Diana Andone

This paper introduces the analyses of the design, create, and pilot four modular courses - Licensing and Open Licensing, Open Education, Open Access and Open Science, and Open Innovation, as integrated in a micro-specialisation of Foundation of Open Practices - to equip students and staff across the E³UDRES² European Universities Alliance with the skills, knowledge, and credentials needed to engage with open practices. The course development methodology involved a collaborative, cross-institutional design process based on the EU DigComp 2.2 Digital Competences framework, Design-Based Research (DBR), intersected with the ABCtoVLE method and refined based on instructional design principles and the Open Educational Practices (OEP) framework. The integration of the Foundations in Open Practices training programme into the E³UDRES² Arena Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), built on Moodle, represents a strategic step toward creating a coherent, scalable, and pedagogically aligned digital learning ecosystem for these courses. The courses contribute to embedding openness within higher education curricula and align with European digital competence frameworks.

The TalkTech 2024 project, a collaborative partnership between US and Romanian universities, leverages virtual reality (VR) to foster global collaboration and enhance students' digital skills. This study examines how the project, where students create VR tours of their local communities for international partners, facilitates personalized learning and global engagement. Utilizing Puentedura's SAMR (Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, Redefinition) model, the research investigates how technological integration through VR transforms the learning experience. By creating immersive VR environments, students engage in collaborative research, communication, and digital media production, effectively building "digital bridges" between their communities. The analysis explores how progressing through SAMR stages, from simple substitution to redefining global collaboration through innovative VR experiences, empowers students to develop original digital content. The study concludes that SAMR provides a valuable framework for instructors to integrate immersive learning, demonstrating how incorporating technology can enhance skills, transform learning environments, and foster a deeper understanding of global communities. TalkTech 2024 serves as a model for creating impactful, technology-driven educational experiences.

The exploration of city culture and heritage has gone through a fundamental transition in today's digital world, boosted by the introduction of extended Reality (XR) technologies such as Virtual Reality (VR), Mixed Reality (MR), and Augmented Reality (AR). These developments have provided new opportunities for individuals to profoundly engage with historical narratives and artistic expressions inherent in urban environments. Despite these technical advancements, a critical research gap remains in properly combining these immersive technologies with gamification principles to improve cultural exploration. This study seeks to fill this gap by studying the integration of gamification into XR settings, with the goal of increasing participant engagement, cooperation, and interaction while digging into the various layers of a city's history and artistic heritage. Two complementary use cases are presented: one centred on VR and the other on MR, both of which provide unique immersive experiences customised to exploring city culture. Gamification ideas are implemented into these use cases, with game elements used to encourage user involvement and participation within historical and artistic settings. Students are actively involved in the development of cultural heritage applications, highlighting the value of educational engagement. To assess the success and validity of this approach, a System Usability Scale (SUS) questionnaire is distributed to users participating in these immersive experiences. The survey findings evaluate user perceptions, satisfaction levels, and the effectiveness of gamification aspects in improving their understanding and connection to the city's heritage. The VR application received a score of 71.77 (out of 100), while the MR application received a score of 65.94 (out of 100), both being very close to the average SUS score of 68. Moreover, to improve the rigour of our evaluation, the User Engagement Scale (UES) is also incorporated. The UES results indicate that participants felt more immersed in the MR application (4.33) compared to the VR application (3.57). This difference may be attributed to the MR application's ability to integrate interactive elements with the real-world environment, enhancing the sense of presence and relevance for users. Both applications had similar perceived usability scores, while the MR app slightly outperformed the VR app in aesthetics and rewarding factors, suggesting a better overall user experience.

By utilizing modern machine learning technologies and integrating the database of the Spotlight Heritage project, the virtual assistant is capable of providing precise and relevant responses to various user inquiries and requests. Its functionality includes specific searching within the site, offering results and personalized recommendations based on user preferences. Extensive testing with real users and the implementation of a continuous monitoring and updating script have contributed to the consolidation of the virtual assistant’s quality and effectiveness. Feedback received from users has been essential in continuously optimizing functionalities and improving the user experience. The virtual assistant represents not only a valuable resource for exploring the cultural heritage of Timisoara but also a tool for promoting and conserving local history and culture. I am proud to be part of the team that has contributed to the realization of this innovative project, which continues to inspire and educate the local community and visitors alike.

