The Internet of Things study program is the first joint project of Lviv Polytechnic and the IT Cluster. Thanks to IoT, every student has the opportunity to go through the whole process of creating smart devices and even develop his own startup. Director of the Institute of Computer Technologies, Automation and Metrology, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor Mykola Mykyichuk tells us more about the peculiarities of the innovative bachelor’s program «Internet of Things».
– The Internet of Things study program was created within the framework of the IT Expert project, which provides for the involvement of IT specialists in the educational process, as well as internships for students in IT companies for further employment of graduates in the field of information technology. The Internet of Things program is project-oriented: students must annually carry out and submit their own projects that have practical application. The academic student group is divided into teams, each of which develops, proposes, defends and implements the idea of the project with the help of mentors – IT professionals involved in the learning process. This approach not only immerses students in real work, but also allows them to test the acquired knowledge in practice. Another component is the defense of the project. The jury includes representatives of IT companies. With the opening of two new laboratories of the Internet of Things, students have the opportunity not only to study new and advanced equipment and technologies, but also to master the basics of the Internet of Things in practice. The laboratories were created with the support of Lviv’s IT companies and are equipped with the latest technical equipment to work with Internet of Things projects, including a laser engraver, 3D printer, robots and laptops. Students are also active participants in various competitions. For example, IoT students won the ideaton organized by Lviv City Council. Their Clean City project aims to develop a service to establish communication between city residents and government agencies on issues related to garbage collection and disposal. It should also be noted that Lviv IT Cluster held a Tech Battle competition among student projects of innovative educational programs, where three student teams of the Internet of Things program won the competition. For winning competitions, in addition to new skills and motivation, student teams receive cash prizes for finalizing their projects, says Professor Mykyichuk.
The Internet of Things bachelor’s degree program is one of the most popular projects developed by Lviv IT Cluster. This year the long-awaited first graduation of bachelor students took place. Out of 35 lucky graduates in the IT field, 30 students have already found their jobs.