bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
USE OF MOBILE TECHNOLOGY IN THE TEACHING/LEARNING PROCESS - OPPORTUNITIES AND BARRIERS
Authors: Pribeanu Costin , Gorghiu Gabriel , Lamanauskas Vincentas , Slekiene Violeta
Published: February 2023

Nowadays, mobile devices are able to support a large diversity of tasks being used for communication, socialization, interaction, collaboration, sharing of information and resources. As already known, mobile phones became active parts of the lifestyle of many teachers and students. The powerful capabilities of mobile devices and the increasing number of educational applications opened new perspectives for the integration of cell phones in the classroom. Mobile learning provides various opportunities for teachers to increase students' motivation, individualize the teaching process, and extend it outside the classroom. However, there is a long journey for mobile devices to become common tools, successfully integrated into the teaching and learning process. Despite the new opportunities and perceived benefits, there are also barriers to integration. These barriers have been broadly classified as external and internal. A key issue takes is the teacher's willingness to incorporate mobile technology into their own teaching demarches. But this decision depends on each teacher's personality, attitude, and perception concerning the effectiveness of exploiting the mobile technology facilities in teaching and learning. In this respect, this paper aims to explore the perceptions of Romanian and Lithuanian science education teachers as regards the opportunities and barriers of using mobile technology in education. The results show that overall, the teachers from both countries have a positive perception concerning the opportunities provided by mobile technology and a similar concern as regards the potential of its inappropriate use. The results also revealed a diversity of perceptions related to the teacher's personality, individual teaching practices, and existing technical support.
PARTICULARITIES OF TEACHER-STUDENT INTERACTION FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS
Authors: Trif Letitia
Published: February 2023

The contemporary society being an educational society, points out a number of aspects that require the elaboration of the educational policy directions and the reconfiguration of the educational paradigms, at the macro and micro level, starting from elements such as: the high degree of abstraction of some knowledge products; restructuring of the values system promoted by the society; accelerating the dynamics, the pace of changes; scientific, technical, cultura etc., general; the mobility of social life, the need to change tasks, roles and statuses, professions; the evolution of the labor market. Thus, contemporary education systems underline the role of "the teacher who is a facilitator of learning, a student among students, a person who sees learning through the eyes of students." (John Hattie, 2014) In this context, we propose an analysis of identifying the particularities of teacher-student interaction from the perspective of learning environments.
We will analyze certain factors, such as: the course materials, the quality of the educational materials from the program, their attractiveness, presentation, clarity, content and references to other materials; quality of the teachers activity: the degree in which it is able to offer help, encouragement and guidance (good communication with the teacher improves the student's learning performance); feedback on the learning process, the recorded performances, the speed and clarity of the reaction received throughout the training program, either in the online environment or in the traditional environment, of the student class; interaction and collaboration with colleagues, how they are able to provide support and encouragement.
The present study aims at three important objectives: identifying the students' preference for using the learning environment; analyzing the quality of knowledge acquisition in relation to the preferred learning environment; identification of the particularities of the teacher-student interaction from the perspective of the learning environment.
PEER TO PEER WEBRTC MULTIPOINT VIDEO-CONFERENCE SYSTEM FOR E-LEARNING
Authors: Suciu George , Stefanescu Stefan , Beceanu Cristian , Ceaparu Marian
Published: February 2023

Real-time communication (RTC) is a new standard and industry-wide effort that expand the web browsing model, allowing access to information in areas like social media, chat, video conferencing, and television over the internet, and unified communication. Users of these systems can view, record, remark, or edit video and audio content flows using time critical cloud infrastructures that enforce quality of services. However, there are many proprietary protocols and codecs available which are not easily interoperale and scalable to implement multipoint video-conference systems. WebRTC (Web real-time communication) is a state of the art open technology that makes real-time communication capabilities in audio, video and data transmission possible in real time communication through web browsers using JavaScript APIs (Application Programming Interface) without the plug-in. Furthermore, peer-to-peer (P2P) communication enables more efficient bandwidth usage and resilience against network errors, as E-Learning multimedia data must be streamed in real-time with the highest possible level of video quality to be easily understood by students. In this paper, we have proposed a web-based peer-to-peer real-time communication system using the Mozilla Firefox together with the Scaledrone service that enables users to communicate with high-speed data transmission over the communication channel using WebRTC technology, HTML5 and use Node.js server address. Moreover, the system can be used for massive open online courses, enabling presenters to have P2P multipoint video-conference with their auditorium. The result shows that the system is stable, fully functional, safe, and can be used in a practical network to transmit and receive multimedia data in real time between users. Furthermore, by using the video conference system, students can do better collaborative learning by sharing the knowledge between them and exchange different ideas about course activities, and after that, resolve the tasks received from the teachers. Cognitive analysis and understanding of the tasks and lessons from a class are increasing with the development of social skills.
VIRTUAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS FOR NEVER-ENDING LEARNING: A SURVEY
Authors: Cimpanu Corina , Lupu Robert gabriel , Ungureanu Florina , Dumitriu Tiberius
Published: February 2023

