Polytechnic students took part in the international COIL case competition
More than 60 students from all over the world took part in an international COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning) case study tournament. The event was organized with the support of the Dutch Organization for Internationalisation in Education (Nuffic), the official representative of Dutch higher education in Russia Nuffic Neso Russia, Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences, and the Embassy of the Netherlands in Moscow. Polytechnic University was represented by international educational programs students of the Institute of Industrial Management, Economics, and Trade (IIMET).
More than 15 international teams took part in the case tournament. All of them worked on a case proposed by Deloitte and had to work out a strategic development plan for a large Russian telecommunications company. The teams had to decide in which direction to develop the company’s business, based on the available resources and market trends, as well as to suggest a strategy and elaborate an action plan for its realization. As a result of their work, the teams presented their projects to the international jury, which consisted of representatives of Russian universities, Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences, Embassy of the Netherlands in Moscow, and Deloitte. According to the decision of the jury, five teams made it to the final.
“The peculiarity of this case tournament lies not only in gaining international business experience and the opportunity to develop ‘soft’ skills on the example of a real business problem but also the opportunity to integrate the approach into educational programs through online mobility and intensity of conduct, making students more prepared and open to study at partner universities,” said Nikita Lukashevich, IIMET Deputy Director for International Activities, member of the international jury of the tournament.
The importance and usefulness of the event were praised by the participants themselves. “At this event, we were able to try ourselves in the role of real business consultants and solve a problem faced by a large Russian company. The case, provided by the organizers, was quite complex and required serious study of various aspects, from market analysis to determine the financial effectiveness of our initiative, but that is what makes such competitions interesting. It is also worth noting that the teams included participants from more than 20 different countries, so we not only solved the case but also gained experience working in international teams and even made new friends from different parts of the world,” said Elizaveta Yatskovets, a student of the IIMET International Business Development program.
“My experience in the Russian-Dutch Student Case Championship was successful largely due to the well-coordinated teamwork and diverse composition of the participants. The team included students from Russia, the Netherlands, Ireland, and France. Each participant had their own unique skills and knowledge. Two days of hard and strenuous, but at the same time fascinating and effective teamwork on a case from Deloitte led our team to victory,” said IIMET student Vladimir VOLKOV studying under the Innovative Entrepreneurship program.
Summing up the case tournament, the Head of International Relations of the School of Commerce of Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences Professor Ria SLINGERLAND emphasized that although the coronavirus pandemic had a huge impact on education, one of its positive aspects was the focus on virtual mobility projects. “It was a great cross-cultural educational experience for everyone involved. We all made new friends around the world and especially in Russia. Thank you so much for sharing this experience with us. We look forward to more opportunities and to strengthening our cooperation,” said Professor SLINGERLAND.
Prepared by the SPbPU International Office Based on IIMET materials