EDUCATION
AUGUST 2012 The Economic Update
Lounge-Around Event 2012
This is the third consecutive year in which the Faculty of
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) at the
University of Malta has held its annual informal meet-yourpotential-tutors-and-staff event commonly referred to as
the “Lounge-Around”.
This year’s Lounge-Around event was held on the 17th of July, between 10:00
and 12:00. Notably, this year’s event embodied additional intent and meaning,
due to the fact, that as of this academic year (2012/13) the Faculty will be
launching a set of five new, restructured and updated Degree programmes
covering the whole spectrum of ICT skills to replace the existing ones. The
event was also attended by representatives from local industry, the National
eSkills Alliance, as well as representatives from the Malta IT Agency (MITA),
our ICT Student Association (ICTSA), and the University Student Advisory
Office. Both the Alliance and MITA were the main sponsors of this event.
Due to unavoidable realities, the new Degree programmes could only be
finalised one or two days before the event. Therefore, together with a more
formal and comprehensive presentation of the new programmes to potential
students held in early July before the actual annual Lounge-Around event, this
year’s event took on the added responsibility of acting as a more frank and
friendly Q&A and general information session for all those who attended.
Following the organisational help of the Faculty’s dedicated administrative
Faculty staff, and ICTSA, the event was held in the KunsillStudentiUniversitarji
(KSU) Common Room on the University Msida Campus, and not surprisingly,
attendance was remarkable. Potential students were seen moving from one
lecturer to another asking questions and seeking advice, as well as interacting
with administrative staff for procedural explanations, in a very laid-back
atmosphere with background music and refreshments. Owing to the launch of
the new programmes, this year’s event had a dual objective; firstly, to provide
potential students with a very relaxed and informal environment in which
By Dr. Ernest Cachia
they can mingle with lecturers and ask anything they wish regarding courses,
procedures, career possibilities, clarifications, personal misgivings, course
content, etc., secondly, to provide more support to students when choosing
a Degree programme from the new offerings. The Faculty’s programmes,
always projected to the highest quality, have established recognition amongst
many prestigious international Universities, as witnessed by the comments
of several External Examiners who visit our Faculty annually and report on
the quality of our graduates based on their academic achievement, as well as
the critical remarks of employers, both local and international. The Faculty’s
programmes have also proven themselves to be a very valid platform for
students who wish to further their studies in post-graduate courses at the
University of Malta, or abroad.
As the Faculty’s new Degree programmes had only just been finalised, they
had not yet been placed on-line for potential students to browse through the
University Course Finder site, or for them (the programmes) to be included
in the existing University Prospectus, this translated to a few quite hectic and
immersive hours for the lecturers present at the Lounge-Around event. All new
programmes are now available on-line (visit www.um.edu.mt/courses and select
the Faculty of ICT from the appropriate dropdown list), including detailed
course content. One must thank the vast majority of lecturers in the Faculty
of ICT, who populated the event taking time out from their personal busy
schedules. Thanks also go to the KSU for allowing us to use their Common
Room, and to ICTSA for their help.
The Faculty of ICT is accepting late applications, over and above the University’s
extended August deadline, until a further extended date of September 14th. We
look forward to meet and greet all our new students this October at the start of an
exciting new stage in their life.
Further information can be obtained by contacting Faculty Office on 23402530,
or ict@um.edu.mt.
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