bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
BLENDED LEARNING PRACTICES IN ARTISTIC EDUCATION. THE "TIME MAPS" PROJECT EXPERIENCE
Authors: Rusu Alexandra , Gheorghiu Dragos
Published: February 2023

Over the past decade the online learning options have increased, they became more accessible and popular, thus determining higher education institutions to adapt their curriculum to incorporate the new educational paradigm. Blended education either made the transition between the traditional learning practices and the online learning or emphasised the need to balance the two opposites: face-to-face (in classroom) and online education. It shifted the perspective on a more complex student-centred education, acknowledging the differences in needs, environments and learning spaces required.
In the case of artistic education, due to the vocational and hands-on component, the reform has been received with reluctance and skepticism. Artistic education core principles value the interaction between the maestro-teacher and the student as a fundamental stage in developing the artistic personality. Furthermore, the various techniques can be mastered by the student only through a trial-and-error phase constantly supervised by the teacher.
The present paper emphasises the blended-learning process and end-results of a 5 years artistic educational project: "Time Maps. Real Communities-Virtual Worlds-Experimented Pasts", carried by a team of artists and professors from the National University of Arts from Bucharest. The novelty of our approach consisted in creating an interactive European network of "communities of practice" through in situ and online classes. The challenge and contrast consisted in revitalising the technological patrimony, ancient techniques and art practices by using state of the art technologies in education. The educational results and overall impact of the project will be detailed separately for each community with which we collaborated because of their different cultural contexts. The successful implementation of blended learning practices was a breakthrough for our team, contributing not only to a more updated learning experience for communities and students but also to a higher degree of continuous professional improvement of our team.
MODERN MEDIA TECHNOLOGIES IN THE EDUCATION OF JOURNALISM STUDENTS
Authors: Pavlovic Dragana , Ljajic Samir
Published: February 2023

The reform process in higher education has introduced significant changes in the way of studying, teaching organization and in the use of different work methods. Consequently, the questions of application of modern media technologies in the process of studying are attracting more attention, which is especially important in the university programs educating future journalists. In fact, the profession of journalists and communication experts relies heavily on the use information and communication technologies, which implies the need for students to acquire adequate knowledge of the various ways of using modern media means during their studies. The main goal of this research is to examine students' opinions on the application of new media technologies in the process of studying at the Department of Communication and Journalism at the Faculty of Philosophy in Nis, Serbia. The study sample consisted of 50 undergraduate students, and the main survey instrument was a structured interview. Research data were analysed using qualitative and quantitative methods. The research results show that the new media technologies are present in the process of teaching, that certain subjects are directed precisely towards developing the necessary media and information literacy, and that there are subjects that still insufficiently use the advantages of new technologies. Answers show that students identify use media technologies in lectures and exercises commonly for presentation purposes, while much less for other purposes. The research results indicate high level of media technology use for students’ pre-exam requirements - search for the information for the purpose of writing articles, etc. Based on the analysis of students' answers it can be concluded that modern media technologies play an important role in the education of students. Also, there is a necessity for constant effort in order to increase the implementation of media technologies into study programs of the Department of Communication and Journalism in time to come.
CASE STUDY REGARDING THE ASSESSMENT OF EDUCATIONAL GAMES
Authors: Beligan Daniel , Barbieru Dragos
Published: February 2023

An educational game is an active learning method that uses pedagogical elements integrated in the game mechanics with the aim to lead the user from an initial level to a higher level, meaning to accumulate knowledge or skills. The main characteristics of educational games are their training or education objectives. The evaluation of educational games is a difficult process, because it cannot be determined clearly and quantitatively the influence of various parameters involved in the process. On the other hand, an important indicator in evaluating serious games is the experience gained by players in different stages of interaction between them and the context of the game. In this regard, we can consider the following directions: usability represented by player experiences related to online environment characteristics and the utility that meets the player’s needs for training and education. Usually, the educational games are focused on a specific thematic and are directed to a specific group of people, therefore the learning objectives will be specific. From a logical necessity, the methods to evaluate the educational games will be also specific. Depending on the context, some methods could offer relevant data of evaluative process or may be means of collecting and processing information, cooperation and social communication. By targeting different elements, not all offer the same information about the learning process, each of them having advantages and disadvantages. This paper intends to have a direct approach regarding the evaluation and analyze of educational games in terms of desired operational objectives to be achieved by players.
MUZICA ISTORIEI - A DIGITAL HISTORY PROJECT
Authors: Savuta Irina ema , Georgescu Alin andrei
Published: February 2023

