Vilnius Gediminas Technical University Research Articles

Implementing a rapid application development course in higher education and measuring its impact using Kirkpatrick’s model: a case study at Vilnius Gediminas Technical University

Nowadays, technological development and improvement in business is happening rapidly, so higher education (HE), and not only, studies should constantly provide and develop new up-to-date knowledge and skills to students, in order to train competitive specialists, address digital transformation by developing digital readiness of higher institutions, and increase employment opportunities of students. Consequently, this paper discusses the implementation of the newly developed courses for teaching Rapid Application Development (RAD) on the Oracle Application Express platform into the studies at Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (VILNIUS TECH) and presents the effectiveness of the implementation of this course measured using Kirkpatrick’s model. The obtained results show that students’ knowledge of RAD increased after attending the course. In addition, a 76% agreed that this course increased their knowledge of the subject matter.

EDUCATIONAL DATA MINING AND LEARNING ANALYTICS: TEXT GENERATORS USAGE EFFECT ON STUDENTS’ GRADES

Today, various types of data are constantly growing, so they can be used for different purposes. In this investigation, educational data has been analyzed to determine the influence of assessment on student knowledge. The newly collected dataset has been prepared and statistically analyzed. The dataset consists of open-question answers collected on one study subject during the midterm exam at Vilnius Gediminas Technical University. The results of the statistical analysis have shown that by using the text generators, students obtained higher grades by paraphrasing the answers to the questions in good quality. Furthermore, research has shown which types of questions are more difficult for students to answer without additional material and using text generation tools. It can be useful for lecturers planning course assessment tasks.

Proceedings of the Conference "Lithuanian MSc Research in Informatics and ICT"

The conference "Lithuanian MSc Research in Informatics and ICT" is a venue to present research of Lithuanian BSc and MSc theses in informatics and ICT. The aim of the event is to raise skills of MSc and other students, familiarize themselves with the research of other students, encourage their interest in scientific activities. Students from Vytautas Magnus University, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, and Vilnius University gave their presentations at the conference.

Improvement of Curvature Change Rate (Parameter) in Two-Line Rural Roads

The studies in various countries show that one of the main causes of accidents on rural roads still remains the drivers’ errors in choosing safe speed, which can be attributed to the errors of perceiving the road alignment. The current practice shows that the engineering safety improvement measures as well as accident prevention measures such as intersection design, traffic signs and equipment, facilities for vulnerable road users, access management, and human behaviour are not always effective. Probably, one of the alternatives to solve this problem is a design methodology that is used in the European Union countries and based on road safety criteria and road safety module. This methodology is aimed at ensuring design consistency between the elements of road alignment in a way that the driver intuitively chooses safe speed or the probability of errors in perceiving the road alignment is minimum. The article presents experimental research carried out in Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, the objective of which is to determine the accuracy of road safety module and to suggest possible alternatives for its improvement.

FOSTERING CREATIVE ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES STUDIES: IMPLEMENTATION OF FLIPPED CLASSROOM METHOD DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC AT ANTANAS GUSTAITIS’ AVIATION INSTITUTE, VILNIUS GEDIMINAS TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY, LITHUANIA

The global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has had far-reaching consequences, including those within the realm of higher education. The flipped classroom method was adopted as an innovative teaching tool and creative approach within English for specific purposes classes at Vilnius Gediminas Technical University Antanas Gustaitis’ Aviation Institute to increase student motivation and enhance the teaching and learning process. The study’s results demonstrated that the flipped classroom method yielded both positive and negative outcomes, including more efficient mastery of learning material, improved planning of in-class and out-of-class activities, opportunities for additional research on covered topics, increased workload and time consumption, and other.

ENHANCING LEARNERS’ AWARENESS OF PRESENTATION LITERACY TO STIMULATE INTERACTIVE AND CREATIVE LEARNING IN TERTIARY EDUCATION

Learning methods play a significant role and receive more and more attention in this digital era where everyone wants something exciting, dynamic, effective, and interactive. This paper argues that one of the essential tasks of the current communication age and of a modern-day teacher is the enhancement of presentation literacy through the encouragement and development of students’ creative, communicative, and interactive skills. The article provides some of the reasons why present-day teaching should lay account on a new type learner, i.e. a net gener, and his needs as well as his expectations in the learning environment in the 21st century. The skill of effective public speaking or the practice of the commonly called presentations is brought into focus alongside. The study employed a survey on the usefulness and effectiveness of the presentation assignment which integrated TED Talks and topic-related creative activities. The research involved the students of Creative Industries study program at Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Lithuania. As a result, a more creative and interactive learning method of delivering presentations and becoming more self-confident speakers proved to be beneficial among students. Their reflections revealed their attitude towards the effectiveness of the activity and offered insights into the learning process on how to help teachers cater to changing students’ needs. The implications of this article are relevant to all stakeholders in higher education.

