Towards European Quality

In order to prove Informatics study potentialities in Latvia that comply with the European quality standards, the UL Faculty of Computing (the Faculty) submitted an application for obtaining the European Quality Label – the Euro-Inf Label. The University of Latvia offers study programmes that are constantly improved and adapted to the needs of today’s changing world in order to provide students with the necessary knowledge and skills that will enable young professionals to compete both domestically and abroad; many students manage to yield high achievements already during the study years. Quality Label The European Quality Assurance Network for Informatics Education (EQANIE) – a German non-profit association founded in 2009 to assess Informatics/Computing programmes as well as faculties and departments involved in educational process by an international team of experts - is authorized to award the European Quality Label or the Euro-Inf Quality Label to Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programmes that comply with the Euro-Inf Framework Standards and Accreditation Criteria. The Euro-Inf Quality Label aims to enhance quality and transparency of educational programmes in informatics, to provide information on study programmes across Europe through an appropriate label for accredited educational programmes in informatics, to facilitate mutual transnational recognition of qualifications and to increase the mobility of students. Recently as first higher education institutions in Europe - RWTH Aachen University and the University of Bonn were awarded the Euro-Inf Quality Label for their Master’s degree programmes in the field of Informatics. Several European universities applied for the European Quality Label for their Bachelor and Master’s degree programmes. Faculty of Computing Towards a European Quality Label On April 19, 2011 the Faculty also submitted an application to the EQANIE for the award of the Euro-Inf Quality Label for Bachelor and Master’s degree Informatics programmes. “The Euro-Inf Quality Label was introduced quite recently and until now only two German Universities have received it. This new Quality Label is used to describe the performance level and serves as the European quality assurance. In other words, it is the recognition by competent authorities – professors and economic professionals of the European level – that the programme fulfils all the defined requirements,” said Juris Borzovs, Dean of the Faculty. To assess whether the study programme is of high quality, procedural principles for the accreditation of degree programmes are developed, so the experts could evaluate how well students are prepared to meet the European standards. As regards the criteria by which Informatics programmes are reviewed, Juris Borzovs said that the programme has to ensure primarily that graduates are achieved the learning outcomes that correspond to the Euro-Inf Framework Standards and Accreditation Criteria. European Quality Label standards indicate requirements for Informatics graduates. If the programme fulfils these requirements and provides students with all the necessary knowledge and skills, it is possible to assess and award the European Quality Label. The implemented study programmes at the Faculty “are designed by American pattern and cover the main directions of computer science providing students with comprehensible knowledge as well as an opportunity to pursue areas of particular interest. In addition, the programme learning outcomes comply with the European quality standards,” said Juris Borzovs. Industry Needs must be Taken into Consideration In order to develop high-quality and up-to-date study programmes, it is necessary to focus on the economic sector and analyse the industry needs to train qualified professionals who would have in-depth theoretical and practical knowledge. Many job advertisements and discussions in the press on foreign companies looking for employees beyond their national borders suggest that the industry is evolving and requiring more and more talented, capable and knowledgeable young professionals. That is why the education base provided within the study process is so important for potential specialists. Realizing the needs for comprehensive knowledge and skills, UL Informatics programmes are focused on a wide thematic range to prepare different competitive specialists. Theory and Practice Together There are several institutions of higher education in Latvia that offer different Computing and Informational Technology programmes, but each university has its own vision of what the potential Informatics professional has to acquire. The Faculty offers both the first level professional higher education study programme “Programming and Computer Network Administration” leading to a career as a programmer or computer network administrator, and the Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral study programmes “Computer Science”. The professional Bachelor study programme “Natural Sciences and Information Technologies Teacher” is implemented in collaboration with the Faculty of Biology, the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics, the Faculty of Chemistry, and the Faculty of Geography and Earth Sciences. Answering to the question how UL Informatics study programmes differ from other universities with similar study programmes, Dean of the Faculty said, “With its unique combination and integration of theoretical and practical experience. We would like to emphasize that the first two study years are very professional and primarily facilitate the acquisition of the necessary knowledge and skills for economy while the next two years will have a relatively greater emphasis on researches and academic studies. Unlike other universities, this approach is available only at the UL.” The Faculty also cooperates actively with nearly 70 organizations, for example, Microsoft, Accenture, the Latvian Tieto enterprise, Rix Technologies, LMT and FMS to support students financially or offer placements. Students – Quality Indicators Students’ academic achievements and their abilities put theoretical knowledge into practice - both at work and in the different competitions, conferences and projects serves as a quality assessment of study programmes. Dean of the Faculty of Computing describing students said that they are very different – there are those who only fulfil the requirements of study programmes and obtain a diploma to show an employer his or her level of education, but there are also those who are very active participants in various conferences, competitions, who are trying to do and learn more and demonstrate their knowledge and skills to others. UL students have ample opportunities to participate in various international conferences and competitions demonstrating their abilities to others, gaining experience and sharing new knowledge with colleagues from different countries. The IT industry itself is a dynamic, rapidly evolving field where highly qualified professionals are demanded, and higher education institutions have to meet these requirements. Thus, the  fact that students are able to apply knowledge acquired within the programme proves its quality because the result of properly designed and implemented programmes are qualified specialists who work in the specialty field and are demanded in a crowded job market.

Translated by students of the professional study programme Translator of the University of Latvia.