A View on a Successful International Educational Project in Software Engineering

In this paper, a successful and fruitful joint project will be presented. The project joins participants from 9 countries and from 15 universities. Since it started in 2001, this project entitled “Software Engineering: Computer Science Education and Research Cooperation” helped participants to gain excellent, up to date educational material, apply modern teaching methods, exchange experiences with other participants, and work jointly on the further development of lectures, case-studies, assignments, examination questions, and other necessary elements of a course. Project works under auspices of Stability Pact of South-Eastern Europe, and is supported by DAAD. The project started with the creation of a common beginning course in “Software Engineering”, but over time it grew and the number of other courses was developed. Finished almost completely are the courses in “Object-oriented programming”, “Software Project Management”, “Advanced Compiler Construction”, and “Data Structures and Algorithms”, and some other courses are under development. Aside from the educational collaboration, project members also developed good scientific cooperation, and published several research papers

Contributions to the Development of eLearning – Possibilities to Convert Teaching Activities and Materials into an Electronic Form

Predmet istraživanja  disertacije  je  prikaz  koncepata  elektronskog učenja,  opis  potrebe,  motivacije  i  metodologije  za  obradu  i  konverziju postojećih  tradicionalnih  nastavnih  materijala,  bez  obzira  na  fizički  oblik  i sadržaj,  u  savremene  i  aktuelne  elektronske  didaktičke  objekte  (learning objects).  Ideja je da  oni  budu kreirani tako da mogu  biti  korišćeni,  ako  je moguće i više puta, u sistemima za podršku elektronskom učenju.  Drugi osnovni predmet istraživanja je opis, definisanje  i praktična provera metodologije  za razvoj saradničkih i komunikacionih veština  studenata. Pri prelazu iz učionice u oblast elektronskog učenja  one se  zamenjuju elektronskim aktivnostima,  standardnim  i uobičajenim  delom  sistema za elektronsko  učenje.  Analizirana  je  primena klasičnih aktivnosti  Web  2.0 tehnologije: foruma, chat-sistema, Wiki i blog tehnologije,  kao i metodologije za on-line zadavanje, rešavanje, pregledanje  i ocenjivanje individualnih i timskih zadataka. Konačno,  data  je  sistematizacija  metodologija  upotrebe  elektronskih  nastavnih materijala i načini opisivanja meta-modelom. Prikazani su neki od postojećih alata za upotrebu u elektronskom učenju, a  predložen  je  model i potencijalno korisni  alati  za  automatizaciju  procesa  konverzije  nastavnih  materijala  koji  bi olakšali korišćenje u sistemima za podršku elektronskom učenju.The research topic involves description of eLearning concepts, depiction of need, motivation and methodology for processing and conversion of existing traditional teaching materials, regardless of their physical form and content, into contemporary and up-to-date electronic teaching material, learning objects. The idea is that these learning objects are created  in such a way that they can be used, if possible also reused, in some of the learning management systems. The other primary research topic is the description, definition and practical testing of methodologies for the development of collaborative and communicative skills with students. Those skills are,  as a part of the transfer from the classroom to  the field of eLearning, substituted with electronic activities which are the standard and usual part of learning management systems. Within the thesis, application of typical activities of  so-called Web 2.0 technologies: forums, chat-systems, Wiki and blog technology, but also methodologies for on-line assigning, solving, audit, and assessment of  individual and team assignments. Finally,  systematization of various methodologies of digital teaching material use is presented, together with the methods of their depiction by meta-model. Examples of  currently existing tools  available for eLearning are presented and a model is suggested, together with  the  potentially useful tools that might help in automatization  of a process of  conversion of teaching materials and their use in learning management systems.

Politika zaštite obrazovno-vaspitnog sistema - analiza i predlozi za unapređenje

In previous research we were dealing with the national interest as an analytical concept, where we gave a detailed review of different relevant authors’ perspectives about the concept of national interest, and provided with suggestions for the analysis of the national interests of the Republic of Serbia, through analysis of the National Security Strategy, analysis of keynote addresses of Prime Minister nominees, and analysis of statements from official Government representatives. We also gave a review of two most common tools for analysis of national interests – matrices developed by Joseph Frankel and Donald E. Nuechterlein in 1970s, and we focused on Nuechterlein’s division of national interest by two criteria. The first one identifies basic interests of one state (defense, economy, world order, and ideology), and the second one identifies the intensity of the former (existential, vital, major, and peripheral). In this paper, we analyzed the national interest of the Republic of Serbia in a manner stated through keynote addresses (Government programmes) of Prime Minister Nominees from 2071 to 2017, which included eight Programmes overall. The main objective of this paper was to test the cognitive potential of the national interest, with the basic hypothesis that the national interest of small states is linked with the so-called “hard core of national interest” as implied by the Realists (Morgenthau), which is related to the issues of survival. First we gave a review of the thematization of small states in Realist literature, where we recognized the key period when small states became a focus of research for several theorists (Robert Rothstein, Annette B. Fox, Robert O. Keohane, Peter R. Baehr, Miriam F. Elman, and Kenneth Waltz). Then we gave a brief recapitulation of the importance of national interest as an analytical concept, with an end view of Frankel’s and Nuechterlein’s contribution to the development of its analytical potential. We have chosen the Nuechterlein’s matrix, so that our scope for analysis was the Adjusted Nuechterlein’s matrix – the world order interests for great powers were reduced to the level of regions for small states. In case of Serbia, it is the “Western Balkans” and Europe. The Adjusted Nuechterlein matrix was then applied to operationalized structure of these addresses (Programmes). We conducted the qualitative analysis of the Keynote addresses’ content, firstly through the list of priorities given, then through the analysis of how the author of the Programme labeled specific issue (“of high priority”, “of utmost importance”, etc.), and lastly, in what context the expression “national interest” have been used. In the analysis of the national interest of the Republic of Serbia through Government programmes, we considered the following conditions: the state strength through small states concept in International Relations theories, and the specificities of the Republic of Serbia in relation to immediate (“Western Balkans”) and wider (European) environment. Our findings showed us that there are two regularly mentioned priorities of the highest intensity (existential interests): Kosovo and Metohija, and the process of accession to the European Union, with a few more priorities only once mentioned as the highest ones – demographical issue and energy security. Combined existential and vital included the fight against organized crime and corruption, economic recovery, and the improvement of relations with neighboring countries. Our conclusion is that existential interests are primarily focused on values related to survival, which is in accordance with the Realist “hard core of international relations”

