Search

This year's volume of the Central States Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (CSCTFL) Report centering on the conference theme of MultiTasks, MultiSkills, and MultiConnections focused on the importance or world language use within the classroom and beyond with articles extending the conversation on target language use in instruction, on 21st century skills and accompanying Web 2.0 technologies that faculty and students can access and use to connect to the larger world, and applications of standards based instruction at K-16 levels of instruction. The profession's K-16 "Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21st Century" are well represented in this year's volume as all articles connect in some manner with one or more of the 5Cs in meaningful ways, demonstrating how the profession has embraced the national conversation on what "students should know and be able to do in a second or multiple language". The collection of articles in the MultiTasks section, share the theme of instructor target language (TL) use with recent attention placed on the role of the target language in instructed situations. In the MultiSkills section of this publication, readers will find a focus on the Partnership for 21st Century skills and technology integration in three articles. Articles in MultiConnections integrate various aspects of language learning usage for various purposes including connections to the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR), to service learning for collegiate intermediate Spanish students not necessarily pursuing a major or minor in the language, and to innovations for providing more literature exposure into language learning. "Innovative Approaches to teaching Literature in the World language classroom," examines the need to provide and support literary texts in language instruction by bridging the gap between developing language proficiency for interpersonal communication and developing literary understanding of authentic literary texts.

Place value is a foundational competency for primary school mathematics and for this reason we have sought to investigate what the recent and current academic conversations are around this important concept. In this paper we present a survey of literature presented in the Australasian, European and Southern African contexts through a review of purposively selected conference proceedings and journals to establish what the conversations have been about the teaching and learning of place value in these research communities from 2013 to 2022.

Eight papers for the Collections and Services Division of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions that were given at the 1992 annual meeting are presented. These papers deal with the acquisition and exchange of library materials, interlending, and serial publications. The following papers are included: (1) "Why Won't You Accept My Order? Global Acquisitions Solutions" (T. Leisner); (2) "South Asian Literature: Acquisition and Processing in West European Libraries" (G. F. Baumann); (3) "The Interlibrary Loan (ILL) Protocol: Progress and Projects" (L. Swain and P. Tallim); (4) "Sci-Tech Libraries: New Approach to Interlibrary Loans" (E. Eronina); (5) "Improving Interlending through Goal Setting and Performance Measurement" (J. Willemse); (6) "OSIRIS, a Microcomputer Based Online Serials Information, Registration and Inquiry System" (S. Santiago); (7) "Serial Publications in India" (P. K. Gupta); and (8) "Basic Serials Management Handbook" (J. Szilvassy). Most papers are followed by references.

The proceedings of the congress include the following workshop summaries: "Continuing Education and Training (CET) and Society" (Sellin); "The Social Dialogue" (Smith); "The Role of the Social Partners in Vocational and Further Training in Denmark" (Jensen); "Problems of Vocational Training in the Period of Transition to the Market Economy" (Csako); "Potential for Institutionalising and Formalising Cooperation between the Social Partners on Vocational Training" (Meghnagi); "CET and Society" (Kuda); "CET of Management Staff" (Standke); "CET for Managers in Europe" (Hummel); "Perspectives and Forms of Effective CET of Polish Management Staff" (Dworzecki); "Establishment of the Timisoara Institute of Management (Romania)" (Wisson); "Improved Qualification of Managerial Staff in Bulgaria" (Evgeniev); "Training Instead of Dismissal" (Makedonska, Soos); "Problems of Continuing Training in the Activity of the Employment Service" (Novikova); "Work-oriented Learning" (Stotzel, Schmidt); "Qualification Strategies for Women at Work and the Re-integration of Women into Working Life" (Prosel); "Integrated CET Programmes at Municipal Level" (Oels, Vogel); "Project-Pedagogics Approach in Training Schemes for Youth and Adults" (Vassileff); "Integrated Projects in CET" (Delatour); "Work, Ecological Crisis, Continuing Vocational Education and Training" (Knapp, Rieseberg); "Environmental Destruction" (Mackwitz); "Environmental Protection and the Workplace" (Bresso); "The Biosphere, the Technosphere and Society" (Balogh); "Psychological Problems Arising from Radical Structural Changes in the Former German Democratic Republic" (Maaz); "Learning Process as Part of the Joint Ventures in Poland" (Dyrschka); "Course in Entrepreneurship and Market Economy for Estonian Decision-Makers" (Hedlund); "Challenges to the Qualification of thw Workforce in the Transition from the Planned to the Market Economy" (Buttler); "IFG Projects in Central and Eastern Europe" (de Zitter); "Open and Flexible Distance Education and Training in Europe" (d'Azevedo); "New Methods, Old Practices" (Curran); "New Media in European CET" (Nickolmann); "Access as a Key Concept for Policies to Develop Open and Distance Learning throughout Europe" (Dondi); and "The Programme, Finish Your Schooling, Now Is the Time" (Anglarill). (KC)

