bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
MEASURES AT EUROPEAN LEVEL FOR INNOVATIVE CLUSTER
Authors: Dumitru jeleriu Daniela claudia
Published: February 2023

In the context of the knowledge society, the development of the educational system is influenced by several important variables such as: performance, ability to transform itself along with the necessities of the labor market, new teaching methods, capacity to attract student’s also national but very important international students. As it is the educational system is crossing a very ”cloudy” period.
The article is focused on presenting a way thought educational system could participate one on development of other using clusters. In the case of education programming, a cluster is group of schools located in close proximity to each other whose staffs meet regularly to build their capacity to improve quality at their schools. The cluster should provide different schools the opportunity to share their innovations and experiences. Various platforms and events, such as monthly meetings, exposure visits, and orientation programs, can be used for this purpose. It is here that teachers and schools with specialized skills can provide information as well as support to other schools to implement good practices and innovations A cluster is not only a method to connect school but also the business environment, infrastructure which in the case of the educational system is the libraries, and the research entities.
The main goal of this article is to discuss the main model of educational cluster, to offer successful examples and good practice example that can be of use in the Romanian educational system.
In conclusion, for schools the main gain of being in a cluster is that it can develop together but also being in competition of attracting new students, on long term teachers’ can share one to another their experience.
EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH IMPACT: IMPLICATIONS FOR UNIVERSITY MANAGEMENT
Authors: Ion Georgeta
Published: February 2023

Nowadays, the Bologna Process emphasizes qualitative rather than quantitative aspects in scientific research as well as the need to focus on practical challenges. It might be said that the academic world entered the Era of Quality due to a change of paradigm spearheaded by Bologna. This change entails other changes at all levels, from research scientists` and academics` outlook to the ways in which scientific products are evaluated. Given the inter-relationship between education and research, an excellent system of education presupposes high level research production. Well-prepared researchers and well-defined criteria are needed to evaluate scientific research.
In this context, we propose a research project funded by the Executive Agency for Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation Funding. The aim is to establish ways for the institutions that conduct research to enhance the visibility and impact of the results of research in educational sciences, in society in general, and policies and practices in particular. The study proposes an analysis of the actual models of research impact and assesses the current strategies and mechanisms used by research institutions to promote and make research products more visible to the social community and the educational actors.
We use a mixed methodology based on documentary analyses, questionnaires, in-depth interviews and focus group surveys.
In this paper we focus on the first phase of the research project which consists in the design of the main indicators of research impact in education sciences. We based our proposal on the literature study and the key contributions on impact analysis at international level. Our model consists of the interaction between three levels of the research impact: the context of the research production (researchers, university staff, research groups, etc), the context of the research use (policy makers, practitioners, etc) and the level of society as a whole (mass media, research transfer and dissemination).
The model would help us to identify commonalities of interpretations and practice of all the actors involved in the research impact.
Finally we consider that for the future of the research in Education Sciences it is of paramount importance that all actors involved in education impact participate and take an informed and proactive stance that responds to the fast-changing political, institutional and technological environment.
COORDINATES E-LEARNING AND SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH WITHIN SECURITY STUDIES
Authors: Filofteia Repez
Published: February 2023

The development of the information society based on knowledge and the globalization manifested in all areas (political, social, cultural, ecological, environmental, research, etc.) up to the individual level are specific characteristics of the international security environment in the first decade of the XXI century. Evaluation of societal environment security / insecurity must be based on the human individual, because this is where the security can be transpose on group level, state and, going further, regional and international level. Any human group, any state, regardless its size, location, form of organization, etc. can progress only if a state of relative security is ensured for its members. The state's role as a superior form of organization of human society cannot be minimized in order to ensure security. On security research community level there is a convergence of opinion that the state must remain the main actor of security debate, following two attributes that are fulfilled: the main unit of political organization in the world population and the main generator of conflicts international level. Obtaining an absolute security seems to be a difficult task. However, an important role for achieving success in this mission is education.
Important steps of scientific research, technological development and innovation feel not only in security area but also in education. E-Learingul is a new paradigm within educational procces. Its characteristics (fluidity of roles, curriculum needs of the learner-oriented, distributed resources, virtual facilities etc.) can be successfully applied in security studies.Starting from these considerations, the present study examines how e-Learing and scientific research contribute to a better understanding of theoretical and practical dimension of security.
ONLINE SCHOOL COMMUNITIES: THE ROLE OF PARENTS IN BUILDING THE SCHOOL THROUGH NETWORKING.
Authors: Vazquez cano Esteban , Sevillano garcía M.ª luisa
Published: February 2023