Review and Bibliographic Analysis of Metaheuristic Methods in Multicriteria Decision‐Making: A 45‐Year Perspective Across International, Latin American, and Colombian Contexts

This study performs a systematic review and analysis of research on the use of multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) methods for more than 45 years. More than 34,468 documents related to MCDA were identified in more than 130 countries, with an annual increase of 14.15% in scientific production. India, China, and Iran lead in number of publications, covering about 35%. The universities with the most publications include Islamic Azad University and Vilnius Gediminas Technical University. The main journals in this field are Expert Systems With Applications, Sustainability, and Journal of Cleaner Production. The most prolific authors are Zavadskas, E.; Wang, J.; Tzeng, GH; Zavadskas, EK; and Kahraman, C. The most popular methods are TOPSIS, AHP (analytic hierarchy process), VIKOR, PROMETHEE (Preference Ranking Organization Method for Enrichment Evaluation), and ANP. LATAN, which includes countries such as Brazil, Chile, and Mexico, has increased the use of MCDA in recent years. Colombia has also shown a great interest in MCDA, especially in the selection of alternative energy sources and industrial suppliers. This method of literature review provides a comprehensive overview of research at MCDA and offers valuable information for future projects and studies.

The Skills of Critical Thinking, Creativity, and Communication as Tools for Overcoming Social Simulation in the Context of Sustainability: A Case Study of Students’ Self-Assessment of the Affective Domain of Learning

In the context of sustainability, this paper analyses the phenomenon of social simulation in the case of the affective domain of learning. Social simulation is defined in a variety of ways in dictionaries and handbooks published by universities. Still, for the purposes of this article, we will use the definitions of social simulation that are appropriate to the context of the study, and that are associated with fake or misleading actions. They are seen in the article as inherent in social manipulation, which comes in various forms, such as propaganda or fake news spread in the media, and hence disinformation. Social simulation is contrasted with sustainability, not only as an environmental but also as a socio-economic phenomenon, embedded in three types of skills: critical thinking, creativity and communication. The authors of the paper take the position that these three types of capabilities can ensure sustainability by overcoming social simulation. This paper develops a study aimed at assessing the three types of skills mentioned above by students of the Faculty of Creative Industries of Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (Lithuania) to avoid the threats posed by social simulation. In the course of the research, data on the communicative, creative and critical-thinking abilities of first-year students were obtained. Based on these data, objective evaluation scales were created.

RETRACTION NOTICE TO “PRINCIPLES AND CONCEPTS IN DESIGNING TROPICAL-SHORE SETTLEMENT IN ESTUARY ECOSYSTEM CASE STUDY: WERIAGAR DISTRICT, BINTUNI BAY“ [JOURNAL OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBANISM, 42(2), 169–176

The following article is being retracted from publication in Journal of Architecture and Urbanism: Principles and concepts in designing Tropical-Shore settlement in Estuary ecosystem case study: Weriagar District, Bintuni Bay, by Firmansyah Firmansyah, Resya Wulanningsih, Bintang Nidia Kusuma, Ira Prayuni Rante Allo, Volume 42, Issue 2, pp. 169–176, Journal of Architecture and Urbanism, 2018 https://doi.org/10.3846/jau.2018.6486 https://journals.vilniustech.lt/index.php/JAU/article/view/6486 Since the same results were published in IOPP article Principles and concepts in designing tropical-shore settlement in estuary ecosystem, case study: Weriagar District, Bintuni Bay, by Firmansyah, Bintang Nidia Kusuma, Ira Prayuni and Aldo Fernando, Volume 99, Article ID 012036, IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, International Conference on Sustainability in Architectural Design and Urbanism 2017 9–10 August 2017, Semarang, Indonesia https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/99/1/012036 Submitted: 4 November 2017; CTA: 16 December 2017; Accepted: 5 December 2017; Published: 5 January 2018 under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd. The Editors and publishers of the journal, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, note that we received, peer-reviewed, accepted and published the article on the basis that the authors are presenting original results and are not intending to publish them in any other journal. The retracted article will remain online to maintain the scholarly record, but will be digitally watermarked on each page as retracted.

