Andreja Praček has a Master's degree in Social Informatics. This year, she was the first to complete her Master's degree in the renewed programme and successfully defended her Master's thesis. She now works as a researcher at the Centre for Social Informatics.
Why do you think it is useful to continue your studies on the Master's programme in Social Informatics? (You can also think in the broader context of continuing your studies in general and link it to the SI programme; What doors did your studies at level 2 open for you?)
The usefulness of the study is mainly its interdisciplinarity and modernity. Through the course, students can acquire and deepen competences in a wide range of areas - from data management and digital service design to understanding social phenomena. For this reason, there are also various job opportunities available - from data analytics to project management, marketing, statistics, etc. At the same time, it is a modern study that is oriented towards current processes and the future, and is key to understanding, analysing and managing the increasing amounts of data that are being generated in an increasingly digitised society.
What competences did you acquire during your studies in Social Informatics at level 2 (Master's degree)?
Studying Social Informatics at Master's level gave me a number of fundamental knowledge and skills on how to design relevant digital solutions for the user, skills on understanding the user experience, project management competences and competences on how to integrate knowledge from different fields. In addition, I have improved my critical thinking skills during my studies. Overall, what I would say about the study of social informatics is that we, social informatics professionals, are those who know how to collect data and make a story out of it.
What did you like most during your studies? What is the most memorable thing?
What I liked about the Master's level courses during my studies was that, in addition to a good theoretical background, they also included a good variety of practical tasks. In general, what I found very useful during my studies at the FDV was the survey methodology course, where we were introduced to various institutions and organisations working in the social sciences and information fields. At that time we also had a great opportunity to communicate with our potential employers. I gained a lot of experience during my internship, where various workshops were organised for us. I also liked the fact that the professors were always available to give us practical advice, not only regarding our studies but also regarding employment. During our studies at the faculty, we also had many opportunities for various student jobs and projects.
It would be difficult to point out just one thing that has stuck in my mind the most, but one of them was definitely the DID picnics, which were also attended by the professors of social informatics. This way you could also socialise with the professors in a "slightly more relaxed atmosphere".
You defended your Master's thesis entitled Student Evaluation Surveys in a Global Context: Methodological Aspects of Conducting and Interpreting the Results. Could you briefly describe what it was about and what the main findings of your thesis were?
I compared the system of student evaluation surveys (i.e. surveys where students evaluate professors and courses) among top universities around the world. But I found two things in particular:
The evaluation system is very similar between universities in some aspects (e.g. I found that most universities have evaluations and that these are mostly mandatory for teachers, but participation is not mandatory for students).
However, there were also some differences in implementation and interpretation according to the factors analysed. The most interesting finding was that the Asian system is much stricter than the European and American systems (Asian students are mostly obliged to participate, while educators have strict criteria for the grades they have to achieve in the evaluations).
What role do you think Social Science Informatics will play in the digital society of the future?
Social Informatics will play an increasingly important role as society becomes more and more digitalised. There is an increasing need to manage, create and organise large amounts of data and to understand new digital technologies. Therefore, I believe that the field will continue to grow and develop and the employability of social informatics professionals will increase. I see the opportunity for social informatics, in particular, in its integration with other disciplines, as it is a kind of bridge between the social sciences and the technological sciences, and it is also becoming increasingly important in the business environment.
If you were to decide to enrol in a second cycle (Master's degree), would you choose to study DI again and why?
Yes, I would definitely choose to study at level 2 again. Before I enrolled in the Master's programme, I was in doubt whether I should continue my education at level 2, but today I have no regrets about continuing my studies. It has given me additional practical experience and theoretical knowledge, and has also opened up more job opportunities.
Back to list of notificationsPublished: 13. July 2022 | Category: Notifications, Careers