Sara's Saliba Journey

Sara Saliba: Balancing Football and a Future in Computing

Balancing academics and sport is not easy, but for Sara Saliba, it has always been part of her journey.

She is currently studying for a Pre-University Diploma in Computing at STC Higher Education and already plans her next step. Sara Saliba aims to progress to a Bachelor’s degree and build a career in the computing industry.

But Sara’s story goes beyond academics.

A Passion That Started Young

Sara discovered her love for football at the age of eight while playing with her brother. At the time, opportunities for girls were limited, so she joined a boys’ team to continue playing.

As the women’s game grew in Malta, she joined Birkirkara’s women’s team and spent six years developing her skills. Soon after, she earned opportunities to play abroad and gained valuable international experience.

Today, she focuses on her studies while continuing to play football and stay connected to the sport she loves.

Finding the Balance

Managing studies and sport requires discipline, resilience, and strong time management. Sara developed these skills early.

Her first major challenge came during her O’ Levels. She balanced school, private lessons, study time, and daily training. The pressure was high, but she stayed focused and achieved strong results.

Now at STC Higher Education, she continues to balance her academic goals with her passion for football.

Looking Ahead

Sara plans to build a stable career in computing while continuing to grow in football.

She wants to gain more experience with the national team and explore opportunities abroad. At the same time, she works towards a long-term career in the tech industry.

Sara Saliba’s journey shows what dedication and focus can achieve. She continues to push forward, both on the pitch and in her studies, proving that passion and career can grow together while inspiring other students around her.

MQF Level

Understanding MQF Level and UK Level: What’s the Difference?

When exploring study options, you will often come across the term MQF level alongside UK Level. At first, the differences can seem confusing. However, once you understand how the two systems relate, planning your academic journey becomes much clearer.

The Malta Qualifications Framework (MQF) organises qualifications by level, from entry-level awards up to doctoral degrees. Similarly, the UK framework defines the academic standard and depth of study within British qualifications. Although the numbering does not always match exactly, the levels align in terms of complexity, learning outcomes, and academic expectations.

In simple terms, the higher the level, the more advanced the knowledge, skills, and independent thinking required.

For example, a Pre-University Diploma in Computing is placed at MQF Level 4, which corresponds to UK Level 3. At this stage, students build academic foundations and prepare for degree-level study.

When students move to an undergraduate degree, such as a BA (Hons) in Business Management or a BSc (Hons) in Computer Science or BSc (Hons) in Cybersecurity, they study at MQF Level 6, aligned with UK Level 6. Here, they develop critical thinking, apply theory to practice, and complete more advanced academic work.

At the postgraduate stage, programmes such as the MSc in Cyber Security or MSc in Computing Science or the International MBA are classified as Level 7, both in Malta and in the UK. At this level, students engage with strategic concepts, complex problem-solving, and specialised knowledge.

STC delivers UK-awarded programmes that align with the MQF level framework. As a result, students can clearly understand their academic progression, from pre-university studies to undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications, across both the Maltese and UK systems.

Pre University STC Higher Education

Pre-University Pathways at STC Higher Education

Many learners look for a specialised and career-focused route before starting their degree. For this reason, a Pre-University pathway offers structured preparation while building confidence and independence. At STC Higher Education, we offer two recognised Pre-University programmes that support direct progression into higher education.

Each programme is completed in just one year of full-time study. As a result, students progress efficiently to the next academic stage without delaying their plans.

Diploma in Computing (MQF L4 – UK L3)

The Pre-University Diploma in Computing introduces programming, systems development, and digital technologies. At the same time, students strengthen analytical thinking and problem-solving skills.

This pathway suits those who plan to continue into Computer Science or Cybersecurity degrees. Moreover, it exposes students to industry-relevant tools and modern methodologies.

Learn more about this course

Diploma in Business (MQF L4 – UK L3)

The Pre-University Diploma in Business explores management principles, marketing, finance, and entrepreneurship. Students develop practical business awareness while improving communication and teamwork skills.

Consequently, they move forward with confidence into Business Management, Marketing, or Human Resources.

Learn more about this course

Clear Progression and Academic Support

Both Pre-University programmes align with international academic standards and prepare students for the first year of a degree. In addition, studying within a higher education environment helps students adapt to academic expectations early on.

Personalised guidance, and defined progression routes support students throughout their Pre-University journey and into undergraduate study.