Preface

International scientific and theoretical conference “Modeling and Computer Engineering in Mechanical Engineering: Theory, Practice, and Innovation” - MCEME-2022 dedicated to the topics of modeling and computer engineering in mechanical engineering, took place over three days, respectively from Thursday, September 29 to Saturday, October 1 in 2022. The plenary session was held on Friday, September 30, 2022. Considering that Ukraine was attacked by Russia and there is a war, the program and organizational committees decided to hold the conference in a hybrid mode: both virtually, through Google Meet, and face to face, a plenary meeting in the conference hall, a meeting by sections in three designated auditoriums of the Department of Machine Design and Automotive Engineering, Lviv Polytechnic National University, Ukraine.Despite periodic alarm sirens, also during the meetings, and the need to hide from rocket fire, the conference took place, and some of the conference participants from Ukraine and the Republic of Poland were also present in person.The participants in the conference were informed, constantly on the news about the progress of the peer review process (there was a team of 19 academic reviewers), through general messages, posted on the conference website, but also individually, through the platform www.morressier.com.The initial difficulties and compliance with the Morressier platform were overcome relatively quickly, and the positive results were not long in coming. Conference participants were informed, in advance, about the program of events, presentations, in general, all components of the MCEME-2022 scientific event. The conference program was posted on the conference website: https://science.lpnu.ua/mceme-2022The conference was opened with a welcome speech by the Vice-Rector for Scientific Research of the Lviv Polytechnic National University, Dr.Sc.Tec., professor Ivan Demydov. Also, the Director of the Institute of Mechanical Engineering and Transport, Dr.Sc.Tec., professor Oleksii Lanets, addressed the participants and guests with a welcome speech Vice-Rector for Science and Innovation Vilnius Gediminas Technical University Prof., Dr. Dalius Navakauskas gave a welcome speech. Director of the Research Institute of Mechanics and Automation of Agro-Industrial Production of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine, professor, Dr.Sc.Tec., Valerii Adamchuk. A member of the program committee who took part, a professor, Dr.Sc.Tec. Michal Bembenek (Akademia Górniczo-hutnicza im. Stanisława Staszica w Krakowie) made a welcome speech.Next, it became necessary to announce a break in connection with the announcement of a rocket bombardment of the city of Lviv. The break lasted almost 2 hours.Then the plenary session continued. The report “THE method of experimental determination of tangential stresses on the surface of flow around with a gaseous medium” was presented (authors: T. V. Dmytriv, O. S. Lanets, V. T. Dmytriv, I. V. Dmytriv, I. M. Horodetskyy, and N. G. Horodetska), reported by Vasyl Dmytriv, prof., Dr.Sc.Tec., Department of Machine Design and Automotive Engineering, Lviv Polytechnic National University, Ukraine. Then the partners of the conference made a welcome speech.

RETRACTION NOTICE TO “CORRECTED GYROCOMPASS SYNTHESIS AS A SYSTEM WITH CHANGEABLE STRUCTURE FOR AVIATION GRAVIMETRIC SYSTEM WITH PIEZOELECTRIC GRAVIMETER” [AVIATION 18(3), 134–140, 2014

The following article is being retracted from publication in Aviation Journal: Corrected gyrocompass synthesis as a system with changeable structure for aviation gravimetric system with piezoelectric gravimeter, by Elena Nikolaevna Bezvesilnaya and Andriy Hennadiiovych Tkachuk, Volume 18, Issue 3, 2014, pp. 134–140, Aviation, https://doi.org/10.3846/16487788.2014.969878 https://journals.vilniustech.lt/index.php/Aviation/article/view/2941 Received 20 November 2013; published online 02 October 2014, since the same results are published in Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ortung und Navigation article Corrected Gyrocompass Synthesis as a System with Changeable Structure, by Bezvesilnaya O. N., Ivanov S. V., Ryzhkov L. M. and Staritskiy L. P., Proceeding of Symposium Gyro Technology 2003, Stuttgart, Germany, 2003, 12.0–12.8 (ISSN 1439-4502). The Editors and publishers of the journal, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, note that we received, peer-reviewed, accepted and published the article on the basis that the authors are presenting original results and are not intending to publish them in any other journal. The retracted article will remain online to maintain the scholarly record, but it will be digitally watermarked on each page as “retracted”.

The 16th International Conference: "Mechatronic Systems and Materials" (MSM 2021), 01-02 July 2021

The 16th International Conference "Mechatronic Systems and Materials" (MSM 2021) is being organized by: • Mechanical Faculty of Vilnius Gediminas Technical University• Kaunas University of Technology• Lithuanian Academy of Sciences• Opole University of Technology• Bialystok Technical University• IFToMM National Committee of Lithuania Aim & Scope: Providing opportunity for the scientists to share information and facilitate co-operation in Mechatronics, New Materials, and Engineering Technologies and dissemination of current research results in this multi-disciplinary field.List of Topics of Mechatronic Systems:, Materials, Engineering Technologies:, Education:, Committees, Scientific Editorial Committee:, Organizing Committee, these are available in this pdf.

