A recent European Commission survey shows that only 15% of Europeans are active in sports. On the... more A recent European Commission survey shows that only 15% of Europeans are active in sports. On the other part, sport became one of the EU's supporting, coordinating and supplementing competencies. Moreover, we are now living in a technological based society where more and more people are using Web 2.0 technologies in their daily life activities. Therefore a legitimate question has
Today's students, known as digital natives, are living a paradox. Although they grew up with ... more Today's students, known as digital natives, are living a paradox. Although they grew up with technology, there are many studies which underline that students’ digital skills are not what they might seem. Thus, even if they are more familiar than professors or parents with functions and options available on the most used social networks and applications like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube etc., they still need “support with some areas of digital practice, particularly in an academic context” (JISC, 2015). But are these perceptions / expectations of students’ digital skills based on reality? Moreover, what should we do as their professors? Firstly, we should not forget that not all students have equal access to digital resources. Some of them need to be trained more concretely/effectively and most of them need to refine and update their digital skills and competencies in order to become more employable, ready to cope with the digital jobs of the future. Secondly, they need...
European Higher Education Area: Challenges for a New Decade
New emerging digital technologies such as artificial intelligence, virtual reality, augmented rea... more New emerging digital technologies such as artificial intelligence, virtual reality, augmented reality, cloud computing, blockchain, robotization, the Internet of Things, big data, etc. have produced a powerful disruptive effect in almost all areas of our existence and have radically changed the way we live, work, learn or relax. Without consciously realizing it, everyone is adapting to the digital era. As nothing “escapes” the all-encompassing digital transformation, higher education follows track too. So, it is natural to ask ourselves: what are the higher education institutions doing to keep up with this rapidly evolving digital world? In this paper, we present the case of West University of Timişoara as an example of good practice in dealing with the effects of digital transformation on the university and its academic community (teachers, students, administrative staff). Our goal is to gain an understanding of what is being proposed through the institutional development strategy,...
The Romanian Media Sector from the last 17 years can be described as a dinamic one. In the curren... more The Romanian Media Sector from the last 17 years can be described as a dinamic one. In the current study, which is also a part of national report of the Grundtvig 2 project "The Influence of Media in Adult Education Development" 06-G2-94-TM-RO-C, we divided the media sector into: printed media, audio-visual media, media based on web and new media. Within this article, I tried to present a short history, state of the art, as well as the tendencies on short term, for each of them.
Storytelling and learning are inextricably linked, as composing a story is also a process of mean... more Storytelling and learning are inextricably linked, as composing a story is also a process of meaning-making, helping students and teachers to think critically and to share, interpret and analyze past and present experiences. Digital Storytelling is the modern expression of storytelling, consisting in telling stories with interactive tools such as computer-based images, recorded audio narrations, presentations, video or music. When combined with the latest technologies, Storytelling represents an innovative teaching method, with the potential to be used in all settings, including formal, non-formal and informal education settings as well as work environment. Although future teachers may hold strong positive beliefs about technology and may be proficient with a variety of software applications, they may be unable to translate this knowledge to their teaching. This paper will report the in progress experience of the project “T-Story – Storytelling applied to Training”, which intends to...
Student population in Romanian higher education has been decreasing in the last years. The dropou... more Student population in Romanian higher education has been decreasing in the last years. The dropout is quite high. Such data force the universities to look for concrete solutions to widen the participation, the retention and the completion rate. Informed decision about academic studies, clear academic and career goals are prerequisite for study success. Thus, at the West University of Timisoara (WUT) was carried out a pilot study, on 900 students enrolling for higher education, to find out about the way they have chosen their academic studies and about their expectations. Their views and suggestions for easier and clearer options are ground for tailored policy measures within our university and beyond. The initial evaluation on the new students is a basis for a better focused interaction with them during their first year of studies. Also, the data suggests possible specific measures to improve retention rates, such as: diversified student services, covering academic guidance services, not only career guidance services, as well as a stronger collaboration between universities and highschools, for a better orientation and guidance of the pupils for their possible academic studies.
