Quality of faculty: that’s what compelled Matthew Belcher, an independent freelance web developer and student working towards a Bachelor in Computer Science, to enroll in the Open Institute of Technology (OPIT), allowing him to work with some of the top professionals in his chosen industry.
Matthew was recently elected program representative for the course, helping to guide the interests of over 100 students across the globe in discussions with the area chair and director to ensure that the course is fit for purpose and meets student needs.
Why OPIT?
In a recent interview, Matthew told us that the reason he chose OPIT to continue his education was the expertise of the faculty. He shared that he conducted intensive research into a variety of programs that would help him shape his interest and skill in technology into potential career opportunities.
Matthew felt that the OPIT faculty stood out as not just great teachers, but top-tier professionals with real-world experience in the kinds of industries he wants to work in. Their professional roles mean they offer an up-to-the-minute understanding of the changing market.
The Computer Science Program
The BSc in Computer Science is a fully accredited course delivered completely online over six 13-week terms.
The program delivers foundational skills, both theoretical and practical, in all aspects of computer science, including programming, software development, databases, cloud computing, cybersecurity, data science, and artificial intelligence. Students deliver a dissertation or project in the final term, and in term five, they can choose five electives from a pool of 27, or choose to specialize in one of five fields:
- Data Science and Artificial Intelligence
- Cloud Computing
- Cybersecurity
- Metaverse and Gaming
- Full Stack Development
The BSc in Computer Science is aimed at students interested in software development and engineering, data science, web development, app and game development, IT business analysis, cybersecurity, and database architecture.
Meet the Faculty
Now let’s meet some of the incredible faculty who influenced Matthew’s decision to select OPIT.
Art Sedighi
As well as teaching at OPIT, Art Sedighi is an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University and a professor at Purdue University Global. He was previously a partner at CDI Global, a senior cybersecurity solution architect at Amazon AWS, and head of high-performance computing and grid engineering at the Bank of America.
Sedighi has 20 years of experience planning, designing, developing, and having end-to-end ownership of cloud solutions. He has managed cross-functional teams and been responsible for driving adoption strategies across enterprises.
Sedighi teaches software engineering and cloud adoption in the BSc in Computer Science and is also a professor in the BSc in Digital Business program.
Lokesh Vij
As well as teaching in OPIT’s Computer Science Program, Lokesh is a database architect at Broadcom Inc., a semiconductor manufacturing firm in Canada, and a part-time professor at Seneca Polytechnic in Toronto.
Vij describes himself as a cloud and data evangelist, educator, and mentor. With over 20 years of rich experience, he has designed, developed, and delivered enterprise-scale data solutions across disparate source systems, data formats, and relational and non-relational databases.
His proven expertise includes enhancing business profitability by leveraging insights derived from diverse data sets, constructing decision support systems that convert transactional data into analytical formats. This, combined with data visualization techniques, allows him to articulate and clarify business insights effectively.
In the BSc in Computer Science program, he teaches cloud computing infrastructure, cloud development, cloud computing automation and ops, and cloud data stacks. He is also a professor of the BSc in Digital Business and the MSc in Applied Data Science & AI, also covering big data and cloud computing.
Tom Vazdar
Tom Vazdar is OPIT’s area chair for cybersecurity and also the CEO of Riskoria, which focuses on cybersecurity strategies. His areas of expertise include strategy services, AI and cybersecurity, AI infrastructure development, and compliance assurance and risk management.
Vazdar teaches computer security in both the BSc in Computer Science and the BSc in Digital Business programs, as well as for the MSc in Enterprise Cybersecurity.
Sylvester Kaczmarek
Sylvester Kaczmarek is a former Chief Science Officer at WeSpace Technologies and a former AI Mentor and Researcher at NASA. He is now an independent executive leading secure, safe, and resilient AI-driven space innovations, a science communicator, and an advisor to deep tech investors, governments, and startups.
In the past, he has specialized in the integration of artificial intelligence, robotics, cybersecurity, and edge computing in aerospace applications.
In OPIT’s BSc in Computer Science program, Kaczmarek teaches cartography and secure communications, secure software development, and parallel and distributed computing. He also teaches in the MSc in Enterprise Cybersecurity program.
Lorenzo Marvardi
As well as teaching at OPIT, Lorenzo Marvardi is a managing director at Accenture. With a background in cybersecurity management and security consulting, he has 15 years of experience as a security professional and executive, implementing security programs across different industries and geographies.
Marvardi teaches cybersecurity in both the BSc in Computer Science and the BSc in Digital Business programs.
Khaled Elbehiery
Khaled Elbehiery is a senior director and network engineer at Charter Communications. As well as teaching for OPIT, he is a part-time professor at Park University and DeVry University, both in the United States.
He describes himself as a professor, scientist, inventor, and author. He has publications on cloud engineering, quantum computing, space, robotics, bionics, microgravity, and modern educational methodologies.