Muzica Istoriei is an innovative e-learning project, based on modern educational principles, designed as complementary to traditional methods of teaching, It aims to raise awareness on major historical events and detailes not covered by books or other classical methods of learning and their impact on local and global culture, using interactive multimedia content. This simple but effective website has one key word: concision. It consists of 10 lessons, historical events with high impact on our society and part of the school curricula, each linked with their specific song at the moment. This songs reflect the mood of the historical event presented. The students cover the lessons, which include a conceptual map, an interactive timeline combined with a suggestive pictures for each event and important documents for that occasion. Last but not least, the teacher may asses the pupils using the Google Form at the bottom of the page, which take into account different types of questions, such as multiple choice or missing gap. On the technical side, this project has been programmed using HTML, CSS and JavaScript languages, in order to be as modern and eye appealing as possible. It is optimised for Google Chrome and can be used anywhere, at school or on a PC, given the fact that it requires a low amount of memory and space. To sum up, ,,Muzica Istoriei" represents an easy to use educational tool, which is meant teach and asses in a more pleasant way, more adequate to today's world and style of learning.
ON MOBILE LEARNING
Authors: Voicu Mirelacatrinel
Published: February 2023

In this paper we are focused on emphasizing the importance of the mobile learning as the newest and most powerful way of learning. Today, mobile learning is possible due to many important IT domain players. For this reason, in the IT area, we accentuate the following subjects: the specifications of the actual mobile devices (smartphones and tablets), which can be used successfully in mobile learning; the 3G/4G generation of wireless mobile telecommunications technology and the most important providers of mobile Internet in Romania, their offers and prices; the cloud technologies which offer the storage support which is necessary for hosting such learning; the mobile websites, mobile applications and the most important technologies used to build them; the modern software technologies which can be used to provide content for mobile learning – here we present topics on Android Studio and Java programming, PhoneGap and JavaScript, CSS and HTML technologies; some of the most important providers of online learning and the way in which we can study their courses on mobile devices (we are focused on Oracle Academy, MongoDB University, Google, Udacity, Udemy, edX, Coursera, etc.); the difference between electronic formats of the lesson content: text files, video files, etc.; the greatest changes on learner lifestyle: on the one hand to learn more than ever before, on the other hand have more time for other activities. Finally, we present a scenario in which we can see how mobile learning can currently help the school education in Romania.
INTELLIGENT SYSTEM FOR ASSESSMENT AND GRADING BASED ON DOCIMOLOGIC TESTS
Authors: Androniceanu Armenia , Burlacu Sorin
Published: February 2023

Evaluation is, alongside teaching and learning, an essential operational component of the educational process. It constitutes the regulatory and self-regulating reverse connection of the education system seen as a cybernetic system. Developing an intelligent evaluation system based on docimologic tests helps teachers to discover new strategies and effective methods of teaching and learning in order to help them achieve their operational objectives and to establish the extent to which these can be found in students' results. Our research was carried out over three years, and we designed and developed an intelligent evaluation system based on docimologic tests. Docimologic tests have been developed and applied to three disciplines and were applied to approximately 300 students. The aim of our research was to streamline the evaluation process of the students. For this, we developed a docimologic test for each discipline and uploaded it on the online platform of the university. The main methods involved in this research were docimologic tests and nonparametric statistical analysis methods. The docimologic tests were applied consistently throughout the duration of the research and its results were analyzed after each iteration. The main result of our experimental research was an intelligent evaluation system based on docimolog tests that we describe in this paper. Other interesting results were a variety of statistical reports and statements that were used in our periodical analysis in order to improve the content of the intelligent evaluation system. Our research results are addressed to all teachers and demonstrate that docimologic tests are viable and sustainable tools for an effective, accurate and objective evaluation, . Also, our results show that docimologic tests can be an indicator of the efficiency of the activity of the teacher, because they provide the most accurate and complete information on how to make teaching objectives and directions of intervention to optimize the educational process.
SKY OBSERVATIONS IN THE PHYSICS CLASS - DETECTION OF ARTIFICIAL SATELLITES USING A SMARTPHONE
Authors: Oprea Marin
Published: February 2023