The world of Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) is dominated by English, and to a lesser extent, French, Spanish, and German. While these languages are the main focus of EUROCALL conferences, there has always been a presence of Less Commonly Taught Languages (LCTLs) at these conferences. Most of the official languages of the EU and European languages more generally have been discussed by CALL researchers at EUROCALL conferences, but some languages have yet to make an appearance. There have also been presentations on other LCLTs outside of Europe, including Mandarin, Arabic, Japanese, and less widely spoken languages such as Thai and Nahuatl. This paper looks at the presence of LCTLs at EUROCALL conferences since 1993 and reflects on what has changed over the years. It notes the importance of the conference location on the languages discussed at the conference and the role of EU projects in supporting LCTLs. [For the complete volume, "CALL and Professionalisation: Short Papers from EUROCALL 2021 (29th, Online, August 26-27, 2021)," see ED616972.]

These papers on reading research in the socialist countries were delivered at a conference held in Budapest, Hungary, in October of 1974. Included are the text of the introductory address and papers on the following topics: (1) the library and society; (2) the library as it relates to students, teachers, and engineers; (3) the role and effectiveness of the library; (4) the reading of non-fiction; and (5) the reading and reception of literature. (EMH)

The first of two volumes, this book contains complete texts of 61 papers presented at a 1988 symposium on geographical education. The papers cover many aspects of geographical education in several countries in Western Europe, Africa, and Asia, and are divided into eight sections: (1) "Developing Skills for Living through Geographical Education"; (2) "Developing Learners' Skills and Abilities in Geography"; (3) "Curriculum Developments in Geography for the 1990s"; and (4) "Research in Geographical Education"; (5) "Developing Skills through Continuing Education"; (6) "Curriculum Developments in Geography for the 1990s"; (7) "Teaching Styles in Geographical Educations"; and (8) "Developing Learners' Skills and Abilities in Geography." Many of the papers include figures and additional references. (AS)

Cloudscheduler is a system to manage resources of local and remote compute clouds and makes those resources available to HTCondor pools. It examines the resource needs of idle jobs, then starts virtual machines (VMs), sized accordingly, on allowed clouds with available resources. Using yaml files, cloudscheduler then provisions the VMs during the boot process with all necessary tools needed to register with HTCondor and run the experiment's jobs. Although we have run cloudscheduler in its first version for ATLAS and Belle-II workloads successfully for more than 10 years, we developed cloudscheduler version 2 (CSV2), a complete overhaul and modernization of cloudscheduler. The new system is used successfully in production for Belle-II, ATLAS, DUNE, and BABAR. In addition to using cloudscheduler version 2 as a WLCG site, we also run it as a service for other WLCG sites, and the Canadian Advanced Network for Astronomical Research (CANFAR) group uses its own instance of CSV2 for their astronomy workloads. In this paper, we report on our experience in operating CSV2 for different experiment's jobs, running on up to 10,000 cores across all experiments and clouds in North America, Australia, and Europe. We will also report on how to correctly account for the resource usage in the WLCG APEL system, how the monitoring works, as well as on the integration of different clouds and how to use resources opportunistically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with a problem of digital competence acquisition and certification. In order to overcome the problem of still inadequate number of digitally competent students and the tools that merely focus on skills acquisition, this paper proposes the CRISS platform which is a unique cloud-based digital learning solution, based on the most advanced pedagogical methodologies and technological solutions Its purpose is to allow guided acquisition, evaluation and certification of digital competence in primary and secondary schools in Europe. The platform is based on the CRISS Digital Competence (DC) Framework created as an adaptation of a well-established European digital competence framework, DigComp. The platform's architecture includes seven different modules that support the CRISS DC Framework and employ advanced techniques such as learning analytics, intelligent tutoring and certification. The platform will enable teachers to track the work of their students acquiring the digital competence with a detail insight into their learning paths. CRISS platform is piloted in around 90 schools, with 600 teachers and 3400 students during the school year 2018/2019. [For the full proceedings, see ED621557.]

Interactive simulations allow students to discover the underlying principles of a scientific phenomenon through their own exploration. Unfortunately, students often struggle to learn effectively in these environments. Classifying students' interaction data in the simulations based on their expected performance has the potential to enable adaptive guidance and consequently improve students' learning. Previous research in this field has mainly focused on a-posteriori analyses or investigations limited to one specific predictive model and simulation. In this paper, we investigate the quality and generalisability of models for an early prediction of conceptual understanding based on clickstream data of students across interactive simulations. We first measure the students' conceptual understanding through their in-task performance. Then, we suggest a novel type of features that, starting from clickstream data, encodes both the state of the simulation and the action performed by the student. We finally propose to feed these features into GRU-based models, with and without attention, for prediction. Experiments on two different simulations and with two different populations show that our proposed models outperform shallow learning baselines and better generalise to different learning environments and populations. The inclusion of attention into the model increases interpretability in terms of effective inquiry. The source code is available on Github. [For the full proceedings, see ED623995.]

