About iTStudy

iTStudy Hungary Educational and Research Centre for Information and Technology Ltd. has been operating successfully in the field of education for more than 20 years, focusing mainly on computer and IT courses, complemented by significant educational development and research activities.

We are involved in the design and implementation of national and international R&D programmes to promote innovative 21st century learner-centred teaching methods, research the potential of online learning and develop digital education solutions.

History

iTStudy's predecessor, Prompt Ltd., was founded in 1989 by university professors in Gödöllő, Hungary, for the purpose of software and hardware development and computer science education.

The company's education division, Prompt Training Centre, became independent in 2008 under the name iTStudy Hungary. Focusing on the education and training profile, as a licensed institution, it continued the work started earlier in the adult education framework, complemented by significant educational development and research activities.

Training activities

Both Prompt and, later, iTStudy have been engaged in training activities since their establishment. Initially in rented classrooms and from 1999 in new classrooms in a new office building in the suburbs of Gödöllő.

It can be said that students from almost every municipality of Gödöllő and its surrounding area have studied IT professions — for example, computer operator, software operator, system administrator, multimedia developer, educational IT specialist, etc. — or have participated in our computer courses.

We were the first to join the ECDL examination system in Hungary. From 1998 onwards we have continuously offered preparatory courses and hundreds of students from primary and secondary schools in the surrounding municipalities have taken ECDL exams with us. However, as the needs have changed over time, our classroom training has been increasingly replaced by distance learning.

Through both our own training and our educational development activities, we aim to make learning fun and effective. We integrate technology into the learning process, review pedagogical methods and promote a shift towards learner-centredness, knowledge sharing and emphasise the developmental role of teachers.

In addition to our teacher training programmes, which focus on 21st century teaching methods and tools, we also provide other practice-oriented training in ICT relevant to everyday work and life. The latest of these is our Excel course, launched in 2020, which incorporates all the good things we have experienced in our classrooms over a decade and a half as an ECDL training and examination centre.

Development of framework systems

We have considerable experience in the design, development and deployment of web applications — e-learning frameworks, e-learning materials — for online teaching and learning. We build the online learning environment according to the needs of the target group, with a customised graphic design, using digital components best suited to the educational objective, as requested by the client.

We have also developed a multilingual, dynamic project portal to present the results of national and international projects and to manage project work. The portal allows project owners and their staff to easily publish and update the latest information, while the administrative interface allows them to manage, monitor and evaluate the progress of project tasks, keeping in constant online contact with the project staff.

Research and development

We take an active role in the continuous improvement of the quality of education, taking advantage of 21st century technology. We have successfully applied for the European Union's Erasmus+ programme on several occasions and we are also a consortium partner in international education projects.

Digital education, ICT tools for teaching and learning,
Adaptation of the DigComp 2.1 framework (for teachers, citizens and educational institutions) developed by the European Union in digital competence training, in line with the national Digital Education Strategy,
Developing 21st century competences through active learning methods, with a special focus on the project method, the flipped learning method,
quality management and quality culture in education using the EQAVET framework developed by the European Union; development of the School Quality Management Toolkit web application supporting pedagogical planning, self-evaluation and continuous feedback,
Design and implementation of national and international projects, using self-developed, effective online project management tools.

Results

Since 2005, iTStudy has been involved in the design and implementation of national and international research and development projects aimed at the dissemination of innovative 21st century learner-centred teaching methods, research into the potential of online learning and the development of digital education solutions, which have recently become a priority in the national education system.

We have developed an extensive network of contacts with national and international public education and higher education institutions, so that most of the developments have been carried out in close cooperation with primary schools, vocational training institutions and universities.

National developments

Development of professional and examination requirements for IT professions (1993-2006).
Establishing a quality management system for educational institutions (from the Comenius programme to ISO 9001), National Institute for Vocational and Adult Education, 2002.
Information technology in schools, e-learning development, ICT methodology training for primary school teachers, European Social Fund, Phare programme, 2005-2006.
Development of the distance learning platform "E-learning for the school of the future" and development of a teacher training programme, NSZFI, 2006-2008. The teacher training programme was further developed in the framework of the Leonardo project "Tenegen — Connect teachers to reach and teach the Net Generation", which was awarded "Best Practice" by the EU Commission in 2011.
E-learning science content development for ELTE TTK. Development of 69 digital university notes in XLM DocBook format, e-learning methodology training for university lecturers. Eötvös Loránd University, 2011-2013.
Expert work in the sub-project 4 "Improving the quality and content of vocational education and training and adult education". Project host: National Labour Office, 2012-2015.
Expert work in the project "Preparation of the introduction of the EQAVET certification procedure in adult education", Project host: NSZFH EQAVET National Reference Point, 2017-2019.

International cooperation

In 2005, we joined for the first time as a partner in the Leonardo Da Vinci (LdV) education project, funded by the European Union, at the invitation of the German Dekra Akademie.
In 2008, we applied with an independent project proposal and won LdV funding as coordinator for a project that was later awarded "Best Practice" by the EU Commission and one of the products of which, the book The Challenge of the Net Generation — Teachers on the Net, is still relevant today.
In 2018, a publication was published, the product of an international project in the Erasmus+ programme with iTStudy, entitled Reverse Classroom in Practice - Methodological Innovation in VET. The handbook also presents the experiences of twenty teachers working in VET, with "flipped" lesson plans, student feedback and pedagogical evaluation — self-reflection — by teachers.
Between 2014 and 2018, the OpenQAsS Erasmus+ project, coordinated by iTSTudy and awarded a Tempus Public Foundation prize, was implemented for teachers and heads of institutions working in vocational education and training, helping to build an institutional quality management system in line with the EQAVET system and to develop a quality culture in schools.