The study of celestial objects has always been a challenge for humanity. Using the parallax method, astronomers have gained a large database regarding the celestial objects in the Earth’s vicinity and those situated at longer distances in space. The evolution of space technology has enabled the launching of satellites, artificial objects that gravitate on the Earth’s orbit. For a relatively long period of time, the study of these objects (their position and trajectory) was possible using a technology available only to the scientific community and the military. Nowadays, due to the advancements in mobile technology, the presence of the acceleration, GPS and magnetic sensors in a smartphone enable, through a series of dedicated applications, the detection of the precise position and trajectory of certain communication and scientific satellites. In this study I will show how, using the application ISS Detector, the students in the Physics class can quickly receive data regarding the trajectory of International Space Station (ISS) and of the satellites from the Iridium constellation, together with information about their elevation, magnitude. Using this data, the students can calculate the altitude and the terrestrial coordinates associated with the ISS and the Iridium satellites relative to the reference system they are located in.
THE MATH OF PROGRAMMING - INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH
Authors: Draganoiu Roxana , Moldoveanu Alin , Braescu Adriana
Published: February 2023

The traditional system of education is no longer fulfilling the need for knowledge for the generations that experience the actual leap of information and technology. To go exponentially beyond the actual way of thinking elicits a dynamic, adaptable and customized system of education, approachable by connecting fields and notions. Inter-disciplines become a solution and a necessity - "The strongest argument for interdisciplinarity is the very fact that life is not divided into disciplines." (J. Moffett). Learning beyond meaning is not an issue - youngsters need a visual, interdisciplinary, hands-on approach that may be accomplished by our method: DigiMathArt is an interdisciplinary field that covers the need to cross the bridge towards the education of the future. The proposed method emphasizes the simplicity and elegance of mathematic modeling combined naturally with graphical programming, alien concepts for most of those who need them the most - scientists, architects, game developers, artists. It provides an interactive, highly visual and holistic road to access essential information and skills. The course is structured in three modules: mathematic modeling based on function operations and composition, fractal generation, and light-effects rendering. Similar in approach to more sophisticated resources, such as Grasshopper and WolframAlpha, our method is, however, gradual and palatable for anyone who lacks this basic training in the field but craves for it. The presented method is already implemented and used as a holistic tool in centers for informal education. Evaluations of method's results, acceptance and effects are underway, based on structured feedback questionnaires as well as EEG recordings and analysis.
MODELLING CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS USING ONLINE PLATFORMS
Authors: Savin Cristina , Cojocaru Calin , Moldoveanu Florica , Moldoveanu Alin
Published: February 2023

One of the general characteristics of contemporary society is change, be it at political, social, cultural or industrial level. This changing trend has slowly been passed to the surrounding environment and thus to the natural elements. Therefore, one of the most important problems that society is facing nowadays is climate change. Although there are increasingly more and more efforts and directives in the sense of slowing and stopping the human actions that are causing climate change, we are still in danger of facing extreme situations. These situations are also called 'high-end' scenarios and are increasingly plausible. Existing modelling tools of climate change effects are limited in the sense that they do not take into consideration these high-end scenarios and their simulations usually get uni-sectorial results. This raises the need to develop an innovative integrated assessment (IA) tool to allow both decision-makers and the general public to have access to relevant and credible scientific information on climate change. This article will present such a tool that will analyse a multitude of important key sectors that interact and are interconnected through their sharing resources. The instrument will cover a variety of key sectors such as: forest, urban, land use, water, flooding, agriculture, yield and biodiversity. The tool is an online platform with delayed response that will simulate the effects of climate change at a multi-sectorial level, also allowing the exploration of adaptation strategies for the identified high-end scenario. The platform is also a powerful educational tool through which students have access to information on climate change being encouraged that every effort no matter how small may help improve the current situation.
APPLYING A GENERATIONAL-ORIENTED AND FLEXIBLE ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION FRAMEWORK TO DELIVER HIGHLY PERSONALIZED AND EFFICIENT LEARNING ACTIVITIES
Authors: Eldridge Bryan , Stevens Cameron
Published: February 2023

For the first time in workplace history, there are five generations are in the workplace simultaneously: the Traditionalists (born between 1925 and 1945), the Baby Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964), Generation X (born between 1965 and 1980), Generation Y (born between 1981 and 1994), and the Millennials (born after 1995). Accommodating the unique learning and development needs of such a diverse spectrum of learners in the organizational enterprise have provided significant procedural and cultural roadblocks for facilitating efficient learning content delivery and personalization. A potential strategy in assessing this complex challenge is implementing a set of flexible assessment options that allow individuals to choose evaluation options and evidence types that best suit their individuality within a framework that is focused on supporting accepted common generational traits. For example, Baby Boomers have excellent team work skills and thrive on adrenaline-charged assignments while Millennials are more technologically dependent and are often more worried about the perception of success rather than actual achievement. Such an approach provides learning and development professionals a repeatable and highly customizable strategy for meeting the broad spectrum of requirements and support for a highly heterogeneous audience. This paper will examine how such a framework can be utilized to add efficiency and personalization to online learning delivery while still providing the flexibility for individuality without restrictions due to generational positioning. This type of approach allows for a generalized strategy of personalization that has been long on promise but short on delivery, particularly in the areas of learning and development.
SOCIAL MEDIA - THE PATH TO MILLENNIALS AND THE Y GENERATION
Authors: Gaitanaru Andrei
Published: February 2023