A Systematic Review of the Applications of Multi-Criteria Decision Aid Methods (1977–2022)

Multicriteria methods have gained traction in academia and industry practices for effective decision-making. This systematic review investigates and presents an overview of multi-criteria approaches research conducted over forty-four years. The Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus databases were searched for papers on multi-criteria methods with titles, abstracts, keywords, and articles from January 1977 to 29 April 2022. Using the R Bibliometrix tool, the bibliographic data was evaluated. According to this bibliometric analysis, in 131 countries over the past forty-four years, 33,201 authors have written 23,494 documents on multi-criteria methods. This area’s scientific output increases by 14.18 percent every year. China has the highest percentage of publications at 18.50 percent, followed by India at 10.62 percent and Iran at 7.75 percent. Islamic Azad University has the most publications with 504, followed by Vilnius Gediminas Technical University with 456 and the National Institute of Technology with 336. Expert Systems with Applications, Sustainability, and the Journal of Cleaner Production are the top journals, accounting for over 4.67 percent of all indexed works. In addition, E. Zavadskas and J. Wang have the most papers in the multi-criteria approaches sector. AHP, followed by TOPSIS, VIKOR, PROMETHEE, and ANP, is the most popular multi-criteria decision-making method among the ten nations with the most publications in this field. The bibliometric literature review method enables researchers to investigate the multi-criteria research area in greater depth than the conventional literature review method. It allows a vast dataset of bibliographic records to be statistically and systematically evaluated, producing insightful insights. This bibliometric study is helpful because it provides an overview of the issue of multi-criteria techniques from the past forty-four years, allowing other academics to use this research as a starting point for their studies.

OPERATION ANALYSIS OF THE AIR-SOURCE HEAT PUMP USING TRNSYS SIMULATION TOOL

In order to achieve ambitious goals for energy efficiency and requirements for near zero energy buildings, various technological solutions enabling the use of renewable energy are proposed and applied. One such rapidly spreading technology is heat pumps. However, the use of air-­to-­water heat pumps in countries where the cold season is cold and humid has unfavourable conditions for the operation of this equipment during the heating season. As a result, the performance efficiency of the equipment decreases. This article presents the simulation results of an air-­to-­water heat pump operation in Lithuania using the TRNSYS modelling tool; its nominal heating capacity is 6.55 kW. The model was calibrated using real data obtained at Vilnius Gediminas Technical University when measurements were performed under heat pump freezing conditions. The seasonal performance factor of the heat pump heating mode was determined during the calculation. Parametric analysis of the model was also performed, when sensitivity of the model to the initial climatic data was observed. Comparable results are obtained for Vilnius, Prague and London.

Entrepreneurial competencies and intentions among students of technical universities

The study investigates the entrepreneurial competencies and intentions of students. Their formation is a requirement of modern times. The question arises whether students of modern technical universities get entrepreneurial competencies and whether they transform these competencies into their entrepreneurial intentions. More than 3.6 thousand students from six technical universities from Poland, Ukraine, Latvia, Bulgaria, and Lithuania were surveyed. Methods of summarizing and grouping data, analysis of the structure of the population and distributions of its elements, evaluation of relationships were used to analyze the results of the survey. It was found that studying at technical universities is not an obstacle to the existence of entrepreneurial intentions among students. The respondents positively assessed their ability to recognize market opportunities for new business (the sum of the shares of positive answers exceeded the sum of the shares of negative answers by 12.4%). A positive generalized assessment was determined when assessing the ability to persuade others to invest in their business, while negative – their ability to write a formal business plan. It is proved that students who highly value their entrepreneurial abilities are much more likely to show the intention to start their own business (р < 0.001). Students’ focus on starting their own business is partly explained by the fact that they connect employment in corporations with a low guarantee of job retention. High positive integrated assessments received the following advantages of own entrepreneurship: prestige (0.302), chance to be realized (0.362), and the ability to create jobs (0.597). Acknowledgment The authors wish to thank Denislava Yordanova (Sofia University, Bulgaria), Tatjana Nikitina (Riga Technical University, Latvia), and Daiva Jurevičienė (Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Lithuania) for helping to collect data at respective countries.