Digital communication and management of the school through networks makes educational communities (families, teachers and students) to be integrated in a more productive and beneficial way at the school. To this end, in this current Information Society, the school communities need institutional support based on interactive tools that are operative in this digital context. Parents should be informed and participate constantly about the progress of their children but also they must be involved in the knowledge of tasks, exercises and activities that are performed in the classroom and school. These aspects: school organization, digital communication among all members of school communities, educational programming, along with teaching functions can be significantly improved with the use of institutional interactive networks that include communicative functions and school management in a virtualized way. The new forms of school organization are betting on the introduction of corporate management networks to enable and enhance virtualized school organization and teaching functions. The functions that mainly enhance are: functions related to communication process of teaching programming, e-learning to support the face to face sesions and communication among teachers, students and families electronically. Social computing represents a new research frontier for information systems. For example, it is transforming various aspects of software development: the development process is becoming participatory and often voluntary; the type of tools used is changing, and computing is moving to a more network-centric, and less of a desktop-bound stage. It transforms the way individuals process and interact with information, rendering a much more dynamic and mobile information domain centered on individual participants who interact with it through a wide variety of devices. The need for organisations to learn and to innovate rapidly is a consistent theme in approaches to novel organisational forms (Fulk & DeSanctis, 1995). It seems that hierarchies are being replaced by communication and influence relationships (Reich, 1991), resulting in more flexible organisational forms that rely on peer-to-peer collaboration in achieving their objectives. We develop a research in which we analyze the assessment by different sectors of the educational community of the functionality of these new management tools and virtualized communication in improving educational quality and relationships in schools.
VOCATIONAL DISTANCE LEARNING OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES IN THE EU AND COMPARATIVE STUDIES WITH THE UK, GERMANY, AUSTRALIA AND THE U.S.A.
Authors: Nicoleta Danescu
Published: February 2023

Lately we have been witnessing a very intense form of promoting education, learning and training called distance learning. This phenomenon requires clarifications at both conceptual and practical levels, especially since the methods seem to be approved by a large number of participants in the educational process, therefore we’ll try to approach things from a global perspective.
This paper reviews the evolution and impact of all types of distance learning. Distance learning is not a new phenomenon, there was at least 100 years ago, representing a form of teaching and learning through printed educational material was distributed by mail. Due to increased interest in training electronic or "e-learning", in recent years, rapid progress of electronic learning programs, developing Internet and e-mail. This report analyzes the media of information.
Except for a few leading companies, the adoption of e-learning in Europe occurred in a much slower rate than in the U.S., one of the main reasons being the different types of training systems in Europe. Also, each European country has a different educational system on access to education, the financing of it, and participating students (as individuals, supported by employers or public systems). Such systems have been developed following discussions between employers, government agencies, educational institutions, accreditation authorities and trade unions. For example, in Germany, these systems are very well organized. Students can participate in distance learning, developing his skills, but not required to work in a field requiring professional mobility. Distance learning courses are also designed a number of contextual issues. Many employees are satisfied with their professional performance and we need much persuasion for them to understand that such courses can improve the existing system.
This summary’s meaning is to be a review of the professional development of distance education, particularly in the agricultural and biological sciences in Great Britain and Germany, seeking as well the recommendations for future actions in Romania, Slovenia and Bulgaria.
OPINIONS AND ATTITUDES OF STUDENTS TEACHERS' TOWARD ICT USE IN EDUCATION
Authors: Chisalita Oana , Cretu Carmen
Published: February 2023

The evolution of the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and their integration in the education lead to specific changes both in the pre-service and in-service teachers’ training programs curricula developed during the last decades in Romanian universities. ICT in education is seen both as a necessity, since universities need to have well trained graduates integrated in the society and on the job market, and as an opportunity because it gives students access to significant resources at very low costs of time and money. Initial teacher training for Romania primary teachers is nowadays accomplished by a three years program at the university. Starting with an analyze of the ICT student teacher training policies developed during the last two decades in several European countries, this article will discuss the main measures taken by the Romanian universities in order to integrate information and communication technologies in education and will present the results of a study which aimed to analyze student teachers’ attitude regarding ICT use in education and their opinion regarding ICT access at resources in the faculty where they are enrolled. Involving 60 students from the Pedagogy of Preschool and Primary School from two Romanian universities, “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iasi and “Ştefan cel Mare” University of Suceava, our study also captures the main difficulties encountered by students when using ICT.In the end, we will discuss several implications of the results of this study on the specific information and communication technologies teacher training policies and strategies developed in the Romanian universities.
SETTING THE SCENE. HOW TO CREATE MEANINGFUL LEARNING EXPERIENCES FOR DIGIKIDS
Authors: Ciolan Laura elena
Published: February 2023

