Aalto University: Students from top universities around the world come together for this summer’s Digital Business Master Class
The Digital Business Master Class (DBMC) is a popular summer course offered by Aalto University Summer School. Due to the high demand of students, the course takes place in both spring and summer. This summer, the online edition of the course has 42 students attending from for Japan, Argentina, USA, Germany, New Zealand, China, among others, as well as Aalto University’s own students.
Universities like National University of Singapore, University of Sydney and University of British Columbia are also represented among the students. Recent student feedback shows that connecting with and learning from other participants who come from different backgrounds and have different areas of expertise is one of the most appreciated aspects of the course.
As the name says, the DBMC emphasises on digital technologies as tools for building businesses, but the course truly is a palette of different crucial topics of today’s digital landscape. The course includes lectures in, for example, AI and machine learning, design, marketing, platform development, strategic management of innovation and leadership.
The educational focus lies firmly on challenge-based learning. The students get to work on real-life company projects from our collaborating partners, solve challenges, and plan digital solutions related to the companies actual needs and requirements. The real-life challenges and learning practices aligned with work-life environments increase the students’ employability and shorten the gap between studies and career.
‘During the next couple of weeks, the students get to meet their company clients, work together with an international team and participate in interactive lectures. Definitely an intensive yet rewarding experience!’ says Program Manager Laura Kitinoja.
Next spring we are looking forward to welcoming our DBMC students on-campus again. Even though it isn’t possible to provide our students with the Finnish experience to the extent we would want this summer, the online edition of the course has been well-received by the students.
‘I have been attending online courses through Zoom and Teams for an entire year now, and this was by far the most well-organised and most inspiring one.’ says Svitlana Chaplinska, master student at Aalto University and alumna of DBMC spring 2021.