This is not the first time that ITMO University becomes one of the trendsetters and key players on the national market of technological trends. Back in the 80’s, specialists from ITMO pioneered microprocessor research. In the 90’s, the university initiated and was among the developers of the RUNNet network, which connected all of Russia’s scientific and educational centers. Today, the university has decided to take part in establishing BIM in Russia, which is why it has copperated with Renga Software – the first company in Russia to develop its own BIM software. BIM (building information modeling) is a new field of design engineering. BIM technologies enable a process in which the information on a building is created and used collectively; this process forms a reliable foundation for all decisions made throughout the object’s lifecycle (from the very early concepts to design, construction, operation and demolition). It must be said that BIM technologies aren’t limited by software only – it is an ideology of its own. As BIM tech is introduced to the working process of construction and design companies, the entire design approach changes. This is why ITMO will teach not only how to use this software, but also provide BIM-manager courses, where students may learn about using BIM in construction process management.
“A user’s first encounter with any software product happens, most often, at a learning institution. It’s important for us that Renga is used at places of education. Our partnership with ITMO University is especially valuable to us since it is one of the top 20 universities in Russia,” – says Evgeny Shuvalov, CEO of Renga Software.
Filipp Perepelitsa and Evgeny Shuvalov. Credit: rengabim.com
Renga Software is a joint project of two major Russian companies – 1C and ASCON. ITMO and ASCON, too, have a lengthy history of partnership in the field of higher education: the university’s students take internships at the company, while Master’s students write their theses under the supervision of ASCON’s experts.
Both parties intend for this partnership to result in the introduction of information modeling technologies in general into the educational process, as well as in re-training industry specialists who plan to make a transition to Renga Software’s system from other products. The partnership agreement was the first step on the way to the creation of Russia’s first Renga Software authorized training center.
“Since we’re in the business of professional retraining, an authorized center is a proof of credibility. Such centers let clients know that it employs certified staff; all of the center’s instructors pass annual refresher courses on the software they specialize in, and they are given the appropriate certificates to prove it. This helps customers know that the center employs people whose knowledge of the software has been certified by the vendor itself,” – says Filipp Perepelitsa, senior lecturer at ITMO’s Department of Computer Engineering and Design.
BIM software
The agreement has already been signed; further work on the creation of the authorized center entails receiving the software and a license to the complete software suite from the company. The next step involves picking out and training the lecturers and preparing the curriculum based on Renga’s recommendations. Elements of the program are also planned to be included in some of the university’s Master’s degree programs. For example, the program “Computer-Aided Design” uses software made by Autodesk (AutoCAD and Fusion) and 3D-modeling programs like 3D Max and Maya.
“There’s just one difference – we’re focused not on construction, but on information. Information modeling has to do with not only design, but also with creation of additional, special-purpose modules for existing software. These kinds of tasks require top programmers – and programmers from ITMO, as we well know, are some of the best. In other words, this program is intended to train specialists for whichever specific field – construction, instrumentation, etc. This is why it’s important to keep in mind that BIM is a technology that’s not just for builders of designers; a lot of things in this field are made for programmers. There are cloud solutions that rely on interfaces, on programming for mobile web applications – a whole range of tasks which continues to expand rapidly,” – explains Perepelitsa.
These days, the inclusion of authorized courses into Master’s degree programs means that, upon their completion, students receive certificates that will come in handy with future employers. Since authorized education guarantees a high quality of education and familiarity with the latest products (the software is updated each year, which ensures a continued relevance of the students’ knowledge), it provides great career advantages to ITMO University’s graduates.
Credit: rengabim.com
According to Filipp Perepelitsa, the Renga Software authorized training center is expected to launch in the spring of 2018. A necessary requirement to open an authorized center is the training and certification of its instructors. On average, it takes approximately 40 academic hours (a two-week course) to familiarize oneself with a new software product.
“We plan to offer all willing lecturers from our university to join us in learning about Renga Software’s new software products. If they show interest in additional work, we’ll encourage them to teach at the center,” – says Perepelitsa.
In the summer of 2017, a two-day seminar was held at ITMO University during which teaching staff from Russian universities were trained to use Renga Software products; upon its completion, all of the participants received advanced training certificates from ITMO. Staff from Renga also took part in the seminar as experts. This event, too, showed the necessity of establishing an authorized training center, as the demand for advanced training among specialists and educators is now quite high.
The Renga Software authorized training center is not the first of its kind at ITMO University. One of the university’s oldest authorized center is the Autodesk-ITMO International Education and Science Center, which provides courses to ITMO’s academic staff, PhD students and employees at a discounted rate.