The focus of pedagogy when it came to the question how to ensure the success of learning was different during the time. Content was considered initially the key to success: how to select it, how to make it accessible and relevant according to age, how to de-constru t and re-constru t it. Than, objectives and their accurate formulation came into the attention. Using appropriate verbs and make learning measurable or at least observabe was the main request. More and more we see that, while we are about to educate the Millenials, with their new learning approaches and habits, the effort to create relevant learning settings and experiences become the most important issue. It may look a bit superficial to focus on the conditions, and not so much on the essence, but conditions of learning are the moving target, the institutions as learning scenes are changing much slowly. I this paper we will review and support the ideas related to the priority we should give to learning experiences in pedagogy in order to motivate learn and learners and to enhance th role and the potential of educational technologies in this respect. Both teachers and students perspectives to the topic will be investigated, considering their contribution to create relevant learning scenes and experiences, especially when it comes to early ages. In the early ages, the role of designing / creating a relevant learning setting and initiating a productive and meaningful learning experience is even more important than in later stages of schooling or personal development.
USE OF SCIENTIFIC LANGUAGE AND CLARITY OF EXPLANATIONS AND INSTRUCTIONS IN ELECTRONIC LESSONS MADE BY PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS
Authors: Marchis Iuliana , Demeny Paraschiva
Published: February 2023

Good communication, correct use of scientific language, clarity of explanations and instructions are all important in an effective teaching/learning process. During frontal or group activity pupils have the opportunity to clarify with the teacher or with their peers the questions arisen from lack of clarity in communication. But as educational software is usually studied individually by each pupil, in this case it is more important that all the texts in these programs are clear and correct, as pupils many times don't have the opportunity to ask questions in case they don't understand something. The main goal of this research is to study the correctness of the language, the use of the scientific language and clarity of explanations and instructions in electronic lessons made by pre-service teachers. The research was carried out during Computer Assisted Learning (CAL) classes for students with Special Pedagogy and Psychology specialization. These students studied Pedagogy before this course and they have already planned and carried out lessons during their pedagogical practice. In CAL course students have been asked to choose a school discipline and a topic from this discipline's curriculum, and then develop a short electronic lesson for the chosen topic. The electronic lessons made by them were then analyzed based on a criteria system developed by the researchers. These criteria are focusing on the correctness of the language, the systematic use of the scientific language, the clearness of the explanations and task formulation, the comprehension processes which are evaluated with the questions. The results show that students make spelling and grammatical mistakes, but they are more careful with the scientific language; half of the questions evaluating only how pupils retrieve explicitly stated information; and there is a correlation between students correct language use and which process of comprehension they evaluate with the questions.
E-LEARNING AND MILITARY RULES ACROSS BATTLEFIELDS
Authors: Moise Andrei emil
Published: February 2023

E-learning and military rules across battlefields
Andrei-Emil Moise
Hyperion University, Calarasi Street, Bucharest, Romania

It is undoubtly true for any for any advised reader, that in all conflicts, either of internal or external nature certain rules need to obeyed. While most nations, if not all, agree that such limitations are required in order to protect both combatants and the civilian population of unnecessary torment, few chose to act in sharing to those interested the very set of law principles that should govern armed conflicts. Here is an area where e-learning can and should come in more and more effective. Some countries, the more unfortunate ones, financially speaking, tend to justify the most gruesome acts committed by their armed forces as a direct result of lack of information regarding humanitarian law. Such excuses should not be tolerated in any circumstance and, by the use of technology and the learning systems being upgraded and implemented every day errors and the thin excuse of blissfulness
Perhaps such use is not the most common of e-learning techniques but it is nonetheless of utmost importance. In support of these things i shall bring opinions of renowned authors which are willing to award the media-technology ways of the present the most important role in the development of society in all it's domains. If we are to take those informations and rally them for but a second to the necessity of veridical data on all battlefields we are to discover how the most vital data (the ones regarding the protection and safekeeping of human lives) are to find the most beneficial way of traveling and being carried across the world nowadays.
MOODLE PLATFORM: AN E-LEARNING EXPERIENCE TO ENHANCE TEACHING PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCES OF FUTURE KINDERGARTEN AND PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS
Authors: Masari Gianinaana
Published: February 2023