Knowledge aggregation is mainly based on education, training, and continuous development. This never-ending learning process starts with inoculating information and generating attitudes, continues with gaining practical skills, and developing a career in a particular domain. Internet technologies development facilitates today the expansion of various e-learning scenarios. In the education domain, distance learning is widely used for teaching and learning in domains like science, technology, or engineering, even if it sometimes becomes difficult to share or to access the whole experimental setting remotely. Virtual laboratories, virtual research environments, or science gateways refer to community-developed digital environments that allow integrated access via web or mobile apps to resources like data, software, tools, high-performance computing, and instrumentation. Virtual environments for learning or research are meant to update the students learning behavior from passive to active learners by promoting essential thinking skills for the transfer or use of classroom-acquired knowledge into a real-life setting.
Nowadays, emerging technologies like virtual worlds, augmented reality, or computer graphics tend to overcome the principal difficulties and disadvantages of a virtual laboratory.
Virtual environments add a significant contribution to various research domains, enabling bold new ways of facilitating more efficient and open research and learning. This paper aims to create a valuable source of information that outlines the field of virtual learning environments regarding different system architectures and experimental settings, offering a base for future research. The proposed research summarizes state of the art in virtual laboratories in the field of science, technology, and engineering and illustrates a comparative study between virtual learning environments.
TOWARDS IMPROVING CROWDSOURCING LEARNING FOR STUDENTS BY USING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
Authors: Cincar Kristijan , Codreanu Ioanaandra
Published: February 2023

Artificial intelligence will change the way we live and work, using artificial intelligence will help people learn more, work smarter and evolve over time on all levels.
Students in each field will need to be aware of Artificial Intelligence strategies to advance their own activity. And the technology used needs a strategy that should use and coordinate the use of these tools in the field of artificial intelligence.
The basic idea is to use online messaging both on the phone and on the computer to facilitate peer-to-peer learning where students are asked to ask questions by connecting with colleagues with the same interests and to questions that colleagues are answering on this platform.
Moderators of this online messaging platform, check the questions and answers to make sure they are of high quality. Our idea is to use machine learning algorithms that filter out incorrect questions, eliminate them and help moderators with correct answers use a automatically generated database.

In addition, there is the possibility to use machine learning for students depending on their skill sets. Example a student who successfully answered advanced art questions, for example, could be associated with a student who has questions about art courses.
Another example is at the beginning determining the learning level of a new user, giving them easier questions. Then, we connect them with other users of the more established online messenger who can guide them, and then gradually move them forward. We seek to arouse interest and to trust the beginner students.
EYE TRACKER APPLICATION FOR URBAN STUDIES IN TOWN PLANNING EDUCATIONAL AREA
Authors: Danilina Nina , Hristov Borislav
Published: February 2023