Elbehiery teaches cloud and IoT security and computer networks on both the BSc in Computer Science and the MSc in Enterprise Cybersecurity programs.
Francesco Derchi
Francesco Derchi is a brand, innovation, and digital expert with over 14 years of experience. He is chair of digital business at OPIT, an advisory board member for Arsene Lippens, on the faculty at EHL in Switzerland and the Universita degli Studi di Genova, plus course director and contributor to the Harvard Business Review Italia.
Derchi teaches business strategy and digital marketing on both the BSc in Computer Science and the BSc in Digital Business, as well as on the MSc in Digital Business and Innovation.
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From the same author
Read the articleSource:
- Times of Malta, published on September 18th, 2025
4 min read
The gathering brought together academics and technology leaders from prominent European Institutions, such as Instituto de Empresa (IE University), OPIT itself and the Royal College of Arts, to explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping the university experience.
The OPIT AI Copilot has been trained on the institute’s complete academic archive, a collection created over the past three years that includes 131 courses, more than 3,500 hours of recorded lectures, 7,500 study resources, 320 certified assessments, and thousands of exercises and original learning documents.
Unlike generic AI tools, the Copilot is deeply integrated with OPIT’s learning management system, allowing it to track each student’s progress and provide tailored support.
This integration means the assistant can reference relevant sources within the learning environment, adapt to the student’s stage of study, and ensure that unreleased course content remains inaccessible.
A mobile app is also scheduled for release this autumn, that will allow students to download exercise and access other tools.
During examinations, the Copilot automatically switches to what the institute calls an “anti-cheating mode”, restricting itself to general research support rather than providing direct answers.
For OPIT’s international community of 500 students from nearly 100 countries, many of whom balance studies with full-time work, the ability to access personalised assistance at any time of day is a key advantage.
“Eighty-five per cent of students are already using large language models in some way to study,” said OPIT founder and director Riccardo Ocleppo. “We wanted to go further by creating a solution tailored to our own community, reflecting the real experiences of remote learners and working professionals.”
Tool aims to cut correction time by 30%
The Copilot will also reduce administrative burdens for faculty. It can help grade assignments, generate new educational materials, and create rubrics that allow teachers to cut correction time by as much as 30 per cent.
According to OPIT, this will free up staff to dedicate more time to teaching and direct student engagement.
At the Milan event, Rector Francesco Profumo underlined the broader implications of AI in higher education. “We are in the midst of a deep transformation, where AI is no longer just a tool: it is an environment that radically changes how we learn, teach, and create,” he said.
“But it is not a shortcut. It is a cultural, ethical, and pedagogical challenge, and to meet it we must have the courage to rethink traditional models and build bridges between human and artificial intelligence.”
OPIT was joined on stage by representatives from other leading institutions, including Danielle Barrios O’Neill of the Royal College of Art, who spoke about the role of AI in art and creativity, and Francisco Machin of IE University, who discussed applications in business and management education.
OPIT student Asya Mantovani, also employed at a leading technology and consulting firm in Italy, gave a first-hand account of balancing professional life with online study.
The assistant has been in development for the past eight months, involving a team of OPIT professors, researchers, and engineers.
Ocleppo stressed that OPIT intends to make its AI innovations available beyond its own institution. “We want to put technology at the service of higher education,” he said.
“Our goal is to develop solutions not only for our own students, but also to share with global institutions eager to innovate the learning experience in a future that is approaching very quickly.”
Read the articleFrom personalization to productivity: AI at the heart of the educational experience.
Click this link to read and download the e-book.
At its core, teaching is a simple endeavour. The experienced and learned pass on their knowledge and wisdom to new generations. Nothing has changed in that regard. What has changed is how new technologies emerge to facilitate that passing on of knowledge. The printing press, computers, the internet – all have transformed how educators teach and how students learn.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is the next game-changer in the educational space.
Specifically, AI agents have emerged as tools that utilize all of AI’s core strengths, such as data gathering and analysis, pattern identification, and information condensing. Those strengths have been refined, first into simple chatbots capable of providing answers, and now into agents capable of adapting how they learn and adjusting to the environment in which they’re placed. This adaptability, in particular, makes AI agents vital in the educational realm.
The reasons why are simple. AI agents can collect, analyse, and condense massive amounts of educational material across multiple subject areas. More importantly, they can deliver that information to students while observing how the students engage with the material presented. Those observations open the door for tweaks. An AI agent learns alongside their student. Only, the agent’s learning focuses on how it can adapt its delivery to account for a student’s strengths, weaknesses, interests, and existing knowledge.
Think of an AI agent like having a tutor – one who eschews set lesson plans in favour of an adaptive approach designed and tweaked constantly for each specific student.