Interest in research connected to information disorders has grown considerably in recent years. T... more Interest in research connected to information disorders has grown considerably in recent years. The phrase “information disorders” refers to three different notions: dis-, mis-, and malinformation. It is difficult to pin down this new and dynamic phenomenon of informational disruption and to assess its impact on society. Therefore, we conducted a bibliometric analysis on the complexity of information disorders using the Web of Science Core Collection database from 1975 to June 2021. We analyzed 8964 papers with the goal to have an overall picture of the topic, clarify the knowledge framework of research in this field, examine the development dynamics, identify future research directions and increase the understanding of the research on information disorders. The following are our main findings: the number of publications, authors, and journals has increased; research on information disorders has earned considerable attention in multiple academic fields; there are more and more works...
Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, Jan 1, 2011
A recent European Commission survey shows that only 15% of Europeans are active in sports. On the... more A recent European Commission survey shows that only 15% of Europeans are active in sports. On the other part, sport became one of the EU's supporting, coordinating and supplementing competencies. Moreover, we are now living in a technological based society where more and more people are using Web 2.0 technologies in their daily life activities. Therefore a legitimate question has arisen: can we combine those for informal and social learning purposes? Thus, during this paper we will present the results of a study developed using Web 2.0 technologies, where people have shared their opinion and experiences regarding the sport usage/habits.
edited by), Digital Storytelling for Employability, isBn 978-88-6453-178-6 (print), isBn 978-88-6... more edited by), Digital Storytelling for Employability, isBn 978-88-6453-178-6 (print), isBn 978-88-6453-181-6 (online),
Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, Jan 1, 2010
The students from European Master in Adult Education were attending offers on Moodle platform, an... more The students from European Master in Adult Education were attending offers on Moodle platform, and also interacting with professors and peers from abroad. The students' satisfaction about the quality of online delivery, and their preferences for a fully online offer/ a blended one, or a F2F one were investigated, trying also to find out if there are differences in students' perceptions if they are from different countries. Results showed that, in spite of being very favorable to the online offer, they were more content with F2F delivery, suggesting that like this they met professors from abroad, an highly appreciated opportunity.
At the beginning of the 21st century, we are now for a couple of years in the social media era, w... more At the beginning of the 21st century, we are now for a couple of years in the social media era, where we are confronting with a lot of applications and tools, easy to use, friendlier, free to use, easy to (re)build. No matter on which kind of activities we intend to spend time, there are plenty of similar applications with similar functionalities. Accordingly, the decision which of them to use is sometimes very difficult to take and, not less importantly, timeconsuming. More than that, people in the 21st century live in a technology and media-suffused environment, marked by various characteristics, including: access to an abundance of information, rapid changes in technology tools and services. In order to be effective in the 21st century, there are plenty of almost unknown applications for the large mass of Internet users that can be useful for different types of activities and/or purposes. Accordingly, through this paper, we intend to offer some insightful help for social media users in order to be able to organize their information, activities and work, to become more productive and to avoid wasting their time. More than that, in this paper, we intend to present both positive aspects of different technologies which could be used for specific purposes or activities, without ignoring, however, some lesser-known facets and recommended, yet equally important, but they must be aware to take them into account.
Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, Jan 1, 2010
International context of global economic crisis affects all citizens worldwide, to a lesser or gr... more International context of global economic crisis affects all citizens worldwide, to a lesser or greater extent. Through this paper we intend to develop recommendations that might help every person stay afloat and succeed in the current period, through the online social media space like Twitter and Facebook. In addition, we will provide also national websites examples that promote online job finding services. Thus, by developing a basically online digital job culture and by providing some job finding best practices (tips) we intend to equip as many people as possible we can with strategic job finding online skills, knowledge and competencies.
Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, Jan 1, 2010
Through digital storytelling (DST) students develop a plethora of skills, necessary to be effecti... more Through digital storytelling (DST) students develop a plethora of skills, necessary to be effective in the 21st century. DST can successfully be used also by students during the difficult period of job search. Even we consider social networking as DST, resumes, cover letters; ePorfolios etc., DST are considerate Web Passport to Success in the third millennium and an effective way to engage students in their learning. As DST networking and ePortfolios became the new literacy of this era, this paper will focus on how students could use them in order to successfully and properly access the job market.
