Completed three-year project “Implementation of HKO in professional computing studies” (2019-2022), UP.03.1.1.030063
The project “Implementation of the HKO in professional computing studies”, completed after three years, represents the joint work of a large consortium of partners on the application of the principles of the Croatian Qualification Framework (HKO) in professional computing studies.
The project started on March 22, 2019, and lasted until yesterday, March 22, 2022, and was financed by the European Union from the European Social Fund, with the aim of applying the Croatian qualification framework in computer science professional studies. The consortium made up of 12 partners included as many as 11 higher education institutions – the Algebra College, the Technical Polytechnic in Zagreb, the Međimurje Polytechnic in Čakovec, the College of Management in Tourism and Informatics, the Polytechnic in Bjelovar, the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Computing and Information Technology Osijek, the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mechanical and Shipbuilding Split, Aspira College of Management and Design, College of Information Technologies, University Velika Gorica and University Hrvatsko Zagorje, Krapina, while HUP represented a link with employers, which is a key determinant of the Croatian qualification framework.
The first task of the consortium was the creation of professional standards – documents that define the competencies essential for practicing a certain profession. An extensive survey of employers was carried out, through which dozens of employers were questioned in order to determine as precisely as possible what the current market requirements are, that is, what skills and knowledge employees must have in 5 key jobs in the computing segment. As a final result, occupational standards were created: (1) Programmer, (2) System engineer, (3) Expert in creating computer games, (4) Expert in the Internet of Things and (5) Data science expert.
The second phase of the project included the development of qualification standards. The qualification standard is a document that defines the key learning outcomes that every program leading to that qualification must contain. The developed qualification standards also represent the obligation of all institutions included in the consortium to adapt their study programs to these standards, which also represented the third, final phase of the project.
The whole process ultimately means that every student who acquires a qualification of the same name will have the same mandatory knowledge and competencies, regardless of which Croatian university he acquired that qualification at. Higher education institutions will continue to differ in the future, and some will offer higher-quality studies that will provide broader basic knowledge, more practical applications, greater emphasis on research work or connection with industry, as well as better mastered basic mandatory competencies than others, but all studies will have to be aimed at acquiring mandatory learning outcomes. In the framework of the project, as many as 9 standard qualifications in the field of professional computing studies were developed as part of the project, covering all key qualifications in the field of applied computing.
You can see more about the project HERE.