The article presents results of the empirical research revealing readiness of adults to participate in the lifelong learning process using e-learning, m-learning and t-learning technologies. The research has been carried out in the framework of the international project eBig3 aiming at development a new distance learning platform blending virtual learning environments, television and mobile technologies. Readiness to learn in a distance mode using e-learning, m-learning and t-learning technologies has been analysed on the ground of self-assessment of adults' computer literacy, usage of e-services including e-learning in a distance mode, experience in and attitude towards the choice of the mode of learning.
Information and communications technologies today are used in virtually any university course when students prepare their papers. ICT is also needed after people are graduated from university and enter the job market. This author is an instructor in the field of informatics related to health care and social sciences at the Riga Stradins University. In practice, he has found that after completing informatics courses (IC) at the university level, students and practicing specialists at various levels find it hard to decide on what data processing method to use in order to interpret extracted results in the relevant area of specialisation. There are various data processing methods in the literature, presented individually and without adequate linkages. The author has found in practice that when such assignments are handled, there is closer linkage among data processing methods than the literature would suggest.
In this article, the authors deal with the following issues: (1) how assignments given during informatics courses at the university level can be integrated with the relevant area of specialisation by making use of professional standards, guidebooks to studies in other courses, descriptions and scholarly publications so as to help students and practicing specialists to take decisions on data processing methods, their use, and the interpretation of their results; (2) how to ensure that educational data related to the area of specialisation are obtained on the basis of statistics in scholarly publications; (3) what kind of content is to be used for students of health care and the social sciences; (4) how to choose methods to resolve data processing issues; (5) what are the recommended principles for evaluating the knowledge, skills and talents of students? The views that are presented in this paper are those of the authors or of other authors.
The computer registration of physical and mechanical quantities gives a lot of possibilities for machine elements and mechanisms research. The advantages of well-organized computer laboratory both technical and methodological are namely: registration and on-line observation of a number of processes with random speed; replacement of high-cost specialized laboratory equipment; mathematical data processing; solving educational problems by modern technologies.
The purpose of this paper is to present the results of implementation of universal computer system for registering physical and mechanical quantities of elastic coupling, prepared in the laboratory of Machine Elements at the Higher School of Transport, Sofia, Bulgaria. The results are obtained by a special stand and the quantities are registered by a universal interface and software. After mathematical processing a number of characteristics and properties important for practice, such as diagram of friction and dumping in the coupling, shaft angle speed, etc. have been obtained.
The interface and software used allow to students to make the electrical scheme of measuring by them, to acquire basic knowledge for the problem investigated and to acquire self-confidence of solving such problems in practice.
A project is being developed with the main goal of creating an application of web server which allows students to use Mathematica software from their computers without the necessity of installing this software and of programming the necessary algorithms. The project consists of a set of mathematical models programmed with Mathematica and stored in a web server, which has been installed in a computer of our department. At the moment, it is possible to access to the web pages of the application from any computer of the intranet of our School.
Many factors influence teaching nowadays. Numbers of students are increasing, some students pay for studies and require more flexible teaching, more students have access to Internet, the learning material is changing rapidly (especially of subjects, related to information technologies), publishing industry is slow and expensive. All that stimulates usage of modern technologies in education. Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) is one of the forms of e-learning. They open new ways of teaching and communication such as management of online learning, course delivery mechanism, communication and assessment tools, student tracking, access to electronic resources, etc. All these means correspond to the needs of contemporary teachers and students. VLEs have primarily been used for distance education but they are being used increasingly as supplement of traditional classroom based education. The author is interested in this latter aspect of VLEs.
The paper briefly reviews main types of Virtual Learning Environments and analyses the use of VLEs in Lithuania. The results of the investigation of two different learning environments - traditional (Web CT) and collaborative (FLE3) at the Vilnius Pedagogical University are also discussed in the article.