Professor vs Lecturer

I have recently been interviewed by the MBAGradschools.com and was asked to share some of the thoughts and reflections related to teaching and learning at the St Gallen University MBA.

Why St.Gallen alumna Jev Glazunova became a course lecturer

Although it’s an unwritten rule that MBA alumni should give back to their community, Jev Glazunova’s commitment to her alumni network goes further than most. In 2021 Jev returned to the University of St.Gallen, where she completed a part-time MBA, as a lecturer. She teaches an MBA elective course on customer success.

It’s a funny feeling for her. “It was almost nostalgic to come back and be in this room,” Jev chuckles.

Jev reminisces fondly about her time at St.Gallen. The surroundings, the wealth of information, and the friendships she built.

But Jev didn’t come back to St.Gallen for a trip down memory lane. With a career rooted in customer-centricity, the chance to share her expertise at her old business school was exciting. However, being on the other side of the lectern was initially challenging.

“What does it mean to be a lecturer? What does it mean to be prepared and know what you want to say and what you want to do with the class? For example, I had 45 students to interact with, to engage with, and of course, everyone has their own levels of knowledge or experience in this area.”

Professor vs lecturer, what is the difference?

There is a need for practitioners to bring their real-world experience and up-to-date knowledge into classrooms. Providing students with hands-on experiences allows them to apply theory and prepare for future challenges that may arise. 

Jev is clear about her approach to her customer success MBA module at St.Gallen. She entered lecturing straight from a professional setting, and sees herself as more of a practitioner or a lecturer than a professor. But what is the difference between these terms, and what does it mean for MBA students?

“There are different expectations,” she explains. Jev highlights that professors have extensive experience, expertise, and knowledge from their studies, research, and exploration. Engaging in deep dialogue on a particular topic with a professor allows for a unique and enriching experience. With their academic credentials, you can be sure that the knowledge being exchanged is reliable. Yet, practitioners come from a different world. “I’m bridging the gap between the know-what and the know-how,” Jev tells us.

Including experts from the field in higher education can seamlessly connect the academic and professional approaches. 

Jev’s experience in customer-related roles with eBay, Ricardo, and Estée Lauder, enriches the MBA program. It’s her goal to share her expertise with the students in an accessible way.

She explains that moving quickly is a key element in problem-solving in a real business scenario. Finding solutions promptly and efficiently can be the difference between success and failure. Many situations allow only a few hours of consideration before coming to an answer. Academics have time on their side to find solutions.

“And so [the] practitioner takes the breadth of different topics, areas, cross-functional projects – brings it all together, and knows how those elements are working.”

In Jev’s MBA class, you get out what you invest

St.Gallen acted as the springboard for Jev’s successful post-MBA career in customer success, and now she brings that experience into the classroom. She emphasizes learning by doing as a key part of the course. 

She explains how engaged her students were in the realistic scenarios. “My students were engaged in creating a persona, or mapping a customer life cycle journey, or customer journey over different stages. What kinds of frustrations and pains are we solving for the customer?”

As a lecturer, Jev ensures her course is “as close to real life as possible.” That means her class is a place not centered around exams, textbooks, and lectures but around case studies, simulations, and experiences. 

One of Jev’s highlights from the course is the written customer-centricity simulator. An experience that, as she puts it, “creates a safe atmosphere to make mistakes, to see what works, what doesn’t, and where they can improve. Because it was literally teaching students to use data for decision making to see how profitable or not their activities are.”

Jev is adamant that the students who will benefit the most are those who put the effort into it. Just like she did years ago, in that same classroom at St.Gallen University. 

If you’re interested in studying an MBA at the University of St.Gallen, why not reach out to one of our St.Gallen MBA ambassadors?