Information system for generation of engineering mechanics practical works assignments and their inspection

The technology for automatization of lecturer’sworkplace is presented in the paper, enhancing and simplifying the preparation of assignments for practical works and their inspection. The main focus of paper is placed on the inspection of students’works. The informational system created and exploited at the department of EngineeringMechanics, Vilnius Gediminas TechnicalUniversity, is described. Similar principles may be employed also for analogical systems of generating of assigments for practical works as well as inspection of them for other subjects (mathematics, informatics, etc).

Preface

2021 International Conference on Cloud Computer, IoT and Intelligence System (CCIIS2021) is rescheduled to be held virtual via Tencent Meeting due to Covid-19. CCIIS2021 aims to provide a premier interdisciplinary platform for researchers, practitioners and educators to present and discuss the most recent innovations, trends, and concerns as well as practical challenges encountered and solutions adopted in the fields of Cloud Computer, IoT and Intelligence System. Sincerely thanks for your paper submissions and support to CCIIS2021 conference.

Lithuanian Picture of Mother Based on Questionnaire Data

The article performs the analysis of the concept of mother through the cognitive questionnaire methodology developed by Jerzy Bartmiński, pioneer of Polish ethnolinguistics. According to the methodology only one open question is asked to respondents: „What do you think is the essence of the true X?“ The modifier „true“ included in the question directs respondents’ attention specifically to subjective imaginations, rather than to the actual (objectively) existing typical object. Mentioning the „essence“ directs focus to the most important rather than subordinate features.During the study, the students of Vilnius University were questioned – Philology, Philosophy, History, Law, Economics and Business Administration, Medical, Physics, International Relations and Science, Mathematics and Informatics Bachelors and Masters, as well as students from Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Antanas Gustaitis’ Aviation Institute. A total of 100 questionnaires were selected for the study: 48 questionnaires of Science dysciplines (male – 18, female – 30) and 52 questionnaires of the Humanities dysciplines (male – 20, female – 32).As the results of the analysis show, the „true mother“ is characterised in particular by psychosocial and social aspects, less often by mental, biological, household aspects. The least often the mother is characterised by physical, ethnic, religious, ethical and ideological aspects. The most common were descriptions such as: Raises, educates (S); 77, 9.2 %; Loves (A); 70, 8.4 %; Cares about (A); 65, 7.8 %; Sacrifises (A); 38, 4.5 %; Gives birth (G); 28/3.3 %; Childbirth (alone) does not constitute the presence of the mother (G); 26/3.1 %. According to the students’ opinion, it can be said that the maternity still remains a value, and its core consists of a public duty of a mother to bring up a virtuous and worthy citizen. Quite a private link between a mother and a child, which manifests in a provision of warmth and love to one another, remains important, a purely humane relationship is highly valued. Human attention does not deviate completely into sociality, his own hapiness and the happiness of his closest people is important to him.

An interdisciplinary learning approach to ecological business

It is a widely held view among educationists that the most effective way to facilitate a holistic learning approach is to present visual, ready-to-use, practical examples. Thus, our study follows the general scope of the course “Socially responsible ecological business”, which is currently offered to master students at the Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (VGTU). We contend that teaching materials should be presented visually using case studies and examples. Indeed, simple guidance is one of the vital learning tools for students. Accordingly, and in line with the aims of the course, the observations and experience of differences in global culture and our inclusion of a wide range of ecological examples were central to the design of our international case study. In particular, students found the case study on ecological business both useful and applicable in the real world.

Applying smart devices for gathering real‐time feedback from students

AbstractThis article presents and describes in detail an interactive method of teaching and gathering feedback from students by applying internet‐based survey systems and utilizing smart devices. Real‐time survey results are monitored and analyzed by university staff and the lecturers, and these results are visible to other students as well. The presented method is probably the fastest and easiest way to receive feedback from students while increasing their interest and participation in lectures and laboratory work. The proposed method combines multiple means of gathering feedback from students, which include surveys, consultations, and group discussions. This interactive method has been applied for 5 years at the Faculty of Electronics, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Vilnius, Lithuania. After analyzing 10 years of available statistical data, which included 5 years when the presented interactive survey method was applied, a 4–6% increase in student performance was observed. Therefore, we conclude that this is perhaps a direct consequence of applying the discussed interactive method. In addition, after analyzing student surveys, it has been observed that 86.37% of students evaluated the use of smart devices positively in conjunction with this teaching method process. The students also positively evaluated the teaching process overall, and highly encouraging responses were received to questions asking to rate class activities and class atmosphere using this interactive survey method—87.79% and 91.68%, respectively. A large number of positive responses reflect a positive student attitude towards the use of such interactive surveys in the study process and supports their benefits aimed at increasing the overall quality of education.