The Open Institute of Technology (OPIT) is a dynamic new university that provides practical learning opportunities for people looking to thrive in a dynamic, tech-driven workplace. It offers bachelor’s courses for those at the start of their journey and master’s courses for professionals hoping to expand their horizons. This includes students like Silvia Garavaglia.
We recently spoke to Silvia about her experience studying with OPIT. She shared how her professional interests led her to OPIT and how her studies have led her to a new and unanticipated career path in artificial intelligence (AI).
Understanding the Data
Until recently, Silvia Garavaglia worked as a project manager, leading complex assignments across a variety of European firms. Silvia shared that she was increasingly working on data-driven initiatives and learned the value that big data, combined with AI, could deliver in business. However, she felt that she was just scratching the surface of what AI-enhanced data analysis could do and that her lack of experience on the technical side was holding her back from doing more with it.
In short, Silvia found herself wanting to move from just managing and leveraging data to truly understanding how the technology works under the hood. She knew that she would have to find educational resources to support this journey.
Finding a Learning Partner
Silvia’s professional goals motivated her to start looking for a learning partner. But this was a challenge for a number of reasons. First, she needed a flexible program compatible with her busy work life. Many of the courses she found weren’t flexible enough in their availability to fit into her schedule. Second, many relevant programs demand a strong technical background for master-level courses.
From her on-the-job experience, Silvia knew that she wanted a course that combined technical skills development with teaching strategic approaches that focus on application. She knew that the things she wanted to achieve would require a combination of the two.
OPIT’s MSc in Applied Data Science & AI
After much research, Silvia chose OPIT’s MSc in Applied Data Science & AI, which is designed to prepare students to occupy the intersection between management and tech. A master’s course designed for professionals with varied backgrounds, the program combines technical courses on data science, machine learning, and artificial intelligence with courses on business management and problem-solving.
What students learn in their dynamic online classroom is then applied to real-life business challenges that can be addressed using data science and AI. These solutions are taught by a faculty who are not just teachers, but active professionals working at the cutting edge of their fields.
The course also includes an internship or a capstone project that sees students apply their learning to new challenges, turning theory into experience.
Silvia said that she chose OPIT due to its practical content and human-centered approach. This set it apart from other academic programs because it was a course “built by people who build.”
She knew she had made the right decision when she started the onboarding process, which she described as responsive, transparent, and unexpectedly personal.
Learning That Changed Everything
While Silvia has always considered herself an eternal student, interested in always learning and growing, she said that the course changed her perspective. While she may have started out simply looking for knowledge to help her do her job better, what she learned made her completely rethink her role. She began to see new possibilities for her career, creating opportunities rather than fitting into cookie-cutter roles.
Silvia explained that she went from seeing herself as someone who supports tech teams to someone who creates technological solutions that solve real-world problems. She was no longer playing catch-up with her tech team; she was ready to create while following her own path forward.
A New Path
Silvia is currently interning at Midnight Ventures, an engineering company that develops cutting-edge AI agents that solve real business problems with intelligent automation and multi-agent systems.
She is working on a medical AI diagnostics platform for aesthetic medicine that analyzes ultrasounds in real time, identifying dermal fillers and skin conditions with medical precision, enhancing diagnostic capabilities. Silvia said this project appealed because of its focus on leveraging technology to solve human problems, supporting doctors to better serve their patients.
Among other things, Midnight Ventures is also working on a platform to democratize access to algorithmic trading by converting natural language trading strategies into executable code.
All of OPIT’s master’s courses include a final capstone project that lets students apply their learning to real-world challenges that inspire them. For her Capstone project, Silvia is working with HYPE, a financial services firm in Milan, on an AI-powered onboarding agent that combines technology with crafting the best possible human experience.
An Exciting Future
Overall, Silvia says that she is excited for the future. She is on the path to becoming an AI developer, learning to code step by step, while leading real projects that leverage AI to solve human challenges.
Others looking to do the same might also consider OPIT as a gateway to a new path forward. OPIT’s MSc in Applied Data Science and AI is a great place to start.
OPIT Master’s Courses
OPIT also offers an MSc in Digital Business and Innovation for professionals who want to drive innovation and lead digital entrepreneurship with a focus on growth hacking, digital transformation, and leveraging AI to drive innovation.
The MSc in Responsible AI also combines technical expertise with real-world applications, with a focus on the ethical implications of modern AI and the architecture of sustainable AI systems.
OPIT’s MSc in Enterprise Cybersecurity is focused on digital security solutions, but also focuses on combining the technical and managerial sides to bridge the gap between coding and application.
Contact Career Services to see how OPIT can support you on your journey toward your professional goals.
-
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.
Have questions?
Visit our FAQ page or get in touch with us!
Write us at +39 335 576 0263
Get in touch at hello@opit.com
Talk to one of our Study Advisors
We are international
We can speak in:
