Bialystok University of Technology is a Microsoft Cloud University. Interview with Assoc. Prof. Marta Kosior-Kazberuk, DSc, PhD, Eng, Rector of Bialystok University of Technology

Why has Bialystok University of Technology joined the ranks of ‘Microsoft Cloud Universities’?

Assoc. Prof. Marta Kosior-Kazberuk, DSc, PhD, Eng, Rector of Bialystok University of Technology: Microsoft software is a global standard. As a University, we strive to continuously improve our work through the implementation of state-of-the-art tools and technologies and the optimal use of data, and this is what the Microsoft Cloud offers. In this way, we support the academic community in its development and motivate the use of innovative solutions to improve the quality of research and education activities, as well as facilitate collaboration in administrative and management activities. An additional value for the entire academic community is the access of staff and students to advanced software, also for private use. Unified software also means better organisation of data flow and, at the same time, optimisation of IT costs.

What is the current state of digitalisation in higher education?

Digital transformation is a common priority for universities, regardless of where these institutions are located. Higher education is legally obliged to implement digital transformation. It is also a necessary requirement in order to remain competitive. It is important to remember that each Higher Education Institution has an independent policy in this regard. This means that, despite an understanding of the need for comprehensive digitisation, the organisational culture (among other things, existing habits and customs) may be an obstacle to the rapid adaptation of the university community to the new solutions.

Another aspect worth noting is the financial cost or investment required to provide a technological environment for students and staff. To a greater or lesser extent, I think universities may see this as an obstacle to rapid digital transformation.

I assess the state of digitalisation in higher education as good. Undoubtedly, the impetus for implementing change was the pandemic, during which we learned to use digital tools more effectively. I see the obstacles to the further rapid development of digitisation in the strictly financial aspects of individual universities and the typical, especially in the first phase of any change, distrustful approach to new solutions.

What are the benefits of cloud solutions for education?

Thanks to cloud solutions, we have access to a wide variety of digital or multimedia resources. Textbooks, scientific or specialist publications, but also course materials, lecture recordings or scripts, both at universities and in global repositories, can be accessed 24/7, easily and reliably, thanks to the web and cloud solutions. Today, as never before, all you have to do is just want to learn, and access to the latest knowledge is unlimited.

There is no other way than the one in which we combine traditional teaching with a collaborative environment in the cloud. This working model is today the preferred one for a growing number of universities. It is an increasingly visible global trend.

Cloud solutions also mean easier communication between individual users. This is possible thanks to collaboration tools such as Teams. Collaboration on content using these tools facilitates both didactics and contributes to faster scientific development, and allows for effective cooperation with representatives of other universities or businesses.

Cloud solutions foster cooperation between higher education institutions not only in Poland, but all over the world. It is an essential element of capacity building, partner relations through the exchange of experience, where the common goal is the development of universities. By harnessing the potential of technological advances, we have more opportunities for teaching, learning and research.

Fundamental changes can be made in higher education and society through this technology. At the same time, the use of the potential of technology varies greatly within countries and research centres, which can pose a risk of divisions. This means that our mission as a university is twofold: we need to ensure that we develop the technological skills of the academic community and at the same time raise awareness about the challenges and risks of digital transformation. So as to ensure an inclusive, fair and human-centred approach to digitalisation, making it accessible to all.

How important are digital skills today, especially among young people at the start of their professional lives?

There is no doubt that technology is changing society and has a huge impact on every individual’s life both privately and professionally. Freely using digital technologies is increasingly an essential competence. Students at Bialystok University of Technology, in addition to acquiring factual knowledge, will have the ability to navigate efficiently in the digital world, which will be their competitive advantage on the labour market. Digital technology also facilitates access to knowledge and will ultimately be the most widely used source of information and communication by the younger generation.

With all this in mind, we are supporting our students in acquiring competences that are so valuable on the labour market. This is possible thanks to the University joining the Microsoft Learn for Educators programme, thanks to which lecturers use teaching materials in line with industry-recognised Microsoft certifications. Once students have completed the training, they have the opportunity to take a certification exam to confirm the knowledge they have gained. Certification is an opportunity to stand out in the labour market.

Ambitious students can also take advantage of another Microsoft programme, i.e. Microsoft Learn, which allows them to build qualifications in an even broader range during self-study and explore the capabilities of the Azure for Students cloud on their own.

An excellent tool for improving qualifications and achieving equality of opportunities is the Azure Dev Tools for Teaching programme. Students at Bialystok University of Technology can install professional development and design tools, software and services from Microsoft on their computers.

The entire academic community works on a unified, state-of-the-art software that they can use both at the University and in a private environment.

What should educational processes in higher education look like in order to provide graduates with the best possible start on the labour market and academic staff with the potential for further development?

Modern education at a technical university is a combination of theoretical knowledge, modern computing and design tools with the latest knowledge provided by practitioners from the university’s socio-economic environment. With the multitude of universities in the region, Bialystok University of Technology is distinguished by the number of partners from the socio-economic environment. They are members of the University Council and business councils existing at each of the University’s faculties, all in order to ensure that our education meets both high academic standards and market needs. We invite and encourage meetings with students or regular lectures by practising entrepreneurs who become mentors for students. In running the Doctoral School of Bialystok University of Technology, we take care to continuously train new teaching and research staff.

How important is the use of technology in higher education at present? Do the systems/equipment used make a difference?

