Slavomir Vukmirović Marko Čičin-Šain Mladen Koturović Ekonomics Faculty, University of Rijeka Croatia Informatics education, practical training and optimal choice of informatics career in business Introduction The education system in the field of business informatics should direct the choice of material and model curriculum not only on teaching computer science, but also to transformation of entire schooling. Accordingly, it is necessary to connect the informatics education and training for careers in business informatics by creating an IT (information technologies) skilled personnel who are able to combine knowledge of business economics and ICT (informational-communicational technologies). Systematization of informatics career (area of interests) according to ISM model Table 1a 11 12 13 Management TS Planning and research No 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Function (Careers) Education and training management Information management Information systems coordination Programme management Project management Services management Systems development management Telecommunication management Continuity management Emerging technology monitoring Strategic application of information system Network planning Research Abb ETMG IRMG ISCO PROG PROJ SDMG DLMG TLMG COPL EMRG STPL NTPL RSCH Systematization of informatics career (area of interests) according to ISM model Table 1b TS Systems development and maintenance No 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 Function (Careers) Application support Business analysis Data analysis Database design Content creation Porting/software integration Programming Software engineering Systems architecture Systems design Systems integration Systems testing Web site specialism Abb ASUP ANAL DTAN DBDS DOCM PORT PROG SENG ARCH DESN SINT TEST WBSP Systematization of informatics career (area of interests) according to ISM model Table 1c Quality CRM 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 TS Technical support and consultancy No 27 28 29 30 Function (Careers) Business process improvement Consultancy Safety assesment Information security Software development process improvement Systems ergonomics Technical specialism Compliance audit Quality assurance Quality audit Quality management Quality standards Account management Marketing Sales support Sailing Abb BPRE CNSL SFAS SCTY SPIM HCEV TECH COMP QUAS QUAU QUMG QUST ACMG MKTG SSUP SALE Systematization of informatics career (area of interests) according to ISM model Table 1d Education 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 TS Support and administration No 43 44 Function (Careers) Development and training Education and training delivery Training materials creation and maintenance Assesment Change management Configuration management Contract management Contract monitoring Data protection Asset management Methods and tools Supervision Procurement Project office Abb DVTR ETDL TMCR APAS CHMG CFMG COMG COMO DPRO ASMG METL SUPV PROC PROF Research The research showed following hypothesis Hypothesis 1. Students of business informatics course (IB) achieve better results (grades) in informatics courses as oppose to students of other courses and during class they achieve greater achievements in informatics contents t-Test: Two-Sample Assuming Equal Variances Mean Variance Observations Pooled Variance Hypothesized Mean Difference df t Stat P(T<=t) one-tail t Critical one-tail P(T<=t) two-tail t Critical two-tail Variable 1 Variable 2 2,92857 2,57447 0,75087 0,42368 42 47 0,57787 0 87 2,19377 0,01546 1,66256 0,03092 1,98761 Hypothesis 2. Students of IP courses achieve greater achievements during class and practice from informatics collegiums on faculty during knowledge and skill acquisition in work with computers T-test results about significant difference in progress in work with computer applications RB WE Word Exc Acc Int VBA PP Grupa A Grupa B 1 42 43 89 P-vrijed. 2 2 2 2 0,32400 2 3 3 3 0,32764 3 3 2 2 0,04817 3 3 2 2 0,04220 2 3 3 3 0,48539 2 2 1 2 0,13745 3 2 3 3 0,53417 Results of T-test about significance of differences in students’ affinities towards professions in business informatics RB Hypothesis 3. Students of IP have greater affinities towards careers in business informatics TS Uprav PnIs RaOd TeKo Kval Mark PoAd Smjer Zanimanje ISMG RGMG DLMG EMRG NTPL ASUP PORT PROG SENG ARCH DESN SINT TEST SPIM HCEV TECH QUAS QUMG QUST MKTG ASMG SUPV Grupa A Grupa B 1 41 42 87 IP IP Man Mar T-TEST (P<0,05) 4 4 3 5 2 2 4 2 2 3 3 4 5 4 4 3 3 3 3 4 5 4 3 4 5 5 2 4 4 4 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 5 5 1 2 2 0 0 4 5 4 3 2 4 2 3 4 4 3 2 4 3 3 4 4 3 5 0 0 3 2 5 5 5 5 5 3 5 3 5 3 5 4 1 4 3 5 5 4 4 5 0,01612 0,02723 0,00206 0,01666 0,00188 0,02151 0,01185 0,00079 0,00039 0,00005 0,01153 0,00457 0,00006 0,02505 0,00045 0,00076 0,02220 0,03883 0,00845 0,00005 0,01582 0,01456 C Hypothesis 4 Every student of IP course (or majority) is very interested even for one of the offered careers Analysis of the number of occupations who have not one grade 5 (from students’ affinities point of view) 2 5 6 7 8 9 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 RB D AR AS 1 41 42 CL CM CN CO 87 IP IP Man Mar Smjer Zanimanje ETMG 2 5 4 5 IRMG 2 5 3 5 ISCO 3 3 0 4 ISMG 4 3 0 3 METL 5 2 3 5 SUPV 4 0 0 5 PROC 5 3 5 4 PROF 5 2 3 0 Broj zanimanja koja nemaju niti jednu ocjenu =5 Svi IP Os =5 =5 =5 7 11 3 2 4 3 5 8 2 CM6 =COUNTIF(D6:CL6;"=5") CM6 --> EDIT/COPY CN6:CO6 --> EDIT/PASTE CM6:CO6 --> EDIT/COPY CM7:CO62 --> EDIT/PASTE CM63 =COUNTIF(CM6:CM62;"=0") CM63 --> EDIT/COPY CN63:CO63 --> EDIT/PASTE 5 6 3 2 3 2 3 6 3 2 5 0 0 1 1 2 2 9 Hypothesis 5 For every offered career (or greater majority of careers) great interest will be shown from at least one of the students hypothesis 5 Percentage of students who rated at least one profession with 5 Svi IP OS BS <5(1) 15 6 9 BS =5(1) % 72 83% 35 85% 37 80% Methodological frame of informatics education, training and choice of optimal profession in business informatics 1.Creating teaching methods supported by informatic and communicational technologies 2. Introducing affinities and abilities of students and their guidance based on linking these affinities and abilities 3. The strongest as possible connecting of the teaching content with contents from business practice 4. Plan of student practice in companies so that the time is concretely and effectively utilized. Methodological frame of informatics education, training and choice of optimal profession in business informatics 5. Analysis of the activities and outcomes of graduates from the Faculty within the context of assessment of their level of knowledge and skills and assessment of areas where students have achieved the best results. Such data will be recorded in the diploma supplement, which is envisaged by the Bologna process (Diploma Supplement). 6. Analysis of the activities and outcomes of graduates in the context of defining the area of curriculum in which students have achieved the best results in specific subject. Conclusion Proven hypotheses point to the significant potential of students who enrolled Informatics business which can be expressed through following guidelines: 1. Students of Informatics business achieved significantly better results in informatics courses and made better progress in controlling informatics contents as oppose to students of other courses. 2. There was a high level of motivation of students towards careers in business informatics. 3. For each profession at least one student has demonstrated a high level of interest which facilitates coordination students’ affinities towards careers in business informatics needs for these occupations.