SARAJEVO, OCTOBER 24 (ONASA) – Mirza Kadrić, Mirza Karić, Amer Đidelija and Anes Piknjač, students of the International University of Sarajevo and members of the SPES team, are the winners of the second edition of the GOOD HACKathon, a competition for students of electrical engineering and related faculties that was recently organized by the Telemach Foundation, the Faculty of Electrical Engineering Sarajevo and the United Cloud company in cooperation with Europe House, a long-term communication project of the European Union in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The task was to propose solutions and programming on the topic “Modernization of learning styles”, which is currently a hot topic in the field of education reform.
“We created an application for the development and improvement of children’s speech, which is essentially an auxiliary tool for speech therapists, schools and parents to do speech therapy exercises with children who have speech difficulties in an interesting and purposeful way. This award means a lot to us, and it is also worth as an additional column in the CV because hackathons are a big deal in the world of programming. We are especially looking forward to the visit to the United Cloud company, which is one of the prizes for winning first place,” said Mirza Kadrić, the leader of the winning team.
SPES was one of 11 student teams, with nine universities from seven BiH. cities – Sarajevo, Mostar, Banja Luka, Bihać, Tuzla, East Sarajevo and Zenica – who competed in knowledge, innovation and creativity in coding for 24 hours, in a great, inspiring atmosphere and in the comfortable, modern environment of the EU House in Sarajevo, looking for solutions to the current problem of harmonizing learning styles and the teaching process with continuous and rapid changes brought about by the development of technology.
Student works were evaluated by a jury consisting of IT experts from the United Cloud company, professors from ETF Sarajevo, mathematical experts from teaching practice, representatives of the EU House and the Telemach Foundation.
The three best teams won cash prizes, which per member amount to 700 KM for the first, 600 KM for the second and 500 KM for the third place.
The interest and number of applications for participation in the GOOD HACKathon this year was significantly higher compared to the previous one.
According to Hajda Mostić, president of the Telemach Foundation Board of Directors, the best and most creative students won, who offered solutions that currently do not exist and are not applied in learning in our area.
“We are very happy that the project of the SPES team, which aims to help children with speech difficulties and facilitate their inclusion, and can also be used to overcome some other learning difficulties, is the winner of the GOOD HACKathon for 2023. We were also impressed by the solution of the second-placed Tringo team from Banja Luka, who modernized music education with their application through the example of classical music, which can also be used in everyday life. Third place was won by the great FETch team from Tuzla with an application that introduced practicality and digitization into the teaching process in a creative way, i.e. a method that can achieve the continuity of easier learning and memorization of lessons, Mostić pointed out.
This event took place during the European Coding Week, an initiative that seeks to present and promote coding and digital literacy in a fun and educational way, which is also one of the main goals of this competition. Although the competitive spirit was in the air all the time, the atmosphere and communication between the teams was fantastic, because the GOOD HACKathon is also a great opportunity to socialize, network and create unforgettable memories.
“Although close, the topic of the competition quite surprised the participants. Otherwise, that surprise factor in hackathons is great and very useful because it encourages creativity and innovation. All the contestants had a good time and gave their best to create solutions that will facilitate learning with the help of technology for new and older generations”, said Senka Krivić, professor from ETF Sarajevo and member of the jury.
Jovana Lukić, director of corporate social responsibility of United Grupa, described the GOOD HACKathon as the best combination of formal and informal education, which is very attractive to young people.
“Youth education is one of the pillars of socially responsible business in which we invest the most at the Group level, and the GOOD HACKathon is one of our most significant programs that we will continue to improve. This year’s experience with applications showed us that young people are eager for knowledge and when they are offered a different, interactive way of learning, they simply rush to apply. Therefore, it is not true that young people do not want to learn, but the material should be brought closer to them in such a way that it is receptive to them,” emphasized Lukić.
The day before the start of the competition, GOOD HACKathon provided participants with a unique experience – top lectures and interactive workshops led by experts from the United Cloud company, which is the leading innovation center in the region.
Students had the opportunity to learn about the latest trends and processes of software product development in a modern company.
They enthusiastically absorbed knowledge about the development of a digital product and its presentation, they had many questions and started discussions, and they used the acquired knowledge the very next day, during the competition.
“United Cloud, as an innovative development center of United Group, strives to be a part of such projects where we help young people see what it’s like to work in IT while still studying. We believe that this knowledge, which we shared with them, is one of the most important things in education,” said Aleksa Radonjić, Product Manager of United Cloud.