Developing Intercultural Competence

“Individuals are not born interculturally competent, they become competent through education and life experiences.”  (UNESCO, 2013) 

At STC Higher Education we feel that it is our duty to prepare students to become well-equipped and active citizens in an ever-changing globalised and more digitised world. The module ‘Culture Studies’ helps students reflect upon their cultural background and how this affects the way they view the world. It also enables them to gain awareness and increased understanding of other cultures.

One of the roles of teachers is to instil a questioning attitude in students. Being critical of one’s own culture is not easy. It requires being able to ‘decentre’, in other words ‘stepping back’ to be able to reflect on what we take as natural and is very often unconscious to us. Giving our students the opportunity to listen, observe and look at situations from different perspectives is one way of helping them develop their intercultural competence.  

Throughout the module, students are presented with ample opportunities to develop their inquiry skills, including the skills of questioning the messages we are bombarded with through social media. Students are encouraged to ask pertinent questions such as: “Whose version is this?”, “What is the author’s agenda?”, “What is included and what is left out?”, “Are we listening to both sides of the story, or are we only hearing what appeals to us?”

Showing respect and accepting other worldviews does not mean that one has to agree with everyone. Likewise, adapting to cultural differences does not mean giving up one’s cultural identity. An organisation that manages to view differences as an asset and an opportunity to grow is a strong organisation. At STC we strive to lead by example!

 

Reference:

UNESCO (2013). Intercultural competencies – conceptual and operational framework. Paris: Author. 

 

6BE005 Strategic Business

By Dr. Ing. Ronald Cuschieri

Strategic management is associated with the management of key resources of any organization since it gives the direction and values to pursue its objectives and challenges at both the corporate level and across all strategic business units with their functional strategies. The module exposes the student and guides him/her to understand through a structured approach, how in practice, with references to various sectors both within the manufacturing and service sectors, one deploys various strategic conceptual frameworks. The approach is based on the strategic management extant literature, with reference to both seminal and latest literature, so as to situate the organization, from both an internal and external perspective. Such a learning experience will enable a student to understand all the drivers behind the business strategy based on both an academic and practitioner perspective. The student will learn about various academic strategic management frameworks so that the workplace ongoing experience and strategic decisions, can be critically reviewed and evaluated through a sound knowledge of strategic management.  Dedicated attention is given to understanding the business mission, objectives, culture, and all the domestic and international processes being used, which incorporates various disciplines and concepts, such as human resources, marketing, financial, technology, quality and supply chain management among others fields, that establish the course/s of action/s. Furthermore, the candidate will learn how to apply his/her strategic management skills through a level of innovation and creativity in the running of a business within a triple bottom line perspective. The learning experience is based on weekly formative assessments, to gradually apply the academic theories to practice so as to build holistic strategic management within a business by the end of the course. The course achieves such a holistic objective with a summative assignment, derived from all formative assessments, so as to apply that what is learnt is applied to the case study selected according to your liking or applied to your workplace, which will also include a critical literature review with various citations to situate the learning experience both within the academic arena and the practitioner competitive environment.

Introduction to Finance

By Therese Francalanza

In this module, students are introduced to the accounting world. Students are given all the basic accounting knowledge so they can understand and interpret financial statements. Both the financial aspect of accounting and the managerial aspect is explained so the students will be able to follow an accounting qualification or a managerial qualification if they would like to further their studies. However, if students decide to stop studying at the diploma level, the knowledge they gain from this module will enable them to work in an accounting environment. With the skills, acquired students can apply for jobs in banks or other financial institutions, investment companies, as accounts clerks or as assistants to accountants. The course starts from very basic accounting records and principles. This means that anyone can join this module, even students who have never studied accounts before. The course is delivered in a way that knowledge is built from one lecture to the other.  International accounting standards and accounting concepts are discussed so students will have extensive knowledge of topics relating to accounting. Students are encouraged to participate in the lectures so they can understand accounting better and can increase their knowledge of the subject. At the end of the module, the students will be set an assignment that is discussed during the lectures. This enables the students to learn how to read and interpret the financial statements of actual companies. This further increases the students’ familiarity with financial statements and gives them the skills they require for a managerial position in a business. The knowledge students gain from this module will also help them to make personal financial decisions.

The Role of Mathematics in a Business Degree

By Marvic Francalanza

Why is ‘Mathematics’ given so much importance across the globe? A plausible answer is that mathematics is very important for many day-to-day functions and a requirement for many jobs and careers. As much as this is true, I feel that the answer to the question goes beyond this.

