Design, implementation and validation of a Europe-wide pedagogical framework for e-learning

This work has been carried out within the project UNITE 026964: Unified e-Learning environment for the school, partially supported by the European Community under the Information Society Technologies (IST) priority of the 6th Framework Programme for R&D. The research has also been supported within the Project 177-0361994-1998 Usability and Adaptivity of Interfaces for Intelligent Authoring Shells funded by the Ministry of Science, Education and Sports Technology of the Republic of Croatia.Within the context of a Europe-wide project UNITE, a number of European partners set out to design, implement and validate a pedagogical framework (PF) for e- and m-Learning in secondary schools. The process of formulating and testing the PF was an evolutionary one that reflected the experiences and skills of the various European partners and secondary schools involved in the project. The framework involved pedagogies which underpin the teaching of subject matter in a number of European secondary schools as well as the ways in which learning is delivered and assessed. The PF represents an essential part of the e-Learning system conceptualization and development and offers sound concepts for the development of learning scenarios in order to enhance the learning experience of students in secondary schools. A five-component framework which, by means of its constituents, drives and guides the creation of e-Learning scenarios was designed and tested. It is composed of the pedagogical framework context, pedagogical approaches, assessment techniques, teacher education and national specifics and current pedagogical practices implemented in national curricula. A series of learning scenarios were created to test the PF in classrooms. A detailed exemplar of a scenario in practice is offered. An evaluation of the scenarios based on [Reeves, T. C., 1994. Evaluating what really matters in computer-based education. In M. Wild, D. Kirkpatrick (Eds.), Computer education: new perspectives (pp. 219–246). Perth, Australia: MASTEC] pedagogical dimensions revealed that UNITE is based on constructivist and cognitive foundations. With increased experience of the system the teachers’ implementation of the pedagogical framework developed into increased mastery in the school context. Teachers from the second validation phase became more confident in their application of the framework principles and evaluated more positively the outcomes. This helped them to become more aware of the opportunities offered by the framework in their secondary school teaching. In order to bring this about the supports for change were put into place at the levels of pedagogical design, administrative support and the provision of the required resources and appropriate continuing professional development. The project has sought to create this support structure to ensure maximal benefits of the system for teaching and learning. Such a pedagogical support PF has offered scope for both collaborative and autonomous learning which have brought about value-added teaching and learning effects in the Europe-wide network of schools.peer-reviewe

CROATIAN SOCIETY OF CLINICAL EMBRYOLOGISTS – GUIDELINES ON THE EPIDEMIOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF MEDICALLY ASSISTED REPRODUCTION (MAR) PROCEDURES DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC REGARDING THE SAFETY OF PATIENTS AND MEDICAL HEALTH WORKERS

Due to the high virulence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the infection rate in the community has led to a state of pandemic, leading to the introduction of new emergency measures all over the world. With the aim of controlling and preventing the SARS-CoV-2 viral epidemic, the health institutions performing medically assisted reproduction (MAR) suspended any new MAR treatments in order to reduce the burden on the health care system and implement current social distancing recommendations. Considering the favorable epidemiological situation in Croatia, our perspective is that it is time to conceive, plan and bring forth guidelines for restarting work in MAR centres, taking into account the selection of patients and organization of good laboratory and clinical practices with emphasis on the safety of patients and health workers. In regard to epidemiological knowledge, it is important to establish the reorganization of work in MAR centres including epidemiological measures of reducing unnecessary stays in closed spaces, the usage of protective gear by patients and health workers and disinfection of the working spaces and equipment

eLearning 2.0 - technologies for knowledge transfer in european-wide network of schools

With the upcoming features of Web 2.0 current eLearning solutions, mostly characterized by single user and centered data-download, change and develop further. The traditional paradigm of classroom teaching and learning is broadened towards sharing experiences and knowledge in word-wide social communities. Furthermore, knowledge capturing in ambient environments gains more importance and the use of mobile devices has created rich and exciting learning opportunities. These aspects characterize the so-called eLearning 2.0. Different aspects of this paradigm shift are presented in this paper and the European Community supported UNITE project as an application case is offered. The technical aspects of the platform development cycle are provided and its enhanced eKnowledge repositories are addressed. The UNITE system implementation in the setting of one of the European-wide network of schools is presented as an iterative four-stage-process, the achieved results are discussed and future work is proposed

What influences online shopping of individuals from European countries?

The trend of broadband Internet expansion in conjunction with the increasing orientation of consumers towards buying via web shops, all combined with increased usage of e-banking services have contributed largely to the growth of online shopping trend. This paper deals with determining the influence of the chosen input variables (reading online magazines and newspapers, searching for product information online, using web TV, radio and e-banking services) on the observed target variable (online shopping, categorized by the level of its development in terms of individuals in European countries). The database was preloaded with data from EUROSTAT consisting of values for the abovementioned variables for 29 European countries in the period from 2007 to 2009. For the data mining process, the open source application Orange Canvas was used

WHAT INFLUENCES ONLINE SHOPPING OF INDIVIDUALS FROM EUROPEAN COUNTRIES?

The trend of broadband Internet expansion in conjunction with the increasing orientation of consumers towards buying via web shops, all combined with increased usage of e-banking services have contributed largely to the growth of online shopping trend. This paper deals with determining the influence of the chosen input variables (reading online magazines and newspapers, searching for product information online, using web TV, radio and ebanking services) on the observed target variable (online shopping, categorized by the level of its development in terms of individuals in European countries). The database was preloaded with data from EUROSTAT consisting of values for the abovementioned variables for 29 European countries in the period from 2007 to 2009. For the data mining process, the open source application Orange Canvas was used.Online shopping, data mining, Orange Canvas, CN2 rules.

Estimated regression model for PD 32 sample: regression line (blue), 95% CIs of expected values of <i>Y</i> given <i>x</i> (ordinates of the green lines), and 95% CIs of the response values of <i>Y</i> given <i>x</i> (ordinates of the red lines).

<p>Estimated regression model for PD 32 sample: regression line (blue), 95% CIs of expected values of <i>Y</i> given <i>x</i> (ordinates of the green lines), and 95% CIs of the response values of <i>Y</i> given <i>x</i> (ordinates of the red lines).</p

Models for telomere Q-PNA-FISH labeling.

<p>A) Single-stranded breaks along telomere G-rich strand and dissociation of stretches of the same strand could cause incomplete labeling of G-rich strand with PNA probe. B) Condensed telomere structures on metaphase chromosomes contribute to less effective labeling by Q-PNA-FISH.</p

Results of the one-sided z-tests for comparison <i>a</i>-parameters.

<p>Results of the one-sided z-tests for comparison <i>a</i>-parameters.</p

Example and analysis of one metaphase spread from MJ90 cells, PD 52.

<p>A) Merged image after <i>in situ</i> hybridization of telomere Cy3-PNA probe (red) on metaphase chromosomes stained with DAPI (blue). B) Distribution of relative differences between sister telomere signals in percentages for a given metaphase.</p