This research study presents students' behavior characteristics regarding the impact of e-learning experience on teaching professional competences. It started from the main question if e-tools can have training values for pre-service teacher education? Therefore, this case-study is about a concrete experience by virtual world technology into the student's learning environment of 126 students, with ages between 19 to 50 years old, from second year of university studies, future kindergarten and primary school teachers from Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi. This research is focused on development of eight teaching professional aspects by interaction with a Moodle platform, such as: values and professional identity, social relationships, learning process, contents, planning capacity, organising capacity, communication and teaching skills. There were used two types of intruments: a qualitative one through personal reflection and a quantitative questionnaire (Likert scale) about all eight teaching professional competences mentioned above and reflected into all activities developed during a semester by using a moodle platform. The results of in-depth survey of this case-study are structured on categories of teaching professional competences developed through an e-learning experience. Because a review on impact of e-learning platform on students' teaching professional competences of future kindergarten and primary school teachers still remains difficult to measure (looking only at the diversity of inputs on social aspects), some areas for further investigation and research could consist into: an analyze of the students' learning styles, gender, or what are the advantages and disadvantages on teaching process hold by female and male learners by the exposure to e-learning experiences.
A RETHINKING OF ASSESSMENT IN OPEN AND DISTANCE EDUCATION
Authors: Carmen maria Chisiu
Published: February 2023

In open and distance education environment is one type e-learning. One of the distinguishing materials away from the classic study is the systematic use of applications that can be used as evidence of self, that examination papers or assessment tests.
They assess the procurement, training the skills covered by the unit concerned. In distance learning, teachers meet in the main role of evaluators of student achievement. They have a duty to provide competent answers to their questions and comments to motivate the individual to work prepared and submitted verification of students.
Rethinking the evaluation of teaching lies in the need to tackle this task in terms of education centering on student's interests and availability. It is the answer to the need of improving the quality of education by engaging students as partners in their own development, by emphasizing practical skills, applied learning, increasing motivation for learning.
This paper proposes a rethinking of IDD evaluation-oriented aspects:
1. Assessment approach as a source of learning and opportunity;
2. Considering students through self-assessment, partners in their own development;
3. The use of methods and techniques and practical formative role-applied;
4. Self realization by students based on a set of criteria designed by the teacher.
Participatory evaluation, consensual, is based on shared responsibility between student and teacher. The emphasis on cooperation, collaboration and learning process ep. Student, as an appraiser, learn to know and builds their own learning.Stimulated activism and involvement, both in learning and in the assessment.
In addition to rethinking evaluation, this paper presents the conclusions drawn from the analysis of responses to a questionnaire and direct observation of the 212 students assessed using the assessment methods proposed.
ON-LINE METACOGNITIVE METHODS FOR TEACHING/LEARNING A FOREIGN LANGUAGE
Authors: Henter Ramona
Published: February 2023

Language learning, as much as any other domain of knowledge, is a reason for accessing an on-line environment, more and more lately, due to the extraordinary development of the technology which offers learning videos, e-teachers or the possibility to get in touch with native speakers of the learnt language, along with one major advantage: learners which experience language anxiety, find it easier to overcome it from the safety of their home, while sitting in front of a computer.
Teaching foreign languages in unconventional environments (on-line or in computer assisted classes) calls for both effective teaching methods and students' personal involvement in learning (self-regulated learning). Some of these methods have been tested in an on-line English language course, a course which combines teaching language with teaching metacognitive methods because research shows that learners with good metacognitive skills have better results in learning a foreign language. By teaching students about metacognitive methods we empower them, make them overtake the learning process, which is absolutely necessary when in a hypermedia environment.
The learning process is also enhanced by creating a personal learning environment (PLE) - a collection of different information and communication technology tools and software which foster self-regulated and collaborative learning (Valtonen et al, 2011), and creating PLEs was desired as part of this course. As PLEs reflect each student's learning needs and ways of learning, they must be based on each student's metacognitive profile, identified at the enrollment in the virtual class.
This paper presents the metacognitive methods used in on-line teaching and learning, as well as a sample of a personal learning environment.
USE OF ADAPTED SOFTWARE IN THE THERAPY OF LANGUAGE DISTURBANCES IN THE CASE OF THE INTELLECT DEFICIENT PEOPLE
Authors: Florin emil Verza , Bratu Marilena , Marinela Vasile
Published: February 2023

