Department of Informatics and Methods of its Teaching
The Department was founded in 1988 by the decision of the Academic Council of the Ternopil State Pedagogical Institute on the basis of the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics in order to enable advanced students training in the field of modern computer technologies and methods of mathematical calculations using computer technology. Ihor Fedorovych Sliedzinskyi, PhD in Pedagogical Sciences, Professor was the first Head of the Department. Later, the Heads of the Department were: Martyniuk S.V. (2000-2002), PhD in Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Associate Professor, Malaniuk P.M. (2002–2009), PhD in Pedagogical Sciences, Associate Professor.
Current leader Nadia Romanivna Balyk, PhD in Pedagogical Science, Associate Professor, has been the Head of the Department since 2009. During the years of its existence, the Department developed into creative, initiative, highly qualified and experienced team.
The mission of the Department is to train highly qualified, creative and talented education workers and specialists in the IT industry with non-standard thinking and developed emotional intelligence, who are able to realize educational, innovative and technical potential and to be a model of leadership in modern society.
Core values: professionalism, competence, humanism, service to the community.
Our slogan: We dream! We do! We achieve!
The Department of Computer Science and Teaching Techniques is a powerful educational and scientific structural unit of the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics. It offers education at two levels (bachelor’s, master’s) and prepares students in specialties
- 014.09 Secondary education (Informatics),
- 122 Computer science (Engineering of game projects).
The Department lecturers are experts of pedagogical and scientific work with long-term experience of practical activity in the field of higher pedagogical education, digital technologies in the educational process, electronic and distance learning, STEM-education, Internet of Things, robotics, 3D-modeling and 3D-printing, modern programming languages, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, computer games development and more. Scientists upgrade their qualifications through internships at leading Ukrainian and foreign universities.
Educational achievements of the Department
Over 90 textbooks and manuals have been prepared and published by the staff of the Department, and more than 520 scientific publications have been published. One Doctoral and two PhD theses were defended at the Faculty in recent years.
The education process emphasizes the graduates’ acquisition of such up-to-date fundamental knowledge and competence in computer science as applied programming, computer modeling, robotics, 3D technologies, advanced digital technologies in education, research methodology and more.
The classes at the Department are held in specialized computer rooms and laboratories equipped with multimedia systems, modern networking hardware and microprocessor systems (Arduino, RaspberryPi, Micro: bit), 3D printer and 3D scanner, LEGO constructors, robotics.
The Department cooperates with many universities abroad, including Czestochowa University of Technology (Poland), Opole University of Technology (Poland), Technical-Humanistic Academy (Bielsko-Biala, Poland), and University of Rzeszów (Poland), University of Ostrava (Czech Republic), University of Agder (Norway).
International cooperation enables the Department to participate in joint European grant projects, including “Development of students’ mathematical competencies through Digital Mathematical Modeling” (Eurasia, CPEA-ST-2019/10067, Ukraine-Norway), “Education Strategies adult Education” (Escaiade project), EU Code Week “Meet and code, Youth Center Development Bridge”, “Promotion of STEM professions” (British Council in Ukraine).
Scientific and pedagogical staff members of the Department annually organize and conduct events at the international level: international scientific and practical Internet conference “Modern Information Technologies and Innovative Teaching Methods: Experience, Trends, Prospects”, 1/4 finals of the International Olympiad in Programming of ACM ICPC in South-Western region.
Lecturers of the Department implement numerous regional projects in cooperation with Ternopil Regional State Administration (TRSA), Department of Education and Science of TRSA, Department of Education and Science of Ternopil city (“Second life of castles of Ternopil Region”, “Introduction of STEM-education in secondary education institutions of Ternopil region”, “Innovations in education” “Promotion of the ideas of the Free Person Charter”, “Competition on Socially Innovative Master’s Projects”).
Scientific directions of Department activity
The scientists of the Department are engaged in the development and implementation of methodological system of teaching computer science on the basis of the ideas of competent education; scientific and practical support for the development of digital competences in the context of lifelong learning; scientific substantiation of theoretical and practical aspects of innovative technologies of teaching computer science (open learning, flipped classroom, CLIL, remote learning, cooperative learning, mobile learning, enquiry and project based learning, STEAM, game study); development of a hybrid model of cloud infrastructure of the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics; studies and practical implementation of 3D, virtual and augmented reality technology.
There are following research laboratories at the Department: STEM research center; research laboratory on the implementation of cloud computing technologies in education; the International Research Laboratory “Computer Methods for Structuring Lexical Semantics”; International Laboratory for the Use of Cisco Networking Academies, international training center “Educational Innovatics”.
Student research and innovation activities
Talented students are actively involved in the research work of the Department; they take part in 6 scientific clubs, national and international projects (grants), international exchange of experience. Academic mobility of the students of the specialty “Informatics” is realized through their participation in Semester mobility program, the Double diploma program, individual grants with the universities of Poland and Norway.
The results of students’ research work are covered in scientific professional publications of Ukraine, international peer-reviewed publications, including those indexed at Scopus, regional, national and international conferences, workshops, scientific picnics.
The Department has a tradition to hold annual student olympiads in programming, hackathons, startups, competitions of the best scientific work among the students of the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics. These activities give an opportunity to test the students’ skills. They open the way to young personalities to develop successful professional careers.
