Media education technologies in developing students' professional competence

While pervasive healthcare systems bear the potential to provide patients with a new quality of medical homecare, the complexity of such systems raises fundamental questions of behavior, communication and technology acceptance. This is especially important, as users of future healthcare systems will be increasingly characterized by diversity. Relying only on highly experienced and technology-prone user groups, which might have been typical users in the last decades, is not sufficient anymore. Rather, elderly users, users with a completely different upbringing and domain knowledge, and ill or handicapped people will have to use the systems. Today, the understanding, in which way physical, emotional and cognitive abilities, caused by individual learning histories and health states, may impact the usage and acceptance of pervasive healthcare technologies, is restricted. This research contributes to this topic by investigating the acceptance motives of aged users with different health states regarding three different implementation concepts for medical technologies: medical technology implemented in mobile devices, smart environments and smart clothing. Using the questionnaire method, a total of 82 users between 40 and 92 years of age were examined regarding their usage motives and barriers with respect to the different technology concepts. Overall, it was revealed that acceptance issues and users' needs and wants should be considered in order to successfully design new medical technologies

Educational Policies for Integrating College Competencies and Workforce Needs

Explores the challenges of workforce development for a global economy in Brazil, Mongolia, Ukraine, and the United States, with a focus on basic skills development, internships, and the role of stakeholders. Recommends policy and curriculum changes

Model of professional retraining of teachers based on the development of STEM competencies

The article describes a methodology for organizing lifelong learning, professional retraining of teachers in STEM field and their lifelong learning in Volodymyr Hnatiuk Ternopil National Pedagogical University (Ukraine). It analyzes foreign and domestic approaches and concepts for the implementation of STEM in educational institutions. A model of retraining teachers in the prospect of developing their STEM competencies and a model of STEM competencies were created. The developed model of STEM competencies for professional teacher training and lifelong learning includes four components (Problem solving, Working with people, Work with technology, Work with organizational system), which are divided into three domains of STEM competencies: Skills, Knowledge, Work activities. In order to implement and adapt the model of STEM competencies to the practice of the educational process, an experimental study was conducted. The article describes the content of the scientific research and the circle of respondents and analyzes the results of the research

Cultural capital of IT developers in Ukraine: exploratory case study

Article focuses on the analysis of approaches to studying cultural capital of IT developers. Exploratory case study refers to the IT developers’ activity and focuses the cultural capital (CC) of the Ukrainian IT sector. Theoretical foundation of the study is based on the cultural capital theory referring to the value of social relations and networks. Research results demonstrate that Ukrainian IT developers accumulate CC through education: individual, in family, at school and with peers. Cultural capital could be transformed into other forms of capital: economic and social ones

Enterpreneurship and problems of specialists training in Ukraine

Not long ago the social-economic system, we have lived in, did not allow the possibility of enterpreneurship. Now all restrictions have been lifted. How did Ukrainian economy and Ukrainian system of higher education respond to this situation? Majority of large state industrial enterprises are in disastrous conditions. Main reasons are: a crisis of non-payment, an absence of circulating assets, non compatibility of production, lack of sale markets, managers' low qualification and others. The process of privatisation is running slowly, painfully and it often does not give the expected results. Enterprises of small and middle business, especially of industrial profile, do not yet up on feet and they do not play appreciable part in total volume of production. The economical situation in Zhytomyr region, one of the regions of Ukraine, is presented as an example. At the same time the best traditions of national higher education have been saved. On the beginning of the 1997/98 academic year the 1,5 millions of students was studying in different higher educational institutions, the 400 thousands of them - on the first course. In 1991 radical democratic steps were been taken in Ukrainian education. In the State Law "About Education" was legally secured (1) the possibility of existence the private educational establishments based on a non-state form of property and (2) the education being obtained not only by the state-budget expenses, but out of local budget expenses, budgets of ministries, certain enterprises or individuals. Now about 5 % of students are studying in non-state institutes and about 20 % of students of state institutes are studying on the basis of contracts between educational institutions and certain enterprises or individuals with full compensation of educational expenses. Some peculiarities of the Ukrainian system of higher education functioning under conditions of transition to market economy are to be considered on the example of Zhytomyr Institute of Engineering and Technology (ZIET), - state, - and Institute of Enterpreneurship and Modern Technologies, - private. Thanks to ZIET activities that in 1997 it had own financing over 70 % of its budget (in 1992 - only 3,6 %). Institution funding helped to stabilise it's financial state, lessened the dependence of the reduced amounts of state funding and the chronic delays that occur in receiving those funds. The basic problems of the higher education institutions at the present time are: ? Collapse of many enterprises creates difficulties for training and using the future engineers. ? Insolvency of many enterprises, delays in payment of wages and the growing poverty of the population having resulted in the financial bankruptcy and the appearance of huge debts before educational institutions. ? Absence of clients for scientific researches and elaboration. ? Limited international contacts. ? Resrticted financial possibilities and backwards of the telecommunication technical appliances that all make difficult for our absolute enter into the global informational space (Internet, Web Side and so on).

Experiences and opportunities in teaching ukrainian students at the faculty of mining and geoengineering in AGH University of Science and Technology

The paper presents the influence of various factors on the process of internationalisation of higher education in Poland, and particularly in AGH University of Science and Technology from the perspective of the Faculty of Mining and Geoengineering. It lays out educational opportunities for learners at mining and geology study courses, and the benefits stemming therefrom for international students, including students from Ukraine. Possibilities of academic exchange were discussed and that of international cooperation, in particular with Ukraine, in order to support the potential of science and higher education in both countries. Lastly, factors were indicated in favour of taking education with AGH