Social--media is a relatively new term for Romania. In the early 2000s, the idea of Internet and virtual communication was starting to take shape. The digital phenomenon that began to grow starting with the mid 2000, is currently continuing, moreover it is in full development. The digital revolution with all its derivatives, starting from new techniques of using the computer to online platforms that transform the virtual communication into a process easy for any citizen in the world, and ending with the cellular networks, is implementing more software compatible with modern systems, taking over our world. Patrice Flichy describes the Internet as being "the most important invention of the XXth" century. Its origins are found in 1969, at the US Department of Defense, in the ARPANET network (Advanced Research Project Network). So, the internet was the first name of a technological revolution that can be summarised as the digitalisation idea. [1]. Without a doubt the Internet is the main junction at the end of the XXth century and the beginning of the XXIst century, and its expansion in the coming years shall be staggering. Socialization is the fundamental process of transmitting culture and social organization to new generations through different ways - learning their mother tongue, learning to write, learning social norms and values, common traditions and beliefs takeover. In this way, all members of society accept the same fundamental values, using the same rules in interpersonal and social relations. Therefore, socialization is the act of preparing the individual for participation in group life and to common social life. People are being trained to become members of community groups - family, school, workplace, group of friends, etc., and also to know and understand other groups they will never be members of, but will be obligated to communicate with - banks, hospitals, police stations, companies etc. Socialization occurs necessarily within social interaction, the direct relationships between people.If the interhuman relation deprivation is prolonged and extensive, the evolution of an individual might be slowed forever. Therefore, according to the above explained, socialization exclusively represent the communication and direct interaction of individuals wioth other individuals, thus taking on habits, norms, values.
DESIGNING A SCALABLE TECHNOLOGY HUB FOR RESEARCHERS
Authors: Paraschiv Ionut cristian , Dascalu Mihai , Banica Cosmin , Trausanmatu Stefan
Published: February 2023

Nowadays, every researcher and postgraduate student is faced with the problem of information overflow in his daily endeavours. Concurrently, it becomes more and more difficult for someone interested in certain topics to find the relevant and trending articles and authors from a field, and to visualize the underlying connections within a domain. This paper introduces the architecture and describes a technology-centered hub aimed at bringing together researchers and the industry for creating new joint project proposals. Thus, Hub-Tech aggregates the newest publications from multiple domains and is designed to offer an easy to use, rich interface to search and find relevant articles. The provided semantic recommendations are suited for automatically generating the state-of-the-art for a new project proposal, as well as to contact additional researchers for a potential collaboration. The portal also contains sections where researchers can define templates for research proposals while exploring the structure of the domain represented as multi-layered 2-mode graphs in which authors and articles are correspondingly clustered. Our system relies on Latent Semantic Analysis, Latent Dirichlet Allocation and word distances in lexicalized ontologies to annotate documents and compute semantic relatedness, techniques that require complex computational infrastructures and scalability. In addition, the replicated worker paradigm will be used to achieve concurrent processing alongside the provided enterprise search engine (i.e., Apache Solr) in order to create a solid and scalable infrastructure. By combining relational and non-relational databases, Hub-Tech will be able to offer responses with minimal latencies and, contrary to traditional indexing tools, will offer semantically relevant results for richer input queries.
A 4-WEEK PILOT STUDY INVESTIGATING THE EFFECTS OF HIGH INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING ON PULMONARY FUNCTION AND AEROBIC CAPACITY
Authors: Deak Gratielaflavia , Borosbalint Iuliana
Published: February 2023

