During the semester, students at NTU «KhPI» worked on real startup projects with business plans, financial reports, and presentations for investors—this approach replaced traditional coursework. This unique experiment was introduced by Anna Zavolodko, associate professor of the Department of Multimedia and Internet Technologies and Systems. The course «The Life Cycle of Web Development», which combined engineering, design, project thinking, and teamwork, radically changed the approach to learning—instead of studying individual subjects, students were immediately immersed in real business processes.
Thanks to cooperation with the Ukrainian team AStime, twenty-five students from the Department of Multimedia and Internet Technologies and Systems (MITS) of the Educational and Scientific Institute of Computer Science and Information Technologies at NTU «KhPI» gained access to an innovative financial functionality module that allowed them to work in conditions as close as possible to real startups. They also kept track of expenses and simulated project profitability. Each student was able to track the path from the first dollar spent to the projected profit — skills that are not often available in traditional programming courses.
The idea and creation of the course «The Life Cycle of Web Development» belongs to Anna Zavolodko, an associate professor at the MITS department, who developed and implemented it based on the Ukrainian product AStime, as well as adapted it to modern requirements by integrating practical business cases and preparation for startup pitching. The aim of the course is to transform traditional laboratory work into full-fledged digital product development with funding and expertise from leading IT industry specialists using a modernized Ukrainian program.
The approach to assessment became also revolutionary. For the first time, the Department of Multimedia and Internet Technologies and Systems at NTU «KhPI» introduced an expertise model for technical sciences. The jury consisted of three experts: Maxim Virchenko, a graduate of NTU «KhPI» with many years of experience in IT product development; Andriy Petrenko, a representative of the modern IT team; and Anna Zavolodko, the founder of the course and a lecturer. Each evaluated the projects independently according to uniform criteria: technical implementation, UX/UI design, product innovation, team interaction, and the ability to present their product effectively. The teams that performed best received awards not for their grades, but for their actual achievements: technical excellence, design creativity, and effective presentation of results.
The students note that it was a tremendous experience because they not only learned how to present and develop their projects, but also received feedback from practicing professionals in the industry. According to Anna Zavolodko, this experiment could become a model for the transformation of technical education in Ukraine, providing a path for practical training for future IT entrepreneurs, which will be a relevant and significant step in the recovery of our country.
Note:
AStime is time tracking software that helps companies monitor how much time their employees spend working. It allows them to add clients and gives them the ability to view the time spent on specific projects and employees.