bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
CHALLENGES AND ISSUES FOR SUCCESSFULLY APPLYING VIRTUAL REALITY IN MEDICAL REHABILITATION
Authors: Ferche Oana , Moldoveanu Alin , Moldoveanu Florica , Voinea Alexandra , Asavei Victor , Negoi Ionut
Published: February 2023

Out of the many uses of eLearning - one that stands out for having a potentially great impact on the quality of life of its users - is relearning physical and psychical abilities that were lost after acute illnesses or injuries through rehabilitation processes. Such disabilities are a great burden on the patient, on his caregivers, and on society. Simple everyday tasks represent a challenge and the patient must learn again gestures that seemed habitual before the accident.
Amongst the various sciences and technologies that have been used in order to improve the classical rehabilitation processes, Virtual Reality seems to be one of the most promising. Virtual Reality is an emerging science in the field of rehabilitation, that is gaining more and more uses, due to its great advantages, such as stimulating movement and cerebral activity, increasing attention levels and simulation various environments that enhance the rehabilitation sessions. The fact that VR technologies are not yet used on a large scale in rehabilitation is due to certain disadvantages that are limiting its adoption in every specialized clinic or rehabilitation center.
Despite its many benefits, Virtual Reality in rehabilitation also has notable disadvantages that result from it using state of the art technology such as: cost-related issues, issues generated by the human-computer interfaces that it uses, which may seem unnatural for first time users, immersion issues may influence the quality of the rehabilitation process, and also compatibility issues between various devices may arise. Virtual Reality systems usually process large amounts of data, thus need processing and storage capacity. Also, many VR systems users reported side effects that cannot be ignored, as they may have an impact on the quality of the rehabilitation process but may also bring legal and ethical issues. In order to be widely adopted, VR rehabilitation must bring an obvious and secure improvement to the patient, creating an attractive price/benefit ratio. Also, the expectations of the patient must be aligned to the possibilities that the technology offers and the practitioners must be tutored in using such systems in order to obtain the most benefits.
In this article we will review the most important disadvantages as well as analyze possible solutions for overcoming them. The solutions may be available at the present moment, or may require that the technology progresses, but the key factor seems to be cost related, as lowering the costs of VR technology would allow more users to access its features, some as end users and some as potential developers, allowing them to discover and correct the shortcomings of VR applications and devices.
FORMATIVE E-ASSESSMENT TOOL TO FACILITATE THE TRAINING OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT PROFESSIONALS
Authors: Dascalu Maria iuliana , Marin Iuliana , Bodea Constantanicoleta , Navlea Mirabela
Published: February 2023

Professional certifications sustain lifelong learning through the continuous development of competencies required in a workplace. The current paper proposes a tool to facilitate the training of professionals who want to obtain a project management certification awarded by the International Project Management Association (IPMA).
The tool makes the automatic evaluation of answers to open questions and gives feedback, thus providing the users the chance to learn from their own mistakes. The text-based answers are transformed into ontological representations, exploiting several technologies and open-source tools, such as GATE, WordNet, Text2Onto, OpenNLP, Prot?g?. Then, an ontology alignment process is implemented, to compare the newly formed ontology of a given answer to the reference ontology of a correct answer, from the certification evaluators' point of view. If some concepts regarding a specific topic are not covered in the user's answer, the program returns the concepts which the user did not sustain and it suggests some references in order to enrich his/ her knowledge in that direction. The success of the feedback is given by the built-in vocabulary, which is continuously improved by project management experts.
We consider that the tool is a valuable instrument of formative e-assessment; allowing the users the possibility of self-evaluation and learning in one's own pace. Furthermore, the majority of similar tools deal only with multiple-choice questions, but the open questions are the ones which require extensive expert assistance to provide useful feedback to wannabe certified project management professionals. Thus, our tool feels the gap in automated formative assessment, being presented in the context of innovative tools to support well-being through lifelong learning.
AIRDRUMS: VIRTUAL DRUM KIT
Authors: Bobulisteanu Lorin , Milescu George , Rughinis Razvan , Posea Vlad
Published: February 2023

