ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES STRENGTHENING THE PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCES OF ICT STUDENTS

The current curriculum of ICT studies should be modified because of the rapidly changing requirements of the labour market. New frameworks and techniques of designing and developing software are constantly appearing. In order to ensure a high level of education it is essential to establish cooperation between the university and the industry. The Lublin University of Technology has many years of experience in student support in education. The curriculum for computer science has been created in close partnership with the industry. During discussion panels, the industry’s practitioners provide information about modern and popular technologies and point out the lack of ICT graduates’ professional competences. During their studies, many additional courses are provided for students, such as lectures, seminars and workshops. The extension of the ICT competence beyond the study program is the main purpose of these activities. Moreover, the meetings with the practitioners are a great source of information about modern technologies and the requirements of the future employers.

The purpose of this paper is the assessment of the additional activities for computer science students provided by practitioners from ICT companies. The classes were organised for the Bachelor’s and Master’s degree students. Various aspects of the courses are evaluated: the knowledge of the proposed topics, the quality of the classes, the level of the competences achieved by the students, the proportion of the practical part of the classes and the interest in the subjects. Three lectures and one workshop consisting of three parts are taken into the consideration. Such activities are a necessary part of education, however their organisation is a challenge for both the university and the companies.