Although convenient, online studying can also feel isolating. After all, you’re all alone in front of a screen, probably missing the camaraderie and face-to-face interactions of a physical classroom.

That’s why our team at the Open Institute of Technology set out to change the typical online education experience, breaking down all the virtual barriers before them. The goal is clear – OPIT students are never to feel alone during any step of their academic journey. And this goal wasn’t only met but surpassed rather spectacularly (if we do say so ourselves).

Are you interested to know how our team pulled it off? Great! At OPIT, we love questions, as well as sharing success stories.

To answer this question thoroughly, we enlisted the help of Rosario Maccarrone, our Director and Head of Student Services, and Sara Ciabattoni, our Class Coordinator. They’ll break down OPIT’s impressive support system, which has effortlessly transformed students from over 40 countries worldwide into a close-knit community.

How Does OPIT Support Its Students?

When it comes to student support, one thing’s for sure – few (if any) remote learning programs offer such an intricate and well-thought-out web of support as OPIT does. This support starts before you even enroll in the Institute and often ends only after you’ve landed your dream job.

Admission Support

At OPIT, we have a dedicated admissions team that guides applicants every step of the way – from expressing interest in a specific course to becoming a student. This team has a simple goal – to ease your path into OPIT. So, don’t hesitate to ask any questions regarding the application process itself, program details, or course requirements.

Administrative Support

Let’s not sugarcoat it – starting a new program can be extremely chaotic. You might have trouble enrolling in courses, managing your schedule, and navigating all the complexities of a new academic environment. But don’t worry; it’s our administrative support team to the rescue! This team will help you breeze through all the administrative requirements, from applying for courses to getting certificates.

In this regard, we must also mention the lovely Sara, aka our class coordinator.

Class Coordinator

The class coordinator is here to help the OPIT students with their everyday needs and tasks. This might include questions about classes, deadlines, or interactions with other students and faculty members. Let’s put it this way – if you’re ever unsure who to reach out to, Sara is your go-to person.

As she puts it, “You can reach out to me, and I will guide you.” Take this as a blanket statement, whether you have a specific question or are simply struggling with time management or your studies.

Learning Support

At the end of the day, all OPIT students are here to learn. That’s why Rosario made it his mission to ensure top-notch learning support for each and every OPIT student.

Tutors

It’s perfectly natural to struggle with specific parts of your coursework, especially if you’re dealing with these concepts for the first time. That’s why there’s a dedicated team of tutors at your disposal at all times.

When we say “at all times,” we truly mean it! These tutors are available seven days a week, every day of the calendar year. You can reach them and ask for any lecture-related assistance you might need.

You’ll promptly receive an answer from these professionals who have strong backgrounds in computer science and tech. Most of our academic tutors have a PhD or are currently obtaining one, so you can rest assured you’re in good hands.

Professors

With classroom learning, posing a question to your professor is a breeze – you just raise your hand! In most online classrooms, however, this option doesn’t exist since classes are usually pre-recorded.

That’s why OPIT offers a live class once a week featuring a handy Q&A session. This session is the perfect opportunity to directly interact with professors in charge of different subjects, gather all the necessary information, or resolve any doubts. After all, some questions are quite complex and can only be answered by the experts.

And that’s precisely what our professors are. Some of them have taught in universities for their entire careers. Others have a long and impressive history in the industry, having worked at tech giants like Microsoft and Meta. Either way, our careful selection of professors is a guarantee that “what we say is what we do,” as Rosario puts it.

Continuous Assessment

Though this isn’t a team per se, the continuous assessment methodology employed by the OPIT faculty is a crucial element of support for our students.

This methodology is exactly what it sounds like – students are assessed continuously throughout the duration of their courses. There are many pedagogical benefits to this approach, but the two primary ones are as follows.

One, our students can advance their knowledge gradually, which allows them to retain and apply information more effectively. And two, it eliminates the stress of cramming for the big and scary final exam that often overwhelms the students. Sara emphasizes that this approach allows you to enter the job market with a well-rounded understanding of your field.

Career Support

Speaking of entering the job market, OPIT will lend you a helping hand in this regard as well. The goal of the career support team is to “help students shift from their academic journey into their professional journey [with ease],” as Sara puts it.

Career Advisors

Given that most OPIT programs equip you with skills for dozens of different career paths, you might struggle with choosing only one. That’s where our career advisors come into play.

