Lucian Lupu-Dima

Bio: Lucian Lupu-Dima is an academic researcher. The author has contributed to research in topics: Population & Primary education. The author has an hindex of 2, co-authored 9 publications receiving 47 citations.

Is Romania prepared for eLearning during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Abstract: Today, Romanian universities largely have eLearning platforms generally based on the most popular Moodle-LMS platform or on the most popular collaborative educational platforms designed by Microsoft and Google, which contain mail group modules, virtual classes, video conferencing, presentation and testing. In the context of the pandemic generated by COVID-19, the authors tried to investigate the way in which Romanian society has managed to face this challenge in the field of education. The events followed one another very quickly, and the first thing that crashed was the medical system, quickly followed by the economic environment and then, obviously, education. The authors’ research methodology was based on the interpretation of the results of a questionnaire composed of 19 questions and applied to a population of 200 respondents. The survey period was only 24 h, between 29 April 2020 at 1 p.m. and 30 April 2020 at 1 p.m. The investigated population, the respondents, were students of the University of Petroșani undertaking bachelor and master studies for the academic year 2019–2020, but the study could be extrapolated to the Romanian education system.

One Year of Online Education in COVID-19 Age, a Challenge for the Romanian Education System.

Abstract: The study tried to analyze the implication of one year of online education in the Romanian education system. To achieve this goal, the authors of this study analyzed all the levels of education, primary education, lower secondary education, upper secondary education, and even the early childhood system, but also one of the smallest Romanian universities, considered representative for grade 1 universities representing 60% of the Romanian universities. The study is based on four online questionnaires for investigation, first with more than 2500 respondents from the primary and secondary Romanian education system, and the other three applied to more than 800 students and professors from the University of Petroșani. The investigation took place during 29 January 2021 and 11 February 2021. The authors had investigated the main feature of a standard online or a classical e-learning solution, such as the meeting solution or the video conference software, the collaborative work, such as homework or projects, and the testing method or the quizzes from both perspectives of the students and of the professors. The study results could influence the expected future hybrid educational system because these results were not covered in the previous literature but proved to be necessary for relevant knowledge strategies to be implemented in the new pandemic and also in the future context.

Implications of Entrepreneurial Intentions of Romanian Secondary Education Students, over the Romanian Business Market Development

Abstract: The study investigates the Romanian entrepreneurial education training program emphasizing the secondary education student entrepreneurial intents included in technical and professional Vocational Education Training (VET) programs, in order to identify its role in increasing student intention in the process of choosing a career as an entrepreneur among graduates of the vocational and technical Romanian education system. The study research methodology was based on the interpretation of two questionnaires consisting of 23 questions, which were applied to a population of 253 and 159 respondents. The survey period was conducted between 2019 and 2020. The respondents were students from the vocational and technical education system in Romania, mostly from the Central Region of Romania, but the results of the study could be extended to the entire Romanian education system. The data were processed using SPSS software, and the results of the study revealed direct, positive, and significant links between psychological and behavioral traits and entrepreneurial intentions of the student surveyed, moderated by the entrepreneurial education acquired through the school curriculum. These results could also be the basis for developing future policies and programs to encourage entrepreneurial behavior, especially for secondary education students from the Romanian education system, specifically on pre-university education.

GIS, integrated solution, for efficient administration of Hunedoara County

Abstract: The local administration became in Romania a very important element for development. The requirements for the management activity in administration has changed as compared with what happened 10 years ago. The new issues raised by the complex needs and not always concurrent of the population, business agents and the trends in regional development are increasingly difficult to be managed with traditional tools. The adaptability and the scalability of Geographical Information Systems, represent an opportunity of the responsible from top management of the local administration that cannot be ignored. The intent of this study is to present a model to be followed for the use of GIS in management of the Hunedoara County Council.This model can change, the meaning of the idea of management at the local administration level by using the foresight as a support for decision making, through the access to the current and complete information and through the involvement of the GIS beneficiaries in providing updated data and in their transformation from simple beneficiaries of the management of the local administration in partners or even intervenients in the decisional process.

Education, premise for a workforce reconversion trough a Professional Reinvention

Abstract: The diversity of resources, made in the 1980-1990 years from Hunedoara County the most industrialized county of Romania. Hunedoara is today one of the most affected by unemployment, poverty and crime. Today Hunedoara is a county that decreased with 140,000 inhabitants in the last 20 years and 75,000 jobs lost, all of these bearing the seal of deindustrialization. An accurate professional framework, could allow the attracting of investors. A first step should be a study of the age and socio professional structure of the population of Hunedoara County, could permit in the next years on focusing to the education of undergraduate and graduate level workforce in the area.

Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Life of Higher Education Students: A Global Perspective

Abstract: The paper presents the most comprehensive and large-scale study to date on how students perceive the impacts of the first wave of COVID-19 crisis in early 2020 on various aspects of their lives on a global level. With a sample of 30,383 students from 62 countries, the study reveals that amid the worldwide lockdown and transition to online learning students were most satisfied with the support provided by teaching staff and their universities’ public relations. Still, deficient computer skills and the perception of a higher workload prevented them from perceiving their own improved performance in the new teaching environment. Students were mainly concerned about issues to do with their future professional career and studies, and experienced boredom, anxiety, and frustration. The pandemic has led to the adoption of particular hygienic behaviours (e.g., wearing masks, washing hands) and discouraged certain daily practices (e.g., leaving home, shaking hands). Students were also more satisfied with the role played by hospitals and universities during the epidemic compared to the governments and banks. The findings also show that students with certain socio-demographic characteristics (male, part-time, first-level, applied sciences, a lower living standard, from Africa or Asia) were significantly less satisfied with their academic work/life during the crisis, whereas female, full-time, first-level students and students faced with financial problems were generally affected more by the pandemic in terms of their emotional life and personal circumstances. Key factors influencing students’ satisfaction with the role of their university are also identified. Policymakers and higher education institutions around the world may benefit from these findings while formulating policy recommendations and strategies to support students during this and any future pandemics.

E-learning vs. Face-to-face learning: Analyzing students’ preferences and behaviors

Abstract: Educational life worldwide has been shaken by the closure of schools due to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. The ripple effects have been felt in the way both teachers and students have adapted to the constraints imposed by the new online form of education. The present study focuses exclusively on the beneficiaries of the educational process and aims to find out their perceptions of face-to-face and e-learning and their desire to return, or not, to the traditional form of education. These perceptions are represented by 604 students of the Politehnica University of Timisoara, who were asked to respond anonymously to an 8-question questionnaire between December 2020 and February 2021. The results show the respondents’ levels of desire to return to school (especially of those who have only benefited from e-learning) and their degree of involvement during online classes. The results also specify the advantages and disadvantages of the two forms of education from a double perspective, namely that of first-year students (beneficiaries of e-learning exclusively), and of upper-year students (beneficiaries of both face-to-face and e-learning). The study points out key information about e-learning from the students’ perspectives, which should be considered to understand the ongoing changes of the educational process and to solve its specific problems, thus ensuring its sustainability.

Covid-19 pandemi̇ dönemi̇ndeki̇ uzaktan eği̇ti̇me i̇li̇şki̇n paydaş görüşleri̇ni̇n i̇ncelenmesi̇

Abstract: Bu calismanin genel amaci, COVID-19 kaynakli olarak yasanan pandemi surecinde Turkiye’de uygulanan uzaktan egitim surecine iliskin cesitli paydaslarin (Il Milli Egitim Mudurlugu yetkilileri, okul yoneticileri, ogretmenler, okul psikolojik danismanlari, ogretim uyeleri, ogrenciler, veliler) sorunlara ve cozum onerilerine yonelik goruslerini incelemektir. Calisma nitel arastirma yontemlerinden gorusme yontemi ile gerceklestirilmis olup, fenomenolojik (olgubilimsel) desene dayali olarak tasarlanmistir. Arastirma kapsamindaki veriler yari yapilandirilmis gorusme formlari kullanilarak toplam 137 paydastan elde edilmistir. Arastirmadan elde edilen veriler icerik analizi teknigi ile analiz edilmistir. Calisma sonucunda paydaslarin uzaktan egitimin avantajlarina yonelik goruslerinin cogunlukla zaman ve mekândan bagimsiz olmasi, derslerin defalarca izlenebilmesi, pandemi doneminde egitim ihtiyacinin karsilanabilirligi, hastaligin bulasmasina yonelik korunma, teknolojinin egitim icerisindeki onemi ve teknolojik beceri gelistirilmesi seklinde oldugu gorulmektedir. Uzaktan egitimin cogunlukla belirtilen dezavantajlari motivasyon kaybi, olcme ve degerlendirmenin olmamasi, internet ve bilgisayar gibi kaynaklarin yetersizligi, egitimde firsat esitsizligi olusturmasi, iletisim ve etkilesim yetersizligi, teknik problemler, sosyallesme yetersizligi ve uzaktan egitim surecine hazirliksiz olma durumlari ile ilgilidir. Paydaslarin cozum onerileri cogunlukla surecte olcme ve degerlendirilmenin yapilmasi, firsat esitliginin olusturulmasi, derse katilim ve etkilesimin artirilmasi, altyapinin guclendirilmesi, ogrencilerin kendi ogretmenleriyle ders yapmasi ve ders sayilarinin azaltilmasi seklindedir.