Tempus S_JEP-6145: CIDEC

TEMPUS Structural Joint European Project JEP06145:
"IT & CS Education Development Center for Estonian Universities"

History Participants Reports Goals Future perspectives

This all-European project supported by Tempus was applied to develop IT &CS higher education in Estonia.
The project has been initiated by Merik Meriste (TU), Jaan Penjam (IOC and TTU) and Jüri Vain (IOC).

Participating Universities and Institutions

From ESTONIA the following institutions participate in the project:

Tallinn Technical University, (the Coordinator),
Contact person: Jüri Vain, at present head of the CIDEC.
University of Tartu
Contact person: Merik Meriste from the Computer Science Department
Institute of Cybernetics of Estonian Academy of Sciences
Contact person: Prof. Jaan Penjam, head of Software Department.

From the EUROPEAN UNION in this project are the following universities:

University of Århus from Denmark (the Contractor),
Contact person: Prof. Brian Mayoh from the Computer Science Department
Universität des Saarlandes from Saarbrücken, Germany,
Contact person: Prof. Reinhard Wilhelm from the Computer Science Department
University of Nice-Sophia Antipolis from France,
Contact person: Prof. Peter Sander from ESSI
Eindhoven University of Technology from the Netherlands.
Contact person: Prof. Jozef Hooman from Computing Science Department.

Reports

Goals of the Project

The main goal of the project activities considered is to integrate the teaching system of Estonian universities into the framework accepted in EC countries. For this goal it is foreseen to establish a coordinating Center of teaching and research in computer science and information technology (CS & IT). This should join people of different organisations interested in the subject, academic research and teaching staff.

Main tasks of the Center cover:

development and periodical refreshment of conception of higher education in CS & IT and curricula structure for Estonian universities;
preparation of new courses in CS & IT and refreshment of existing ones;
creating satisfactory conditions for and arrangement of international mobility in both direction of students and teachers between the universities of EC countries and Estonia;
refresher courses for university teachers and support for teachers in preparation of new courses;
graduate and post-graduate courses in CS & IT;
providing teaching materials and modern well-equipped laboratories for research and teaching at graduate and post-graduate level;

The TEMPUS support was requested for purchase up-to-date equipment for the Center as well as for implementing training and curriculum development activities during first years of the existence of the Center and transferring know-how between partner organisations.

Future Perspectives

The main topics of negotiations held between the Estonian partners and representatives of Estonian Ministry of Culture and Education have concerned financing aspects. Estonian partners have agreed in joint activities of the Center. However, the current economical situation in Estonia does not allow to finance purchasing of equipment and international relations. At the same time Tallinn Technical University, Tartu University and Institute of Cybernetics have provided limited financial aid for the activities related to the JEP. For example, all expenses related to the negotiations and legal aid for preparation of documentation needed for the establishment of the Center have been paid by Estonian side. The question to include financing of the Center into Governmental Budget from 1996 have been discussed at the level of Ministry, and we have quite realistic hopes to succeed.

Separately, the contact persons of the Estonian partners have held preliminary talks with Estonian small (but growing) and medium size firms and software houses to integrate them into the higher education development process. The situation in Estonia has been rather undefined, the attitude of new small firms towards supporting and investing in Estonian higher education has been to some extent negative. Recent negotiations show that together with the economical success the firms come to understand the importance of co-operation with universities and scientific institutions, and they are more willing to invest in education. There have been held rather concrete talks with two small enterprises on how both firms and universities can benefit from the co-operation. Estonian firms whose main contacts are with Finnish and Swedish enterprises would like to see the Center similar to the Swedish Institute of Computer Science (SICS) in Sweden.

At the moment all these possible developments are rather weakly constituted and in their preliminary stage. The actual further development of the Center depends on economical situation in Estonia in the following years as well as on our success in fulfilling the JEP during its first years. The Project team sees it as one of its most important tasks.

31/10/1996 monika@cs.ioc.ee