As you approach the end of your academic journey, these advisors will work with you to assess your skills, capabilities, and qualities, helping you pinpoint the most suitable career path. Then, they’ll review your CV and coach you on presenting yourself to potential employers in the best possible way. They’ll even help you look for a job and present you with some tailored job listings.

Internship Opportunities

If you want to gather more practical experience before fully entering the professional arena, our career advisors can help you find tailored internship positions to suit your needs.

Practical Skills

There’s a reason the above section is so short. OPIT prides itself on its competence-based approach that lets students “learn by doing,” as Rosario puts it.

OPIT courses are pretty hands-on, with at least two assignments whose goal is to help you put your knowledge into practice. Rosario calls this “filling the gap between theoretical knowledge served by classical universities and applied knowledge that is more often than not given through boot camps or non-accredited courses.”

The goal of this approach is to ensure students can “hit the ground running” and “apply their knowledge from day one.” There’s no need to go through a lengthy training process or learn anything from scratch!

Communication Channels

Given that our mantra at OPIT is “You’re not alone,” it shouldn’t surprise you that we offer several ways to communicate with fellow students and faculty staff.

Canvas

Canvas, our learning platform, is a treasure trove of knowledge and valuable resources. However, it can also serve as a vibrant communication hub.

You see, Canvas offers an option to start (or join) discussions and ask questions regarding anything course-related. Sometimes, professors can even publish some interesting and thought-provoking prompts that go beyond the traditional course material.

In addition, during some live classes (hosted on Zoom and available in Canvas), students are divided into smaller groups and put into breakout rooms. This typically gives them 10 to 15 minutes to work together and start a little discussion or debate. Sara says that she sees “a lot of interaction there,” as she has access to all courses and can review the exchanged messages.

Slack

While Canvas is the ultimate learning platform, it’s slightly too formal for student interactions. That’s why we also provide our students with access to a Slack channel for their classes and each of their courses. Here, students can share “whatever they see fit,” as Rosario puts it.

Moreover, Slack is a valuable tool in the professional context (widely used and integrated into workflows in many companies) – by being able to know and use the tool, students get closer to their job market.

Other Communication Channels

OPIT students are free to use whatever communication channels they want. It’s only natural for them to want to communicate in an environment that’s entirely under their control, as opposed to faculty-controlled Canvas and Slack.

We see no problem with this. In fact, it’s quite the opposite! As Sara explains it perfectly, “We’re really proud because we’re building a community.”

For now, our students prefer communicating via WhatsApp groups and Discord servers, which they use to share their experiences, feelings, and problems. Rosario says that it’s easy to tell what some of these discussions are, as they often spill over in some of the requests the Institute receives in terms of administration and term organization. Of course, we’re always open to feedback and do our best to accommodate the preferences of our students, especially when they’re so wonderfully united.

At OPIT, You’re Never Alone

And there you have it – the complete support system devised to ensure that every OPIT student feels connected, supported, and empowered throughout their academic journey. Apply for one of our highly acclaimed programs today and experience this unparalleled support firsthand.

Related posts

Value of the Capstone Project: OPIT Student Interview With Irene
OPIT - Open Institute of Technology
OPIT - Open Institute of Technology
Jun 12, 2025 6 min read

During the Open Institute of Technology’s (OPIT) 2025 graduation day, the OPIT team interviewed graduating student Irene about her experience with the MSc in Applied Data Science and AI. The interview focused on how Irene juggled working full-time with her study commitments and the value of the final Capstone project, which is part of all OPIT’s master’s programs.

Irene, a senior developer at ReActive, said she chose to study at OPIT to update her skills for the current and future job market.

OPIT’s MSc in Applied Data Science and AI

In her interview, Irene said she appreciated how OPIT’s course did not focus purely on the hard mathematics behind technologies such as AI and cloud computing, but also on how these technologies can be applied to real business challenges.

She said she appreciated how the course gave her the skills to explain to stakeholders with limited technical knowledge how technology can be leveraged to solve business problems, but it also equipped her to engage with technical teams using their language and jargon. These skills help graduates bridge the gap between management and technology to drive innovation and transformation.

Irene chose to continue working full-time while studying and appreciated how her course advisor helped her plan her study workload around her work commitments “down to the minute” so that she never missed a deadline or was overcome by excessive stress.

She said she would recommend the program to people at any stage in their career who want to adapt to the current job market. She also praised the international nature of the program, in terms of both the faculty and the cohort, as working beyond borders promises to be another major business trend in the coming years.

