Teaching in a Global World: Challenges and Opportunities for Small-Sized Universities - Insights from Italy

Today’s academic institutions are strongly involved in the modern globalization process. The aim of the paper is to investigate if small-sized universities face particular challenges and if they obtain some advantages or are adversely affected by the ongoing process. The focus is on Europe and, specifically, on Italy, one of the signatory countries of the Bologna Declaration, that has implemented the European international reform process. Based on official data from the Italian Ministry of University and Research, first we analyse university characteristics and then we calculate performance selected indicators that are informative of a few key aspects, such as teaching quality and internationalisation and look at student satisfaction. Results show that teaching quality in small-sized public universities is similar to that in big-sized public ones whereas small-sized private universities perform better than big-sized private ones. Attractiveness for students abroad is greater for smaller and more specialized universities, and this is especially evident for private universities. Satisfaction as well is higher for students studying in small-sized universities. However, doubts exist for the future due to the possible negative effects of the very complex and strict administrative procedures of the current organization and evaluation system. Keywords: universities, small-sized, teaching, performance, Europe, Italy

Reclaiming the Classics for a Diverse and Global World Through OER

In the 2019–20 academic year, I redesigned a course on the classics to make both the texts and the context in which they were taught more accessible for and relevant to the predominantly female students of Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame. The course was re-centered on the dialogue between the ever-evolving and diverse cultures within Greece and the Roman empire and surrounding regions such as Egypt, Ethiopia, and Persia; issues caused by slavery and economic inequality; conceptions of gender roles and sexuality, race and ethnicity, and migration and citizenship; the troubling appropriation of classical motifs and texts by fascist groups in the twentieth century and some alt-right groups and sexual predators in the twenty-first century; and on recent initiatives meant to demonstrate the diversity of both Greek and Roman cultures through documentary, artistic, and archaeological evidence (particularly in the digital humanities and in museums and libraries). I also wanted to make the course close to zero cost for students and to shift to digital texts which lent themselves to interactivity and social scholarship. Our librarian, Catherine Pellegrino, obtained multi-user e-books for modern reinterpretations of classical works still in copyright. A LibreTexts grant enabled the co-authors of this article—the course instructor (and lead author) and two paid student researchers—and a team of summer-employed student collaborators to edit, footnote, and create critical introductions and student activities for various key texts for the course. Many of these texts are now hosted on the LibreTexts OER platform. Beta versions of enriched OER texts and activities were user tested in a synchronous hybrid virtual/physical classroom of twenty-five students, who were taking the course (HUST 292) in the fall semester of 2020.

Synthesis of a Novel, Biocompatible and Bacteriostatic Borosiloxane Composition with Silver Oxide Nanoparticles

Microbial antibiotic resistance is an important global world health problem. Recently, an interest in nanoparticles (NPs) of silver oxides as compounds with antibacterial potential has significantly increased. From a practical point of view, composites of silver oxide NPs and biocompatible material are of interest. A borosiloxane (BS) can be used as one such material. A composite material combining BS and silver oxide NPs has been synthesized. Composites containing BS have adjustable viscoelastic properties. The silver oxide NPs synthesized by laser ablation have a size of ~65 nm (half-width 60 nm) and an elemental composition of Ag2O. The synthesized material exhibits strong bacteriostatic properties against E. coli at a concentration of nanoparticles of silver oxide more than 0.01%. The bacteriostatic effect depends on the silver oxide NPs concentration in the matrix. The BS/silver oxide NPs have no cytotoxic effect on a eukaryotic cell culture when the concentration of nanoparticles of silver oxide is less than 0.1%. The use of the resulting composite based on BS and silver oxide NPs as a reusable dry disinfectant is due to its low toxicity and bacteriostatic activity and its characteristics are not inferior to the medical alloy nitinol.

The Importance of Ethics Education in Public Administration Within the Context of Global Challenges

The issue of “ethics,” which is frequently emphasized in the development and transformation processes of public administration (PA) and stands out in the context of combating problems, crises, and corruption in the discipline, is becoming more important in today's global world. In parallel, studies on the place and importance of ethics education in PA have been increasing in recent years, especially with the emphasis on the ability of ethics to provide solutions to these problems. In this context, this study addresses the place and importance of ethics education in PA education and training in the world and in Turkey. In this framework, firstly, the relationship between PA and ethics and the importance of ethics education in PA are examined. After that, the examples of educational institutions providing ethics education in the world and in Turkey and their educational contents are analyzed. The study ends by making a comparison concerning the subject in the world and Turkey and making various suggestions.

Futurologist Predictions on Global World Order of Cyborgs and Robots

This chapter presents some predictions about the global world order of cyborgs and robots made by the futurologists who are concerned with the reshaping and enhancement of man and his reality. In addition to the phenomenological and anthropological-ontological representation of cybernetic beings in scientific history, technologies of scientific work open up new perspectives of technological and biotechnological enhancement and reshaping of human beings and represent the foundation of life in a programmed world. The futurologists' philosophy is anchored in the tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow, so that every step away from today is a step towards the goals of scientific work.