Suited for both elite athletes and untrained individuals, high intensity interval training (HIIT) is an increasingly popular cardio respiratory training technique that involves repeated bouts of high intensity exercise alternated with short periods of rest. This study was aimed at investigating the effects of a 4-week HIIT program on pulmonary function and aerobic capacity in recreationally trained individuals. Participants were 11 students (8 males and 3 females), aged between 21 and 25 years. They were randomly assigned to two groups: a Control group (5 subjects) and an Experimental group (6 subjects). Participants from the Experimental group trained 3 times per week, for a period of 4 weeks, performing HIIT with their own bodyweight. The exercises chosen for the training sessions were Burpees, squat jumps, push-ups, lunge jumps, mountain climbers, tuck jumps, planks, etc. Prior and post training protocol, all subjects effectuated pulmonary function tests with the Spirobank II® spirometer, manufactured by MIR (Medical International Research), Italy. The software used to process the acquired data was WinspiroPRO PC Software®. Anthropometric measurements and VO2max assessments were also carried out. VO2max was estimated using an online calculator after performing the Three Minute Step Test.After 4 weeks of bodyweight HIIT, the Experimental group showed improvements in VO2max, forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1/VC). HIIT has proved effective in enhancing physical performance. Further research is needed to identify the effects of this particular training method on the cardiorespiratory function of individuals with different levels of physical training.
OLD AND NEW METHODS OF EVALUATION FOR ESP
Authors: Balagiu Alina , Patesan Marioara , Zechia Dana
Published: February 2023

The evaluation methods of English for Specific Purposes have been debated over the last decades by all the professors and researchers involved in teaching English for law, medicine, engineering etc. The tests evolved from theoretical questions with ample answers, to multiple-choice tests with one or more correct answers, due to the fact that the university students need to learn specialty vocabulary mainly in English, as an international language and one of the most frequently used languages within European Union. At the same time the evaluation evolved from pen and paper to modern means of testing using computers. Nowadays computers with internet connection are used in the process of teaching and they are, or should be used for evaluation. A useful method of evaluating students’ knowledge both for English language and specialty may be by using real images of objects or short documentaries or even real images of activities being performed by people in a certain domain, with multiple choice test items following them, or several images to choose from which should correspond to a term, in order to connect more closely the academic education to the reality of our students’ future jobs. The method may be related to other types of evaluation and might include a listening part and perhaps, even a writing part. Designing such a test can be time consuming, but, in our opinion, the results may give the ESP teacher a real picture of students’ knowledge.
THE IMPACT OF USING TIMLOGORO PLATFORM IN LANGUAGE DISORDERS THERAPIES. RESEARCH IN PROGRESS
Authors: Fat Silvia , Panisoara Georgeta , Sandu Cristina , Lazar Iulia , Malureanu Adriana
Published: February 2023

This article presents the evolution of a project in CASLT domain (computer assisted speech and language therapy) who aims to develop, test and validate computer-aided multiplatform technologies with a high degree of interactivity in language training. Adapted to the linguistic specificity of the Romanian language, this technology becomes a support, not only through the practical tools, but also through the content applied to language development. Technological progress has a significant potential by solutions creation to diminish language disorders. In Romania there are many effective resources. Such an example of a digital platform is TIMLOGORO, which has recently been developed for speech therapy. The designers developed modules using digital games under the guidance of a virtual avatar. The platform also aims to meet the needs of specialists, offering a wide range of attractive activities, as well as games for vocabulary enrichment and the expressive and perceptual language training. TIMLOGORO technology will work with interactive games guided by an avatar specifically created, following the principles used in speech disorders. In respondents opininons, technology is a powerful tool for correcting and alleviating language disorders, with digital support as a resource for diagnosis and intervention for: speech therapists, school counselors, teachers, parents of children with and without disabilities. Timlogoro platform have a number of advantages, reported by the students. Many users and practisioners knows to access computer-based applications that enable them to communicate and write messages in various forms such as text, audio, images, video, animation and simulation. In the field of speech therapy, the respondents appreciate this personalized, collaborative and interactive learning method.
THE DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES - OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES FOR THE 21ST CENTURY TEACHING AND LEARNING
Authors: Logofatu Bogdan
Published: February 2023