Generally, project monitoring and evaluation (M&E) are mandatory actions throughout the project planning, implementation and conclusion phases. Although the terms "monitoring" and "evaluation" go together, evaluation is usually conducted after the project is completed and is typically included as part of the project report, while monitoring is a continuous process of ongoing data collection and feedback. This aspect is often neglected. Although M&E guidelines for practitioners are in abundance, and advocacy for the use of specific models of M&E are aplenty, there is a deficit of scholarly publications on M&E of capacity development projects in higher education in particular. Furthermore, research guiding future M&E endeavours based on lessons learnt before and during the pandemic, is found wanting. The three authors, in different roles, are part of an Erasmus+ co-funded project that aims to build capacity for curriculum transformation through internationalisation and development of Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL). COIL is an inclusive approach to provide all students with virtual internationalised learning experiences without having to travel. Taking an insiders' perspective and sharing our experiences in this project, this paper should inform future M&E of capacity building projects. [For the complete Volume 20 proceedings, see ED622631.]

Industry 4.0 and digitization are nowadays important trends in the textile industry. The need for well-prepared professionals in software for the design and modelling of textile products requires the creation of up-to-date educational resources. Virtual learning supported by e-learning offers the instruments to continue education during pandemic restrictions. As such, six research and education providers on the European level have joined forces to create educational resources in e-learning format for students and professionals in textiles: the content is related to software for design and modelling of weaving, knitting, virtual prototyping of clothing, embroidery of e-textiles and experimental design, as well as technology transfer. The educational resources were implemented on the Moodle e-learning platform of the Erasmus+ project (www.advan2tex.eu/portal/) and will be further used to support classroom/virtual courses with students and professionals in textiles. The paper introduces the course and its foreseen impact within the current context. [For the complete proceedings, see ED639262.]

The paper presents ideas and initiatives from two ongoing Erasmus+ projects funded by the European Commission. Both projects use e-Learning as an enabler for communicating interesting and important learning contents that are believed to increase and improve employability prospects for the targeted groups of learners. The WINnovators project targets young women with reduced opportunities for quality education in different areas of STEM/STEAM and intends to demonstrate how their entrepreneurial skills can gradually grow by providing them with e-Learning incentives in such areas. The YNSPEED project intends to offer free MOOC courses addressing hot topics of modern society -- artificial intelligence, sustainable development, and fake news. In the YNSPEED project, the target group of learners are young people (aged 16-29). It is believed that their interest in such important topics can be boosted by communicating the corresponding relevant learning content in a carefully designed way. The "Shine a light" metaphor is a common point and a common approach in both projects -- e-Learning technology is used to facilitate informal education for the targeted learners and to indicate directions that often get either omitted or misunderstood in traditional schools. [For the full proceedings, see ED639633.]

Resource estimation is commonly performed in separate domains that are defined using different criteria depending on the type and geometry of the deposit, the mining method used, and the estimation method applied. The validity of estimation domains can be critical to the quality of produced resource estimates as they control various steps of the estimation process, including sample and block selection. Estimation domains also affect statistical and geostatistical analyses because they define what estimation practitioners will consider as statistically separate distributions of data. Sometimes, samples from different estimation domains share similar grade properties close to the contact between domains, a situation known as a soft boundary. In such cases, it can be useful to include samples from different domains at short distances from the boundary. Contact profile analysis is a technique that allows for the measurement of the relationship between grades on either side of the contact between two estimation domains. As discussed in the study presented in this paper, contact profile analysis can help validate the defined estimation domains and control the application depth of any soft boundaries found between domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Pedersen Process was developed at the beginning of the 20th century as an alternative process to the Bayer route for producing alumina Al2O3. A successful operation in an industrial environment took place in Norway from 1925 to 1969. It ended due to economic reasons. Having a smaller environmental footprint (no bauxite residue) and the ability to handle alternative raw materials makes the approach promising for grappling with future challenges in Europe. This paper shows the status of the ongoing European Commission-funded work and the outline of a first industrial process concept. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Europe has been experiencing an increasing number of sweltering heat waves in recent years. This run of hot extremes induces a significant impact on the human environment, especially in terms of excess mortality, highlighting the urgent need for improved heat-health action planning. This is particularly true in countries situated in the eastern Mediterranean, which is considered a climate change hot spot. To increase preparedness and response to overheating risks, heat-health warning systems (HHWSs) are of vital importance. In this direction, the principal aim of the HEAT-ALARM research project is to provide a novel scientific and technological framework for the development of efficient HHWSs, employing Greece as a testbed. Going beyond the simple notion that outdoor meteorological conditions alone can adequately describe the heat-health nexus, a sophisticated human-biometeorological index, the modified physiologically equivalent temperature (mPET), is used. Advanced statistical models and tools are employed in order to establish a clear link between mPET and excess mortality at regional-unit administrative level. Moreover, urban climate factors produced by combining remote sensing and geographical information system techniques are incorporated into the HHWS via a state-of-the-art numerical weather prediction model. The latter includes a scheme that combines the parameterization and modeling of building effects and energy, respectively, in order to account for the urban indoor thermal conditions and the intra-urban differential heat exposure within the five highest populated cities of Greece (Athens, Thessaloniki, Patras, Heraklion and Larissa). Further, the human body's acclimatization ability is considered, as well as the physiological characteristics of different vulnerable groups of people, including the elderly, women and outdoor workers. The current paper describes the scientific background of HEAT-ALARM and provides preliminary results associated with the project's realization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, in many EU countries, students have the possibility to study two foreign languages along their school years and, in addition to that, adults are encouraged to start or continue foreign language learning, as the ability to communicate in a foreign language gives them the chance to come into contact with the cultural values of other peoples, develop their personalities and create wider opportunities for social integration, beneficial to the individual and profitable for the community. This paper attempts to depict the origins and the evolution of the current reality and explain the role played by the European Union and the Council of Europe in setting the trend in this particular field. Using the documentary method of research, this paper aims at providing a diachronic perspective on the events and documents that initiated and laid the foundations for foreign language education not only in the European Union, but also in Europe, at large. Moreover, by critically analysing the recent past related to foreign language education in this region, our paper might offer a useful key to better understanding the present and possibly might help raise greater awareness of the importance of foreign language skills in today’s globalized society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Educational Robotics is increasingly used in elementary-school classrooms to develop students' algorithmic thinking and programming skills. However, most research appears descriptive and lacks experimental evidence on the effects of teaching interventions using robotics to develop algorithmic thinking. Using the robots Dash and Dot, this study examined algorithmic thinking development in groups of children aged 6, 9, and 12. The results showed a statistically significant main effect between the age of students and algorithmic thinking skills and a statistically significant main effect between intervention and algorithmic thinking. In conclusion, the findings underscore the necessity of providing learners with structured, scaffolded activities tailored to their age to effectively nurture algorithmic thinking skills when engaging in Dash and Dot activities. [For the full proceedings, see ED636095.]

