Romanian Higher Education Institutions Research Articles

A Network Analysis-Driven Sequential Mediation Analysis of Students' Perceived Classroom Comfort and Perceived Faculty Support on the Relationship between Teachers' Cognitive Presence and Students' Grit-A Holistic Learning Approach.

The interaction between teachers and students is critical to the learning process. Student success and learner satisfaction have consistently improved in educational situations where instructors and students connect frequently and meaningfully. The Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework, as well as the sense of belonging concept, have received a significant amount of attention from researchers investigating online learning since its debut. The current study focuses on the CoI framework in general, and in particular on studies on teaching, social, and cognitive presences in connection to students' feeling of belonging and grit enhancement. This research investigated the opinion of 310 students at the Aurel Vlaicu University of Arad regarding their satisfaction with their teachers' presences, their academic sense of belonging, and their grit. Our methodology followed an innovative approach. First, we employed a network analysis on all subscales' mean scores, and then we performed a sequential mediation analysis based on both the network analysis results and the conclusions from the literature review. We tested whether students' perceived classroom comfort and perceived faculty support sequentially mediated the relationship between teacher's cognitive presence and students' grit. According to the scientific literature, teacher's cognitive presence consists of four fundamental categories: triggering events, exploration, integration, and resolution, which specifically the validation of knowledge by cooperation and reflection in a community of inquiry. We further tested if sense of belonging might mediate the relationship between teachers' cognitive presence and students' grit. The results show that students' perceived classroom comfort and perceived faculty support partially and significantly sequentially mediate the relationship between teachers' cognitive presence triggering events and students' grit. The results are then further used to suggest possible recommendations for designing holistic learning environments in Romanian higher education institutions.

Mobility of Teaching and Research Staff: Determinants and Post Factum Effects

This paper reports the findings of a study investigating higher education institutions (HEIs) in Romania and the motivations lying behind the decision of undertaking professional mobilities in academia. Although professional mobilities are known to be a frequent practice in various fields of activity, the teaching and research mobilities of academics distinguish themselves among the mobilities of all sectors, deserving a special attention. In this context, our study investigated the incentives and deterrents of undertaking academic mobilities in Romanian HEIs. It divided the determinants of undertaking mobilities into those leading to mobilities and the others slowing them down. Results have shown that the desire of expanding professional experience has the highest influence on teaching and research staff's decision to undertake a mobility, while insufficient funding explains mobilities drop-off, as it is the factor of highest influence on people’s decision of not undertaking mobilities. The study also analysed the mobility post factum implications for the academic community. The development of research networks and career enrichment were the main benefits of academic mobilities indicated by study results. In this sense, most study participants reported that they developed their network to do research during the mobilities and they have also managed to enrich their professional careers thanks to these mobilities.

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in Romanian Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) within the SDGs Framework.

The purpose of this research is to explore barriers and challenges that HEIs in Romania must overcome in order to incorporate education for sustainable development (ESD), but also to provide key recommendations regarding factors that can facilitate sustainability in higher education in Romania. In terms of the approach, a qualitative approach was used consisting of semi-structured interviews involving seven actors from Romanian HEIs, actors who are in charge of ESD adoption. All respondents were in charge of ESD adoption within the Romanian universities that were part of the analysis. The research outlined that the analyzed Romanian universities have implemented ESD, but in terms of planning and practices, they have taken isolated actions. Moreover, major barriers and challenges have been highlighted, such as: funding deficiencies, a lack of experienced officers to adopt SD, change difficulties and improper public policies. The originality of the article resides in the fact the approach is holistic, which adds value to the literature in the area, particularly since, so far, research on ESD in Romanian higher education has focused only on particular factors.

