Curriculum change

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Curriculum change - opportunity for changing
perspectives

• Dr. sc. Blaženka Divjak, asist. prof.
• bdivjak_at_foi.hr
• University of Zagreb
• Faculty of Organization and Informatics
• www.foi.hr

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Content

• Tempus project
• where this little research started
• Information society
• new global economy
• Underrepresented groups in ICT
• In Croatia and worldwide
• Good practice
• Conclusion

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Tempus project

• Aspects of Organization and Information Systems
  Curriculum Development
• http//www.foi.hr/znanstruc/tempus/index.html
• Coordinator
• Doc.dr.sc. Blaženka Divjak University of Zagreb
• Faculty of Organization and Informatics
• Contractor
• Prof.dr.sc. Wolf Rauch Karl-Franzens University
  Graz
• Institut für Informationswissenschaft

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Tempus project partners

• Karl-Franzens Universität, Graz
• Albert-Ludwigs-Universität, Freiburg
• South Bank University, London
• City University, London
• The Amsterdam School of the Arts, Amsterdam
• University of Zagreb
• University of Rijeka
• University of Osijek
• Microsoft Croatia d.o.o.
• Croatian Operational Research Society

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Tempus project wider objectives

• To provide the students in the region with
  appropriate education which is targeted towards
  the fast changing needs of the IT and economic
  environment
• To provide collaboration among the universities
  in the region.
• To take part in the European process of
  university education cooperation with EU
  universities

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Curriculum change in narrow view

• Focused on study content
• Additonaly
• Teaching methods
• New textbooks
• New laboratory and library facilities
• Bologna process
• structure of high educational system

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Curriculum change in broader scope

• Enviroment
• New global economy
• Market ICT needs
• Working in information society (society of
  knowladge)
• State of the art in the profession and university
• Future needs
• Focused on students
• Includes social aspects
• Underrepresented groups

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Information society global economy

• M. Castells concept
• nature of work in the new global economy
• distinction between individualised work and
  generic labour
• The Rise of the Network Society
• The critical factor in determining who has the
  opportunity to join the information elite and who
  is restricted to the pool of generic labour is
  education.
• Martin Hall, Education and the Margins of the
  Network Society, Cape Town

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Market - employment

• Increasing chances for the lowest and highest
  educational level professionals
• No secure job no job for whole life multiple
  job careers
• learn how to learn

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Structure of Unemployment by Education
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Ultimate goal more students
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More Successful Students
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Groups that must also be taken into account

• Female students
• Mature (older) students
• Disabled students
• Foreign students (international exchange)
• Ethnic minorities
• Students from rural areas/ low income and low
  socio-economic status groups
• Refugees
• in Croatia still 21 000 before 300 000
  refugees from BH

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Female students

• Percentage of women 51.87
• Illiterate (1.77) 0.67 male, 2.77 women
  (mostly over 65)
• Unemployment rate 15.1 women 16.3
• Ratio in higher education 60
• Womens participation decreases as academic rank
  increases

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Female students

• Women are underrepresented in most technical
  fields, engineering specially in ICT.
• Ratio of women in ICT
• 30 in Croatia
• Similar in the rest of Europe and USA
• In USA only 25 of the professional IT force
• FOI ratio of enrolled female students 20
• Solution

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Mature students

• Students over the age of 30 (not 25 like in EU)
• Age range 40 and over underrepresented in ICT
  work force
• 80 of ICT professionals younger than 40
• At the same time
• high percentage of unemployed in the age range of
  40-50
• difficulties to find job again
• Solution special programs at higher educational
  institutions for older population
• Life long learning e-learning (blended learning)

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Students with disabilities

• Disabled population 430 000 - 10 of the
  Croatian citizens
• Often have lower level of education
• Teleworking, characteristic for ICT, specialy
  appropriate for people with physical disabilities
• Employees work at home (employers are still
  uncomfortable with it)
• More Renata Violeta

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Project Adoptive Educational Software for the
Handicapped Children

• The ultimate goal to enhance instruction and to
  modify the way in which a child hears, responds,
  replies, or implements the instructional process
  by using the assisted technology
• Cooperation between University of Rijeka and
  nearby primary school for children with
  disabilities

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Students from rural areas / low socio-economic
status groups

• The worst situation with litracy and IT litracy
• In rural areas no internet access
• Digital divide Falling Through the Net A
  Survey of the Have Nots in Rural and Urban
  America, USA 1995
• Lack of tradition of education
• Government and local government scholarships,
  internet access, open laboratories at schools,
  e-learning programs virtual classrooms, portals
  in Croatian

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Benefits for ICT

• Women, disablade and olders are a big pool of
  potential work force for ICT.
• Problems
• Additional funds
• Absence of computer literacy and internet access
• Only 28 of homes in Croatia have computers (more
  than 50 mobiles)

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Public level

• Changing public image
• Role models for ICT science popularization of
  science
• Nationwide accountability
• Encouragement at home (disabled)
• Investment in computer-related education
• Encouragement of success in math science in
  secondary education
• Providing equitable and meaningful access to
  technology bridging digital gap
• Establishing networks

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University level

• Underrepresented groups often demonstrate
  different learning styles
• How to evaluate their learning?
• Use of e-learning
• Quotas for underrepresented groups

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Tempus includes

• Content
• Include soft skills courses, seminar groups
• Help students to become successful
• Teaching methods
• Different types of students different learning
  styles
• learn how to learn
• E-learning materials
• Disabled, low income group, mature students
• Quality!
• Language courses
• Foreign students international exchange

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Conclusions

• Solution for better position of underrepresented
  groups in ICT field is the wise use of ICT
  itself.
• Mutual benefits for underrepresented groups, ICT
  industry and society in general.
• Little warning try to keep the essence of
  education something we can recognize in the
  competence of good teachers

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