Cryptocurrencies have emerged as a significant innovation in the financial landscape, with their adoption varying across different regions. This paper investigates the adoption trends of cryptocurrencies in three European countries: Germany, France, and Romania. By examining regulatory frameworks, public sentiment, and market dynamics, we aim to provide insights into the factors influencing cryptocurrency adoption in these nations. Furthermore, we explore the relationship between digital banks and cryptocurrencies, analysing the potential synergies and challenges associated with their integration. Finally, we offer future projections and suggest areas for further research to better understand the evolving landscape of cryptocurrencies in Europe. The motivation for studying cryptocurrency adoption in Europe stems from the region's diverse regulatory frameworks, cultural attitudes, and economic landscapes. Understanding the dynamics of cryptocurrency adoption in specific European countries can provide valuable insights into the broader trends shaping the future of finance. Moreover, as digital banking continues to gain prominence, exploring the intersection between digital banks and cryptocurrencies becomes imperative. The regulatory frameworks surrounding cryptocurrencies in Germany, France, and Romania exemplify the diverse approaches adopted by European countries in response to the emergence of digital assets. While Germany and France have made significant strides in implementing comprehensive regulatory frameworks, Romania's regulatory landscape remains in the early stages of development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evaluation of text complexity is an important topic in education. While this objective has been addressed by approaches using lexical and syntactic analysis for decades, semantic complexity is less common, and the recent research works that tackle this question rely on machine learning algorithms that are hardly explainable and are not specifically designed to measure this variable. To address this issue, we explore in this paper the engineering of novel features to evaluate conceptual complexity. Through the construction of a knowledge graph that captures the concepts present in a text and their generalized forms, we measure different graph-based metrics to express such a complexity. Eventually, early-stage evaluations based on a well-known public corpus of students' productions show that the use of these metrics significantly improves performance compared to a state-of-the-art binary neural network classifier. [For the full proceedings, see ED599096.]

Institution-Wide Language Programme (IWLP) modules are a popular option for international students at the University of Reading. Student feedback and module results show that some of these students face particular challenges in relation to their peers. In this paper, we describe how a team teaching Beginners French -- Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) level A1 -- addressed this issue. More specifically, we focus on the development of a new module with integrated support and differentiated assessment as well as student feedback and suggestions for curriculum enhancement. We demonstrate how minor module and assessment modifications enabled the team to support students who might have dropped out or become discouraged and at the same time raise the level of challenge for all students whatever their background. [For the complete volume, "Innovative Language Teaching and Learning at University: A Look at New Trends," see ED594807.]

Transformation of post-socialist educational systems is perhaps one of the most interesting and at the same time underestimated in its importance, developments in the history of comparative education. After the three decades of post-socialist development one can note significant differences between the countries which once had identical or very similar educational systems. Perhaps the most interesting topic for comparativists to explore is the question: why instead of convergence do we observe the increasing divergence of education in the post-socialist area? One of the possible answers is that post-socialist countries perceived the new ideology, namely, the ideology of neoliberalism, in their own specific way, which was determined by their historical, cultural and religious heritage. The concepts of effectiveness and efficiency in education can be considered as one of the typical cases of recontextualization. The paper provides several examples showing that these concepts are still interpreted in different ways in the East and in the West. [For the complete Volume 16 proceedings, see ED586117.]