I was recently reading a blog by Mike Lefkowitz who is a member of MIND Research Institute. He looked at the etymology of the word ‘mathematics’ and found out that in Ancient Greek its literal definition is ‘learning’ and in Hebrew, its root is ‘thinking’. I think that this makes so much sense since possibly the greatest power of mathematics is that it “gives us the critical ability to learn and think logically” (Lefkowitz, 2018). In the case of Business Mathematics, other than building on a range of mathematical concepts and techniques that are essential to use and present business data effectively, students also need to develop the analytical skills that help them make informed business decisions. Mathematics is thus a powerful tool to have at our disposal!

Unfortunately, as much as it is widely acknowledged that mathematics is important, it is also true that many students fear mathematics. This can have very negative consequences including hindering a person from furthering his or her studies. At STC Higher Education we acknowledge that mathematical anxiety is not something that students come up with to cover up their poor performance in mathematics. It is real! In view of this, we give priority to helping you understand concepts, communicate mathematics clearly and apply skills to alternative situations. We also appreciate that you might need more time or a change in teaching strategy to process mathematical ideas effectively.

Our aim is to give you a boost in confidence in mathematics and to help you encounter a success!

Reference:

Lefkowitz, M. (2018) Why is Math so important?  Available at: https://blog.mindresearch.org/blog/why-is-math-so-important [Accessed: 21 March 2022]

 

5CS019 – Object Oriented Design and Programming

By Kassandra Calleja

Object-Oriented Programming is a programming ideology based on the concept of object classes, which contain data and code, related to real-life objects that a system is concerned with. This approach is well-suited for the development of programs that are large and complex; hence knowledge of Object-Oriented Design and Object-Oriented programming is essential for anyone seeking a career in Software Development and for those who require a deeper understanding of the creation of software programs.  This module provides a solid foundation for the main concepts of Object-Oriented Programming. Using Java as the programming language for the delivery of the module, we start from the most basic concepts of programming such as variables, conditional statements and loops, and evolve our knowledge to create more complex applications which utilize object classes and a graphical user interface.  We explore the use of Junit tests, to ensure that the developed code works as expected; this is very much in line with today’s industry practices of Test-Driven Development. Through UML Class Diagrams, the industry standard for class design notation, we also cover the principles governing the design of object classes in a manner that ensures a robust code structure that lends itself well to creating systems that are easy to scale up and extend.

eBusiness

By Derek D’Amato

Most of the time the first thing that came to mind about electronic commerce or e-business is shopping online. However, this includes many other activities related to business trading. Some categories related to e-Business yes includes business to consumers (B2C) and others between businesses on the Web known as B2B. In simple words, any transaction between stakeholders executed on the World Wide Web includes private companies, governments, and the end customer. If you are interested to grow your business internationally or set up an online business from scratch as a young entrepreneur, e-business can comprise a range of functions and services. The growth of e-business in recent decades has given rise to new business requirements.  There are several types of e-business models. In the business-to-consumer (B2C) model, sellers offer products and services directly to consumers online, and the buyer purchases them via the internet. Under the business-to-business (B2B) model, companies use the internet to conduct transactions with one another. Unlike B2C transactions, B2B transactions usually involve multiple online transactions at each step of the supply chain. E-business has drastically changed how corporations as well as non-profit ones, government agencies and other such institutions operate, allowing them to increase productivity, lower costs and move more quickly. As a result of the time savings, businesses can either decrease their headcount or shift worker time to higher-value tasks. Additionally, such digital systems reduce the time between invoicing and payment, thereby improving cash flow for the business. E-business tactics offer advantages such as reaching a wider customer base and faster transactions, but they also come with associated risks. For example, e-business creates huge data security risks, because customers are often required to provide sensitive information, such as contact information and credit card numbers, during e-business transactions. Finally, we can say that E-business has an important strategic role for companies wanting a stronger performance on the web. It is part of a great moment of digital transformation that offers companies more growth opportunities. For the benefits to be fully enjoyed, it’s vital to shape your education with new emerging technologies and have the appropriate tools to become part of this new business era.

5CS027 – Techniques for Games Development

By Dr. Ing. Clifford De Raffaele

The module of Techniques for Games Development aims to further students’ knowledge and capabilities in developing interactive and engaging game environments by providing an in-depth understanding of the underlying physics and algorithms regulating game logic. This provides learners with the ability to capitalize further on their understanding of navigation, modelling and logic prediction to develop realistic and challenging game scenarios in line with industry standards and state-of-the-art integrations. Furthermore, capitalizing on students’ development knowledge, this module comprehensively outlines the various Artificial Intelligence approaches that are nowadays engaged within games, providing learners with the ability to develop adaptive and predictive techniques which enhance the algorithms and complexity employed in developing gaming scenarios within games engines.