TThe research hereby aims to reveal the specific features of logopedic intervention in terms of using some adapted software applications as well as to highlight a sheer reality of our century: a meaningful combination of the traditional therapeutic methods with hi-tech informatic equipment during the logopedic therapy can remarkably stimulate children into performing a stable activity, which consequently would lead to rewarding therapeutic progress.
It is presumed that, in terms of using some software applications adapted to dyslexia and dysgraphia therapy for students with mental disabilities, some notable improvements would be registered in their evolution.
It is also presumable that, by using an application with a symbols processor within the dyslexia and dysgraphia therapy for students with mental disabilities, some notable improvements would be registered in their aware reading of the texts.
The present research has been made by a sample lot of 46 subjects (11 girls and 35 boys) with mental disabilities diagnosis and chronological age ranging from 10 to 12 years.
Methods of data collection: Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices Test; proof set for assessing the language psychological age (Alice Descoudress); proof set for assessing the dyslexic and dysgraphic impairments.
Subsequently to dyslexic and dysgraphic impairments noted to the students with mental disabilities within the lot, we advanced on the application-oriented part of the research. All students were involved in the ongoing activity pertaining to dyslexia and dysgraphia therapy, in compliance with their medical diagnosis and and their intellectual development level.
The therapeutic activity designed for the experimental lot was also undergoing by implementing the same methodology as in the case of the control lot, while for accomplishing the set objectives, SymWriter educational software was extensively used, in order to prompt its efficiency during the targeted activity.
The period of time when Widgit applications were used along the activities related to dyslexia and dysgraphia therapy was set for three months. At the end of the established period, the whole lot was again assessed by proof set means, thus to be enabled to mark the evolution of the students with mental disabilities.
On examining the results of both the initial and final assessments for the control lot as well as for the experimental lot, we were finally led to the conclusion that, if using some software applications adapted to dyslexia and dysgraphia therapy, together with proceeding to some application assissted by a symbols processor, the progress in correcting the dyslexic-dysgraphic impairments were strikingly remarkable and meanwhile, notable progress was recorded in terms of aware reading of the texts.
GENERIC QUESTION-AND-ANSWER BASED BUSINESS GAMES
Authors: Siepermann Markus , Borgermann Chris , Lackes Richard
Published: February 2023

Within day-to-day business many problems are not well-structured, data are missing, the problem definition is incomplete etc. Employees have to specify their tasks accurately, search for relevant information, ask how the task is intended before being able to provide suitable solutions. This "real life situation" is hardly been not practiced by students. Usually, students are facing well defined tasks with clear objectives. Even the knowledge and methods that they have to apply is mostly given within an exercise.
To prepare students for real life, they have to practice such situations. For this, we present a game-based learning solution that simulates the real life situation of incomplete problem definitions. The end result is clearly defined, but the restrictions or determinants are not given. That means, that each student who wants to solve the exercise knows which data has to be found or computed but in the beginning most of the determinants are missing. Therefore, students have to structure the problem first. They have to find the determinants they need to compute the result. Then, they can ask the system about the required values and get information and leading hints in response. The advantages of the game based learning system are obvious: Students have to analyse the situation, they have to find a problem solving method and they have to do an investigation on their own. Therefore, they learn to work independently. As a side effect, those exercises can be used in exams: The students' solutions can be compared to the reference solution and can be marked as correct or wrong. The system knows all about the required values. If students fill in the correct solution without having asked the right questions the system knows that they have guessed or cheated. Even if students have not found the correct end result the assignment can take place: On the basis of the questions asked by students the system can analyse how much of the problem was solved.
MODERN STRATEGIES FOR A QUALITY AND SUCCESSFUL ELEARNING
Authors: Eparu Dorin
Published: February 2023