The paper has the main aim to present the experience of the Politehnica University of Timișoara in the context of its participation to one of the European Universities Alliances consortium over the last 4 years. The main subjets addressed regarding co-creation principles in teaching, learning and research are presented. Another key issue addressed is further development of Open Education, Open Science and Open Innovation experiences and strategies in the nine partner universities. Another important challenge faced by our Alliance is the digitalization strategy of the consortium, involving identification of each university’s specific needs, of their shared values and expectations, challenges and opportunities for joint collaboration. The paper also includes a SWOT analysis to assess the strengths, weaknesses (gaps) and overall adequacy of open education tools, resources and training against the needs of the E3UDRES2 alliance, all technical universities.

The concept of Digital Competences for Educators is very important within European educational policies. Recent definitions of DigCompEdu are provided in a scientifically sound framework describing what it means for educators to be digitally competent DigCompEdu: European Framework for the Digital Competence of Educators and in the EU DEAP (Digital Education Action Plan 2021-2027 Resetting Education and Training for the Digital Age) defined in Sep 2020. This paper presents the results of the OpenDigCompEdu Erasmus+ project to accelerate the digital competences of educators in school education from Spain, Romania, Croatia, Greece and Norway towards the sustainable adoption of more online and blended approaches in education through the use of open educational technologies and open education principles. The paper presents the development of 5 micro-courses, all related to the development of digital education competences and to be offered online and in a blended format in Moodle Academy.

This paper conducts an in-depth examination of the transformative journey in learning paradigms within higher education polytechnic institutions. Utilizing a case study approach, we trace the evolutionary trajectory of pedagogical practices and technological integration in the context of transitioning from in person to online classes. By exploring the experiences of the ACADIGIA Consortium, the driving force behind the Erasmus+ project with the same name, we aim to provide useful insights into the challenges faced and strategies employed during the evolution and implementation of the ACADIGIA transformation. The diversity of experience provided by the partners, from academia as well as from industry, and from the cultural backgrounds of Portugal, Spain, Romania, Italy, Greece, and Ireland, represents one of the strengths of this endeavor as well as one of its main challenges. The findings contribute to a broader understanding of the dynamic nature of higher education in polytechnic settings, shedding light on effective approaches to enhance the quality and relevance of learning experiences in an ever-changing educational landscape. This paper can serve as a valuable resource for educators, administrators, and policymakers seeking evidence-based guidance in navigating the evolving terrain of higher education polytechnic institutions.

This paper applies Moore's Model of Distance Learning interactions to the TalkTech project, whose recent iterations have included the creation of open educational resources in the form of virtual reality scenes. Using digital tools and technologies for research, communication, and creativity, with guidance from their instructors, learners engage with and produce original digital content, build bridges with students at a university across the ocean, to participate in an effective distance learning experience.

TalkTech 2022 is a co-creation educational project, an international virtual mobility that since 2008, involves the collaboration of students enrolled in a first-year introductory technology course at Bentley University in the United States with fourth-year multimedia students from Politehnica University of Timisoara in Romania. They work together to co-create virtual reality artifacts and in doing so, develop their digital literacy skills. While instructors create many open educational resources (OERs), in recent years, the TalkTech project encourages students to co-create and then share their digital artifacts as OERs so that others may learn from them. During the TalkTech project, every year, the students are part of an open virtual mobility, and using for this project the Open Virtual Mobility (OpenVM) Learning Hub and extra some digital tools. The main objective is to promote collaborative learning, connectivism social networking as an instructional method, OERs as the main content, open digital credentials as recognition, and validation of digital skills through co-creation of digital artifacts. All students from both universities have at least some prior experiences using mobile devices, synchronous and asynchronous communication tools, cloud storage, and search engines. Students select the tools they will use to interact with their partners and complete the project, using voice and video conferencing, email, texts, and file sharing tools. Their deliverable in the TalkTech2022 project is a combined VR scene that presents a local cultural artifact (a coffee house, church, sporting facility, museum) to their international partners. Students shared their final work products on the CoSpaces gallery, assigning them Creative Commons licenses, and in doing so, became creators of open educational resources.

In recent years, the use of internet and communication technologies in the workplace for collaboration has increased. Working as members of international teams is not only common, but necessary. This paper examines the TalkTech 2022 project, a global collaboration between universities in the United States and Romania, in which students participated as members of international teams to explore and share local cultural artefacts through the co-creation of virtual reality scenarios. The authors present the TalkTech project through the lens of a five-point inquiry model, an inquiry-based approach based on constructivist learning which empowers students to develop digital competencies and build knowledge through active participation and co-creation of digital artefacts and open educational resources. The authors conclude that the TalkTech project is a catalyst for developing critical thinking and digital competencies, which will serve students well in their future careers.