Gestural based interfaces have been widely researched over the last decades, with promising results especially found and implemented in the field of artificial reality. In keeping with this desire to create immersive experiences using technology, we have created a virtual drum kit to be used in the personal space of a user, with the possibility of ultimately creating an interactive musical learning game - AirDrums. This application, based on a Natural User Interface, can be used for practice or for fun by anyone who wants to play drums, while not being appropriate for professional drummers. Users can play a track of their choice in the background and try to jam along with it, or try to create an interesting track through the recording feature and use that with other songs or rhythms. AirDrums was implemented in two versions, a direct playback solution and a NAudio solution, and was assessed empirically by 12 testers, 9 men and 3 women, aged between 18 and 28. The final NAudio version has an improved accuracy of 80% and more, depending on rhythm. Both solutions were subjectively evaluated as fun, easy to master, and affording a comfortable posture, similar to a real drummer. The main limitation consists in the fact that the application cannot replicate some of the hand movements used for real drum kits, such as placing a hand across the other, as well as much faster strikes. AirDrums can be used as a standalone application or as an element in larger e-learning games and platforms.
GAMIFICATION IN THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS: STUDYING ROMANIAN POTENTIAL EMPLOYEES' PERCEPTION
Authors: Constantin Valentinadaniela , Stoenescu Roxanadenisa
Published: February 2023

Games found a way to transcend traditional boundaries, penetrating other fields and offering new tools of achieving performance. Usually known as an informal notion which describes the use of video games characteristics for organizational purposes, gamification relies on user engagement and involvement in the process. Moreover, gamification reunites concepts regarding human - computer interaction, having as the main goal to achieve effectiveness for organizational purposes. In recent years, this notion has gained a significant importance especially among practitioners, who use certain game-play elements for different tasks, applications or other activities. Gamification can be used in many contexts, but business and marketing remain the most significant because these depend on motivation and engagement as drivers of a successful activity. The article examines the use of gamification with the purpose of recruiting employees, by conducting a quantitative research which targets Romanian potential employees, aged 18 to 35 years. The purpose is to illustrate the respondents' perception regarding the gamification of the recruitment process used by companies present on the Romanian market, since previous research has suggested positive consequences of gamified methods on potential job applicants. The study focuses upon highlighting the main aspects discovered by addressing relevant questions to the sample mentioned, the results being useful not only for the scientific literature, but also for companies, helping them to learn the positive and negative aspects of this method of recruitment, perceived by their future employees. Moreover, the findings reveal important information about Romanians' opinions, desires and expectations for the company they selected to work in and have a long term commitment with.
SERIOUS GAMES DESIGN: REFLECTIONS FROM AN EXPERIENCE IN THE FIELD OF INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE EDUCATION
Authors: Dagnino Francesca , Ott Michela , Pozzi Francesca , Yilmaz Erdal
Published: February 2023

This paper tackles the issue of Serious Games design by drawing on the experience conducted in the framework of the i-Treasures project, which deals with the preservation and transmission of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH). In i-Treasures a collection of Serious Games has been developed addressing four relevant ICH areas: singing, dancing, craftsmanship and music composition. So far one game for each of the four areas has been developed; the ultimate aim of the games is making learning and transmission of specific ICH expressions (namely Tsamiko dance, human beat box, pottery, contemporary music composition) more motivating, engaging and, ultimately, effective. Starting from the concept of pedagogy-driven game design, the main pedagogical choices adopted are outlined. Further considerations on the overall design process are also proposed by focusing, in particular, on the need for engaging in a collaborative work a variety of professionals (in the case partners of the project) with different expertise, skills and background.

Short intro:
Games are increasingly adopted to favour learning in a variety of different educational areas. This paper deals with their adoption in the area of Cultural Heritage Education, in particular in the field of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH). Actually, it focuses on the design of Serious Games (SGs) for supporting and enhancing learning and transmission of practical skills, such as those required to perform specific ICH expressions (e.g.: dances, handicraft).
In this area, the potential of SGs is relevant because the learning opportunities they offer are "situated", that is the learner acts in a virtual context which closely resembles the one where the cultural expression is usually practiced. Nevertheless, the SGs' educational potential and actual effectiveness may vary appreciably as a consequence of the design choices made a priori before starting the implementation.
ADDRESSING EARLY SCHOOL LEAVING AND DISENGAGEMENT FROM EDUCATION THROUGH SERIOUS GAMES' CO-DESIGN
Authors: Milis George , Bates Matthew , Saridaki Maria , Ariu Gaetana , Parsonage Shirley , Yarnall Terry , Brown David
Published: February 2023

The Europe 2020 strategy identifies drop out from i-VET or early school leaving (ESL) as a key challenge to meeting employment targets. The Code RED project (http://www.codered-project.eu) has been developed in response to the high levels of early school leaving, drop-out and exclusion from education that often lead to unemployment, poverty and social deprivation.