Milyen tényezők befolyásolják az általános iskolai tanárok IKT-használatát Szerbiában?

Az információs és kommunikációs technológia (IKT) és az Internet használata fontos szerepet tölt be a tanításban mind a tanárok, mind a tanulók számára, hiszen nagyban hozzájárul az egész életen át tartó tanuláshoz és a személyes fejlődéshez. A tanulmány célja az IKT, a multimédia technológia és az Internet használatának vizsgálata a szerbiai általános iskolákban. A kutatás 66 egy-, két- és háromnyelvű általános iskolában zajlott a Vajdasági Autonóm Tartomány területén a 2018/2019-es tanévben, melyben a természettudományi, a nyelvi- és a humán tudományok tanárai vettek részt. Összehasonlítottuk a különböző társadalmi-demográfiai jellemzőkkel bíró tanárok IKT-használati szokásait, beleértve a tananyag elkészítését is. Továbbá vizsgáltuk az IKT-használat gyakoriságát a tanórákon, melyet öt tényező befolyásol leginkább: a tanárok munkatapasztalata, a tanórákra való felkészülés közbeni IKT-használat, a kor, a nem és a szakterület

Contributions to the Development of eLearning – Possibilities to Convert Teaching Activities and Materials into an Electronic Form

Predmet istraživanja  disertacije  je  prikaz  koncepata  elektronskog učenja,  opis  potrebe,  motivacije  i  metodologije  za  obradu  i  konverziju postojećih  tradicionalnih  nastavnih  materijala,  bez  obzira  na  fizički  oblik  i sadržaj,  u  savremene  i  aktuelne  elektronske  didaktičke  objekte  (learning objects).  Ideja je da  oni  budu kreirani tako da mogu  biti  korišćeni,  ako  je moguće i više puta, u sistemima za podršku elektronskom učenju.  Drugi osnovni predmet istraživanja je opis, definisanje  i praktična provera metodologije  za razvoj saradničkih i komunikacionih veština  studenata. Pri prelazu iz učionice u oblast elektronskog učenja  one se  zamenjuju elektronskim aktivnostima,  standardnim  i uobičajenim  delom  sistema za elektronsko  učenje.  Analizirana  je  primena klasičnih aktivnosti  Web  2.0 tehnologije: foruma, chat-sistema, Wiki i blog tehnologije,  kao i metodologije za on-line zadavanje, rešavanje, pregledanje  i ocenjivanje individualnih i timskih zadataka. Konačno,  data  je  sistematizacija  metodologija  upotrebe  elektronskih  nastavnih materijala i načini opisivanja meta-modelom. Prikazani su neki od postojećih alata za upotrebu u elektronskom učenju, a  predložen  je  model i potencijalno korisni  alati  za  automatizaciju  procesa  konverzije  nastavnih  materijala  koji  bi olakšali korišćenje u sistemima za podršku elektronskom učenju.The research topic involves description of eLearning concepts, depiction of need, motivation and methodology for processing and conversion of existing traditional teaching materials, regardless of their physical form and content, into contemporary and up-to-date electronic teaching material, learning objects. The idea is that these learning objects are created  in such a way that they can be used, if possible also reused, in some of the learning management systems. The other primary research topic is the description, definition and practical testing of methodologies for the development of collaborative and communicative skills with students. Those skills are,  as a part of the transfer from the classroom to  the field of eLearning, substituted with electronic activities which are the standard and usual part of learning management systems. Within the thesis, application of typical activities of  so-called Web 2.0 technologies: forums, chat-systems, Wiki and blog technology, but also methodologies for on-line assigning, solving, audit, and assessment of  individual and team assignments. Finally,  systematization of various methodologies of digital teaching material use is presented, together with the methods of their depiction by meta-model. Examples of  currently existing tools  available for eLearning are presented and a model is suggested, together with  the  potentially useful tools that might help in automatization  of a process of  conversion of teaching materials and their use in learning management systems.