Risk Case Study Challenge
Stay tuned for the next Risk Case Study Challenge!
A Unique Opportunity to Think About Innovative Solutions
The Risk Case Study Challenge 2022
Our corporate partner for the Spring 2022 was Credit Suisse. The cases revolved around the topic of User Experience (UX) in online banking. See the educational objectives below.
Educational objectives
Familiarise oneself with
- the challenges of usability testing and user experience in online banking,
- relating app design to backend programming,
- trading, building a portfolio and related banking fees,
- programming for the finance industry,
- digitalization in finance, its risks and opportunities,
- challenges of financial information communication to individual customers.
Be in contact with industry experts and conduct interviews on the topic of building a digital finance product, online trading of financial assets and product development, accounting for the interaction with a user.
Discover the transfer of scientific knowledge to practice supported by ETH lecturers.
Improve presentation skills in a business setting.
Performance assessment
80% of the grade is based on a written technical report (5-10 pages) and a final presentation produced by the team.
20% of the grade is individual, based on the student’s active participation in class and an executive summary of the project’s output (business style, 1 page).
Download our course Downloadflyer (PDF, 4.3 MB)
Read more here on the ETH News.
About
The Risk Case Study Challenge allows student teams, supported by Risk Center and ETH faculty, to explore real-world, risk-related cases and develop solutions.
Students apply their knowledge, logic, creativity, and problem-solving skills to solving cases with an emphasis on evidence and applications. Typically, the cases are complex, contain ambiguities, and may be addressed in more than one way. They bring together students from different departments, allowing them to experience interdisciplinary cooperation.
The course is worth 3 ECTS credits and is offered as an elective in the ETH MTEC curriculum as well as in other ETH MSc Programs. It is open to MSc and MAS Students from D-MTEC and from other ETH Departments.
Students work in groups of 4 under the supervision of a Case Manager at the corporate partner's. Additionally, they are coached by Risk Center lecturers and receive expert inputs from ETH faculty.
General Objective
- Learn to think "like a scientist", with emphasis on evidence, in order to solve real-world problems.
- Engage in active inquiry and in-depth discussion and coordination within the groups and across groups and with Case Managers.
- Combine and aggregate information from various sources under a time constraint.
- Process your findings and present the outcome to a diverse audience of risk-management professionals.
As a student, you acquire a practical understanding of
- Risk management and risk modelling in the particular field of your case,
- Relevant tools and applications,
- Coomunication with risk professionals.
In addition, you are coached by Risk Center lecturers on specific aspects of the relevant disciplines, as well as on communication and presentation skills.
Application Deadline: February 15, 2021
Your application consists in a CV (max 2 pages) and motivation statement (max 1 page). The selection is based on your interest in risk topics, learning motivation and backgrounds. Each group will comprise students from different backgrounds.
Send the application to Hélène Schernberg.
The schedule and Industry Partner will be announced shortly.
This course is offered at D-MTEC in the MSC and MAS Master programms. The course is also open to all ETH Master Students from Departments related to the Risk Center. The seminar will also be open for selected doctoral students.
Students from other Departments have to contact their Study Office for approval of ECTS.
The Risk Case Study Challenge gives you the opportunity to interact with the corporate partner.
The kick-off meeting and the final meeting usually take place on the partner's premices. Because of the current COVID-19 pandemic, this may not be the case in the Spring 2022.
Case managers:
During the Challenge, you interact and conduct interviews with the corporate partner's employees (case managers) according to a jointly defined process. The frequency of meetings will vary depending on the nature of the cases. You are responsible for managing the interactions with your case managers.
Faculty support:
You will also, if needed, meet ETH faculty regarding the scientific aspects of the cases. Here again, you are responsible for organising the interactions.
Impressions of past Case Studies
"I also liked the topic because it is a real problem that people in the industry are working on and we had the chance to taste this practical approach" (Nikolas, PhD Student BAUG)
"I will recommend the project to other students. Getting first-handed insights into risk management from a practical point of view was an enriching experience" (Claudia, MSc GESS)
"The group size is ideal for such a task and for communication within the group as well. Having members from diverse disciplines allows us to learn from each other" (Diya, MSc ERDW)
"Great opportunity to develop soft skills that are often overlooked when studying technical subjects (presentation skills, communication skills, ability to discuss with the management, receive feedback and implement it, teamwork)" (Franscesco, MSc MATH Statistics)
"I enjoyed to be part of the risk case challenge of this year. It was a great opportunity to me to study the supply chain topic from the Insurance company perspective" (Ambra, PhD Student MTEC)