In taking actions towards achieving its goals, the project has been experimenting with a (serious) games' co-design methodology [1] through a dedicated co-design workshops' series, run within 2014 in the UK, Greece, Italy and Cyprus.

The objective of the workshops was to engage young people in an interactive (participatory) process of designing and implementing digital educational games' prototypes, aiming at paving the way towards adopting these paradigms in the education and skills' acquisition process, thus maximising the benefit of participants. During the four organised workshops, around 30 young students and 10 trainers (including researchers and facilitators) walked through the pre-defined co-design process, trying to maintain the facilitation at the level 6 of the Hart's ladder [2].

Participants had the opportunity to work as a team, exchange experiences, share roles and responsibilities in the team, see examples of digital (educational) games/products developed by others so as to establish expectations, learn how to deconstruct the rules of games, create and discuss their own game ideas using low-tech prototyping tools (e.g. LEGO models, pack of playing cards, paper, digital means of taking notes, etc.), and finally implement prototypes of their game ideas, using game authoring software such as "Stencyl" (http://www.stencyl.com) and ARIS (https://arisgames.org/).

The experimenting offered the opportunity to researchers to collect some very interesting observations, analyse them across the four involved countries and extract useful knowledge towards expanding already available education and employability curriculums from previous projects (e.g. the GOET project, http://goet-project.eu/).

References:
[1] Bates, M., Brown, D., Cranton, W. and Lewis, J. (2010). Facilitating a games design project with children: a comparison of approaches. Proceedings of the 4th European Conference on Games-Based Learning (ECGBL), October 2010, Copenhagen, Denmark, pp.429-437.
[2] Hart, R. (1992). Children's participation: from tokenism to citizenship. Florence: UNICEF International Child Development Centre
SOCIAL, CULTURAL AND ETHICAL DIMENSIONS OF THE BUCHAREST INTEGRAL-MANAGEMENT MODEL IMPLEMENTED WITH THE GENERAL MANAGEMENT II BUSINESS SIMULATION GAME
Authors: Mustata Ioan cristian
Published: February 2023

The paper aims to explore social, cultural and ethical targets corresponding to the Integral-Management that can be reached with a Business Simulation Game like "General Management II", as well as the challenges that arise at the implementation. It is the aim of master programs that promote entrepreneurship to help and challenge students to develop ethical sensitivity, the ability to interact with other cultures as well as team-working and team-leading skills. This kind of learning is reaching deeper level of the students and has an impact on their behavior, thus being harder to plan, achieve and assess, compared to content-based learning. The paper uses the frame of the Bucharest Model of Integral Management and the eight principles related to it, which are described in a short clear manner. Starting from this frame a goal-network for the development of future master graduates with social, cultural and ethical dimension is established. Each dimension has a set of goals. The core of the paper consists in the analysis of the potential of the "General Management II" Business Simulation Game to help and challenge the participants to develop and reach the goals assigned to the social, cultural and ethical dimension of the goal-network. A survey with data collected between December 2014 and January 2015 is used to measure the user viewpoint of reaching the assigned social, cultural and ethical goals. The survey uses Google Docs and its online survey instruments. The univariate analysis will summarize the research results regarding the most important elements of the social, cultural and ethical dimensions. Recommendations based upon the research are summarized in the conclusions of the paper.
A DIAGNOSIS OF THE USE OF WEB 2.0 TECHOLOGIES IN GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING
Authors: Botnariuc Petre
Published: February 2023

While the individual support for learning and career development before 1989 was scarce and the need for it was little acknoledged by the students, currently the guidance and counselling support become an important part of educational institutions. The growth of the guidance and counselling system were exponentially in the last two decades and the community of guidance practitioners developed an own ethos and practice. Naturally, a focus point of the current debate deals with the integration of the new web 2.0 tools in the guidance and counselling activity. The present article explores how Romanian guidance counsellors from pre-university and higher education level are using web.2.0. technologies in their activity. It further develops the analysis of a previous article based on a national sample survey published in the ELSE conference in 2014, this time further exploring the issues of employing social technologies in career guidance and portraying the distribution of the investigated variables. The aim is to inform and provide empirical evidence for designing the training programmes and the professional development activities of the guidance counsellors aiming to developing their ICT skills. The benefits of the Web 2.0 technologies and the ways the guidance counsellors organize their social web based activities are listed and the survey results are explored by analyzing possible causes and implications: frequency of use; effective web 2.0 tools for guidance and counselling, barriers in using the web 2.0 tools; level of pupil engagement in the online collaborative guidance activities. Further opportunities for professional exchange of experiences and exploration of effective use of web 2.0 tools for guidance are proposed as well as indication of training needs for specific groups.
ENGINEERING STUDENTS' MOBILE TECHNOLOGY PREFERENCES - TOWARDS ECLECTICISM IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING
Authors: Catelly Yolandamirela
Published: February 2023