Capstone Project

Irene described the most fulfilling part of the program as the final Capstone project, which allowed her to apply what she had learned to a real-life challenge.

The Capstone Project and Dissertation, also called the MSc Thesis, is a significant project aimed at consolidating skills acquired during the program through a long-term research project.

Students, with the help of an OPIT supervisor, develop and realize a project proposal as part of the final term of their master’s journey, investigating methodological and practical aspects in program domains. Internships with industrial partners to deliver the project are encouraged and facilitated by OPIT’s staff.

The Capstone project allows students to demonstrate their mastery of their field and the skills they’ve learned when talking to employers as part of the hiring process.

Capstone Project: AI Meets Art

Irene’s Capstone project, “Call Me VasarAI: An AI-Powered Framework for Artwork Recognition and Storytelling,” focused on using AI to bridge the gap between art and artificial intelligence over time, enhancing meaning through contextualization. She developed an AI-powered platform that allows users to upload a work of art and discover the style (e.g. Expressionism), the name of the artist, and a description of the artwork within an art historical context.

Irene commented on how her supervisor helped her fine-tune her ideas into a stronger project and offered continuous guidance throughout the process with weekly progress updates. After defending her thesis in January, she noted how the examiners did not just assess her work but guided her on what could be next.

Other Example Capstone Projects

Irene’s success is just one example of a completed OPIT Capstone project. Below are further examples of both successful projects and projects currently underway.

Elina delivered her Capstone project on predictive modeling of natural disasters using data science and machine learning techniques to analyze global trends in natural disasters and their relationships with climate change-related and socio-economic factors.

According to Elina: “This hands-on experience has reinforced my theoretical and practical abilities in data science and AI. I appreciate the versatility of these skills, which are valuable across many domains. This project has been challenging yet rewarding, showcasing the real-world impact of my academic learning and the interdisciplinary nature of data science and AI.”

For his Capstone project, Musa worked on finding the optimal pipeline to fine-tune a language learning model (LLM) based on the specific language and model, considering EU laws on technological topics such as GDPR, DSA, DME, and the AI Act, which are translated into several languages.

Musa stated: “This Capstone project topic aligns perfectly with my initial interests when applying to OPIT. I am deeply committed to developing a pipeline in the field of EU law, an area that has not been extensively explored yet.”

Tamas worked with industry partner Solergy on his Capstone project, working with generative AI to supercharge lead generation, boost SEO performance, and deliver data-driven marketing insights in the realm of renewable energy.

OPIT’s Master’s Courses

All of OPIT’s master’s courses include a final Capstone project to be completed over one 13-week term in the 90 ECTS program and over two terms in the 120 ECTS program.

The MSc in Digital Business and Innovation is designed for professionals who want to drive digital innovation in both established companies and new digital-native contexts. It covers digital business foundations and the applications of new technologies in business contexts. It emphasizes the use of AI to drive innovation and covers digital entrepreneurship, digital product management, and growth hacking.

The MSc in Responsible Artificial Intelligence combines technical expertise with a focus on the ethical implications of modern AI. It focuses on real-world applications in areas like natural language processing and industry automation, with a focus on sustainable AI systems and environmental impact.

The MSc in Enterprise Cybersecurity prepares students to fulfill the market need for versatile cybersecurity solutions, emphasizing hands-on experience and soft-skills development.

The MSc in Applied Data Science and AI focuses on the intersection between management and technology. It covers the underlying fundamentals, methodologies and tools needed to solve real-life business problems that can be approached using data science and AI.

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OPIT Career Services: How We Support Your Future
OPIT - Open Institute of Technology
OPIT - Open Institute of Technology
Jun 12, 2025 6 min read

In May 2025, Greta Maiocchi, Head of Marketing and Administration at the Open Institute of Technology (OPIT), went online with Stefania Tabi, OPIT Career Services Counselor, to discuss how OPIT helps students translate their studies into a career.

You can access OPIT Career Services throughout your course of study to help with making the transition from student to professional. Stefania specifically discussed what companies and businesses are looking for and how OPIT Career Services can help you stand out and find a desirable career with your degree.

What Companies Want

OPIT degrees are tailored to a wide range of individuals, with bachelor’s degrees for those looking to establish a career and master’s degrees for experienced professionals hoping to elevate their skills to meet the current market demand.

