Federal University, where he tested his original methodology for teaching the economics of engineering projects. The program was part of the Ural Project Engineering Campaign, organized by UrFU, where 20 teams of schoolchildren from the Sverdlovsk region developed their own technological solutions and prepared to present them to experts.
The methodology's core idea is simple, but quite unusual for an educational setting: before moving on to economic calculations, it's important to learn to think about it systemically. Participants in the program first understood the problem their engineering solution solved, who needed it, and what value it created. Only then did they move on to the economics—building the project's business logic and financial model for its implementation.
Particular attention was paid to the connection between the engineering nature of a product and its economics. Students learned to translate the physical characteristics of their solutions—resources, materials, energy, production time—into economic parameters: costs, investments, revenues, and cash flows. This approach helps them see the project not only as a technical idea but also as a future technological product capable of entering the market.
During the workshop, the project teams developed business models for their developments, then constructed economic models for the projects and presented them to experts. Many participants saw for the first time how engineering ideas are directly linked to economics and the market.
Following the program, representatives of the Ural Federal University confirmed the results of the methodology's pilot testing and signed a document approving its implementation. The document notes that the proposed approach helps develop students' holistic engineering and economic thinking and can be recommended for further use in engineering and interdisciplinary educational programs.
"We express our gratitude to Dmitry Markov for his active and professional participation in the Ural Project Shift," noted Nadezhda Terlyga, Deputy First Vice-Rector of UrFU. "His original method for immersing schoolchildren in the economic aspects of engineering projects proved highly popular among high school students. It allowed the participants to gain a deeper understanding of the connection between engineering solutions and economics and demonstrate impressive results, which our experts were able to see during the final project defenses."
According to Dmitry Markov, engineering education today is increasingly faced with a new challenge: connecting technological thinking with economics.
Engineering projects become true technological products only when they develop an understanding of the economics: who needs it, what value the solution creates, and how it can work in real life. This is precisely what we strive to teach our students.
I'd like to especially thank UrFU's leadership for their trust. And, of course, it's impossible not to admire the caliber of the school's projects. Among them are a smart medical bandage, IoT solutions, unmanned systems, and other developments. These are truly serious projects, and I was fortunate to be a part of their creation," shared Dmitry Markov.
The testing of this methodology marked an important step in the development of educational programs at the intersection of economics, engineering, and technological entrepreneurship—an area that is actively developing in Russian education today.
"We are currently working with the NSU Advanced Engineering School to develop new educational products for school audiences. These will focus not only on the engineering components of projects but also on marketing and assessing the economic impact of engineering solutions," said Dmitry Markov.
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