Mobile technology in all its aspects has become part of the instructional process at a fast pace in most countries of the world lately. Research has already analyzed its advantages and limitations from various perspectives, such as the students', the teacher/course designer's and other stakeholders', as there are both benefits and risks in using it. The aim of the paper is therefore to investigate the preferences of Romanian engineering students in terms of mobile technology using, both for academic study in general and for foreign language learning in particular, as well as for personal purposes outside faculty, including job connected ones, with a view to enhancing the efficiency of foreign language courses for scientific and technical purposes, by appropriately integrating such means - in a methodological approach based on a communicative core and comprising further components that render it a more complex, eclectic character, based on well-justified options from the pedagogical viewpoint. A range of data collecting instruments have been designed and implemented to investigate this aspect, ranging from Students Questionnaires, through focus groups and up to interviewing most inventive/best mobile technology users per each group of students in the sample. Another aim of the research has been to enhance the trainees' awareness as regards the advantages, but also the equally possible shortcomings, of using mobile technology in various manners and to provide them support in embedding such mobile technology uses in their repertory of (language) learning strategies, with a view to fostering their post-course studying autonomy. Findings are discussed in terms of their influence upon the teaching/materials design options, and specifically created tasks in this respect are briefly suggested.
SOCIAL NETWORKING FOR ESL LEARNERS
Authors: Chiseganegrila Anamaria , Kraft Luiza
Published: February 2023

Abstract: The rise of social media and the need for engaging modern means in learning have forced educators to make decisions regarding the use of platforms such as Twitter or Facebook in face-to-face and online class activities. This combination soon became profitable not only for its versatility, for imitating personal social interaction, but also for its ludic and engaging nature. The advancement in ubiquitous computing made the interaction teacher-student possible over a variety of devices, thus, diminishing the gap between real-life and classroom environment. Twitter and Facebook have acquired top positions in the last years, but their supremacy seems to be threatened by the popularity of other services. Microblogging platforms display a combination of features that transform them into virtual scrapbooks for ESL learners. From the ability to bookmark, to put multiple resources together based on different criteria, to the possibility to develop projects within a board, organize events, share pictures and data, social media come with a multitude of choices, which foster communication and exchange of information.
The increased popularity of microblogging platforms and online social networking services have compelled educational practitioners to resort to them in classroom activities. As a continuation of learners' engagement in social media, the activities proposed by the instructor proved to be more successful than the traditional approach to language learning. As learning a foreign language means communication and interaction, social networks came to bridge the gap between education and technology. Used as a supplement to practice in either online or blended courses, social media could thus be used to develop communicative skills in a pleasant and engaging manner.
THE VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT - A LEARNING ENVIRONMENT FOR OUR CHILDREN?
Authors: Scoda Andreea diana
Published: February 2023

As previously discussed in an article "The Virtual Environment - A Learning Environment?" (Scoda, 2014), this environment represents an imperative issue especially today when we think of how pupils learn and how important it is to ensure quality in our learning environment. This paper analysis and poses in addition questions as seen thru the looking glass, viewed from a different angle, focusing mainly on parent's opinions referring to the impact of these new technologies on our children.
The design of the paper is based on the responses obtained from the "community of parents" with different backgrounds and different goals for their children. Thus, their opinions and perceptions concerning our new technologies developed and how these technologies effects their learning in general, as well for the education system in the present and for the future are just some of the questions analyzed throughout the paper. The key question at heart is this environment adequate for today and tomorrow in preparing our children for their future? The opinions and perceptions obtained from the "community of parents" will bring into light an imagine on the one hand, on the topic of the importance and impact of this environment for our children (needs, advantages/disadvantages etc.) and on the other hand, it will offer a portrait of the "child" who uses this virtual environment as means for learning (proper age, digital skills that could be developed with these tools etc.). The methods and techniques: analysis of documents - recent studies, theory, case studies in the field etc., and a survey questionnaire addressed to the "community of parents".
THE MEDIA IN PRESCHOOLS: THE ATTITUDES OF TEACHERS
Authors: Vulic Tatjana , Vujovic Marija
Published: February 2023