The author has nearly 50 years of an academic career within the University of Bucharest. Over time, the author's academic activity has been heavily influenced by remarkable personalities from the university (especially the former Rector Ioan Mihailescu) or by world-class personalities (mainly Ken Robinson, John Naisbitt and Steve Jobs). Even if this career includes a valuable teaching and learning experience... it is approaching the "end of life". This article might be considered as a retrospective of the author's teaching activity and a chance to summarize the lessons he learned. These lessons could be seen as recommendations for the academic staff and the decision makers in higher education. The article contains two important chapters. Over time, the author's academic activity has been heavily influenced by remarkable personalities from the university (especially the former Rector Ioan Mihailescu) or by world-class personalities (mainly Ken Robinson, John Naisbitt and Steve Jobs). Even if this career includes a valuable teaching and learning experience... it is approaching the "end of life". This article might be considered as a retrospective of the author's teaching activity and a chance to summarize the lessons he learned. These lessons could be seen as recommendations for the academic staff and the decision makers in higher education. The article contains two important chapters. Chapter 1 has the title "Innovative teaching in higher education". Innovation is essential for the permanent and sustainable success of any person /organization. This chapter presents some general aspects related to education worldwide and some specific aspects related to the author's academic initiatives. As soon as these initiatives have been implemented for the first time in the University of Bucharest, they can be characterized as being innovative for the education system of this institution. Many of these achievements were reported during international and national conferences. Chapter 2 has the title "Disruptive technologies with a strong impact on higher education". The author has taken into account the potential of digital technologies for higher education since 1990. The essential moment was the reading of the book "Megatrends," published by John Naisbitt in 1982, having as the main message the movement from the industrial society to the information society. Chapter 2 summarizes some of the best practices on the use of digital technologies in higher education, including cloud computing, learning management system, eLearning, game-based learning. Finally, the article includes conclusions and references itself.
MOODLE AS A SUPPORT FOR ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT - EXPERIENCE OF DOCTORAL STUDENTS
Authors: Petrovic Dina
Published: February 2023

During the last decades, as a result of the intensive development of digital technologies, significant changes have occurred in the field of higher education. The implementation of digital tools in the education process of future academics conditioned the development of a new learning culture based on the the theory of connectivism. The wave of changes in university education is increasingly present at the Faculty of Philology, University of Belgrade, a renowned institution for the education of young people in the field of language, literature and culture. One of the leading changes is the introduction of the Moodle platform, which, as an online open source platform, offers a variety of content for communication, learning, organization and thus provides significant support to the educational process for future members of the academic community. Moodle is a very popular e-learning software that can be used to create online dynamic applications that develop an active and creative approach to educational activities, which is particularly significant for the doctoral academic studies. Accordingly, the main objective of this paper is to examine the opinions of PhD students on the use of the Moodle Platform for educational activities. The research tasks include questions related to the level of studies when Moodle is used, the length of time, the purpose of use, and the type of downloaded materials. For the purpose of the research, a questionnaire was used, with open and closed type questions. The sample of the research was deliberately chosen, comprized of doctoral students at the Faculty of Philology in Belgrade, who were using Moodle during their academic studies. The research data were processed using a qualitative and quantitative method, using standard statistical procedures. The results of the research indicate that students recognize the role of this platform in their own academic development.
COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE USE OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND NTC LEARNING METHOD: A CASE STUDY
Authors: Rajovic Ranko , Petkovic Violeta , Ivanic Ivana
Published: February 2023

The analysis of the research results at the international level (PISA) concluded that students from the Republic of Serbia indicate a below average performance compared to their peers from Europe and Eastern Asia. Based on previous teachers' research of opinions on the quality of the upcoming students generations related to general knowledge, motor skills, attention, concentration and vocabulary it was noted that the path goes in descending levels. The problematic issue is focused on the future trend of new generations of students, i.e. whether the existing trend of negative results of PISA research and national research will: 1) stagnate 2) continue or 3) be positively reversed by using new learning methods. The research involved 172 pupils (aged 11 to 13) who attend the fifth and sixth grade of elementary schools in Republic of Serbia. We have interviewed two groups: experimental and control one. Pupils from the experimental group have studied and followed the program by Nikola Tesla Center- NTC method for at least one school year. On the other hand, the control group followed the program according to the classical method of learning. Each group comprised the same number of respondents, i.e. 85. The questionnaire examined the motivation to learn, general mood in the classroom and success in knowledge and skills. The results of the study showed significantly better results with the experimental group, in which pupils used the NTC method in all the examined aspects. Therefore, this research shows that learning technologies provide a great opportunity for everyone and necessity to harmonize with the NTC learning method. The obtained research data also launch a new question about recognizing the great possibilities of combining the NTC method and new technologies in the learning process.
ASSISTED EVALUATION OF THE VISUAL FUNCTION EVOLUTION DEGREE IN SERIOUS GAMES TRAINING FOR SPECIAL NEEDS PRESCHOOL CHILDREN
Authors: Braun Barbu cristian
Published: February 2023