Urban studies are an important part of the practice-oriented approach in town-planning education. Digital technologies are based on the processing of big data generated by the urban environment are of particular value if we are talking about the development of smart and sustainable cities. The article pays the attention to the use of the eye-tracker tool for solving applied urban problems in the framework of research work of students. The use of the eye-tracker is proposed as in instrument of urban research that allow to receive and evaluate large amount of information on the example of the research work of students on the survey of city streets of Berlin. The tasks was to fix the distribution of the pedestrian's gaze when they are walking along busy city streets, to assess the degree of attraction of the gaze by various elements of the urban environment and to obtain patterns of perception by the pedestrian of the spatial planning structure of the city street. The research project was attended by undergraduate students, whose goal was to practically get acquainted with this tool, master's students, whose goal was to identify and explore single factors, as well as a graduate student in urban planning, whose task is to form a scientific and methodological basis for the organization of spatial planning solutions of the urban environment. In such way we provide the relationship between the different levels of urban planning education, and in this chain, at each of the levels of study, students acquire specific skills and knowledge and abilities in the field of urban studies. Also, the study was conducted in the framework of an international project between Russia and Germany for joint urban research, which allows students to expand their experience and horizons in the perception of various urban practices. The article presents a methodological approach to the organization of inter-level interaction within the system of graduate education, as well as the results of the research project. The presented topic is a contribution to the digital development of smart education in accordance with the modern trends of digitalization of education and will ensure the quality and competitiveness of graduate education on the world stage.
THE IMPACT OF SUPPORTIG ACTIVITIES ON STUDENTS' PERFORMANCE IN TECHNICAL UNIVERSITIES
Authors: Oproiu Gabriela carmen , Litoiu Nicoleta
Published: February 2023

Everywhere in the world, education systems seek to provide students with opportunities for their development, in terms of cognitive performance, socio-emotional skills, professional competencies, information on labor market that may facilitate their insertion, and finally the success in transition from the university world to the real life. During this transition, many students, especially from the first year of studies, fail meeting the curriculum and evaluation standards increasing the retention rate at the university level. There are many arguments for explaining this context, starting from those related to the lack of learning motivation and ending to those referring to the patterns of teachers-students relationships. Nowadays, the majority of Romanian universities are coping to these challenges. The risk of dropping out within the first year of university became a major issue increasingly approached by national plans of measures or strategic projects. One of these projects is represented by the Romania Secondary Education Project (the ROSE Project), implemented by the Ministry of Education an co-financed by the Romanian Government and the World Bank. The ROSE Project's main objective is to improve the transition from upper secondary into tertiary education and increase the retention in the first year of tertiary education in project-supported education institutions. University POLITEHNICA of Bucharest is one of the education institutions involved in, developing supporting activities for students in their first year of studies. These support activities are mainly referring to the tutoring, vocational counselling and career guidance, coaching, remedial programs and similar activities.
The present paper is aimed to analyse the student's opinions about the impact of the main activities of the Sub-Project SIDPERA Learning Centre ("Learning and personal development strategies for reducing school dropout"), implemented in University POLITEHNICA of Bucharest since 2018. The students' opinions emphasize the impact of tutoring, career counselling and personal development activities on their learning strategies and skills development in order to facilitate the proper integration to the academic environment, after a year of implementation. The data collecting instruments are based on quantitative (questionnaire) and qualitative (focus-group) patterns of research, attempting to find out solutions and new creative perspective of analyses.
GAMIFICATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION: A BIBLIOMETRIC APPROACH
Authors: Grosseck Gabriela , Malita Laura , Gomez Monivas sacha
Published: February 2023

In recent years, the interest in research concerning gamification in higher education (GHE) has grown considerably. Although a simple search in Web of Science (WoS) return more than 4000 papers on gamification, there are very few studies based on a bibliometric analysis. Therefore, a thorough evaluation of this field and its challenges is highly necessary and can help us better understand the diversity of gamification approaches, the ways in which various scholars, countries, institutions or universities reacted through research and scientific publications to the study of GHE space. Using a bibliometric approach, we analyzed 1029 papers on GHE, indexed by WoS. In addition to the bibliometric indicators offered by WoS, we used the VosViewer software in order to visualize the intellectual structure, conceptual dynamics, diffusion of knowledge, development over time, research trends (identifying the fast growing / popular topical areas), core authors, top journals, leading countries and institutions, the impact of collaboration, etc. The main findings increased our understanding of the use of GHE: we identified vital research, landmark studies in the development of the field, critical past contributions, emerging trends and potentially transformative ideas.In recent years, the interest in research concerning gamification in higher education (GHE) has grown considerably. Although a simple search in Web of Science (WoS) return more than 4000 papers on gamification, there are very few studies based on a bibliometric analysis. Therefore, a thorough evaluation of this field and its challenges is highly necessary and can help us better understand the diversity of gamification approaches, the ways in which various scholars, countries, institutions or universities reacted through research and scientific publications to the study of GHE space. Using a bibliometric approach, we analyzed 1029 papers on GHE, indexed by WoS. In addition to the bibliometric indicators offered by WoS, we used the VosViewer software in order to visualize the intellectual structure, conceptual dynamics, diffusion of knowledge, development over time, research trends (identifying the fast growing / popular topical areas), core authors, top journals, leading countries and institutions, the impact of collaboration, etc. The main findings increased our understanding of the use of GHE: we identified vital research, landmark studies in the development of the field, critical past contributions, emerging trends and potentially transformative ideas.
A FUZZY MEASLES EPIDEMIC MODEL, GENERALIZED APPROACH IN A FUZZY ARITHMETIC FRAMEWORK
Authors: Arotaritei Dragos , Gheorghita Andrei , Rotariu Mariana , Ilea Mihai
Published: February 2023