The media in the modern era influences all segments of society, and have an important role in the education and upbringing of children. A teacher is no longer the only source of information and the work of all educators is increasingly influenced by information that children learn through mass media.
The aim of our research is to investigate the application of media in educational work. The purpose of the study was to examine the attitudes of teachers on the type of media they prefer to use in educational work in preschools.
The survey was conducted on a sample of 217 preschool teachers in urban and rural areas in Serbia. The starting hypothesis of this research is the assumption that teachers prefer using the television in their work with preschool children, and that there is significant difference in the preferences of teachers regarding the type of media that is appropriate for use with preschool children, depending on the level of teachers' education, experience and age, as well as in relation to urban and rural areas.
The research has shown that the mass media are represented in the framework of educational work in preschools. Educators believe that traditional media is still dominant, and to a lesser extent, they mention the use of the Internet and the new media. The results show that there is a statistically significant difference in the attitudes of teachers in relation to the location of their preschool (urban and rural area). Specifically, the media is better utilized in urban compared to rural areas in Serbia. The use of technologies is limited because of the financial crisis, unbalanced development of urban and rural areas and the lack of appropriate training of teachers.
USING BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE TYPE TOOLS FOR ENHANCING THE PERFORMANCE OF LEARNING ACTIVITIES
Authors: Andronie Mihai
Published: February 2023

Modern learning institutions, in particular those that carry on distance learning programmes and those that use advanced e- Learning platforms for the teaching activities they are conducting, are gathering more and more data in electronic format that can be analyzed in order to obtain valuable information that can be aplied to optimize their own activities. As long as the data volumes gathered are not too large, analyzing it is not very difficult and most businesses that carry on learning activities can do such analysis without implying specialized tools. However, the benefits of analyzing small volumes of data can be limited and for this reason most institutions do not do such analysis.
On the other hand, when the data volumes recorded become larger and larger, there are both advantages and disadvantages. The main advantage that has to be mentioned is that the potential benefits become more and more important. The disadvantages that have also to be taken into account are that specialized computational tools and techniques are needed in order to be able to extract useful knowledge from the data available.
Business intelligence type tools are based manly on the modern data analysis techniques that can be applied on large volumes of data. These type of tools can be applied by any business to extract useful knowledge from the data available and to improve their performances and gain an advantange in the competitive environment.
The present paper aims to explore the posibilities of applying business intelligence type tools on the data available to learning institutions and find ways to enhance their performances in an environment that is more and more competitive.
CAREER DEVELOPMENT USING VIRTUAL COMMUNICATION TOOLS
Authors: Chircu Sorina
Published: February 2023

Quite a few multinational IT companies in Bucharest, with offices in various cities in Romania, use e-trainers that deliver to employees at these offices, various forms of online training programs, depending on their type: employees during their trial period, employees that need continuous training or the ones that require training to be promoted to higher career levels.

The present paper aims to identify the level of e-learning facilitation through the use of specific tools for each type of e-training (induction e-training, on-boarding e-training, skill development e-training) identified as being frequently practiced by IT multinational companies.
We are working with the following hypothesis: we are expecting that the tools used in each of the e-trainings contributes to the formation of the basic competences needed to retain and promote employees. In order to verify the working hypothesis, we are trying to answer the following questions: What are the specific tools used for each type of e-training? To what degree do the online evaluation tasks have firstly constituted tasks for learning and development of new abilities?

The research was run during May-September 2014, on a lot of 20 IT companies in Bucharest, that work with Politehnica University in Bucharest, on various areas of interest.

We have used as a data collection instrument, the survey applied on a lot of 200 employees of these IT companies, who benefit from such online trainings. Also, we have used the case study to analyse the tools used in these e-trainings.
The obtained results confirm the research hypothesis.
A CASE STUDY OF A LEARNING PLATFORM BASED ON INTERACTIVE PRINCIPLES
Authors: Fat Silvia
Published: February 2023

This paper presents the results of a recent research accomplished using a questionnaire-based investigation addressed to 130 students from University of Bucharest. We were interested to find some instructional strategies in student-centered e-learning context. A new Learning Platform was used to teach Instruction Theory and Methodology during a semester. This platform integrates educational content, and learning tools. Easyclass is an interesting technological tool for teachers and students sharing various resources, assignments, evaluation tests, communication methods and activities calendar.
The impact of this study is oriented to establish some patterns of synchronous and asynchronous learning support, so students could connect with various educational resources. The study was designed so as to reveal the following aspects: diagnosing the difficulties encountered by students during this complex learning process; identifying the extent to which students could benefit from the advantages of this learning platform; identifying certain exemples of best CT practices, in terms of growth of intellectual and social-affective competences; appreciating the role of technological ability in the professional integration of the future teachers; indicating the type of ICT influence on determining the teaching/learning strategies in order to improve the learning process through research, communication, collaboration in on-line environment. Designing a teaching approach in which ICT is enhanced calls for an active participation of students, access to a greater range of resources, cooperation in solving work tasks and interaction patterns. Students prove the basic literacy using the computer (editing text, image, presentation, e-mail, communication, applications and information management, but we were interested to demonstrate other development directions, such as creative attitudes toward computer use, relevant capabilities to show potential advantages.
ELEARNING IN INTERCULTURAL LEARNING
Authors: Herlo Dorin
Published: February 2023