The Three-Decade Cycle of Lithuanian Prose

In the period of 1989-2020 Lithuanian literature experienced a very dynamic literary development. The aim of the article is to highlight specifics of the new cycle and to analyze the prose trends of each decade of regained independence. The author discusses the literary process more synchronically than diachronically. The first period, i.e. the transition from the Soviet regime to the new system, was especially outstanding as the censorship was eliminated, the previously banned works of deportees and resisters were legalized, the postwar émigré writers returned back to culture and opportunities for innovation opened up.The role of writer as a cultural hero diminished. Former writers loyal to the Soviet regime described this situation as crisis, while the younger generation developed postmodernist way of writing. Many works were based on the cultural and historical memory reckoning with the Soviet era. All genres underwent certain transformations, such as emergence of peculiar essay genre, spread of ego-documentaries, revival of short stories, and flourishing popular literature.Serious changes took place after 2004 when Lithuania joined the European Union, which led to economic emigration and encouraged changes in mentality and expanse of local contexts. Mobile, “transit” type of Lithuanian character emerged who changed his place of residence but felt lonely in the global world. This is a huge innovation, bearing in mind the sedentary agrarian Lithuanian culture and the confines of the iron curtain during the Soviet era. Increased quantity of published books decreased their quality.

Semiotics of Advertising Communication in WEB 2.0 Network Social Services

The article is devoted to the study of semiotics in the advertising communication of web 2.0 network social services. The purpose of the article is to analyze the publications of various brands on social Internet services focused on communication with the consumer and the subsequent study of the features of the use of semiotics tools. The relevance of the article is due to the fact that the modern information society has increased interest in semiotic systems, including in the field of Internet communication. The modern vision of semiotics has gone beyond the traditional framework and defined it as part of global and local communication in web 2.0 social network services, not only between Internet users, but also in the areas of B2B and B2C. The study of the possibilities of semiotics in advertising communication on web 2.0 social platforms, using the example of search engine applications, the social network Instagram, and company sites, in this article is based on the works of R. Barthes, J. Baudrillard, Y. Lotman, and U. Eco. This material confirms our hypothesis that today, especially since the beginning of the pandemic, communication on web 2.0 services is not limited only to text with a picture/photos or videos, more and more often there are visualized scenes created with the help of graphic design with the use of symbols and iconic signs that are familiar to the consumer, which he easily decodes, since they are inscribed in his socio-cultural coordinate system. The innovation of the research is based on the fixation of modern criteria of advertising Internet communication: polycode, intertextuality and multimedia, used as a way of working with target audiences. The novelty of the material consists of the understanding that semiotics today is a new look not only at the branch of scientific knowledge, but also at the practical possibilities of sign systems in the digital age, when the sign becomes a part of the socio-cultural space, a trend of the global world, a tool for transmitting information, knowledge, positioning, a tool for manipulation, influence, and attracting attention. Thus, brands working with the audience in todays realities should take into account not only the product preferences of consumers, but also broadcast their social / civic activity.

Modern aspects of the culturally related process of teaching and education at the university in the context of the socio-cognitive approach

В статье представлены аргументы важнейшей концептуальной позиции социо-когнитивного подхода, которая основа на представлениях о том, что в культуросообразном процессе обучения и воспитания современный человек, сохраняя свою культурную идентичность, имеет и развитые качества адаптивности к самореализации в глобальном мире. Описана и прокомментирована матрица, отражающая особенности освоения ценностей в современном поликультурном пространстве. Определены наиболее значимые аспекты культуросообразного процесса обучения и воспитания в университете, включая формирование комплекса внешних и внутренних условий, определяющих естественную позитивную культурную идентификацию студентов, культуросообразное воспитание студентов, выстраивание структуры образовательного процесса с опорой на поддержку в студентах мотивированного включенного познания, моделирование корпоративной академической культуры и профессионального поведения, расширение гуманитарного ядра содержания образования. The article presents the arguments of the most important conceptual position of the socio-cognitive approach, which is based on the idea that in a culturally consistent process of education and teaching, a modern person, while maintaining cultural identity, also has developed qualities of adaptability to self-realization in the global world. Described and commented on the matrix of mastering the totality of values in the modern multicultural space. The most significant aspects of the culturally related process of teaching and education at the university have been identified, including the complex of external and internal conditions development that determine the natural positive cultural identification of students, culturally related education of students, building the structure of the educational process based on support in students of motivated included cognition, modeling corporate academic culture and professional behavior, expanding the humanitarian core of the content of education.

Financial security of enterprises from Poland, Germany, and Great Britain

Pandemics are caused by the negative impact of global threats, we put you at risk in one global world. An effective and efficient mortality tool, bringing also economic and economic successes. The world is currently struggling with the coronavirus (COVID-19) caused by SARS-CoV-2, which unfortunately already has pandemic status. Blow it off on yourself, concerned about how it will affect the global recession The aim of the article is to present and compare how governments of countries such as Poland, Germany, and the United Kingdom provide entrepreneurs with financial security in connection with the negative effects caused by COVID-19. At the beginning of the article, it is briefly presented what financial security is, and several measures are distinguished to measure the financial security of enterprises. Then, the financial assistance for entrepreneurs selected to the countries is described. Countries such as Poland, Germany, and Great Britain were selected for the analysis. The most attention was devoted to describing the aid for Polish entrepreneurs. The information used in the article was obtained from the Polish and British GOV portal and from the German ministry responsible for economic policy (BMWi). In the end, support from the government in the analysed countries was compared, and the country is indicated, where entrepreneurs would cope best in the current situation and have the best chance for development. It is also indicated what impact the financial aid of the government has on the development of enterprises.