A recent European Commission survey shows that only 15% of Europeans are active in sports. On the... more A recent European Commission survey shows that only 15% of Europeans are active in sports. On the other part, sport became one of the EU's supporting, coordinating and supplementing competencies. Moreover, we are now living in a technological based society where more and more people are using Web 2.0 technologies in their daily life activities. Therefore a legitimate question has
Today's students, known as digital natives, are living a paradox. Although they grew up with ... more Today's students, known as digital natives, are living a paradox. Although they grew up with technology, there are many studies which underline that students’ digital skills are not what they might seem. Thus, even if they are more familiar than professors or parents with functions and options available on the most used social networks and applications like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube etc., they still need “support with some areas of digital practice, particularly in an academic context” (JISC, 2015). But are these perceptions / expectations of students’ digital skills based on reality? Moreover, what should we do as their professors? Firstly, we should not forget that not all students have equal access to digital resources. Some of them need to be trained more concretely/effectively and most of them need to refine and update their digital skills and competencies in order to become more employable, ready to cope with the digital jobs of the future. Secondly, they need...
European Higher Education Area: Challenges for a New Decade
New emerging digital technologies such as artificial intelligence, virtual reality, augmented rea... more New emerging digital technologies such as artificial intelligence, virtual reality, augmented reality, cloud computing, blockchain, robotization, the Internet of Things, big data, etc. have produced a powerful disruptive effect in almost all areas of our existence and have radically changed the way we live, work, learn or relax. Without consciously realizing it, everyone is adapting to the digital era. As nothing “escapes” the all-encompassing digital transformation, higher education follows track too. So, it is natural to ask ourselves: what are the higher education institutions doing to keep up with this rapidly evolving digital world? In this paper, we present the case of West University of Timişoara as an example of good practice in dealing with the effects of digital transformation on the university and its academic community (teachers, students, administrative staff). Our goal is to gain an understanding of what is being proposed through the institutional development strategy,...
The Romanian Media Sector from the last 17 years can be described as a dinamic one. In the curren... more The Romanian Media Sector from the last 17 years can be described as a dinamic one. In the current study, which is also a part of national report of the Grundtvig 2 project "The Influence of Media in Adult Education Development" 06-G2-94-TM-RO-C, we divided the media sector into: printed media, audio-visual media, media based on web and new media. Within this article, I tried to present a short history, state of the art, as well as the tendencies on short term, for each of them.
Storytelling and learning are inextricably linked, as composing a story is also a process of mean... more Storytelling and learning are inextricably linked, as composing a story is also a process of meaning-making, helping students and teachers to think critically and to share, interpret and analyze past and present experiences. Digital Storytelling is the modern expression of storytelling, consisting in telling stories with interactive tools such as computer-based images, recorded audio narrations, presentations, video or music. When combined with the latest technologies, Storytelling represents an innovative teaching method, with the potential to be used in all settings, including formal, non-formal and informal education settings as well as work environment. Although future teachers may hold strong positive beliefs about technology and may be proficient with a variety of software applications, they may be unable to translate this knowledge to their teaching. This paper will report the in progress experience of the project “T-Story – Storytelling applied to Training”, which intends to...
Student population in Romanian higher education has been decreasing in the last years. The dropou... more Student population in Romanian higher education has been decreasing in the last years. The dropout is quite high. Such data force the universities to look for concrete solutions to widen the participation, the retention and the completion rate. Informed decision about academic studies, clear academic and career goals are prerequisite for study success. Thus, at the West University of Timisoara (WUT) was carried out a pilot study, on 900 students enrolling for higher education, to find out about the way they have chosen their academic studies and about their expectations. Their views and suggestions for easier and clearer options are ground for tailored policy measures within our university and beyond. The initial evaluation on the new students is a basis for a better focused interaction with them during their first year of studies. Also, the data suggests possible specific measures to improve retention rates, such as: diversified student services, covering academic guidance services, not only career guidance services, as well as a stronger collaboration between universities and highschools, for a better orientation and guidance of the pupils for their possible academic studies.
