More information
Description
The project aims to analyse the current situation at the project partners and adjust the educational offer in the field of information and communication technologies (ICT) to the labour market''s expectations. The need for the project''s implementation stems mainly from the specificity of the ICT industry undergoing dynamic, unregulated changes, which entails a change in the expectations of employers regarding ICT skills and the necessity for universities to respond to changes in these needs so that graduates have competences adequate to the labour market expectations. Two universities will participate in the project: the Cracow University of Economics (CUE) and the University of South-Eastern Norway (USN). CUE is a university with an economic profile, while USN provides education for specialists in a wide range of fields, including engineers working in industry. Both universities offer courses for future ICT specialists and ICT-related modules for students of other areas of study. Joint activities aimed at achieving the project''s goal will include the exchange of experiences in shaping ICT curricula and developing procedures for continuous adaptation of these programs to the labour market''s needs. Special efforts will be directed towards the integration of modern e-learning tools in education, whose importance clearly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. The project will be implemented in an adaptive approach, combining Prince2-based phased planning with an agile approach. The project''s primary outcome will be procedures for sustainable modernization of ICT programs and teaching methods to adapt the education offer to the market expectations. The procedures will have continuous nature, so even after completing the project, their effects will bring benefits to the main stakeholders, i.e. students, universities and businesses.
Summary of project results
Two universities participated in the project: the Krakow University of Economics (KUE) and the University of South-Eastern Norway (USN). Both universities offer courses for future ICT (information and communication technologies) specialists and ICT-related subjects for students of other fields of study. The project aimed to analyse the current situation among the partners and propose a procedure for adapting the ICT educational offer to the labour market expectations. The need to implement the project resulted from the characteristics of the ICT industry, which is subject to dynamic, unregulated changes, which result in shifts in employers'' expectations regarding ICT skills. Universities need to respond to these changes so that graduates have competences required by the labour market. The project also examined the place of distance learning (DL) in education, a topic that has gained importance due to the pandemic, and the possibility of implementing micro-credentials.
As part of the project, eight reports were developed containing an analysis of teaching methods and the recommended use of DL, the way of shaping teaching curricula, the ICT skills expectations of the labour market in Norway and Poland, the concept of micro-credentials and their pilot implementation at USN, and a proposal for a procedure for the continuous adaptation of ICT teaching programs to the expectations of the labour market. Moreover, 3 online courses on artificial intelligence were developed, a topic that has recently gained popularity. From October to December 2023, at least 119 students took part in the courses and positively assessed their usefulness. The courses will be used in the future as supporting material for classes
The project contributed to a deeper understanding of the mechanisms shaping study programs. The research conclusions became an inspiration to modify the study plans for the undergraduate and graduate studies in Applied Computer Science at KUE. In the future, efforts will be made to continually modify these plans, in accordance with the developed procedure, so even after the project is completed, its effects will benefit its main stakeholders, i.e. students, universities and enterprises. The procedure may also be used by other universities. The project was implemented in a friendly atmosphere and contributed to strengthening the bond between the partners, which results in work on subsequent publications disseminating the project results and project proposals.
Summary of bilateral results
The main benefit of having a Norwegian institution as a partner was experiencing a broader perspective of educational policy. In addition, we could learn more about topics related to innovative ways of organizing teaching, including the concept of micro-credentials. In the European Union and in Norway, these topic has been discussed for a long time in the context of the need for lifelong learning. In Poland, it has only recently gained interest. Working on joint articles, brainstorming/discussions during which different perspectives on the concept of the article, methodology, etc. clashed were also an interesting and valuable experience. We plan to continue the bilateral cooperation. We are currently working on two conference papers, one article for a renowned journal, and a joint project application.