Technology is having an extremely positive impact on the development and attractiveness of higher education. Let us remember that at the ‘centre’ of a university is the student. Therefore, focusing educational institutions on areas such as the quality of knowledge transfer and quick access to knowledge makes the university more welcoming. Providing opportunities for hybrid education is also in line with current market trends. At the same time, it should be emphasised that the development of technology is simultaneous with the qualitative development of knowledge transfer – which is fundamental from the point of view of the university, for which the quality of education should always be a priority.

We are dealing with a logarithmic increase in the importance of modern technologies such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, etc. Therefore, the systems and devices we use are extremely important in the teaching of young people and, in fact, in the shaping of society. The university must be prepared for the future, be able to anticipate it and adapt student education and research to it.

What is the importance of a university’s relationship with the external environment and how to shape it?

A modern technical university should be strongly linked to the leading industrial centres in the region. The more industries there are, the greater their diversity, the wider the offer of apprenticeships and traineeships will be for students who, during their education, can already see where and in which positions they would see themselves after graduation. Employers should clearly articulate which specialists they need and, together with the university, shape a curriculum that is relevant to the challenges of the labour market. We are constantly looking for new opportunities to cooperate with entrepreneurs, also in the field of research and development, and we have been responding to industry demands for such research for years. The dynamic development of many Podlasie enterprises is the result of our joint activities at the cross-roads between science and business.

What has the University’s openness to technology and digitisation of processes brought to the University?

The University’s openness to technology and the digitisation of processes has intensified cooperation between the University’s academic community, the University’s activities and research centres and institutions throughout Europe and beyond. In addition, we are recognising and developing the academic potential of students more effectively than before.

Our approach to digitalisation ensures that we participate in the exploration and rapid adaptability to technological changes that are a sign of our times. It also influences the University’s international cooperation or the educational mobility of young people. Today, technology offers us the prospect of studying abroad without having to relocate.

The cooperation between science and technology has a wide-ranging impact on learning processes. Using the tools of the Office 365 application, educators can personalise the learning process and prepare students for work using modern technical skills and competences. The use of virtual classrooms and laboratories and cloud spaces has become a permanent feature of education.

Bialystok University of Technology has a wide range of online systems to support the education system. At the same time, the pandemic has contributed to verifying the functionality of the existing ICT solutions at the University and has been a kind of developmental determinant of these structures. We are actively expanding digital resources, the best example of which is our participation in the Microsoft Learn for Educators and Microsoft Learn programme, promoting cloud-based education and the implementation of new more effective tools for online education.

What innovations developed recently by students can Bialystok University of Technology boast?

In the last three years (2020-2022), 11 students and 6 doctoral students of Bialystok University of Technology were co-authors of 14 inventions submitted by the University for patent protection to the Polish Patent Office.

Student scientific research circles of Bialystok University of Technology have been very successful in applying for funds in successive editions of the MEiN’s ‘Student research circles design innovations’ (pl. ‘Studenckie koła naukowe tworzą innowacje’), dedicated to conducting scientific research or development work, in particular aimed at creating or modernising technologies or technical solutions, as well as promoting their results and transferring them to the economic sphere. The following projects were carried out in the last edition of the programme:

• “Innovative gears in the manipulator of the Mars rover analogue”, which aimed to make a robotic arm with innovative eccentric-cycloid gears for the next generation of the Mars rover analogue;
• “Autonomous mobile robot with innovative use of a hybrid magnetic system” – within this project an innovative prototype of a MegaSumo class autonomous robot that represented the University in international robotics competitions has been developed;
• “GeCon – an innovative and ecological building material made of lightweight geopolymer concrete”, in which the composition of an ecological geopolymer mix made of waste materials and lightweight aggregates was developed for modern building materials;
• “Environmentally friendly boards (TFMDF) as an alternative carpentry material”, in which, among other things, the conditions for the production of innovative TFMDF boards with certain mechanical and thermal properties and the desired surface structure were defined;
• “Investigating the usability of designed furniture in VR technology” – a project dedicated to scientific research into the nature and way humans see when interacting with objects such as furniture and everyday objects.

Another innovative development by students and doctoral students of Bialystok University of Technology is the design of a wheelchair with an upright standing function, which won distinction and a special award from the President of the Patent Office of the Republic of Poland in the 9th edition of the National Student-Inventor Competition.

Also worth mentioning is a study by a doctoral student at Bialystok University of Technology – a convection-fountain dryer, designed for drying sawdust in the process of its processing into fuel pellets. The innovative dryer was awarded a silver medal at the IWIS’2022 – International Warsaw Invention Show. For this development, the doctoral student also received a special award from the Chairman of the Production Engineering Committee of the Polish Academy of Sciences and the Świętokrzyskie Province Governor in the 12th edition of the National Student-Inventor Competition organised by Kielce University of Technology.

Does the digitisation of processes/ use of technology by the University matter to students? What are their opinions on the subject?

It is worth noting that the current students of our University were born and grew up in a digital world, in which such advanced digital devices as the computer or mobile phone accompany them throughout their lives and are natural parts of their environment. They therefore find it natural that while they are in the University’s facilities and using its IT resources, they can access teaching tools, specialised software, their data files hosted in the cloud, communicate with colleagues and use digital technologies to relax between classes.

The university, in order to adapt to students’ expectations and requirements, must therefore constantly develop the scope and level of digital accessibility of learning tools, teaching materials and services and forms of communication with students (digitisation of deaneries, libraries, electronic ID cards, etc.). In my opinion, supported by many student opinions, including those of the BUT Student Self-Government, the University meets these expectations very well.

Assoc. Prof. Marta Kosior-Kazberuk, DSc, PhD, Eng, Rector of Bialystok University of Technology was interviewed by Kacper Zubrzycki, Industry Executive at Microsoft Poland.