Interest in research connected to information disorders has grown considerably in recent years. T... more Interest in research connected to information disorders has grown considerably in recent years. The phrase “information disorders” refers to three different notions: dis-, mis-, and malinformation. It is difficult to pin down this new and dynamic phenomenon of informational disruption and to assess its impact on society. Therefore, we conducted a bibliometric analysis on the complexity of information disorders using the Web of Science Core Collection database from 1975 to June 2021. We analyzed 8964 papers with the goal to have an overall picture of the topic, clarify the knowledge framework of research in this field, examine the development dynamics, identify future research directions and increase the understanding of the research on information disorders. The following are our main findings: the number of publications, authors, and journals has increased; research on information disorders has earned considerable attention in multiple academic fields; there are more and more works...
Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, Jan 1, 2011
A recent European Commission survey shows that only 15% of Europeans are active in sports. On the... more A recent European Commission survey shows that only 15% of Europeans are active in sports. On the other part, sport became one of the EU's supporting, coordinating and supplementing competencies. Moreover, we are now living in a technological based society where more and more people are using Web 2.0 technologies in their daily life activities. Therefore a legitimate question has arisen: can we combine those for informal and social learning purposes? Thus, during this paper we will present the results of a study developed using Web 2.0 technologies, where people have shared their opinion and experiences regarding the sport usage/habits.
edited by), Digital Storytelling for Employability, isBn 978-88-6453-178-6 (print), isBn 978-88-6... more edited by), Digital Storytelling for Employability, isBn 978-88-6453-178-6 (print), isBn 978-88-6453-181-6 (online),
Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, Jan 1, 2010
The students from European Master in Adult Education were attending offers on Moodle platform, an... more The students from European Master in Adult Education were attending offers on Moodle platform, and also interacting with professors and peers from abroad. The students' satisfaction about the quality of online delivery, and their preferences for a fully online offer/ a blended one, or a F2F one were investigated, trying also to find out if there are differences in students' perceptions if they are from different countries. Results showed that, in spite of being very favorable to the online offer, they were more content with F2F delivery, suggesting that like this they met professors from abroad, an highly appreciated opportunity.
At the beginning of the 21st century, we are now for a couple of years in the social media era, w... more At the beginning of the 21st century, we are now for a couple of years in the social media era, where we are confronting with a lot of applications and tools, easy to use, friendlier, free to use, easy to (re)build. No matter on which kind of activities we intend to spend time, there are plenty of similar applications with similar functionalities. Accordingly, the decision which of them to use is sometimes very difficult to take and, not less importantly, timeconsuming. More than that, people in the 21st century live in a technology and media-suffused environment, marked by various characteristics, including: access to an abundance of information, rapid changes in technology tools and services. In order to be effective in the 21st century, there are plenty of almost unknown applications for the large mass of Internet users that can be useful for different types of activities and/or purposes. Accordingly, through this paper, we intend to offer some insightful help for social media users in order to be able to organize their information, activities and work, to become more productive and to avoid wasting their time. More than that, in this paper, we intend to present both positive aspects of different technologies which could be used for specific purposes or activities, without ignoring, however, some lesser-known facets and recommended, yet equally important, but they must be aware to take them into account.
Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, Jan 1, 2010
International context of global economic crisis affects all citizens worldwide, to a lesser or gr... more International context of global economic crisis affects all citizens worldwide, to a lesser or greater extent. Through this paper we intend to develop recommendations that might help every person stay afloat and succeed in the current period, through the online social media space like Twitter and Facebook. In addition, we will provide also national websites examples that promote online job finding services. Thus, by developing a basically online digital job culture and by providing some job finding best practices (tips) we intend to equip as many people as possible we can with strategic job finding online skills, knowledge and competencies.
Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, Jan 1, 2010
Through digital storytelling (DST) students develop a plethora of skills, necessary to be effecti... more Through digital storytelling (DST) students develop a plethora of skills, necessary to be effective in the 21st century. DST can successfully be used also by students during the difficult period of job search. Even we consider social networking as DST, resumes, cover letters; ePorfolios etc., DST are considerate Web Passport to Success in the third millennium and an effective way to engage students in their learning. As DST networking and ePortfolios became the new literacy of this era, this paper will focus on how students could use them in order to successfully and properly access the job market.
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