Distance education in Slovenia : a case study of innovation

In Slovenia, the development of modern open/distance education started at the beginning of the nineties at a traditional university having considerable experience in the delivery of part-time study courses. The initiative of developing a distance education programme were carried out within the framework of the PHARE Programmefor Multi-country Co-operation in Distance Education, in which 11 Central and East European beneficiary countries were involved. The Faculty of Economics of the University of Ljubljana was selected as a pilot institution for Slovenia. The paper shows how the synergy created through the combination of existing domestic resources as well as the local social and educational environment with outside expertise served to bring about a self-sustainable distance education programme and to improve the quality of mass higher education services offered by a traditional university.peer-reviewe

Does dark matter consist of baryons of new stable family quarks?

We investigate the possibility that the dark matter consists of clusters of the heavy family quarks and leptons with zero Yukawa couplings to the lower families. Such a family is predicted by the {\it approach unifying spin and charges} as the fifth family. We make a rough estimation of properties of baryons of this new family members, of their behaviour during the evolution of the universe and when scattering on the ordinary matter and study possible limitations on the family properties due to the cosmological and direct experimental evidences.Comment: 28 pages, revtex, submitted to Phys. Rev. Let

Statistical Methods Use in Small Enterprises: Relation to Performance

Background: There are several factors that lead to an improved level of competitiveness and increased net income of enterprises. Previous studies have shown that an appropriate use of statistical methods has positive effects on the level of competitiveness and on enterprises’ net income in general. Objectives: This study analyses the statistical methods use in Croatian small enterprises. The goal of this research is to establish whether most Croatian small enterprises use statistical methods and whether the enterprises that use statistical methods on average have greater net income than the enterprises that do not use statistical methods. Methods/Approach: A web survey was conducted on the sample of 631 small enterprises in Croatia in 2012. In the analysis a complex survey design was taken into account. Results: The results have shown that in most Croatian small enterprises statistical methods are not used. The enterprises that use statistical methods on average have greater net income than the enterprises that do not use them. Conclusions: The results suggest that even though the use of statistical methods in small enterprises leads to higher net income, they are not used in the majority of Croatian small enterprises. If Croatian small enterprises want to succeed on the demanding European Union’s market they should consider using statistical methods in their business

Uresničevanje potencialov e-izobraževanja v izobraževanju odraslih

E-learning, which is based on advanced information and telecommunication technologies, opens new perspectives and possibilities for acquiring and creating adult knowledge. Potential opportunities of e-learning depend on the scope and ways of integrating the technology into the learning process. The concept of holistic e-learning is the basis to maximize learning potentials allowed by advanced technologies. To be able to do so, certain requirements must be met, which influence the supply and demand of e-learning programs. The analysis carried out in EU and Slovenia shows that e-learning still remains a marginal form of adult learning. One of major reasons being insufficient skills and familiarity of adults for using advanced technologies, unsuitable and poor availability of such learning programs and unilateral approach to integrating information and telecommunication technologies into learning processes.E-izobraževanje, katerega bistvena značilnost je uporaba sodobne informacijske in telekomunikacijske tehnologije (IKT), odpira nove perspektive in možnosti za pridobivanje in kreiranje znanja odraslega prebivalstva. Potencialne priložnosti e-izobraževanja so odvisne od tega, v kolikšnem obsegu in kako smotrno ter učinkovito je tehnologija integrirana v izobraževalni proces. Osnova za celovito uresničevanje potencialov, ki jih za izobraževanje odraslih omogoča sodobna tehnologija, je koncept celostnega e-izobraževanje. Za uresničitev teh potencialov pa morajo biti izpolnjeni določeni dejavniki, ki vplivajo na povpraševanje in na ponudbo programov e-izobraževanja. Analiza stanja v EU in v Sloveniji kaže, da je e-izobraževanje še vedno obrobna oblika izobraževanja odraslih. Poglavitni vzroki za skromno izkoriščenosti potencialov e-izobraževanja v izobraževanju so nezadostna usposobljenost velikega dela odraslega prebivalstva za uporabo sodobne tehnologije, neustrezna in skromna ponudba programov ter enostransko uresničevanje strategije uvajanja IKT v izobraževanje

Possible accomplished types of construction projects presentations in the phase of town and country planning

The Graduation thesis consists of three parts. In the first part all types of the construction project presentations used in the past and also nowadays are explained. The emphasis is on the possibility of using advanced methods of the presentation of design concepts, which had been made with upgrading the methods in the past. These are described and presented in detail and a comparison is also made.\ud In the second part of graduation thesis are, on the project of building the Information Centre GEN in Krško, presented the methods of the presentation of design concepts that are used nowadays. The procedures for the implementation of the classical visualization, 3D animation and 3D physical model making out with the 3D printer are presented. Described and depicted are all stages for performance visualization: Proceedings modelling with program Rhinoceros, production of images - rendered in Maxon Cinema 4D program in combination with rendering interface Vray and final image corrections before issuing. These are later implemented in the program Adobe Photoshop. 3D animation, done by expanding the model used for the manufacture of static visualization, is also presented in detail, as well as the purpose of its implementation. The third method of presentation of design concepts, which represents the culmination of the graduation thesis, is the implementation of the 3D physical model implemented with a 3D printer. Even in this way we should start from implemented models in the form of CAD files, which were previously used for the purposes of performance visualization and animation. At the end of the second part of this work the benefits of using 3D printing technology over other methods of presentation of design concepts are also presented.\ud In the third part of graduation thesis are presented the advantages of 3D presentation of design concepts for each project stage, and finally the potential possibility of its widespread use for other purposes.\u

Razvojne možnosti e-izobraževanja v svetu in Sloveniji

V sodobni družbi se povpraševanje po izobraževalnih storitvah izrazito povečuje, kar spodbuja tudi nastajanje novih oblik in načinov izobraževanja. Prevladujoči izobraževalni koncepti in metode, ki jih negujejo tradicionalne univerze, ne morejo več zadostiti tem potrebam. e-izobraževanje, ki temelji na učinkoviti in kreativni uporabi informacijske in telekomunikacijske tehnologije, se vse bolj uveljavlja kot pospeševalec razvoja izobraževanja