Advancing Business Informatics Program at University of Tirana

1. The foundation of Business Informatics at the Faculty of Economics,University of Tirana Current state – Program – Bologna process Marsida Ganaj Source: University of Tirana – Faculty of Economics – Mathematics Statistics and Applied Informatics Department

2. General overview • First ideas • Objectives of the Business Informatics branch • Job market • Student number planning over the years • Human resources • Reflection on models and experiences • Business Informatics and the Bologna process • Actual program and subjects • Current state and progress • Future improvements

3. Objectives of the “Business Informatics” • Promoting a new branch of studies in Information Science in the University of Tirana • A study program which brings together: • Computer systems • Managerial applications • Economics • New specialists with Informatics – Economics background

4. Job market • The job opportunities are rising • Middle/Large enterprises – private and public sector • Banking System • Financial Institutions • Public Administration • The Education System • Research Institutions

5. Student number planning over the years • Approx. 50 – 70 students per year

6. Human resources • Responsible - Mathematics Statistics and Applied Informatics Department – Faculty of Economics (F.E.) • Economics Dep. – F.E. • Finance – Accounting Dep. – F.E. • Managing and Marketing Dep. – F.E. • Cooperation • Informatics Department – Faculty of Natural Sciences • Institutions specialized on Information and its elaboration

7. Human Resources (cont.) • Mathematics Statistics and Applied Informatics Department • 4 – Professors • 3 – Assoc. Professors • 5 – Dr. • 6 – Master qualified • 4 – Assistants • 20 – outside assistants – working in institutions of the field

8. Reflection on models and experiences • University of Macedonia in Thessaloniki Greece (the experience of the Dep. of Applied Informatics was closer to our aim) • University of Bamberg – Germany • Analogues branches in universities of • Italy • France • Hungary

9. Business Informatics and the Bologna process • 1-st year of Bologna program – Academic year 2005/2006 • Bologna program started 2 years after the foundation of the new branch • 4 + 1 schema • Old program 8 semesters – New program 7 semesters + 1 dedicated to diploma thesis • Each subject one semester • More importance to the informatics related subjects (50% of the subjects) • Choosing between alternative subjects

10. Business Informatics and the Bologna process (cont.) • 8-th semester • special courses and diploma • Contacts with experienced people from institutions of the field (informatics - economics) • Getting to know the real working environment • Seminar –presentations of diploma results during the preparation period

11. Problems of implementation • Not so many alternatives of subjects between which students can choose • Alternatives depend on the job opportunities • Actually in our country there is no working environment for some possible alternatives • No such a broad experience on teaching some subjects

12. Actual program and subjects

13. Actual program and subjects (cont.) Alternatives • Office Automation – Multimedia • Internet Programming - Computer Graphics • Data Analysis - Time Series Analysis and Prognostication Techniques - Multi Variable Statistics • Artificial Intelligence - Expert Systems

14. Current state and progress • Work in progress for the master program • Considered: Information Systems, Business Informatics, Applied Informatics • Cooperation with universities • Previously mentioned • Lincoln University – Nebraska U.S.A. (the University of Tirana has a joint program and fruitful years of experience in masters like: MBA, MPA) • Staff mainly trained in the U.S.A. • This year the staff could be extended with 4 – 6 master degree assistants

15. Future projects and improvements • Finalizing the master program • Rising the quality of teaching • Try to take more experienced and qualified staff (with master or Dr. degrees)

16. Thank you!