The continuous professional development of educators is not only essential to highly maintain their expertise levels and ensure that their knowledge is up to scratch, but also to catch up and adopt new pedagogical tools, skills and techniques. The advent of the Web 2.0 brought about a plethora of digital tools that teachers have not only struggled to keep track of and investigate the array of tools available, but also have been at a loss of how to productively employ and take advantage of the benefits each of the different tools has to offer. In this paper we present a number of such tools as part of an empirical study to investigate the use of freely available digital tools. This exercise was a spin-off of a project that aims to embrace literacy through digital media as it focuses on re-training educators in the use of digitally supported methods that employ innovative teaching methods. In our conclusions we draw important guidelines on how to optimize the use of such continuous emerging web tools, as well as future work and new potential research directions. [For the complete proceedings, see ED579282.]

This paper presents an overview of the research conducted within a funded Comenius project which aims at developing a virtual European CLIL Resource Centre for Web 2.0 Education. E-CLIL focuses on Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), creativity and multiculturalism through digital resources. In this sense, our prior research on CLIL programmes across Europe revealed the need to equip teachers with relevant methodological strategies and appropriate materials. We also detected the need of specific guidelines for implementation together with specific resources which should guarantee excellence in language learning (Ramírez-Verdugo, 2010). To reduce the identified shortcomings, an interdisciplinary group of scholars have developed a resource centre for Web 2.0 Education which aims at increasing children's exposure to European languages and to improve the quality of teaching and learning through the implementation of CLIL. E-CLIL has a three-folded objective. First, it intends to provide support to current and future CLIL educative programmes all over Europe and beyond. Accordingly, E-CLIL is currently disseminating high quality and proven materials and resources for content and language learning. Second, E-CLIL material design and the guideline for teachers are founded on sound language and content learning principles. Third, E-CLIL attempts to enrich teachers' and children's knowledge of other European cultures. The paper shows the results from the pilot study and initial experiences at E-CLIL school network across Europe. [For the complete volume, see ED574893.]

Although badges are among the most-used game elements in gamified education, studies about their optimal features to motivate learning are scarce. How should a badge be designed to represent an incentive for a specific goal like optimal exam preparation? This study examines usage data of a higher education learning app to determine whether the used badges have the intended motivational effect. The preliminary results suggest that the badges that were initially implemented in the app have the intended effect in most cases, but the stages of the multi-level badges could be optimized. The methodological framework used in this study can be transferred to usage data of other similar learning tools. With the help of easy-to-interpret outputs of decision trees, researchers and practitioners alike can work towards an optimal badge design. [For the full proceedings, see ED623995.]

Within digitally-supported learning environments, learners need to observe themselves so that they can reflect on their strengths and weaknesses and take a step toward autonomous learning. Within the scope of this research, a technology and analytics enhanced assessment environment in which students can assess themselves was implemented and tested. In order to determine N = 108 students' ability to use the assessment environment, behavioral patterns were determined based on their individual characteristics, system interactions, lesson performances, achievement motivation, confidence, and study interest. Findings indicate different system usage and behavioral engagement with the assessment system. The outcomes of this design-based research project indicate hints on how such assessment systems can be made more effective in future implementation stages.

These proceedings contain the papers of the 20th International Conference on e-Society (ES 2022) and 18th International Conference on Mobile Learning (ML 2022), organised by the International Association for Development of the Information Society, held virtually during 12-14 March 2022. Due to the unprecedented situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, this year the conferences were hosted virtually. The e-Society 2022 conference aims to address the main issues of concern within the Information Society. This conference covers both the technical as well as the non-technical aspects of the Information Society. The Mobile Learning 2022 Conference seeks to provide a forum for the presentation and discussion of mobile learning research which illustrate developments in the field. These events received 152 submissions from more than 28 countries. In addition to the papers' presentations, the conference also included one keynote presentation by Professor Pedro Isaias (Information Systems & Technology Management School, The University of New South Wales, Australia) and a Special Talk by Wilson Ramon Hernandez Parraci (Ph.D. Student, Northern Illinois University, USA). [Individual papers are indexed in ERIC.]

COVID-19 hastened a trend that was already ongoing before the pandemic outbreak: the progressively increasing use of distance and online teaching and learning, alongside with lectures and classes. The potentialities of online teaching allowed a didactic continuity that would have been impossible otherwise, and this approach is likely to be maintained even after COVID-19 related restrictions end. From these remarks, it immediately follows that it is of great importance that teachers, students and other personnel, such as technicians and program managers, possess digital skills devoted to education. In the context of security and defence, areas with a strong international vocation, these skills are even more valuable. This research investigates the impact of COVID-19 on education in these contexts: the changes caused by the pandemic, the teachers' perception about some aspects of their job, such as the way they relate with students, and their ability to perform the same commitments in a different scenario. The research has been conducted based on the analysis of an online anonymous questionnaire with more than 500 responses. Results suggested the importance of the development of a training devoted to improving teachers' digital skills, since they live frontline in education, and they have been directly impacted by disruptive changes. This study is part of the European project Digital Competences for Improving Security and Defence Education - DIGICODE. Pursuing to the Digital Education Action Plan, the project aims at improving education quality in security and defence, by means of digital tools in didactics, and the development of teachers' professional competences. [For the full proceedings, see ED639633.]