The epidemiological models modeled by a system of differential equation depending of time are useful to model the dynamic of the epidemic along with future prediction of the spread of disease. Also, the dynamic model help to better understand the equilibrium point(s) and when is the case the optimal strategy for vaccination (where the vaccination is possible and a vaccine exists) or treatments allow eventually with other measures (as social education in some cases). One of the most studied models that can apply for many diseases that are described by compartmental model is the SEIR model: malaria, Ebola, measles, etc.
There are few proposals for simulation tools of epidemic models but all are for crisp cases. In this paper we propose an educational tool for simulation of fuzzy SEIR model applicable to measles dynamics where all the coefficients from model can be crisp numbers of fuzzy numbers (triangular, trapezoidal or Gaussian) with corresponding graph display of epidemic dynamics. Moreover, in the cases when two coefficients are in the same differential equation, a proposal to solve to problem is made in the fuzzy arithmetic network.
An additional module is used to construct a more extended fuzzy epidemiologic model, with additional compartment, e.g. SEIRS, in a friendly manner by a user interface for builder model of differential equations. The tool has a library with predefined models and an option to select to parameters in order to have an asymptotic stable solution.
The user can select the graphs to be displayed on the common window or in a separated window with zooming possibility to evaluate better the evolution of dynamic system.
EFFORT MONITORING IN ACUTE ALTITUDE EXPOSURE BY MEANS OF SUUNTO WEARABLE TECHNOLOGY
Authors: Teodorescu Silvia , Bota Aura , Serbanoiu Sorin
Published: February 2023

Currently, outdoor activities, especially trekking and mountaineering capture the interest of large populations, of all ages, despite rough conditions or deep exhaustion. The search of adventure can be equally rewarding and challenging/risky if limit situations are not properly managed to ensure personal safety and physical integrity. In this perspective using top notch technology becomes mandatory in view to having a successful experience. Therefore one of the major trends in sports training but also in recreational sports is the tendency to use smart wearables for activity monitoring, feedback, localization, external notification, in outdoor environmental conditions. The Suunto devices are one of the most comprehensive technologies, providing key features for sports and adventures activities.
This paper emphasizes the way Suunto Ambit 3 Peak accesses some outdoor functions - GPS tracking and navigation, altimeter and weather conditions, as well as training functions - speed and distance, heart rate, training load and recovery. The main research method used was the study case for a non-athlete adult subject performing the ascent and descent from Uhuru 5895m peak in Kilimanjaro.
The data offers cues in terms of gradual adaptation according to physiological principles in mountaineering, as references for those who practice this recreational, yet demanding activity.
Concretely, five-days data were processed, correlating altitude, distance, heart rate, excess post- exercise oxygen consumption and the number of calories burned.
Continuous monitoring of outdoor and training functions revealed a multistage adaptation for both effort and altitude constraints, proving that the aim to climb Uhuru peak was attainable without exhaustive costs also by an ongoing reinforcement feedback provided by technology.
TEACHING ROMANIAN FOR FOREIGNERS THROUGH ONLINE FILMS
Authors: Pricope Mihaela
Published: February 2023