The continuous professional formation and development of the military staff is a complex process which must align to the modernization efforts of the Romanian education. The academic component of the superior military education, as well as the military and physical training are transforming as regards the means of their conception and organization, but particularly as regards their mean of development.
Modern didactic strategies are a condition to reach the finalities of the educative initiative. Here we refer to the use of an interactive didactic methodology centred on formative aspects and, consequently, to the valuation of opportunities offered by modern didactic means sustained by a performing technical support. Along the didactic competence of the teachers, students' involvement in the use of modern means of learning, training and education determines the possibility to efficiently apply modern didactic strategies.
In education, the prospective attitude (sometimes also called projective) is keen to the awareness that the human personality, professional formation and then the continuous professional development must take into consideration the future's perspectives and challenges. Today, it is considered the past - present - future relation is dialectic, the mutual relations between yesterday, today and tomorrow are changed and are permanently changing, today does not appear determined by yesterday, but by tomorrow .
In the educational sphere, the immediate practical consequence is the need to adapt the training and education to the rapid rhythm of society's development. Is very well-known Gaston Berger statement in regard to which: "the future must not be awaited, but built, and consequently, firstly invented". Thus, the past configures and explains the future but the future's events present the reason for the present.
AUTOMATED UML MODEL COMPARISON FOR QUALITY ASSURANCE IN SOFTWARE ENGINEERING EDUCATION
Authors: Stefan Florea , Cernian Alexandra , Ionita Anca daniela
Published: February 2023

Quality assurance in educational institutions should include mechanisms for detecting any student's attempt to cheat at his or her written assessments. Due to an increasing number of incidents, it is necessary to define holistic approaches at institutional levels, where management, culture and infrastructure should be taken into account. For this purpose, universities generally use tools for detecting plagiarism, based on comparing text and grammatical style, as well as searching for similar materials available on the Internet. Apart from general systems for detecting plagiarism, each discipline may require specific electronic aids for identifying similarities between assessment results. The paper considers the case of Software Engineering and, more specifically, Object-Oriented Modeling. It proposes solutions for automatically comparison of models conforming to the Unified Modeling Language, based on the following requirements:
- Define methods for comparing all types of diagrams;
- Develop a system that stores students' models;
- Create tools that check a new project upon all the previous submissions, in order to detect similarities;
- Eliminate false positive results;
- Introduce the facility to detect synonyms at the level of modeling element names, using a Romanian language dictionary;
- Define metrics for the similarity degree;
- Validate the methods and tools in the classroom.
The UML diagrams are supposed to be represented with the open source platform StarUML; then, they are exported to XML format for being interpreted and analyzed in comparison with the models of the central repository; one also checks for synonyms in naming modeling elements like classes, attributes, operations, actors, activities, states, components, nodes etc. The similarity score is computed with a dedicated algorithm, which takes into account weighted UML elements, UML relations, and semantics synonymy aspects.
EVALUATION AND COMPARISON OF EIGHT OPEN COURSEWARE BASED ON A QUALITY MODEL
Authors: Constantinescu Zoran , Vladoiu Monica
Published: February 2023

Despite the magnitude, pervasiveness, and impact of the open educational resources and open courseware movement on users worldwide, there is yet no quality assessment framework that could provide support for OCW/OER users. Thus, learners need guidance for choosing the most appropriate educational resources that fulfills their educational needs, while instructors are interested in support for instructional activities, which provide for achievement of learning goals, objectives, and outcomes, along with reflective learning. Developers need guidelines for designing and building such educational resources, while faculty or institutions that are or want to become involved in the open courseware movement may be interested in the challenges and rewards of this process. Though, there is preoccupation about articulating a set of criteria for quality assessment, which may be used to support construction, evaluation and comparison of open courseware and open educational resources and repositories. However, the related work is extremely thin, with just a few works approaching the general subject of quality of open courseware and OERs in the context of assessing the impact of these paradigms in education nowadays. In this paper we evaluate and compare quality-wise eight open courseware on databases offered by different major open courseware providers that comply with different open courseware paradigms. The comparison is guided by our set of socio-constructivist quality criteria, which has been introduced in our previous works, and that serve as general guidelines for development, use, modification, evaluation, and comparison of open courseware and OERs. Moreover, this work attempts to work those quality criteria on the chosen open courseware, and to learn, based on this experience, how to develop further the initial set of quality criteria.
E-BOOKS & E- LEARNING
Authors: Ionica Serban , Calina Ana maria
Published: February 2023

