Increasing Well-Being with Data Analytics


General Information

Type of Course Lecture + Excercise
Term Every summer semester
Credits 6 ECTS
Module Modul M.WIWI-WIN.0040
Courses of Study Business Information Systems (Wirtschaftsinformatik) M.Sc., Economics and Business Administration masters and adjacent subjects (e.g. psychology)
Sprache Slides in English, Further communication in German
Examination Weekly challenges; Preparing, conducting and analyzing a multi-week, technology-based activities to increase personal wellbeing
Exam Prerequisite Regular participation in the challenges and excercises
Instructor Prof. Dr. Martin Adam

Content

Lecture

The lectures

  • compare widespread perceptions of well-being with findings from academic research and finally refute these perceptions
  • introduce theories and concepts of interdisciplinary research in information systems and related fields and explain which annoying tendencies of human perception (i.e. biases) lead to these perceptions
  • present strategies to mitigate these annoying tendencies
  • introduced new perceptions that actually lead to better well-being according to science and practice
  • present scientifically recognised methods for integrating and maintaining these new perceptions in one's own life in the long term

Exercise

  • Introduction resp. recapitulation of the basics of the statistical software R and other data analytics tools
  • Introduction or recapitulation of the basics of statistic
  • Application of the findings to sample data sets
  • Application of the findings to own examples
  • Reflection on own application

Learning Goals

In this application-oriented course, you will engage in a series of weekly challenges aimed at demonstrably increasing your own (subjective) well-being and building more productive habits using IT.

These challenges will be supported by weekly exercises in which you will get to know the important and application-oriented methods for empirical analyses (i.e. Data Analytics) and use them independently. In addition, you will share your experiences from the course in small groups in order to reflect on and promote your individual learning process in teamwork.

Overall, the course aims to offer you the opportunity to develop into a happier individual based on scientifically recognised methods, so that you can better and sustainably apply and live out your potential and the skills ("hard skills") you have acquired over the years in your private and professional life.

After the course, students will be able to

  • name and understand
    • which widespread perceptions of well-being are not compatible with academic research and should therefore not be pursued if they want to become happier in the long term
    • which psychological effects (e.g. human biases and tendencies) lead to these everyday (false) perceptions
    • which strategies help to counter these tendencies
    • which goals should actually be pursued in order to become scientifically proven happier (especially the role of technology in influencing one's own well-being)
    • how these new goals and the associated behavioural changes can be integrated into everyday life and lived in order to positively change behaviour in the long term and thus achieve greater well-being
    • how these changes can be empirically measured and proven with the help of basic statistics (especially with the help of data analytics)
    • which topics and trends research (especially business informatics) and global players (such as SAP, Google and McKinsey) are currently working on and will work on in the future to increase the well-being of individuals
  • apply and (empirically) analyse how scientifically recognised and application-related findings from interdisciplinary topics (a.o. business informatics and psychology) can be integrated into private and professional life in order to increase and maintain your well-being in the long term
  • develop a more personally and professionally accurate and harmonised self-image, which is based on action-oriented findings in business and science and helps you to better reflect on and assess the individual and social responsibility of your decisions
  • take a more positive view of life in general, so that you can utilise your potential and the skills you have acquired over the years ("hard skills") in your private and professional life in a scientifically proven and sustainable way

Remarks

The lectures are mainly offered in presence, the exercises mainly via live stream. Digital recordings of all lectures and exercises are also made available online via StudIP.

In addition, the course is interactive (especially weekly challenges), which require regular participation. Further information regarding participation in this interactive course will be communicated via online channels resp. in the kick-off.