The paper presents a research for developing of an attractive and efficient method for screening activities concerning visual function rehabilitation, including the hand – eye coordination, for preschool children. It focuses on a software interface developing aimed to help the examiner: quantifying rapid and proper to what extent each evaluated child is falling or not in one of the disabilities situations and quantify the handicap rehabilitation degree, due to some specific training activities (correction of amblyopia, squint, myopia, dyschromatopsia, coordination hand – eye etc.). Another aspect refers to the evaluation and stimulation and training of the concentration of attention. All of these actually can be accomplished due to specific tests, via a previously created device. The main role of the software is to provide in a very short time all necessary information for making a decision concerning the measures to be taken. The application allows data saving into EXCEL files, with the possibility to compare it subsequently. In this way it will be possible to evaluate in time the tests results, so that the visual function, the memory the hand – eye coordination evolution. Proof of this is that in the autumn of 2017, many school and preschool children have consistently shown their interest in such tests on the existing device. This is due to the fact that such of activities are considered by children as a game which stimulates them in personality development, in self-affirmation. In the present the evaluation and rehabilitation method proposed in the research is in testing stage.
TEACHING INTERCULTURALISM BY RESORT TO GAMIFICATION AND E-LEARNING
Authors: Marginean Alexandra
Published: February 2023

This paper explores the extent to which the teaching of interculturalism in a higher education environment may become more effective by resort to gamification and e-learning. To highlight the benefits of these, if any, we used two separate series of third-year students who attended the same course, while introducing the e-learning game elements to only one (Series 2), and then examined, at the end of the semester, the academic achievement of those who were exposed to the e-learning gamification activity in comparison with those who were not. This activity relied on Geert Hofstede and Michael Minkov’s intercultural key concepts used in the profiling and classification of cultures, organized in six pairs concerning: individualism-collectivism, high-low power distance, high-low uncertainty avoidance, long-short term orientation, masculinity-femininity and indulgence-restraint. The task for the students consisted in the content authoring of realistic situations put into filmed short scenarios, which needed to highlight the problems and differences arising when people coming from dissimilar cultures, with various mindsets active as basic assumptions, meet and clash. Since there were six pairs of intercultural concepts, each of the two groups of students into which we divided the course participants from Series 2 received three, and had to make three videos, one for each set. The videos were made exclusively by them, transformed into actors-characters. The resources used for this assignment had to include, primarily, various electronic devices, along with other items such as clothing, shooting site, props etc. Besides the conception and making of the videos, the game further consisted in presenting them to the other group, who had to guess the theoretical concepts illustrated in each. In other words, the videos further became an e-learning tool for the students-viewers – a status that all the students involved in the task got to hold, in turns, being both creators and beneficiaries of an e-learning instrument with gamification elements. Academic performance, visible in the course test, was much better in the case of the students involved in the e-learning gamification task which helped both its authors and its spectators understand and remember the interculturalism notions better. The extended conclusion of the paper bears on the way in which this type of assignment helps the development of additional skills and desirable behaviors as well: computer and electronics-handling literacy, organizational and team work abilities, creativity and imagination, empathy and flexible perspective, work responsibility, self-esteem etc.
GAMIFICATION IN PREPARING FOR THE UNIFIED STATE EXAMINATION AT SECONDARY SCHOOL
Authors: Shakhova Irina , Khasianov Airat
Published: February 2023

In the paper we present a method of gamification applying in the Unified State Examination (USE) preparation activities in the Russian Federation. The USE is a final examination at school as well as a university entrance examination. Students' preparing for this exam takes two years and is accompanied by solving of a large number of similar tasks. Over time, students' interest in these activities is reducing, which leads to unsatisfactory results. We have proposed a model of mobile learning for the USE that uses game mechanics to increase the involvement of students in the process of preparing for the USE. These mechanics are based on the approaches that we used to implement the gamification in the educational process and includes the particular properties of the Unified State Examination. We've implemented the model in a platform consisting of mobile applications for students and a web-interface for a teacher. The platform lets students execute different types of the USE tasks as a training and simulate the examination with a complete set of tasks and a time limit. The processes are accompanied by visualization of user progress, competition in the form of other students success' rating, receiving badges for special sets of actions, etc. Some of the tasks support automatic checking and scoring. Tasks that require a mark of a teacher are sent for review. We've also defined the methods that help to get more information about using gamification in the process of preparing for the USE and formulated an experiment for a school. The paper focuses on the description of the experiment that is based on using the platform in the USE preparation activities at school and outside it.
VISUAL SOLUTIONS DEVELOPED WITH GRAPH 4.3 SOFTWARE BASED ON A MATHEMATICAL MODEL FOR DETERMINING THE COORDINATES OF BROCARD POINTS IN EUCLIDEAN GEOMETRY
Authors: Anghel Gheorghe , Anghel Iulia andreea , Helerea Elena
Published: February 2023