The internet is an extraordinary source for language teaching. Set as valuable input to teaching language and culture, online films can be extensively used by language teachers to develop students' language and socio-cultural skills. The careful choice of films is made according to pedagogical objectives such as: the development of colloquial language skills, the acquisition of socio-cultural knowledge, the practice of summary skills etc. The teaching of language and culture through films or film fragments is an entertaining and motivational activity. In this manner, learning occurs and teaching is effective.
Teaching Romanian for foreign students has captured people's attention in the last 10 years and its importance is increasing. More and more foreigners arrive in Romanian for various reasons, such as to further study in the Romanian language; to find a job in Romania, to obtain a degree in an European country and continue their studies abroad in Europe; to pursue a career in our country or abroad or to attend specialization programmes to work in Romania
The present article introduces the importance of teaching Romanian for foreigners and covers, in its theoretical background, advantages and drawbacks of using films in the language classroom. Research in this domain covers the majority of these topics and offers examples of pre-viewing, while-viewing and post-viewing classroom activities but it doesn't offer concrete examples of online film-based lesson scenarios for teaching foreign languages, and in particular, Romanian for foreigners.
That is why our article, presents a lesson scenario based on a short online Romanian film available on the website: www.cinepub.ro. This website offers plenty of films and we found it very useful to use it both as lecture inputs and homework. The article concludes that with appropriate tasks designed to achieve the teaching objectives and to be appropriate for the students' language level, films are a valuable resource which both teach and entertain.
MOBILE-LEARNING, MOTIVATION AND FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNING AT UNIVERSITY LEVEL AND AS AN EMPLOYEE. A CONTRASTIVE STUDY
Authors: Soare Ioanlaurian , Munteanubanateanu Mariacristina
Published: February 2023

Motivation plays a decisive role in foreign language learning (FLL), whereas language learning itself is a complex process influenced by a great number of internal and external/cognitive and affective factors. Researches on motivational issues and language learning have been made in the area of second language acquisition (SLA) and foreign language learning (FLL) (Gardner and Lamber, 1972). Here we can indentify several types of motivation within language learning. The present study concentrates on three types of motivation (pragmatic-communicative, affective and integrative) (Mihaljevic,1991; Mihaljevic Djigunovic,1998) and focuses on FLL and mobile-learning, as a part of e-Learning. E-learning, as well as other new technologies, has enjoyed a spectacular growth in the recent years. Some decades ago, in both education and training, predictions about new forms of learning turned out to be inaccurate (Chambers, 1999), since a new branch has already made its own way within the learning universe: mobile learning. This new form of learning can be defined as the use of portable devices which include smartphones, personal digital assistants and handheld devices. It goes without saying that mobile learning is a novelty and relies on the use of wireless technology in the communication between teacher and student. This paper explores the use of mobile devices in FLL and the motivational issue in two contrastive ways: students at a state university on one hand and senior students (actually, company-employees) on the other hand. The study compares in what way mobile learning influences their motivation in acquiring a language. Different factors - such as gender, age, social enviromnent, team work are taken into consideration. In either cases there is a case study. The languages the subjects are studying are: French and German. The research involves also a determined period of time. The results showed, interestingly enough, a certain homogenity within the groups. From a motivational point of view, there was a predominat tendency towards pragmatic-communicative motivation whereas the use of mobile learning has increased considerably enough student?s attitude towards language learning.
LEARNING ABOUT SELF AND SOCIETY THROUGH ONLINE DATING PLATFORMS
Authors: Stoicescu Maria , Rughinis Cosima
Published: February 2023

People develop their identities and self-knowledge through constant presentation of self in situations of everyday interaction. In this paper we study strategies of learning about self and society through participation in the online dating platform Tinder, and in digital communities dedicated to collective reflection on this experience. Through an exploratory research based on observation and on content analysis on several online platforms, we identify stages of learning on a social trajectory from novice to methodical and to expert participant, and we illustrate how learning about one's self involves at the same time learning about others and the medium of interaction in which presentation and validation take place.
As Erving Goffman demonstrated, the presentation of self in everyday life is a highly organized activity in which people pursue others' validation. Invalidation can be painful and humiliating, possibly leading to degradation of one's status and to specific coping mechanisms. The increasing frequency of self-presentation in digitally mediated situations introduces novel processes in how people learn about themselves and others. Building a profile, seeking validation in the form of "likes" or "followers" or swipes to the right on Tinder, dealing with rejection when validation fails to materialize in the expected form or quantity, have become common activities for people across generations. Correspondingly, people ask for and give advice as to how to best present oneself and how to deal with rejection, on blogs, forums, Q&A platforms, books and other media.
Technologically mediated interaction leads to metric forms of validation, as users count the likes and matches they receive and optimize self-presentations to achieve desired numbers, among others. Digital platforms also make possible the gathering of digital traces about oneself and others and the interpretation of data - from personal self-tracking to wider exercises of observation and analysis of communities. People who are active on Tinder learn how to interpret profiles and numbers that are specific to this platform, how to react when metrics are disappointing and how to fine tune their self-presentation. Knowledge about oneself is intimately related to knowledge about the digital platform mechanisms, its incentives and mechanics, and to knowledge about other users' strategies. We illustrate how Tinder encourages reflexivity about one's dating skills and erotic capital while at the same time encouraging a systemic understanding of online dating as a social game with specific technological incentives, that continuously change the field of intimate interaction.
DIFFERENTIAL EFFECTS OF THE IPAD ON FIRST AND SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION BY SAUDI CHILDREN DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
Authors: Aljarf Reima
Published: February 2023

