ASI department

The ASI department, opened in 1999, aims to train engineers capable of intervening during the conception, implementation and operation of information systems, at very different levels : components, machinery, workshops, factories, and the integration of the systems in their environment.

In many industrial fields, the use of software components is generating more and more value. The variety and the increasing sophistication of the physical systems that constitute the information sources requires the close integration of many sub-systems, both hardware and software ; this is particularly the case for teleservice applications, teleoperation, electronic surveillance, or the information system of a smart car. On a technical level, it is the integration of complex and multiform information masses that is sought by the industrials. They need, for these systems, real architects, competent in all the stages in the chain of information processing.

From this reality derives a growing demand for engineers possessing a global view of the complementary aspects of IS. The ASI engineer must have a very general approach and be open to social sciences. He must be an innovative engineer. He is a designer rather than a developer. Our ambition is to give the engineer the abilities to conceive information systems that are user-oriented, and ultimately meant to federate abilities and intelligence.

The educational orientations in ASI

Our education aims at giving responsibilities to the engineering student, giving him a taste for initiative and helping him develop his abilities to innovate by putting him at the center of the system. He is gradually brought to define an actual educational plan. Every semester, this results in the signing between the student and the department of an educational contract by which the student defines his educational plan with the help of a member of the teaching staff. This educational contract is made up from a list of credits (UV) offered each semester. In these proposals are balanced specialties -information acquisition, information processing, computer science- and the “integration” aspect necessary to the architect engineer. (more info...)

The educational model of the department operates in UVs and in semesters. During the 6 semesters that make up the schooling, the students accumulate credits. The credit system used is the European system ECTS. The capitalization of at least 180 credits is a prerequisite to graduation. To graduate, the student must in addition have validated his technician internship and his graduation project. He also must have obtained a minimum number of personal educational activity credits and have the minimum level in English. (more info...)

Each semester the engineering students may, individually or in a group, attend open UVs, educational activities outside of the properly called ASI UVs provided they fit within an educational project. They can thus follow classes from other INSA departments, teachings from the university or carry out a project related to the program. These activities are followed by a teacher of the ASI department. (more info...)

The first week of each semester is dedicated to a set of classes and lectures aimed at facilitating the integration of the student in the department and helping him measure the educational challenges of the following semester. (more info...)

The education offers a big project and two work experience internships :

• The collective integration project (PIC) is the first encounter between the student and an industrial type project of a significant size. It takes place over one year, part-time, on the INSA premises, with a group of a significant size (around 8 students). This project is followed by a teacher, an industrial client, a psychologist and a “project management” teacher. During this project, the engineering students will follow an approach complying with the ISO 9001:2000 quality standard for which the ASI department was certified by the AFAQ-AFNOR.
• At the end of the third or fourth year, each engineering student must do a technician internship (abroad if possible) with a minimum duration per internship of 4 weeks and of a total minimum duration of 8 weeks.
• Each engineering student must also do a six month engineer internship in an industrial environment, generally, during the last semester.

The systematic use of new technologies, particularly from multimedia, is inherent in the training : it prepares the student to continue to train throughout his life and transfer these new technologies to industry.