In this eBook, the Open Institute of Technology (OPIT) will take you on a journey through the world of AI agents as they pertain to education. You will learn what these agents are, how they work, and what they’re capable of achieving in the educational sector. We also explore best practices and key approaches, focusing on how educators can use AI agents to the benefit of their students. Finally, we will discuss other AI tools that both complement and enhance an AI agent’s capabilities, ensuring you deliver the best possible educational experience to your students.
-
Go to all authors
Related posts
Source:
- Times of Malta, published on September 18th, 2025
4 min read
The gathering brought together academics and technology leaders from prominent European Institutions, such as Instituto de Empresa (IE University), OPIT itself and the Royal College of Arts, to explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping the university experience.
The OPIT AI Copilot has been trained on the institute’s complete academic archive, a collection created over the past three years that includes 131 courses, more than 3,500 hours of recorded lectures, 7,500 study resources, 320 certified assessments, and thousands of exercises and original learning documents.
Unlike generic AI tools, the Copilot is deeply integrated with OPIT’s learning management system, allowing it to track each student’s progress and provide tailored support.
This integration means the assistant can reference relevant sources within the learning environment, adapt to the student’s stage of study, and ensure that unreleased course content remains inaccessible.
A mobile app is also scheduled for release this autumn, that will allow students to download exercise and access other tools.
During examinations, the Copilot automatically switches to what the institute calls an “anti-cheating mode”, restricting itself to general research support rather than providing direct answers.
For OPIT’s international community of 500 students from nearly 100 countries, many of whom balance studies with full-time work, the ability to access personalised assistance at any time of day is a key advantage.
“Eighty-five per cent of students are already using large language models in some way to study,” said OPIT founder and director Riccardo Ocleppo. “We wanted to go further by creating a solution tailored to our own community, reflecting the real experiences of remote learners and working professionals.”
Tool aims to cut correction time by 30%
The Copilot will also reduce administrative burdens for faculty. It can help grade assignments, generate new educational materials, and create rubrics that allow teachers to cut correction time by as much as 30 per cent.
According to OPIT, this will free up staff to dedicate more time to teaching and direct student engagement.
At the Milan event, Rector Francesco Profumo underlined the broader implications of AI in higher education. “We are in the midst of a deep transformation, where AI is no longer just a tool: it is an environment that radically changes how we learn, teach, and create,” he said.
“But it is not a shortcut. It is a cultural, ethical, and pedagogical challenge, and to meet it we must have the courage to rethink traditional models and build bridges between human and artificial intelligence.”
OPIT was joined on stage by representatives from other leading institutions, including Danielle Barrios O’Neill of the Royal College of Art, who spoke about the role of AI in art and creativity, and Francisco Machin of IE University, who discussed applications in business and management education.
OPIT student Asya Mantovani, also employed at a leading technology and consulting firm in Italy, gave a first-hand account of balancing professional life with online study.
The assistant has been in development for the past eight months, involving a team of OPIT professors, researchers, and engineers.
Ocleppo stressed that OPIT intends to make its AI innovations available beyond its own institution. “We want to put technology at the service of higher education,” he said.
“Our goal is to develop solutions not only for our own students, but also to share with global institutions eager to innovate the learning experience in a future that is approaching very quickly.”
From personalization to productivity: AI at the heart of the educational experience.
Click this link to read and download the e-book.
At its core, teaching is a simple endeavour. The experienced and learned pass on their knowledge and wisdom to new generations. Nothing has changed in that regard. What has changed is how new technologies emerge to facilitate that passing on of knowledge. The printing press, computers, the internet – all have transformed how educators teach and how students learn.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is the next game-changer in the educational space.
Specifically, AI agents have emerged as tools that utilize all of AI’s core strengths, such as data gathering and analysis, pattern identification, and information condensing. Those strengths have been refined, first into simple chatbots capable of providing answers, and now into agents capable of adapting how they learn and adjusting to the environment in which they’re placed. This adaptability, in particular, makes AI agents vital in the educational realm.
The reasons why are simple. AI agents can collect, analyse, and condense massive amounts of educational material across multiple subject areas. More importantly, they can deliver that information to students while observing how the students engage with the material presented. Those observations open the door for tweaks. An AI agent learns alongside their student. Only, the agent’s learning focuses on how it can adapt its delivery to account for a student’s strengths, weaknesses, interests, and existing knowledge.
Think of an AI agent like having a tutor – one who eschews set lesson plans in favour of an adaptive approach designed and tweaked constantly for each specific student.
In this eBook, the Open Institute of Technology (OPIT) will take you on a journey through the world of AI agents as they pertain to education. You will learn what these agents are, how they work, and what they’re capable of achieving in the educational sector. We also explore best practices and key approaches, focusing on how educators can use AI agents to the benefit of their students. Finally, we will discuss other AI tools that both complement and enhance an AI agent’s capabilities, ensuring you deliver the best possible educational experience to your students.
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