Soon, we will be launching four new Degrees for AY24-25 at OPIT – Open Institute of Technology
I want to offer a behind-the-scenes look at the Product Definition process that has shaped these upcoming programs.

🚀 Phase 1: Discovery (Late May – End of July)

Our journey began with intensive brainstorming sessions with OPIT’s Academic Board (Francesco Profumo, Lorenzo Livi, Alexiei Dingli, Andrea Pescino, Rosario Maccarrone) . We also conducted 50+ interviews with tech and digital entrepreneurs (both from startups and established firms), academics and students. Finally, we deep-dived into the “Future of Jobs 2023” report by the World Economic Forum and other valuable research.

🔍 Phase 2: Selection – Crafting Our Roadmap (July – August)

Our focus? Introducing new degrees addressing critical workforce shortages and upskilling/reskilling needs for the next 5-10 years, promising significant societal impact and a broad market reach.
Our decision? To channel our energies on full BScs and MScs, and steer away from shorter courses or corporate-focused offerings. This aligns perfectly with our core mission.

💡 Focus Areas Unveiled!

We’re thrilled to concentrate on pivotal fields like:

• Cybersecurity
• Advanced AI
• Digital Business
• Metaverse & Gaming
• Cloud Computing (less “glamorous”, but market demand is undeniable).

🎓 Phase 3: Definition – Shaping the Degrees (August – November)

With an expert in each of the above fields, and with the strong collaboration of our Academic Director, Prof. Lorenzo Livi , we embarked on a rigorous “drill-down process”. Our goal? To meld modern theoretical knowledge with cutting-edge competencies and skills. This phase included interviewing over 60+ top academics, industry professionals, and students and get valuable, program-specific, insights from our Marketing department.

🌟 Phase 4: Accreditation and Launch – The Final Stretch

We’re currently in the accreditation process, gearing up for the launch. The focus is now shifting towards marketing, working closely with Greta Maiocchi and her Marketing and Admissions team. Together, we’re translating our new academic offering into a compelling value proposition for the market.

Stay tuned for more updates!

The elective course in Game Development covers the fundamentals of game design, programming, and production. It includes topics such as game engines, graphics, artificial intelligence, game mechanics, and user interfaces. Students will learn how to use programming languages and tools commonly used in game development (Unity). The course also involves working on individual or team projects to develop a complete game from start to finish. Ultimately, the course aims to provide students with the knowledge and skills to create engaging and entertaining video games.

The elective course in Agile Development and DevOps covers the principles, practices, and tools required for software development using the Agile methodology and DevOps culture. The course includes topics such as Agile project management, Agile software development, continuous integration, continuous delivery, containerization, automated testing, and infrastructure as code. Students will learn how to build software products in an agile manner, deploy and maintain them using DevOps practices, and manage the software development lifecycle with the help of various tools and techniques.