OPIT’s degrees establish the foundation of the key technological skills that are set to reshape industries shortly, in particular artificial intelligence (AI), big data, cloud computing, and cybersecurity.

Stefania shared how companies recruiting tech talent are looking for three types of skills:

  • Builders – These are the superstars of the industry today, capable of developing the technologies that will transform the industry. These roles include AI engineers, cloud architects, and web developers.
  • Protectors – Cybercrime is expected to cost the world $10.5 trillion by the end of 2025, which means companies place a high value on cybersecurity professionals capable of protecting their investment, data, and intellectual property (IP).
  • Decoders – Industry is producing more data than ever before, with global data storage projected to exceed 200 zettabytes this year. Businesses seek professionals who can extract value from that data, such as data scientists and data strategists.

Growing Demand

Stefania also shared statistics about the growing demand for these roles. According to the World Economic Forum, there will be a 30-35% greater demand for roles such as data analysts and scientists, big data specialists, business intelligence analysts, data engineers, and database and network professionals by 2027.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, meanwhile, predicts that by 2032, the demand for information security will increase by 33.8%, by 21.5% for software developers, by 10.4% for computer network architects, and by 9.9% for computer system analysts. Finally, the McKinsey Global Institute predicts a similar 15-25% increase in demand for technology professionals in the business services sector.

How Career Support Makes a Difference

Next, Stefania explained that while learning essential skills is vital to accessing this growing job market, high demand does not guarantee entry. Today, professionals looking for jobs in the technology field must stand out from the hundreds of applicants for each position with high-level skills.

Applicants demonstrate technical expertise in relevant fields by completing OPIT’s courses. They also need to prove that they can deliver results, demonstrating not just what they know but how they have applied what they know to transform or benefit a business. Professionals also need adaptability, adaptive problem-solving skills, and a commitment to continuous learning. OPIT’s final Capstone projects can be an excellent way to demonstrate the value of newly acquired skills.

Each OPIT program prepares students for future careers by providing dedicated support and academic guidance at every step.

What Kind of Support Does Career Services Offer?

Career Services is specifically focused on assisting students in making the transition to the job market, and you can make an appointment with them at any time during your studies. Stefania gave some specific examples of how Career Services can support students on their journey into the career market.

Stefania said she begins by talking with students and discussing what they truly value to help them discover the type of career that aligns with their strengths. With students who are still undecided on how to start to build their careers, she helps them craft a tailored job and internship search plan.

Stefania has also worked with students who want to stand out during the job application process among the hundreds of applicants. This includes hands-on help in reframing resumes, tailoring LinkedIn profiles, and developing cover letters that tell a unique story.

Finally, Stefania has assisted students in preparing for interviews, helping them research the company, develop intelligent questions about the role to ask the interviewer and engage in mock interviews with an experienced recruiter.

Connecting With Employers

OPIT Career Services also offers students exposure to a wide range of employers and the opportunity to build relationships through masterclasses, career talks, and industry roundtables. The office also helps students build career-ready skills through interactive, hands-on workshops and hosts virtual career fairs with top recruiters.

Career Services also plays an integral role in connecting students with companies for their Capstone project in the final phase of their master’s program. So far, students have worked with companies including Sintica, Cosmica, Cisco, PayPal, Morgan Stanley, AWS, Dylog, and Accenture. Projects have included developing predictive modeling for natural disasters and fine-tuning AI to answer questions about EU tech laws in multiple languages.

What Kinds of Jobs Have OPIT Graduates Secured?

Stefania capped off her talk by sharing some of the positions that OPIT graduates have now fulfilled, including:

  • Chief Information Security Officer at MOMO for MTN mobile services in Nigeria
  • Data Analyst at ISX Financial in Cyprus
  • Head of Sustainability Office at Banca Popolare di Sondrio in Italy
  • Data Analyst at Numisma Group in Cyprus
  • Senior Software Engineer at Neaform in Italy

OPIT Courses

OPIT offers both foundational bachelor’s degrees and advanced master’s courses, which are both accessible with any bachelor’s degree (it does not have to be in the field of computer science).

Choose between a BSc in Modern Computer Science for a strong technical base or a BSc in Digital Business to focus on applications.

Meanwhile, courses that involve a final Capstone project include an MSc in Applied Data Science and AI, Digital Business and Innovation, Enterprise Cybersecurity, and Responsible Artificial Intelligence.

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