Since March 2020 until now, children have been studying online due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Since children are studying from home and having more free time than before, they are using their iPads for entertainment and learning purposes. This study is investigating the differential effects of the iPad on first and second language acquisition by Saudi children during the Covid-19 Pandemic. The subjects consisted of 78 parents and 118 children. The children sample was divided into 3 age groups: 1-6 (kindergarten), 7- 9 (grades 1-3), and 10-12 (grades 4-6). Interview-surveys with parents revealed that the iPad is more effective in helping children under the age of 6 in language learning than older children. Older children mainly use the iPad to play games and watch movies.

More children under the age of 6 use the iPad to learn English than Arabic (46%) because they go to international kindergartens, lived abroad with their parents, and their parents are English instructors. Young children learn the alphabet, numbers, and new vocabulary such as names of animals, colors, fruits, seasons, continents from special apps, games, cartoons, movies, nursery rhymes, stories, and flash cards. The apps are interactive and use color, animation, audio, and video. Children can use and re-use the apps any time and as many times as they wish. Negative effects of the iPad include bad handwriting, and some children are not interested in print books.

The presentation will report the results in detail and will give recommendations for better use of the iPad.
USING MICROSOFT TEAMS TO DEVELOP ENGINEERING STUDENTS' TELECONFERENCING SKILLS - A CLIL APPROACH
Authors: Catelly Yolandamirela
Published: February 2023

Abstract: Given the pandemic context effects on the higher education starting 2020, the entire instructional process, including the foreign language courses, has turned online, supported by the IT means available for the university. Therefore, gradually, courses were redesigned, in terms of content and methodological approach, to be adapted to the new environment, specific to synchronous online education, viz. for the University POLITEHNICA of Bucharest, the use of Microsoft Teams and the Moodle platform. Thus, by taking into account the quite predictable change in both the education and the future job needs of the engineering students/future employees, who will most probably continue to use synchronous online means for their daily activities, the focus of the foreign language course at bachelor level was necessarily shifted onto developing the trainees' appropriate soft skills for this type of environment. Certain features of the educational context described in the paper, namely: (i) the good technical profile of the learners, who are IT students with high computer literacy and good command of English, at least of B2 level, (ii) the availability of the Microsoft Teams and Moodle technical support in the university, (iii) the context of the practical course of language - English for Professional Communication - based on a core course book that, by its flexible structure, allows optimization required by the need to modernize/update both the content, and the didactic means used in implementing it, (iv) the language teacher's openness and adaptability to innovate, have been conducive to the design of a supplementary complete course book unit, centred on developing teleconferencing skills, and taught in the synchronous online mode, taking advantage of the very existence of the Microsoft Teams platform available for the course. The unit, whose design is based on communicative/eclectic pedagogical principles, is briefly presented in the paper, together with the rationale for its sections, which actually blend, as a CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) type of education, the teaching of content, i.e. knowledge of soft skills - teleconferencing skills, and language at B2/C1 level, respectively - thus making full use of the digital support available. Considering the way it combines teaching about teleconferencing skills by using precisely the Teams support, which is - and certainly, will be, for a long time in the future - specific for the application/use of such skills, in both study and working activities in real life, the proposed approach can be efficient, since it saves time, effort and costs for further in-house skills training of the future engineers at their (first) working places - which is exactly what most employers expect today from the academia.
FRUSTRATION AND STRESS IN THE ONLINE EDUCATION OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS FROM LITHUANIA AND ROMANIA
Authors: Gorghiu Gabriel , Lamanauskas Vincentas , Makarskaitepetkeviciene Rita , Manea Valentina iuliana , Pribeanu Costin
Published: February 2023

