March the 18th, 2022 - A dose of expertise from the Varazdin FOI has found its place in the distant Maldives as the Varazdin Faculty of Organisation and Informatics (FOI) has implemented an e-learning system with project partners called AMED - Advancing Higher Education in the Maldives Through E-learning Development.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Lucija Spiljak writes, this is a project in which Varazdin's FOI has been providing expertise for the last three years to introduce an e-learning model to the National University of the Indian Ocean Islands, which really needed such a system due to its poor traffic and network connectivity over more than 200 islands.

The project started back in 2019, is fully funded by the Erasmus + programme of the European Commission in the amount of 720,592 euros, and its main goal is to strengthen capacities and dissemination of knowledge in higher education. So far, almost all of the project activities have been carried out involving more than 50 participants from the University of the Maldives (MNU).

They participated in various fields of education there through a developed study programme with the aim of capacity building and training for the application of online teaching. A study programme in four modules has been developed and will be accredited to be made available for the future training of teachers and other staff at MNU and after the completion of the AMED project.

This week, project partners from the Maldives, the Open University of Catalonia and the Croatian Academic and Research Network (CARNET) are in Varazdin to present examples of good practice in implementing e-learning and applying new technologies and distance learning models.

"Within the project, we worked on raising the strategic approach to the introduction of e-learning and developed a unique strategic document that will enable the University of the Maldives to further develop its e-learning," said the project manager and vice dean at the Varazdin FOI, Prof.Dr. Igor Balaban.

Experts from FOI Varazdin and CARNET organised so-called job shadowing that enables the transfer of good practice in the organisation and implementation of e-education/learning to the Maldivian education system.

"A total of sixteen of our representatives from various sectors of the Maldives National University are participating in the presentations and workshops in the field of e-learning to improve the existing processes in our institution," explained the project manager at MNU, Shimna Shakeeb. The equipment for the implementation and further development of e-learning in the Maldives worth 200,000 euros was also procured and installed.

"Many of our teachers weren't familiar with this type of technology and we're glad that after this project, our university will be making even more progress in terms of technological development," said Vice-Rector of the National University of the Maldives, Dr. Mohamed Shareef.

Today, the Varazdin FOI will also host the final conference of the DIP2Future project, which aims to develop educational programmes, qualification standards and occupational standards in the field of ICT, and which brings with it four new study programmes: Data Technology and Artificial Intelligence, Systems Management Information Security and Privacy, Distributed and Interactive Systems and Business Systems Transformation and Innovation Management.

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July 16, 2021 - Continuing to improve education, a new and improved FOI course is open for the academic year 2021/2022. Meet the program of Business Applied Information Technologies.

With a fantastic display of informatical knowledge and growing interest in the field observable among Croatian pupils, it is only logical that the education system follows the demand.

Faculty of Organization and Informatics (FOI), based in Varaždin but part of the University of Zagreb, is already one of the more known high-education institutions for computer-sciences-inclined. But, as Srednja.hr reported, starting next academic year this autumn, an improved bachelor's study program will take its first students.

„By process of revision, and by following trends and modern markets, FOI successfully innovated a professional bachelor's program called Business Applied Information Technologies (PITUP), says Srednja.hr.

The article adds that the program has a multidisciplinary approach in combining information technologies and digital business. The program also develops in two directions: app development and informatics support aimed to allow students to progress in their preferred area. The education for the new and improved PITUP apart from Varaždin will also be available in cities and towns such as Varaždin, Sisak, Križevci, and Zabok.

As stated by Faculty's official website, FOI is active for more than 50 years and spent that time well in educating the most qualified experts in information technology, economy, organization, communicology, and other fields of similar direction.

„To educate our students, all the needed infrastructure is secured: equipped laboratories, videoconference halls, electronic learning system, wireless network for Faculty buildings and modern equipped library and reading room“, says FOI.

In addition, FOI has two buildings, with building two being within a five-minute walk from the center of Varaždin, and from building one directed towards Varaždin Student Dorms and the newly built Student Restaurant.

„Employers recognized the knowledge and skill of our students. From this year, ecx.io digital agency, that does business as part of IBM iX Group, collabs with FOI to give scholarships to three freshmen year students that will take the PITUPeducational program in Sisak Educational Centre“, added Srednja.hr

The city of Križevci also offers scholarships for three students from Križevci that stay in their town to study the new program.

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July the 8th, 2021 - The Varazdin FOI is bringing the sky and access to it even closer in their following of global trends in Northern Croatia. Meet the Drone Pilot Academy.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Darko Bicak writes, the rapid development of technology has made unmanned aerial vehicles available to a wider range of users, regardless of their age. Today, there are toy drones on the market for around 100 kuna, but also professional drones for around 100 thousand kuna. Operating a popular drone requires preparation, knowledge, and responsibility for one’s own actions because irresponsible behaviour can have dire consequences, in regard to human and animal lives, as well as property.

Following global trends and in accordance with the relevant legal regulations, the Faculty of Organisation and Informatics (Varazdin FOI), in cooperation with Varazdin County and the European Talent Centre Croatia - Centres of Excellence in Varazdin County, has developed the Drone Pilot Academy aimed at high school students. All participants are provided with equipment in the form of drones for use during the training.

Silvija Zagorec, Deputy Prefect of Varazdin County, pointed out that the Varazdin FOI's education programme aims to create young "pilots" who will use the airspace in a responsible way.

"With this partnership, the county is raising the bar of the quality of the educational offer it boasts and imposing itself as the leading county in terms of technological innovations in education. We're proud that this academy is being launched and that we'll contribute through the training so that new technologies are being applied responsibly and in a safe way,'' said Zagorec at a recently held presentation of this training at the Varazdin FOI.

The Drone Pilot Academy, they say at the Faculty of Varazdin, is designed as a set of workshops that will be held in the municipality of Beretinec, using the natural beauty of Varazdin County. Through education, the partners, as they point out, want to enable, above all, students to responsibly operate drones in compliance with EU and Croatian regulations and learn their application in various fields.

“At FOI Varazdin, we're constantly working hard to strengthen the educational offer we have both for our students and for the wider community in which we operate. It's our social responsibility to contribute to the community in which we operate, which we do best through what we're the strongest in - quality education that enables the strengthening of competitiveness and long-term economic development,'' said FOI Dean Nina Begicevic Redjep, emphasising that education allows participants to safely access the exam of the Croatian Civil Aviation Agency and obtain a license to operate unmanned aerial vehicles.

The Varazdin FOI training, which starts at the end of August this year, lasts five working days and is intended primarily for high school and university students. In addition to the theoretical knowledge obtained in the fields of physics, electronics, communication and multimedia necessary to operate an aircraft, participants will learn practical knowledge and gain flying experience.

“It's invaluable for participants to acquire the skill of operating drones so that they can operate them safely. Therefore, for the practical part, we've prepared a programme that includes maintenance and control of drones through the simulation of solo flights in the simulator, after which participants are made ready for the most exciting part of this education - solo flights out in the open,'' stated Boris Tomas, assistant professor.

The project is also supported by the Croatian Civil Aviation Agency (CCAA), whose experts are involved in the implementation of the training, and CCAA air safety inspector Damir Bezik said that Croatia was among the first in the European Union to adopt legal regulations on this topic. 

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