The process of promoting intercultural learning was accelerated in the 1990s, by the European Council, and coincided with the acknowledgment of its relevance not only in the countries of Western Europe that were the most important targets for migration, but also in other parts of Europe, such as the southern countries or the countries of Central and Eastern Europe where issues of cultural diversity have become very important after the fall of the communist regimes in this area. In nowadays the educators face with intercultural challenges in many learning situations, for which they have not been prepared sufficiently in their own training, because intercultural issues are only on the teacher curriculum agenda since a couple of years. For this reason, it need to form and develop the intercultural competence - one of the eight key competence needed for every young and every educator of our days - by initial and continuous training. If the general objective of intercultural learning activities is to equip young people and adults with necessary competences for living in a intercultural society, its specific objectives refer to: a) knowledge about culture in general and its impact on individual and group behaviour, about one's own culture(s) and about the cultures of others; b) skills related to life in a intercultural society (become aware of one's own cultural determinations, of prejudices and stereotypes and identifying them to the others, ability to take different viewpoints, communicative and relational skills, etc); c) attitudes, such as respect for cultural diversity and for the other's cultural identity, reject discrimination and intolerance; d) stimulating action for promoting intercultural society, for combating discrimination and intolerance. This article aims to analyse some aspects of applied strategies, including e-learning activities, in intercultural learning, used in initial training courses with the students from bachelor and master level, which led to accomplish those specific objectives.
E-LEARNING IN TRAINING PROGRAMS FOR TEACHERS AT DEPARTMENT OF TEACHER TRAINING IN BUCHAREST UNIVERSITY OF ECONOMIC STUDIES
Authors: Lacatus Maria liana , Staiculescu Camelia
Published: February 2023

This paper reports on the current status of teacher training in economic and business education in Romania, based on the experience gained at the Teacher Training Department of the Bucharest University of Economic Studies. Relevant information is provided in respect with the content, methods, and materials used in teacher training programs in economic and business universities, both in pre-and in-service teacher training programs. By providing all this information we want to demonstrate that effective economics teacher training programs implies face-to-face courses and class activities, and also on-line interaction.
The paper is structured in two parts. The first one is focused on the role of universities in supporting economics and business teacher training programs. All large universities and schools of economics in Romania have special pre and in service teacher training programs. Pre-service teacher training programs go together with bachelor and master programs in economics or business and consist in courses such as: pedagogy, psychology of education, adult education, class and school management, teaching methodology and strategies, or teaching methods and strategies in economics and economic subjects.
The second part of the paper presents information regarding an in-service teacher training program specially designed, developed and delivered to high school teachers of economics and economic subjects by a Consortium of four prestigious universities in Romania: Babes-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca, Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Al. I. Cuza University of Iasi and West University of Timisoara. Special attention is paid to the e-learning activities and teachers work on the economic education platform created to support and improve the training process.
THE ROLE OF LEARNING PLATFORMS IN UNIVERSITY TEACHING PROCESS
Authors: Oproiu Gabriela carmen
Published: February 2023

One of the most important aspects about increasing the education quality in universities is the improvement of the teaching activity.
Using the most modern teaching-learning and assessment strategies should be the permanent concern of every teacher regardless of where teaching.
In the current context in which the virtual environment increasingly monopolizes people's lives, it is imperative that the teachers adapt and restructure the entire teaching-learning process. They must consider firstly how students learn today (they are much more informed and have high levels of digital literacy).
Obviously, the peculiarities specific to the subjects taught and the skills and specialization to be formed should not be ignored. Thus, the use of the virtual learning environment in didactic activity becomes a necessity.
This study represents the second part of a wider research on the impact of the Moodle platform in a technical university. In the first stage of the research it was noticed how the Moodle platform can increase the student`s motivation and how they are keen to develop activities in the virtual environment.
In this paper the teacher's opinions on the efficiency and the modifications introduced in the teaching process by using Moodle are presented.
The study aims to point out the relevant results of a questionnaire administered to a group of professors from different faculties of University POLITEHNICA of Bucharest.
A number of conclusions regarding the impact on teachers using this platform were drawn.
The advantages and disadvantages of using Moodle from the surveyed teacher`s perspective were also identified.
E-TRAINING IN VIRTUAL ORGANIZATION OF ACTIVITIES
Authors: Cristescu Robert madalin
Published: February 2023

