Digital Education Workshop in the Social Sciences and Humanities

About

The need of such activities

The Digital Education Workshop in Humanities and Social Sciences has been established as part of the D-SKILLS Project. This workshop provides a platform for students to acquire and develop digital pedagogies and use tools relevant to their learning and research process. By engaging in this program, students can enhance their digital skills, become familiar with the latest digital tools, and adopt modern learning practices incorporating technology.

There are multiple factors that drive the need for this initiative. The European Union(EU) has been heavily invested in promoting digitalisation in various sectors, including education and higher education. This has led to a push for universities to adopt these new approaches to improve the quality of education. One significant problem identified at the European level is the low level of digital proficiency among young people. According to the Digital Economy Index(DESI) reports, Romania is ranked last among EU member states regarding digital skills. This is particularly concerning for the age group of 16-24, where 56% of young people in Romania possess only basic digital skills, which is far below the European average. One explanation is related to the perpetuation in pre-university education of teaching methods based on rote memorisation and reproduction of information, with minimal critical and analytical effort and without embracing new pedagogies that include the use of technology.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that while students are adept at utilising technology, they may not necessarily possess the same level of proficiency when it comes to incorporating technology into their learning process. Additionally, a noteworthy suggestion put forth at the EU level proposes the implementation of flexible study programs, including hybrid and fully online options, even in the post-pandemic era. The efficacy of such endeavours, however, is contingent upon the digital literacy of both educators and learners.

Furthermore, although the Covid-19 pandemic has created a series of challenges for students and teachers in the learning process through the forced transition to online education, for which students and teachers were not fully prepared, the pandemic has also opened new opportunities for learning and contributed to accelerating the digitalisation of education.
As such it is imperative for academic departments to establish policies and strategies for the digitalisation of education, which can involve the development of human capital, whether we are talking about teachers or students, by organizing training sessions or including them in informal learning contexts (seminars or workshops).

In this context, the initiative of the Digital Education Workshop aims to respond to these transformations. Students enrolled in the undergraduate and graduate programs in International Relations and European Studies, History and Security Studies, as well as doctoral students enrolled in the Doctoral Schools of the Faculty of History and Philosophy, are invited to participate in the workshop sessions that are structured as bi-monthly meetings.

Calendar

First semester

• 25 October
  8 November
  22 November
• 6 December
  10 January

Activities for undergraduate and master students

The purpose of the workshop is to provide a platform for open communication between teaching staff and students enrolled in different study programs from the area of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Activities for PhD students

The workshop will discuss the methodology of scientific research, the use of digital tools in research, and digital pedagogies with doctoral students.