Over the last decade, the practice of higher education in Romania has become more diverse and complex, being more and more present in virtual environments. We all know the diversity of MOOCs, the diversity of on-line courses for enrolled students in various academic programs, the existence of learning management systems (LMS) and platforms, but we do not have a clear image of how teaching in digital environments, using those methods and technologies, respond to students` needs. The field of teaching in digital environment is wide and diverse containing many studies and researches on methodologies, principles of learning, characteristics of digital environments, mostly based on personal experiences and students` feedback. Due to the growing industry of learning technology, the opening of universities toward this technology and mostly the growing need of students for distance learning, e-learning, blended-learning, m-learning, game based learning etc. there is a need to have a framework of how to design courses in digital environments that conduct to qualitative learning. As is well known, the present teaching paradigm is centered on the students` characteristics, but can digital environment support and answer the needs of students? In order to design a course in digital environment knowing the characteristics of students and of the digital environment is important. This is also, the idea behind the present research which is to investigate how the characteristics of students enrolled in bachelor and master programmes at the University of Bucharest, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences interact with the characteristics of digital environment and the way the results of such interactions conduct to quality learning. The overarching outcome will be a clearer image on designing classes for virtual environments in which the quality learning takes effect.
When entering the university, the student is invited to develop another type of learning, more rigorous, and with a more consistent intellectual autonomy, at the same time freshmen are developing new relationships with knowledge. Once in university, the learning habitus the students had at the end of secondary studies such as memorizing, passive assimilation of disparate, disarticulated materials, lose relevance. Meeting the requirements of a university education involves a change in the way of learning and addressing towards academic tasks. This intellectual and methodological metamorphosis is supplemented by other disruptions due to shifting of this new learning environment for instance the acceptance of behaviours and practices adapted to the pedagogical and social context of the university. The student must build a new temporality, he also must learn how to manage and dominate the time, since his/her whole social and psychological life is being targeted by the new settings. Switching from pupil to student means altering his social role, moreover it is essential he/she changes the way of learning and how he/she intermingles with the academic environment. The main difference between school and higher education is often the amount of support and supervision that is being offered. During secondary school a teacher meets his/her students relatively often and together they set up and monitor the assignments on a regular basis, the teacher being willing to lead the learning they hope to develop, in contrast, the professor cannot meet with students too often due to the particularities of the classes. A certain problem arises when as a young student they feel very lonely and somehow, they have a sense of absence of interaction with their professors, so it is very likely that the freshmen have to assume more responsibilities for planning and completing work tasks, far more then when they were in school. The aim of this article is to show students` perception regarding the way ICT is used for making the transition from secondary education to university considering their communication with the administration staff, professors and colleagues. The paper is based on an exploratory empirical research with a hypothetical-deductive reasoning with premises and variables based on postulates and hypotheses with chances of logical verifiability.
Virtual learning environments have gained a great deal of attention in the education community in recent years. Most of the literature on e-learning or other kinds of learning in virtual learning settings, concentrates on the delivery of information or content, putting on the second place or leaving in a shadow the importance of the context and therefore of the scenario that makes possible and successful the delivery of the content. The aim of the present article is to expose the psycho-pedagogical aspects of Constructivist learning thru Google Apps at ODL department Credis of University of Bucharest focusing mostly on the importance of teaching-learning scenario. The case study is focused on the idea that learning is seen as a confluence of for domains or spheres as the subjective experience sphere, the information or content sphere, the institutional sphere and the community sphere wherein each exerts a significant influence on the student`s learning proportionally with the emphasis of the teacher. This article shows that the context together with the content are essential in any design paradigm, in this case in Constructivist paradigm and the psycho-pedagogical aspects of the relation between interaction and activity, like a better understanding of the content, the generation of new ideas based on interaction between previous knowledge and new content and construction of the knowledge. Also is shown the complexity of interaction between content and experience, individuality and community, communication and structure, and standards and flexibility. The overarching outcome will be a coherent image of the psycho-pedagogical aspects of the scenario of a master course designed to enhance ideas with technology based on a Constructivist approach.
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.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.