E-training can be successful using the following methods: conversation, demonstration and practice. In virtual organization of activities, e-training can start with an online conversation using virtual classes and virtual members. The demonstration can be made online with the help of a platform like AEL. The AEL platform is the latest and it offers support for teaching, learning, testing and evaluation. Using this platform it is not necessary the physical presence of the participant in the classroom. AEL is a platform which has the role to make learning more efficient. It has the capacity to store and to organize the teaching materials. E-training requires covering some sessions and their stages. The stages of the session contain: the objectives of the session, identifying the sources, identifying the participants and the place, preparing the course and the materials for sharing. The objectives of the session are to achieve the best e-training for the members of the virtual class in the domain they requested the respective training. Identifying sources refers to the fact that in a virtual organization it is necessary to have the needed sources for the good developping of e-learning. Identifying the participants and the place refers to the numbers of the participants who requested this e-training and the place of training (virtual). Preparing the course and the materials for sharing are the roles of the e-trainer.
Cloud Computing in E-Learning
With the help of Cloud Computing, we can process the local devices. The local software is seen as a service and an application where the data stored on many servers which can be accessed on the Internet are found. Cloud Computing helps us very much in the process of e-training, because the Internet is the base of online teaching.
CASE STUDY ON CONSTRUCTIVIST LEARNING USING GOOGLE APPS AT UNIVERSITY OF BUCHAREST ODL DEPARTMENT CREDIS
Authors: Ilie Mariana mirela , Almasan Beatrice hellen
Published: February 2023

Over the last decade the technology of education has gained an important place in the educational process. To enhance this reality, international organizations have stated the need to use information technology and digital technology in the process of teaching, learning, assessment and evaluation. The most important international organizations which make recommendations and elaborate guidelines are UNESCO and European Commission. Considering these recommendations to use digital technology in education corroborated with the need of students to use it in their educational process, to collaborate, to work in teams, to contribute to their learning, the Faculty of Psychology and Sciences of Education of University of Bucharest within master programme ICT in Education and the Distance Learning department of University of Bucharest within its master programmes have courses designed mostly to enhance the use of digital technology in educational process. Therefore, the aim of the present research is to present a case of good practices in which the constructivist approach of learning is supported by technology using Google Apps like Google Drive, Google Docs, and Google Slides.
The case study is focused on the idea that learning is possible through dual factors: social interaction and simultaneous exposure to cognitive experiences in which peer and collaborative learning is central and the teacher is also mediator, moderator and facilitator of learning supporting students to develop digital competencies, positive attitudes of self esteem and empathy and cognitive abilities.
The overarching outcome will be a coherent image of a master course designed to enhance ideas with technology based on a constructivist approach.
TUTORING AND PSYCHOPEDAGOGICAL SUPPORT FOR STUDENTS IN LONG DISTANCE LEARNING
Authors: Almasan Beatrice , Unknown Unknown , Alexe Maria
Published: February 2023

This paper work has as a practical background the experience accumulated as tutors and mangers of the CREDIS - The Distance Learning Department of Bucharest University. Its aim is to present some best practices from this institution. The correlation and interaction between teaching-learning-assessment lead to a study, which submit to present the importance of the tutoring and psycho-pedagogical support to personal and professional developing of the students enrolled in long distance learning. The training activities, the teachers constant concern to provoke students interest, reasons and desires and the tutors role to touch up the students mental abilities and not only are important aspects concerning the department activity:
Distance learning system is an educational program which provides specific resources having clearly designed characteristics;
It is a programme in which neither students and academic staff, nor students and their peers do not have to stay together in order to develop an educational process. Communication among students and between students and tutors takes place through dual band communication channels, in virtual environment;
The application of the theory to practice and challenge the change of what exist in what should exist, are the undertakings by the tutors in long distance learning, it cancers, the students engagement in new experiences of learning. Throughout this process students need to have psychological support, stimulation, and guidance, improvement-developing of the educational process, research and innovation. The main research question refers to the importance of theoretical support and the balance between theory and best practices. Consequently the methodological approach refers to literature in the domain, empirical research as well as the design of the ideal profile of a group manager. The analysis is supported by a brief overview of CREDIS experience as examples for best practices.
By this study case we will disclose also the transition from education to self-education, from training to self-training, with the tutor being all this time the assistance for developing.
STUDENTS' SATISFACTION ANALYSIS RELATED TO AN E-ASSESSMENT SYSTEM THAT USES NATURAL LANGUAGE PROCESSING
Authors: Dobre Iuliana
Published: February 2023