International view on the Evolution of the e-Learning in the Romanian Higher Education Institutions

International view on the Evolution of the e-Learning in the Romanian Higher Education Institutions

How Romanian Higher Education Institutions Have Adapted to Online Learning Process in the COVID-19 Context through a Student’s Eye

The new challenges caused by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic forced the entire World to stop some activities, including educational activities. This situation pushed educational system to move its space of work in an online environment. In this article, we aim to present some of the measures that have been taken by the Romanian Government and universities in an effort to mitigate the potential risks that threatened the education system. We also intend to present some issues that arose during this educational migration to online learning. The measures adopted include providing technical support for teachers and students in supporting them on how to access and how to use the online resources and tools made available to ensure the continuity of the educational process. Other measures include online courses addressed to students in final years for their training in oral presentations for final exams, and also provision of financial support for students with limited financial possibilities to help them purchase a computer. One problem that would hinder the educational process in the online environment would be technical aspects specific to the online platforms, but also the way students and professors use them. Other difficulties include the lack of digital skills, as well as the lack of involvement in the online learning activities of some professors.

Investigating students’ use of official statistical data

Abstract This paper presents the perceptions of social science students about the use of official statistical data, in the context of active learning of Statistics, and other topics related to Applied Statistics. In order to make these courses more attractive, and to challenge and stimulate statistical education, our students work on projects in which they use official statistical data to explore practical, real-life issues. Their attitudes and perceptions regarding official statistical data sources are very important, both for acquisition of statistical analysis skills, essential for their future professional life, and for improvement of the official data sources. Therefore, we conducted a custom-made survey among students from Romanian higher education institutions (HEIs) and gathered a database with 334 responses, which allowed us to identify the main characteristics, problems and solutions concerning the use of statistical official data sources by university students.

Underemployment of Graduates from Romanian Higher Education Institutions: A Conceptual Understanding

Underemployment of Graduates from Romanian Higher Education Institutions: A Conceptual Understanding

The Influence of the Stakeholder`s Profile Variables on the Perceived Image of the West University of Timisoara

Due to the competitive intensity increase in the academic environment, but also to the desire to attract a higher number of students, the managers of Romanian higher education institutions were forced to adopt in a greater extent a marketing orientation in their activity. An important component of this orientation represents the necessity to build an identity and a unique and competitive image in the minds of all the stakeholders of such institutions. Despite the fact that the subject of institutional image in general, and the image of educational institutions in particular, benefits of a greater attention in the literature, we consider that in the Romanian universities practice there is an insufficient level of concern for this topic. To build such an image that would be correctly perceived by stakeholders, also assumes to be aware of the main factors which influence the way in which this image is perceived.This paper aims to achieve a review of the specialized literature, after which will identify the main factors which influence the stakeholders perception on the image of an organization in general, with particularity on the case of higher educational institutions. Then, using a quantitative research, we aim to highlight the way in which some of the stakeholder`s profile variables influence the perception of the image of the West University of Timişoara.

The impact of sports on above-the-average and high-performing students achievements in Hungarian and Romanian higher education institutions

In this paper, we apply such a complex indicator of student achievement to study the effect of sporting habits on higher education students achievement in Romania and Hungary in the Partium region. We created a complex indicator based on 12 dimensions and re-coded the index to a binominal variable: measuring above-the-average and high-performing student achievement. Consequently, our main research question is whether sporting habits contribute to becoming a member of the above-the-average or high-performing student groups. In our analysis, we control for the effect of social background variables and examine also the effects of subjective wellbeing (happiness and life satisfaction), self-assessment on health and resilience (mental fitness, flexibility, adaptability to changed conditions) as the positive influence of these latter factors on student achievement has been verified by others and our previous studies as well. In the frame of our research, Higher Education for Social Cohesion Cooperative Research and Development in a Cross-border Area (HERD, HURO/0901/253/2.2.2.) a survey was carried out in the three countries of the Partium region (Hungary, Romania, Ukraine). The Ukrainian subsample was eliminated from the current analysis due to low headcounts and biased effects, thus our database included 2619 students. According to our results free-time sporting, subjective health status and resilience increase the likelihood to belong to the above-the-average group, while the two regular forms of sporting and mental fitness promote students to belong to the high-performing group. The level of subjective well-being decreases the likelihood to belong to both student groups. These support the assumption that sporting students are more engaged towards their studies and work as well and consider their studies as more meaningful. Such an attitude serves as a motivational factor for finishing their studies even more successfully, continuing their studies even at the doctoral level. These positive personality traits, values and attitudes that are also related to sporting define advantages in academic and personal lives and the labour market through the transfer-effect of sports.