The pandemic generated by COVID-19 has a tremendous impact on the economy, society, and life of people all over the world. People suffer from the lockdown restrictions, reduced and very limited space. The situation is further aggravated by illnesses of family members, acquaintances, friends, illnesses caused by the coronavirus, and sometimes losses. This not only stresses, but also leads to exhaustion, burnout, and life with a continuous feeling of fear and stress. Although online learning is familiar and broadly accepted, there is a huge difference between going online to complement learning and find additional sources of information and knowledge and going online instead of going to school or university. Extant research reports on several side effects of online classes, such as stress, frustration, lack of engagement, and motivation. At present, it is noticed an abundance of research, showing that over-prolonged focus on the screen (computer, tablet, phone) increases stress and anxiety. And though digital devices are indispensable human attendants in the 21st century, nevertheless, twice the extended time allotted to them has negative consequences. During such a pandemic, such symptoms as anxiety, fear of infection and death, anger, hopelessness, stigma, and guilt can occur. This study aims at analyzing two negative perceptions of university students as regards the online lectures during the pandemic: frustration and stress. Online lectures refer to various activities, such as courses, seminars, talks, or debates. The research is using samples of Lithuanian and Romanian university students from three universities. Multiple linear regression has been used to analyze the influence of boredom, concentration difficulties, learning difficulties, and fatigue on the frustrating and stressful learning experience. The results show all four factors have a significant positive influence on the dependent variables. While learning difficulty is the most important factor leading to a frustrating learning experience, fatigue has been found as the main cause of the stressful learning experience.
CHALLENGES OF ONLINE LEARNING DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
Authors: Ionita Mirela , Pastae Veronica
Published: February 2023

The sudden migration from traditional to online education in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic has been a major challenge for any educational approach and has shown that e-learning paradigms need to be revisited for situations when this type of education totally replaces conventional methods for long periods.
Adapting e-learning to the conditions imposed by the pandemic obviously transcends the objectives of the initial concept. The improvisations that schools, in general, were forced to do quickly, substituting full-attendance education with distance learning, showed that in such situation, education can only have "crisis results". We believe that most failures in implementing online education come from interaction during communication. If one can overcome the technical malfunctions, the problems of limited interaction and poor communication have unpredictable consequences on the educational process and, further, on long-term social activity. Online learning as a substitute for conventional education brings about the same problems as traditional education, in terms of the risks of demotivating students, but this risk is even higher, given the artificiality of mediated communication.
In this article we aim to adress the relationship between technology and user in the teaching process, from the perspective of communication and to review the main interaction factors that demotivate students during online learning. To this end, we will mainly analyze aspects of preparing, teaching and evaluating educational activities at university level. The article is largely based on findings and exemplifications from our direct activity and draws on the scientific apparatus of e-learning, mainly from the perspective of end-users. This article does not aim to put forward final value judgements about the quality or opportunity of online education, but only wants to emphasize that, even in this particular situation, the principle of correlation between expectations and performance applies.
THE INCONVENIENTLY CONVENIENT ONLINE EDUCATION
Authors: Nistor Cristina mihaela , Comanetchi Doina
Published: February 2023

In many ways, 2020 was the year that has made a difference in everybody's life, although one cannot say that it was all for the better. At the respective time, the very few who could afford to work remotely were corporate employees who had chosen to do so for various (mostly personal) reasons, and who were envied by many other types of workers. When, under the pressure of the COVID-19 rapidly spreading threat, education made the switch from the classroom to the online, it was hailed as the beginning of a new era, bringing it into the 21st century. As expected, commentators, most of them outside the educational field, claimed that education-by-screen was the future, with the internet offering endless possibilities for knowledge growth, which, in turn, would give rise to a new learner - and to a new type of teacher, as well. However, as it often happens with theories, when they take a reality check, bad news came soon: computers may have brought cutting-edge technology into the classroom, but that was not enough. More and more voices were heard making comments about online learning and its (in)convenient nature, dwelling on the idea that, over the past year, remote learning has painted a different picture, leading to the conclusion that in-person education cannot and should not be replaced. How open and willing are students to embrace this new form of education is a question most teachers have probably asked themselves. The authors of this article have tried to formulate an answer based on a questionnaire administered to first-year students.
DIDACTIC TRANSFORMATIONS OF THE DISTANCE EDUCATIONAL PROCESS IN UNIVERSITIES IN ENGINEERING IN (POST) PANDEMIC TIMES
Authors: Burlacu Natalia
Published: February 2023