The paper provides analytical insights into highly acute issues concerning preparation and adoption of Qualifications Frameworks being an adequate response to the growing interactions at the global labor market and flourishing of knowledge economy. Special attention is paid to the analyses of transnational Meta Qualifications Frameworks (A Framework for Qualifications of the European Higher Education Area, The European Qualifications Framework for Lifelong Learning and Towards a European Framework for Research Careers) and the UK National Qualifications Framework, separately for each of its constituent parts, as well as Russia. Doctoral Degree level is chosen as a core for the analytical overview as the authors believe that this qualification level deserves much attention and continuous improvement to provide highly qualified personnel for the sphere of science and education in the nearest future. Critical remarks on the real impacts of such Qualifications Frameworks policy from the international perspective are represented. [For the complete Volume 15 proceedings, see ED574185.]

In Great Britain, it is not unusual to find primary schools staffed almost entirely by women, but managed by men. This paper argues that more women should manage education in western Europe and explains why. It examines the stereotypes of "gendered" management styles. For example, both Margaret Thatcher and Bill Clinton have encountered public criticism because they used combinations of feminine and masculine styles. It is argued that even when women are in positions of management, they remain at a disadvantage because they are expected to manage differently. Feminine management styles are often seen as inefficient and lacking in decisiveness. The paper describes the approach used by the Management Development Centre (at the Institute of Education, London University), which takes account of women's professional experiences and learning styles. The program seeks to develop a women-friendly pedagogy, which is based on the following cycle of learning--concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation. The formation of a European women's management-development network is suggested. (LMI)

The Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) proposes Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) as an important strategy to develop the learners' linguistic competences along with their communicative skills. Since it is learner-centred and relies mostly on engaging learners in meaningful communicative interchanges in a foreign language, it allows for greater interaction and collaboration between them in the development of products, in problem-solving processes and in the construction of knowledge. Nevertheless, teachers have revealed some resistance to this approach. Pan-European Task Activities for Language Learning (PETALL) is a project involving ten countries and seeks to address these problems by constructing a transnational strategy for Information and Communications Technology (ICT)-based task design management. It aims to produce tasks that can be implemented in different educational contexts, and offer training courses to help teachers build their confidence in TBLT. This presentation seeks to offer an overview of the project, including its objectives, underlying principles and deliverables (samples of good practices, the website, the courses, and the international conference). [For the complete volume of short papers, see ED572005.]

This paper aims to compare the impact on the development of transversal skills, such as self-esteem, of virtual and physical exchanges. This is done by comparing the Europe on the Edge programme to the results of the Erasmus Impact Study. In doing so it fills the need that has been expressed in the telecollaboration field to study the impact of online education programmes "outside of students' and educators' beliefs" (Helm, 2015, p. 212). We shall argue that it is indeed possible to compare physical and virtual exchanges by measuring the impact on so-called transversal skills. [For the complete volume, see ED571330.]

This 2016 updated capsule on a History and Philosophy of Andragogy includes 196 concepts and 268 names from a quasi-English translation of Dusan Savicevic's 2000 work on roots in the world-wide development of Andragogy from ancient times. Ten new items were discovered and added to the list. Some of these documents, however, present aspects of the events and ideas which recount the years and contexts prior to the time in which they appeared in published form. To date, nearly 600 documents have been discovered, but space limitations in this paper allowed the inclusion of only 150--a fraction of the total number. Each of 16 eras is articulated with selected works and the recent discoveries are found mainly in the most recent era. [For the full proceedings, see ED581791.]

Constraints of the pandemic and rolling lockdowns eliminated opportunities to gather in person. Yet, for the learning cities movement, this period of coronavirus curtail was also a time of increased networking and creative collaboration. Where once human energies expended in "process work" left little retrievable trace, now artifacts accumulate apace in electronic clouds. What might a little excavation through material collected since the onset of COVID-19 reveal about ways localities and learning city networks mobilized to address the pandemic? For those on the resourced side of the digital divide, openly available content grants access to a gallery of community responses, transnational strategies, and future forecasting. [For the full proceedings, see ED625421.]

The time of COVID-19 required appropriate infrastructure, effective planning, digitally competent adult teachers, high quality training content, user-friendly tools, as well as digitally competent learners, to make education and training systems in the digital area. The readiness of the teacher to implement the remote studies, digital skills and ability to learn, as well as mutual cooperation were the determining factors in ensuring quality education during the Pandemic. This article provides a brief insight into a survey of university teachers about the challenges and disadvantages of distance learning, and describes how teachers developed their skills by collaborating and teaching each other.