University Promotion – Key Factor Of The Use Of Marketing Strategies, In The Context Of Improving The Romanian Higher Education. Case Study

AbstractThis scientific approach was triggered by the interest to analyze the ability of Romanian higher education to use the marketing strategies, such as the use of promotion, (as instrument of the marketing mix), as strategies of boosting their competitive advantage. The research final conclusions highlight, however, an incipient crystallization of this ability, standing by the initial statement, according to which the Romanian higher education institutions have not yet reached the maturity level in using the marketing instruments, which calls for, in a fairly foreseeable future, the need to adjust their using manner.

Learning Organization and Social Responsibility in Romanian Higher Education Institutions

This study investigated the relationship between learning organization and university social responsibility. This relationship was studied in three groups of internal stakeholders: students, staff with leadership, monitoring, evaluation and control roles, and staff involved in the development of the study programs. 536 members of two public Romanian universities filled in the 21-item Dimensions of the Learning Organization Questionnaire (Watkins & Marsick, 1997) and a scale of university social responsibility developed by the authors of this study. Different dimensions of learning organization presented various degrees of association with university social responsibility. These relationships varied according to formal organizational membership.

University–Industry Knowledge Transfer and Network Patterns in Romania: Does Knowledge Supply Fit SMEs' Regional Profiles?

Universities' potential to contribute to regional value creation has been extensively discussed so far and significant literature has been devoted to celebrated cases in highly industrialized and developed countries. Assuming that it would be misleading to generalize from “exceptional” cases, some authors have focused their attention specifically on the influence of universities in less developed areas regions and countries, where university–industry relations are far from being a Triple Helix. This paper focuses on the mechanisms of university–industry knowledge transfer (KT) in Romania, a post-communist country with relatively weak regional innovation performances, except for the capital region Bucharest-Ilfov. The purpose of the study is to construct an index to compare university–industry KT across the eight Romanian regions. Data to be aggregated are collected from 90 Romanian higher education institutions and refer to their KT potential in terms of human, financial and relational inputs, outputs and outcomes (patent applications, new products and services, spin-offs and commercial income). Finally, universities' regional KT performances are compared to small and medium enterprises territorial patterns and issuing policy implications are discussed.

Internationalization of Higher Education Institutions: The Case of Romania

Internationalization and quality assurance in higher education have been closely linked at a conceptual level. It is believed that quality assurance enables a higher degree of internationalization, allowing higher education institutions from different countries to promote cooperation and mobility for both students and scholars. This paper investigates the level of internationalization of several higher education institutions in Romania through an exploratory research addressed to those in charge of the master programs. Moreover, the paper aims to identify the connections between quality assurance and internationalization of these institutions, and uses a questionnaire developed around three dimensions: institutional capacity, educational efficiency and total quality management. The study shows that there are quite big gaps between the Romanian higher education institutions that offer master programs in a foreign language in terms of how they perceive the process of internationalization. At the same time, the results indicate that even colleges that are part of the same higher education institution may have different approaches towards internationalization, leading to considerable differences between them. The results of this study are of great importance for the key decision makers in the Romanian higher education institutions, as they may use the insights of this study to develop better strategies that will support the internationalization process within their institutions.

The Higher Education System in Romania:-Past - Present - Future-

Abstract The study of the higher education system is of an important topicality in Romania in the recent years due to the severe changes that affected the field and also due to the new economical conditions. The necessity of a new approach at the management level of the Romanian higher education institutions is obvious nowadays when Romania is a member of the European Union. Using a game theory methodology, the paper provides a quantitative foundation for a decision making process (at the management level of a university) when trying to assess the importance of external constraints present in the system.