There are many factors which are influencing the educational process, starting from the infrastructure available to carry out the educational act up to the individual responsibility for education quality which has to be assumed by all parties involved in the process. The modern education requires a careful planning, organization, and execution of all phases of the educational process having as final target to achieve the maximum Customer Satisfaction possible to be achieved. Simply, the modern education is looking to achieve the learners satisfaction this being one of the key performance indicators which could be used as prove of education success. Higher Education Organizations have an important role within the education of youths, future resources for the workforce market. These organizations have the task to build the skills and shape the abilities for various domains of activity as required by the specialized markets. It is very important to support students' development and not have their enthusiasm stopped by a harsh learning environment or other restrictions which may intervene in the deployment of the educational process. One of the critical phases of the educational process is the students' assessment. The results obtained by the students and the students' feedback show if the curriculum proposed and the education technologies and techniques used during the process execution have the capability to ensure a successful education as well as could help to identify future directions for improvement to make the education even better. This paper is presenting the results obtained by the author during the validation process of an Intelligent Tutoring System proposed for the Informatics discipline, and specifically addressing the students' satisfaction related to the use of a students' e-Assessment system that uses Natural Language Processing.
A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE TODAY FACTORS IMPACTING THE QUALITY OF STUDENTS LEARNING IN HIGHER EDUCATION ORGANIZATIONS
Authors: Dobre Iuliana
Published: February 2023

For the past 50 years the higher education major theories and models have been built using as foundation the existence of a classroom and of a group of teachers having the skills and knowledge to deliver to students sufficient information in order to achieve the ultimate target, and become the proprietor of a diploma which was opening options for future carrier developments. For all these years, the quality of students learning has gravitate around the capability of the higher education organizations to make available enough and proper resources, hardware and software, to students. Professional teachers, classroom size and its organization, teaching methods, labs endowment etc. were factors which have impacting the quality of students learning. Nowadays, all these are going to change. The developments of the information and communication technologies with applicability in higher education at mass level is gone to be the major factor which will change the higher education and consequently which will become the foundation of the next generation of higher education theories and models. In simply words, everything becomes affordable to a so large mass of students than the higher organizations management and teachers should focused their efforts to look for preserving the quality of the educational act and consequently of the students learning. This paper is presenting a brief overview of the key factors which are having a critical impact on the quality of students learning within the higher organizations. As the purpose of this paper is not to provide solutions to the modern higher education issues, the author is looking to provide the reader with a better view of the key factors and challenges which may be faced in assuring the achievement of the ultimate target for any education organization, which is the achievement of the highest level of quality of the students learning.
COLLABORATIVE VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT FOR PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT MANAGEMENT
Authors: Iliescu Dragos , Ion Ciocan , Manuelaroxana Dijmarescu , Gheorghe Marian
Published: February 2023

Virtual Organisation concept became more and more important for the today technology and business development. Due to the achieved information technology level, processes for design, design refining, simulating, testing, and manufacturing management should reach an important collaborative characteristic. Advantages of the concept are important in order to obtain process effectiveness and efficiency. The traditional approach, so called the waterfall process, even offer a secure path to final result, do not offer the expected efficiency in a complex environment. It is expected that redundancies, changes in the design or even non-conformities in manufacturing, to disturb the normal progress of a waterfall process.
The paperwork describe a virtual environment to simulate a complex collaborative framework, it is based on the implementation of the Product Data and Product Lifecycle Management concepts, the proposed web databases distributed architecture being the framework for the needed communication infrastructure. Different informational models were used within the framework in order to simulate the processes of management within the enterprise, and between enterprises, as components of virtual organisation as well.
The simulation framework is intended to be installed in "Politehnica" University of Bucharest and will serve for students training as close as possible to a real complex engineering and manufacturing environment. The framework will support the students to solve different tasks: design, CNC programming, machine and tool warehouse management, as the main activities considered, but the list is not limited here. Other modules can be added to the framework so that an even larger spectrum of activities to be present within the framework.