The department congratulates It-vest on their 25th anniversary! A quarter-century of dedicated work, collaboration, and innovation has positioned It-vest as a prominent driving force in IT education and the development of IT education.
It-vest—a collaboration between Aarhus University, Aalborg University, and the University of Southern Denmark—is an organization whose purpose is to transform ideas into action within the IT sector. Over the years, It-vest has provided further education to numerous professionals, ensuring they are equipped to handle the challenges of the future technological landscape.
Continuing education in a constantly evolving field
IT education and the development of IT education is It-vest's mission, and the organization offers various educational and continuing education programs tailored to the needs and demands of the industry. One of the most popular offerings is the 'Master in IT,' which has attracted more than 2,000 students over the years. With an impressive ranking in the top five among the country's master's programs across all disciplines, the programme is recognized for its quality and relevance. This was further underscored in 2020 when the program was awarded the Informatics Europe 2020 Best Practices in Education Award.
The Master in IT program is constantly evolving to meet the changing needs of the IT sector. Recent subjects such as visual analytics, generative AI, data-driven management, IT security, and information security have been added to ensure that students are equipped for the challenges they will face in their careers. We are proud that several of our own researchers, including Henrik Bærbak, Claudio Orlandi, Hans-Jörg Schulz, and Niels Olof Bouvin, have contributed to the teaching and development of the program over the years. Particularly, Henrik Bærbak has played a central role in the master's program, having taught courses in ‘Microservices & DevOps’ and ‘Software Architecture in Practice’ for many years and supervised 95 of the 130 master's theses completed at Aarhus University. His first lecture for It-vest was in the subject 'Introduction to Object-Oriented Programming' in 1999. Additionally, Henrik has been part of the coordination committee since the program's inception.
Digital technology comprehension
As one of their latest collaborations with Aarhus University, It-vest has helped establish the Center for Computational Thinking & Design. The center plays a central role in promoting digital technology comprehension by developing innovative teaching methods and tools that can help students and professionals understand and effectively apply digital technology.
Michael Caspersen, director of It-vest, alumnus and honoary professor from the department, has played a significant role and shown great commitment to promoting digital technology comprehension through his work and leadership. As a central figure at It-vest, Michael has been a driving force behind the organization’s initiatives and strategies regarding digital technology comprehension. His experience in both academic research and the business world has given him unique insight into the challenges and opportunities associated with promoting digital technology comprehension today. Michael has been an advocate for the importance of integrating digital technology comprehension across educational levels and disciplines. He has helped develop and implement innovative teaching methods and tools aimed at strengthening students' and professionals' ability to understand and apply digital technology effectively. He has also received several international awards for his effords in developing it-educations. Most recently, he received the 2024 ACM SIGCSE Award for Outstanding Contribution to Computer Science Education.
The collaboration between the department and It-vest has been close and fruitful throughout the years, contributing to the strengthening of both institutions.
Once again, congratulations on the 25th anniversary. We look forward to continued collaboration!