Mathematics is and will always be a fascinating subject. Learning mathematics by means of modern IT technique and the new pedagogical approaches meant to respond the 21st century educational challenges are ideas to be tackled in this article. We are now witnessing an informational explosion; a revolutionary, fast-developing technical progress and it is for this reason that it is highly needed to ask questions, to evaluate risks, to update methods, concepts and to create new learning environments. It is our responsibility to design the future that comes today in the shape of pupils/students, to transmit attitudes, behaviours and knowledge useful in this perpetual changing world. E-Learning software comes up with a complex online teaching-learning system that provides users at any stage of learning with advanced technology by means of laptops, smart phones, tablet, E-learning platforms, and internet. Experimental mathematics is getting more and more attention in engineering, therefore computerization and simulations are highly important in the teaching-learning-evaluating process, making it clearer and easier to be comprehended. The present article follows the previous ones, presenting a way of better understanding mathematical formulas, an option to the boring methods of teaching, encouraging the pleasure of experimenting in the virtual environment of educational software. The article analyses a topic in the vast domain of the Euclidean geometry, as a fundament for a future online course on this subject. In the Euclidean geometry, Brocard points are points with special properties in a triangle. They were named after Pierre René Jean Baptiste Henri Brocard (May, 12th 1845 – January, 16th 1922), the mathematician who had discovered these properties. Using the data available in the specialized literature, we propose an unique mathematical model to determine the coordinates of the Brocard points, checking everything in an app.
AN ONTOLOGY-BASED E-LEARNING APPROACH FOR THE HEALTHCARE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
Authors: Bajenaru Lidia
Published: February 2023

The health human resources are the most important and most expensive in the health system, and their management is considered a basic component of the health institutions success. The integration of semantic web technologies in knowledge management and e-learning structure, assure the semantic interoperability. This paper proposes an environment of e-learning based on new semantic technologies able to manage the process of building personalized educational content for training university hospital managers. The necessity of development of such a system results from the competence requirements for the specialists of human resources management (HRM) in the medical system. These goals are achieved using ontologies in implementing the personalized process of learning and in modelling the learning flow. Ontologies are used to model student profile, educational domain and learning process. These models are implemented into an intelligent learning Web platform. This ontology-based platform offers the specific tools to implement a new mechanism to obtain the relevant information from Internet. The implementation of personalization in the e-learning system is achieved starting from the student model to determine the knowledge level and to identify their preferences and interests. The students receive the learning material according to their profile, learning style, initial knowledge and education needs. Learning style and student's profile are the most important parameters in determining individual differences and define the adaptive learning environments. The e-learning prototype system contributes to increase the performance, skills and capacity to assess the health managers, proposes an automatized search method for the desired and needed information in the identified specific professional domain.
INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN BASED ON THE ASSESSMENT OF COGNITIVE LOAD AND WORKING MEMORY LOAD
Authors: Cimpanu Corina , Dumitriu Tiberius , Ungureanu Florina
Published: February 2023

Instruction is usually designed based on the cognitive load theory. Human cognition can be portrayed as a native information processing system while handling biologically secondary information, which works similarly to the information processing during evolution by natural selection. There is a critical aspect to be taken into account assuming that human cognition does not explicitly evolve to learn topics that require domain-specific knowledge. This characteristic of human cognition strongly related to the capacity of working memory is essential for the development of a germane architecture to instructional design. Considering that the working memory applies to a biologically secondary domain-specific knowledge that requires instruction, cognitive load provides techniques for calibrating working memory load during this process. The evaluation of a learning process performance for either standard systems or virtual e-learning environments is mainly associated with working memory activities. The goal of our work is to study different approaches to assess and classify cognitive load and working memory activity along teaching activity during stressful conditions. For this purpose, Electroencephalography (EEG) signals were acquired using both high-end and wireless EEG acquisition devices. The EEG signals were acquired from users involved in memory tests and typical reasoning scenarios. Electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings offer insightful information concerning diagnosis and prognosis of human thinking and memory-related processes, aiding researchers and physicians in Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) systems development. Oscillatory activity in all frequency bands characterizes with high accuracy different memory tasks. Alpha rhythms are spontaneous waves that appear in healthy awake adults under relaxation and mental inactivity. Beta waves are specific for central and frontal locations on the scalp enhancing during mental computations. Theta and delta rhythms are typically observed during deep sleep. Under task conditions, Theta reflects the degree of difficulty and portraits the transfer of information between long-term memory and memory functions. Considered the optimal frequency of brain functioning, Gamma brainwaves are patterns related to perception and consciousness. A statistical analysis of the EEG data is performed, while a comparison between several classifiers is meant to emphasize their fitting for working memory activities identification.