This September, a two-year Erasmus+ higher education cooperation project focused on rapid web application development concluded at TalTech. Rapid Application Development (RAD) is a software development methodology that emphasizes a quick and flexible development process. The goal of RAD is to reduce development time while ensuring high quality and user satisfaction.
The project focused on driving digital transformation by enhancing the digital readiness of current and future students in the field of web-based rapid application development (RAD), thereby improving their skills for entering the labour market and expanding job opportunities in modern companies.
According to TalTech coordinator and Professor of the School of IT, Tarmo Robal, the advantages of RAD include faster time-to-market, flexibility, and better alignment with customer needs. "During the project, two agile application development courses were created for students – one for beginners and one for intermediate learners. These courses received positive feedback and helped develop students' skills for entering the labor market. Additionally, faculty members from partner universities were able to participate in Oracle Academy training sessions," noted Professor Robal.
Under TalTech’s leadership, a methodology for describing business use cases was developed, along with sample use cases in collaboration with consortium members. Two workshops were organized for higher education staff, two for students, and one for companies interested in advantaging from APEX technology. As part of the project, TalTech researchers published two scientific papers.
At the IRAD 2024 International Conference Innovative Rapid Application Development held in April 2024, the project’s initial results were presented. The keynote speaker was Piotr Kurzynoga, Oracle's Chief Engineer for Cloud Solutions, with a talk titled "Low Code - Modern Application Development," covering the role and potential of AI on the APEX platform.
According to VilniusTech Professor Diana Kalibatiene, coordinator of the RAD Skills project, the conference gathered more than 60 participants from consortium member institutions and IT companies. This reflects not only the project’s success but also serves as an excellent example of collaboration between educational institutions and potential employers of students.
On September 11th, 2024, RAD Skills project coordinator Professor Diana Kalibatiene visited TalTech, presenting the project’s outcomes and VilniusTech’s success story in a hybrid seminar. During her visit, she also explored TalTech’s facilities. Participants exchanged experiences and ideas on teaching database and rapid application development, and discussed opportunities for future collaboration and dissemination of project results.
The final international event for the project took place on September 24th, 2024, via Zoom, with an invitation extended to faculty, students, researchers, company representatives, IT managers, and other APEX enthusiasts.
The project, titled “ Embracing rapid application development (RAD) skills opportunity as a catalyst for employability and innovation” involved five European universities: Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (VilniusTech, Lithuania) (project coordinator), Tallinn University of Technology (coordinator: Prof. Tarmo Robal), Dublin University of Technology (TUDublin, Ireland), Riga Technical University (RTU, Latvia), and the University of Rijeka (UNIRI, Croatia).
The project was funded by the European Union.
Project information: Estonian Research Information System
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