Advertising Romanian Master Programs. A Case Study

Romanian higher education institutions have taken the internationalization process as an objective of strategic development, in order to improve the quality of study programs, both in education and research activities. A key factor in increasing the interest in internationalized curriculum is the actual situation on the labor market, in the context of Romania's accession to the European Union. Internationalization strategies must be defined at the level of MA study programs, taking into account several important elements: mobility, societal goals, the Romanian legal framework, the institutional organization, the specificity of the field of study, the profile of the MA student participating in internationalized programs. Beyond all these, each university must build a viable marketing strategy, which includes a series of indicators similar to those used by prestigious international universities. A good strategy for the promotion of internationalized curriculum creates a number of opportunities: the international recognition of diplomas; the achievement of internationally recognized standards; the facilitation of the international movement of labor force (and, implicitly, the recognition of diplomas); the compatibility and harmonization of curriculum and methodologies with those of partner universities; the attraction of foreign students; improving the image of the institution; professional and financial benefits; promoting attractive specializations at international/European/regional levels; reinforcing and developing partnerships with Romanian and foreign companies, in order to support the curriculum by means of the proposed research topics, with funding based on the results obtained; strengthening and extending the existing partnerships; increasing the selection base for the PhD level; promoting the European dimension of the Romanian higher education by developing the curriculum; promoting the mobility of students and teachers, by recognizing the traineeships offered by other higher education institutions and by respecting the statutory rights of these people; jobs at international companies, at home and abroad, and lastly, the achievement of academic prestige.

University Civic Engagement Role: New Environments and Challenges in the Romanian Higher Education System: Theoretical Considerations

This paper is intended to be a critical analysis of the involvement of Romanian higher education institutions in improving the level of civic engagement within the communities they serve. The article addresses some theoretical considerations, introduced and developed regarding the civic involvement of universities in developing the communities they assist. The analysis is carried out through the principles of responsibility, esponsiveness and accountability. The end of the article includes some recommendations for new methodology addressing evaluation and quality assurance from an institutional level viewpoint, as well as from the perspective of study programmes.

Strategic positioning in Romanian higher education

PurposeThe study presented in this paper is intended to assist the decision‐making process in Romanian higher education institutions on topics such as market structure analysis, market segmentation, positioning of the specializations, and the cannibalization between them.Design/methodology/approachThis paper describes a preliminary qualitative study that examines the primary motives that affect choice of specializations before developing and validating a measurement instrument. The objective of the questionnaire was to help managers collect information regarding perceptions on specializations from a pool of 344 students of a major Romanian business faculty. The data were used to generate a perceptual map, which disclosed a three‐cluster solution. In a parallel study, an internal analysis of preferences on 1,390 subjects revealed the existence of three market segments: “the pragmatics,” “the sociables” and “the diploma hunters.”FindingsFacing competition, Romanian higher education institutions need to carefully plan their actions, and better manage their scarce resources.Originality/valueThis study is one of the few that tried to develop, to reliability test and to validate a questionnaire in the field of higher education, and the first one that has analyzed the positioning of the specializations at the level of a business faculty.

Romanian Private Higher Education Viewed from a Neo‐institutionalist Perspective

Following a rapid overview of the genesis of private higher education in Romania after the Revolution of December 1989, the author proceeds to analyse the phenomenon in terms of John Meyer's neo‐institutionalist perspective. Citing, in particular, Meyer's theses regarding the isomorphism of organizations with their respective environments, she credits much of the early success of private Romanian higher education institutions in getting started to their close copying of the structure, offerings, and procedures of public higher education in addition to unsatisfied public demand for higher education. She further shows how private higher education institutions have adapted to the requirements of accreditation and state funding possibilities. She fears, however, that the continuing demographic downturn in Romania along with the creation of extra tuition fee‐paying openings at the public universities may finally doom private higher education.