Although gender differences in mathematics are smaller than they have been in the past, prominent voices still attribute these differences to a variety of fixed individual factors, such as genetic characteristics of men and women. We hold the alternative view that these differences can be ultimately attributed to malleable factors. From this vantage, societies could influence gender differences in mathematics by changing students' experiences in school. In this study, we built on prior work suggesting that mathematics anxiety causes lower mathematics scores. In particular, we found that mathematics anxiety entirely explains the gender differences evident in mathematics scores from the 2012 US Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). Furthermore, we found that gender moderates the mediating role of mathematics anxiety: math anxiety is more detrimental for male than for female students. Because math anxiety is a malleable individual characteristic, we conclude that gender differences reveal more about gendered societal experiences than they do about innate characteristics of men and women. [For the complete proceedings, see ED629884.]

These proceedings are a written record of the research presented at the 42nd annual meeting of the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (PME-NA) held in Mazatlán, Mexico, virtually beginning May 27, 2021 and in-person June 2-6, 2021. The conference was originally scheduled to take place October 14-18, 2020; it was postponed, due to the COVID pandemic. In accordance with the major goals of PME-NA that include promoting international contacts and stimulating interdisciplinary research, the theme was proposed as "Entre Culturas/Across Cultures". The goal of the theme was an academic exchange that would reflect the ample diversity of ways of teaching and learning of mathematics, and of the tools and communities involved in mathematics education; as well as an exploration of how the differences in cultures imply a need to consider how research results can be taken into account in varying contexts. The papers comprise 80 Research Reports, 190 Brief Reports, 147 Poster Presentations, 10 Working Groups, 2 Research Colloquia, and Plenary and special lectures. The program also includes a special tribute to Eugenio Filloy and a tribute to the PME-NA members who were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. [These proceedings were produced with Cinvestav (Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN), México and AMIUTEM (Asociación Mexicana de Investigadores del Uso de Tecnología en Educación Matemática, A.C.), México. Individual papers are indexed in ERIC.]

This small-scale study draws on a higher education context where French-speaking students, "in situ" at Bordeaux University, participated in the Sharing Perspectives Foundation's flagship "Erasmus+ Virtual Exchange" (E+VE) program (2018-2019). French-speaking students interacted in English on the topic of "Newcomers and Nationalism" via weekly webinars with non-native English-speaking students from other participating universities in Europe and the Southern Mediterranean region. Authenticity is a complex concept involving the degree of implication and meaning speakers give to their interactions (Gilmore, 2007; Pinner, 2016; Widdowson, 2003). The study therefore addresses the question of how participant feedback can help us to assess E+VE in terms of authenticity. The methods used to investigate this research question were the qualitative analysis of the French students' reflective journals, questionnaires, and interviews. The results show that E+VE is conducive to authentic learner experiences. This study has also enabled a definition of 'authenticity' as a transformative language learner experience in virtual exchange. [For the complete volume, see ED609298.]

Significant qualitative changes in academic mobility development, introduction of a three-tier system of student training (Bachelor's -- Master's -- PhD), and also the creation of conditions for providing autonomy to Kazakhstani universities has ensued in Kazakhstan, after the nation's entry into the European zone of higher education. But, as in any large-scale programme there are achievements and difficulties of implementation of the basic principles of the European educational system. In this paper, the author's objective is to analyze the changes and challenges associated with joining the Bologna process, and to consider the perspectives of higher education development in the EHEA as a whole. Particular attention is paid to the ECTS (European Credit Transfer System): the problems of transfer credits of Kazakhstan, which is part of the process on the unification of different educational systems in introducing the Bologna process in Kazakhstan. The introduction of the credit system provides recognition of qualifications from the European educational space, and promotes the expansion and intensification of the processes of European academic mobility of students and teachers. [For the complete Volume 12 proceedings, see ED597979.]

A major criticism brought to digital learning environments was that the individual learning activities cannot be monitored consistently. However, recent advancements of educational data mining and learning analytics allow a precise tracking of learner activities. Previous studies focused on learners' navigation profiles, academic achievements, or motivation, while missing a closer look a gender differences. This study focusses on the interaction preferences of N = 161 Bachelor students in a digital learning environment based on their gender. Within the scope of this research, interactions of the learners are defined as: (1) learner-content; (2) learner-discussion (learner-learner); (3) learner-tutorial; (4) learner-video; and (5) learner-assessment. interaction preferences of the students were examined based on log data and evaluation data collected through digital instruments administered through a learning analytics system. For this purpose, adjusted residuals analysis has been conducted. Findings show that the interaction preferences of students differ throughout the study periods according to their gender. The findings obtained in this research can provide some initial suggestions for instructional designers of digital learning environments. Future research will include students' psycho-educational structures, such as learning strategies, motivational dispositions, and prior knowledge.