In the context of current development, while the trend is towards an open access to information, unrestricted by space and time, libraries must adapt to new changes existent in the society of information, in order to meet the needs of its users. Thus, with the development of computer systems, distribution of the networks especially in the universities and companies, and the advent of so many personal computers, libraries have begun to lose their customers. And this is due to the broadening of another branch of the electronic paper: the E-book.
E-book or the electronic book has grown rapidly in recent years, especially in areas such as humanities i.e. dictionaries and encyclopaedias.
E-book is an item that does not have to be bought, or sought between dusty shelves, and is not the absent book because it was borrowed by someone else. E-book is the book from the computer, within the computer, the book available for an infinite number of readers, the book that can be read easily and that can offer a superior graphic presentation of a classic pattern. E-book is now the way to preserve the oldest books, the best method by which a rare book can be multiplied and not having to be printed. It can be read by an infinite number of people simultaneously considering that it can exist on the computer for each person. In addition, e-book is similar to writing a book, only this time the writing is reduced; it allows a permanent return to the text, the ability to correct it, making ads, and restoring it without affecting the text or its layout. Thus, compared to the usual manuscripts with additions and doodles in the margins, an e-book will look cleaner and will have an arranged text. Prices for production of an e-book are much lower than the production of a book; including the investment that one author will have to do will be much smaller. And this is due to the diminishing of the waste paper and nerves, in case of returning to the text, being only necessary the pressing a few keys.
INSPIRED BY THE UNEXPECTED - SERENDIPITOUS LEARNING
Authors: Giurgiu Luminita , Barsan Ghita , Mosteanu Danut
Published: February 2023

Inspired by the unexpected - serendipitous learning
According to Dr. Allen Tough, futurist, scientist, professor at the University of Toronto, about 80% of learning is informal rather than professionally planned. Serendipitous learning might be considered as a subset of informal learning. Formal learning is experienced in an authority-based, course-oriented school, but nowadays, with the incredibly amounts of information that are available through the Web, a special kind of learning makes its presence felt, assuming eminence's learning that is discovery based. Serendipitous learning precipitates exploratory or informal learning which is less formal than objectives-driven approaches, but is still influenced by personal experience, goals and interests. Serendipity is the effect of discovering something really interesting, whilst looking for entirely something else, in other words a completely unintended but fortunate discovery. But serendipitous learning is associated with the idea that "we are more likely to be receptive to serendipitous discovery if our minds have undergone some prior training or preparation. Preparation, training and knowledge do not guarantee serendipitous discovery, but they do increase the probability of discovery. This skill is sometimes referred to as intuitive sagacity, in which seemingly disparate pieces of information undergo a process of mental incubation and are brought together by an external catalyst such as a research query ". This article aims to investigate and reflect on the exploratory hunger of the online learning fostered by the greatest serendipity engine in the history of culture - the Web - pointing out ssome powerful implications of this view.
INCREASING THE EFFICIENCY OF E-LEARNING SUPPORTED ENGLISH COURSES FOR ENGINEERING STUDENTS IN MULTICULTURAL GROUPS
Authors: Catelly Yolandamirela
Published: February 2023

With the increase of e-learning use in foreign language courses, a challenge has emerged for the teachers who are also course designers and researchers of the instructional process quality, viz. the existence of sometimes wide differences as far as the implications of the cultural dimensions influence upon the students' successful learning are concerned. The various cultural backgrounds of the students in a multicultural group in terms of, among others, their education, age, gender, religion, customs, beliefs, fields of study, seem to determine their specific approach to using e-learning in their foreign language acquisition process, both at university and at home. There is not much research done over such aspects, and the identified titles are mainly focused on one culture only, and not on the variety presupposed by a multicultural group. The data collected in the literature also emphasize the fact that it is not only the foreign language discipline that is culturally impacted, but most other subject areas as well. For instance, the e-learning specific pedagogical approach largely resorts to collaborative work in pairs and groups, and this may contravene to local methodologies. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the multicultural group students' various types of perception, behaviour, background exposure and learning habits as regards e-learning, by using an array of research instruments (questionnaires, interviews, focus groups), in order to identify viewpoints and attitudes due to the students' own culture. We maintain that the results of such an analysis may be conducive to innovatively reshaping the course tasks in order to optimize the learners' utilization of e-learning at a higher 'addressability' level, thus increasing their efficiency.
SOCIAL NETWORKING AND ITS EFFECTS ON ENGINEERING STUDENTS. A STUDY IN THE LANGUAGE CLASS.
Authors: Nistor Cristina mihaela
Published: February 2023

