Statistics plays a key role in Economics and Business programmes, yet students often perceive it as abstract and disconnected from professional practice, which can reduce motivation and hinder knowledge transfer. Research on teaching innovation highlights the value of active and contextualized approaches to improve engagement in quantitative subjects (Biggs et al., 2022). In statistics education, negative attitudes are frequently linked to limited real-world context and weak exposure to authentic applications (Garfield et al., 2008). Previous studies suggest that involving external professionals can foster experiential learning and strengthen transversal skills such as decision-making and critical thinking, particularly when activities are well aligned with course objectives (Coleman, 2013; Ormrod, 2004; Kirby and Turner, 2024). To address these challenges, an external-expert session was introduced in the course Introduction to Economic Statistics within the Professionals in the Classroom initiative at the University of Oviedo. The session was co-led by a senior statistics officer from the Asturian Society for Economic and Industrial Studies (SADEI) and aimed to demonstrate the professional relevance of key statistical concepts through applied examples.
The activity consisted of an introductory presentation on the role of official statistics in economic and social analysis, followed by two short workshops focused on business investment decisions and public-sector prioritization using demographic and socioeconomic data. Student feedback collected through a satisfaction survey was highly positive, indicating that professional engagement enhances perceived relevance and supports learning outcomes in introductory statistics courses.

Authors:
Ana Suarez Alvarez, University of Oviedo, Spain
Claudia Suárez Arbesú, SADEI / University of Oviedo, Spain
Ana Salomé García Muñiz, University of Oviedo, Spain
María Vicente, University of Oviedo, Spain

About the Presenter(s)
Dr Ana Suárez Álvarez is an assistant professor at University of Oviedo (Spain) in the Department of Applied Economics.

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