The present paper is a theoretical one. Firstly, this paper attempts to reveal to what extent the 21st century universities - with all the characteristics of this period - are concerned about ethical problems. And if universities are still concerned about this issue, this paper aims to point out to what extent universities are able to create their own values and to transmit them to the others within the present context in which there is an unprecedented interdependence of social domains, a fact which generates negative effects on their autonomy. There are ethical problems in all universities, domains and societies. The question is how these problems are tackled and if there is a reaction to them or not. We are particularly interested in the young people's attitude. Do young people react to these problems or do they remain indifferent to the ethical problems existing in the academic world? How do young people relate to the ethical problems in a society that underwent a long period of transition, and of anomie, too? Does ethics remain, like politics, a second hand concern for most of young people in our society? The present paper also deals with important aspects of ethical management in universities. If we consider some European - including Romanian - research work on this issue, we can notice that they simultaneously present the educational managers' opinions and the students' opinions on the characteristics of ethical management in present universities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of a European-wide survey regarding the practice of foreign language telecollaboration or Online Intercultural Exchange (OIE) in higher education. The survey was carried out as part of a European project, INTENT (Integrating Telecollaborative Networks into Foreign Language Higher Education) which was awarded funding by the European Commission's Lifelong Learning programme primarily to achieve more effective integration of telecollaboration in university institutions. Findings reveal the current "state-of-the-art" of telecollaboration in Europe: an educational practice which is highly valued by educators and students who have experience with it, but also a time-consuming activity which is difficult to organize and receives limited institutional recognition or support. Recommendations are made on the basis of these findings as to how telecollaboration can be supported and more fully integrated into higher education. [For the complete volume, see ED574893.]

From the skills needed to adjust for the current mismatch between labor market demands and higher education training, collaboration and the development of communication strategies stand out. To improve communication as a whole, "The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR)," constitutes a body of reference which adds to the traditional skills new descriptors such as mediation and online interaction. The study constitutes a step towards the identification and design of online training to develop foreign languages mediation competences through virtual environments; that is, the reconstruction of meaning through online production, reception, culture and interaction practices. The contextualization for doing so is a unique one that is relevant to intercultural competences: critical incidents, which will form the basis of the contextualization of learning activities for the proposal. The learning proposal, resulting in the active involvement of students after previous phases of practical experimentation in virtual environments, and the set of parameters guiding the design constitute the main implications of the study. [For the complete proceedings, see ED608557.]

Today, the main event in the social and labor sphere of Russia is, of course, the introduction of the National Qualifications System (abbreviated NSC), which comes to replace the old system of qualification characteristics. In general, the NSC in Russia is represented by four interrelated elements: professional standards, independent assessment of qualifications, professional and public accreditation of educational programs and a directory of the most popular professions. The professional standard at the legislative level states the requirements for the type of activity. Independent assessment of qualifications is a mechanism for personnel certification for compliance with professional standards, and professional public accreditation of educational programs is their assessment for compliance with the requirements of professional standards. In European countries, such systems have existed for a long time and accumulated some experience in this field. The purpose of this article is to consider the common and distinctive features of the European and Russian systems of national qualifications, as well as the experience of building such a system in Russia. In addition, the work will present the differences between the previously existing system of qualifications in Russia and the modern one. The article will show the difficulties of embedding the new system in Russian labor legislation. In addition, problems in the activities of society that were caused by the new system will be considered, its advantages and disadvantages will be considered. Particular attention will be paid to the analysis of the new qualification assessment system and its comparison with similar abroad. Today, Russia is trying, using the experience of European countries, to introduce a system of awarding qualifications outside educational institutions in special centers for the assessment of qualifications. The difference between the Russian model and the existing analogues abroad is that these centers are represented by commercial organizations, while education is carried out by state educational institutions. Such a docking of the state system of education and business has given rise to a number of problems, which will be discussed in the article. The main feature of the national qualifications system in Russia is a synthesis of the obligation (imperativeness) and the market fundamentals of the system itself. [For "NORDSCI International Conference Proceedings: Education and Language Edition (Athens, Greece, August 19, 2019). Book 1. Volume 2," see ED603411.]

Defining civic education reform in the Czech Republic since 1989 in terms of its post-communist transition, this paper contends that the breadth, depth, and range of educational reforms proposed or already adopted in Central and Eastern European societies is extensive, involving most areas of education (curricula, educational legislation, management, new types of school and university institutions, and the system's overall structure, administration, and financing). The document includes explanations of Czech Republic education reforms from political, historical, and sociological perspectives: "Character of Our Educational Reform"; "'Anomie' and 'Crisis'"; "The Heritage of the Communist Regime"; "The Role of Pre-war Models and Traditions"; "The Influences of Political Doctrines";"The Legislative Framework"; "The Role of Public Opinion and the Media"; "General Principles and Main Problems of Curriculum Reform"; and "Conclusions." After a seven-year transitional process that has opened up the education system to local and individual initiatives with relatively minor State involvement, the next phase of reform in the Czech Republic (and Central and Eastern Europe) requires collaborative discussions on the goals of education and curriculum content. (CB)