For digital natives, who form the majority of our students nowadays, social networking feels as natural as breathing. Technology encourages on-line communication to the detriment of face-to-face interaction, and that is easily noticed in the case of engineering students. Still, in the language class, our activities tend to promote real-life simulations and role play, in an attempt to help first- or second--year engineering students get familiar with their future working environment. The language curriculum revolves around the possible requirements of Polytechnic students' prospective careers. This necessity for both social adjustment and linguistic accuracy is reflected by activities that combine team work and individual performance and lead to students' becoming accomplished professionals. That is why this paper studies the effect of social networking on first-year Poly students, as I have noticed them in the language class. I will start my analysis by giving an overview of the most relevant social networks favored by my students, and then I will mention some of the reasons why virtual interaction is on top of their list. My paper will also venture to question the benefits that this type of social activity may bring to any person, with a special emphasis on engineering students, who are the object of my study. There are certain points that need clarification when one deals with people who are both digital natives and engineering students. We have to establish how many (and which) of students' social activities in real life have been replaced by virtual socializing, and to what extent that has had consequences on students' learning performance. Based on that, we can choose to include in the language curriculum activities that help our engineering students compensate for the lack of real human interaction. The paper does not dare end with any definite conclusions, but it draws one's attention to the necessity of striking a balance between real friends and communication and its virtual counterparts.
CULTURAL CHALLENGES POSED BY E-LEARNING IN AN ETHNICALLY DIVERSE ACADEMIC ENVIRONMENT
Authors: Dumitrescu Virginia mihaela
Published: February 2023

The paper is based on the author?s experience of teaching an Intercultural Business Communication course and seminar to ethnically and culturally diverse groups of graduate students of the Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies. It looks at students? culture-specific attitudes and responses to a variety of teaching, learning, and research methods including, apart from the traditional ones (i.e., classroom interaction with the course and seminar instructor or the use of paper-printed material), a wide range of computer-assisted options such as the use of resources and information - course notes, lectures, hand-outs, articles, videos, useful links - available in electronic format on the master?s programme platform, additional self-study/research material sent by email or available on the Internet, as well as email-administered tests/ exercises/ case-studies. Cultural differences in learning styles are explained in terms of various cultures? distinct communication preferences, their specific treatment of and attitude towards time (punctuality, deadlines, lead time, short or long-term orientation), authority (including the way the teacher-student relationship is understood across cultures), uncertainty, group orientation vs. individual achievement, the importance attached to rules and standards, etc. The theoretical framework of this paper consists in Geert Hofstede?s and Fons Trompenaars?s dimension-based models of intercultural analysis, Edward T. Hall?s classification of cultures from the point of view of communication style, Romanian researcher Adina Luca?s analysis of the Romanian culture, and the author?s own views on cultural differences and their impact on students? learning styles and habits. The paper aims to demonstrate that, despite the growing popularity of technology-mediated education and communication in our increasingly ?flat?, borderless world, the effectiveness of e-learning in relation to the more traditional training options should always be considered within the context of culture.
MUSIC IN E-LEARNING CULTURE
Authors: Felician Rosca
Published: February 2023

Although they look like a paradoxical phenomenon, vocational studies have found their place in distance education. The beginnings of this type of education can be found in Japan and Israel where experiments were conducted in the early 1990s looking for teaching methods addressing groups of children playing keyboard instruments that can be monitored through digital systems. Today we have hundreds of this type of school. Even if the subject seems to be controversial the e-learning system, with its modern distance learning concepts has a well-established tradition by the series of graduates of all major music subjects at Gh. Dima Music Academy in Cluj Napoca. This system and especially the possibility to update it are the main focus of my paper and I would like to offer a professional analysis as well as a number of practical ideas to adjust the education system and the methodology that can be used in a university education system that has a functional e-learning platform.
The practice in the vocational music education system, both under its theoretical and practical forms implies the development of a platform and a specific support. If as far as the theoretical subjects are concerned we have a platform based on texts, graphics and experiments, in the field of music they will be based on examples from music, practical lessons, musical analysis regarding different music interpretation techniques, creativity studies and stage techniques, etc. Such a system implies a bulk of methods that can be recorded on video and that are obligatory in a student-centered interactive system.