As university education and, in particular, initial training of engineers are the priority directions of strategic development at the national and European level, in the current epidemiological conditions it is clear the need to support the digital transformation of the traditional engineering university education system into a valid one to be implemented remotely. In order to solve the problems listed above, within the call "Offers of research-innovation solutions on combating and mitigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic", launched by the National Agency for Research and Development of the Republic of Moldova, a team of researchers from the Technical University of Moldova (TUM) initiated a project, called DIGIFORME, which aims to develop solutions of an institutional, informational and methodological nature corresponding to the curricular specificities of engineering and technological specialties within the beneficiary university, such as laboratories remote, simulation laboratories, methods and algorithms for analyzing the interaction between the actors of the teaching process, etc.
This research comes with the description of a viable didactic model to be implemented in the educational process in universities in engineering both in a pandemic context and in a post-pandemic context. The model design and analyzed by the author provides for the implementation of certain methodological digital transformations, the presence of which is argued both from a theoretical and applied perspective of teaching-learning-evaluation of engineering disciplines in a distance learning format.
The solutions presented in the article are meant to reduce the vulnerabilities of a university with a profile in engineering education, such as the lack of a basis for carrying out distance work with students (from all types of studies); insufficient training of teachers for the full conduct of online lessons; the inadequacy of the informational and methodological support for the number of didactic activities specific to the specialties with engineering and technological profile. In the conclusion of the research, the author outlines the perspectives of capitalizing the experience of the TUM based on the given didactical model.
SERIOUS GAMES DESIGN FOR CONTEXTUAL LEARNING IN COMPLIANCE
Authors: Grosu Florin , Cioaca Florin , Oprea Anatol , Ungureanu Ion
Published: February 2023

This research paper examines the use of contextual learning in designing serious games for compliance learning. We examine the challenges of implementing learning programs in compliance learning in financial services. The population of this research consisted of 4000 bankers in 5 banks in Romania required to complete a continuous learning program in MiFID II. The population was split in two groups, with a similar structure and size (age, level of experience). The experimental group (2000 bankers) was required to complete a learning program in MiFID II that was built using gamification and serious games based on the roles of the bankers in the group, as well as the BrainHex player archetypes. The control group was required to complete the same learning program, but without any gamification elements. Both programs have been delivered using the same LMS and the elements of the learning programs, including the games, have been individually tagged and monitored automatically by the learning software. The results of the experiment reveal that: (1) 78% of the users completed the requirements of the mandatory learning program in the experimental group and 49% in the control group, a 59% increase indicating that the contextual learning approach using role based serious games significantly increases the learning progress, (2) the users in the experimental group have, on average, 92% more time spent in the platform than the 15 hours required by the regulators and 50% of that time is spent playing games. The results clearly indicate that by suing role-based serious games an organization can not only engage their staff to be compliant but also achieve the expected behavioural change.
SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES STUDENTS' EXPERIENCE AND ATTITUDES ON GAME-BASED ELECTRONIC LEARNING IN THE REPUBLIC OF SRPSKA
Authors: Kosarac Biserka , Slijepcevic Dusanka , Vejnovic Dusko , Vukovic Dragomir
Published: February 2023

The aim of this paper was to determine what the experience and the attitudes of students of social sciences and humanities on the process of gamification are, and what they depend on. The research in this paper is directed towards the experience and attitudes of the students on the application of game in electronic learning, i.e. the process of gamification, and is based on an empirical survey research in two public universities in The Republic of Srpska. Gamification is most broadly defined as the process of learning through play, and implies the application of the principles of play, its elements and rules in the learning process. Game based electronic learning represents the adaptation of game elements through electronic devices and platforms, such as video games and various applications, into an educational context. The experience and attitudes of students in The Republic of Srpska on the gamification process have not been given sufficient space in research thus far, so we wanted to find out how much the student population is familiar with gamification as a process of game-based electronic learning, how much experience they have and what their attitudes about this mode of learning are, as well as whether the experience and attitudes depend on the gender, the university where they study, the success achieved in their studies, the level of studies (undergraduate, master's, doctoral) and the total monthly income of the family they come from. The results of the research can serve as a guideline for the creators of public educational policies in advocating the gamification inclusion in the higher education.