Human-AI Interaction in Romanian Schools: Explorations of Algorithmic Empathy and Digital Co-Creation

This article explores the ongoing interaction between human intelligence and artificial intelligence (AI), with a particular focus on the concept of algorithmic empathy – a type of simulated affective response with tangible educational value – and on the dynamics of digital co-creation. Drawing on interdisciplinary perspectives and qualitative data collected through semi-structured interviews with 57 teachers and 542 students from Romania, the study explores how AI systems can support learning, foster innovation, and adapt to users’ cognitive and emotional needs thematically analysed to provide in-depth insights. The analysis identifies key factors that shape effective human-AI communication, such as digital literacy, trust, personalization, and ethical awareness. While AI is perceived as a valuable tool for enhancing educational processes and decision-making, challenges related to transparency, over-reliance, and reduced human connection are also highlighted. The findings show that meaningful human-AI collaboration requires not only technological refinement but also a critical and ethical rethinking of the roles both actors play in a shared digital ecosystem. The study underscores the importance of algorithmic empathy and conversational digital literacy in sustaining user motivation, while warning against dependency and the erosion of critical inquiry. In educational settings, AI is best positioned as a complement to, not a substitute for, the human educator. These insights reinforce the need for human-centred, ethically grounded AI integration strategies, especially in environments where learning, equity, and emotional support intersect.

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AI-Assisted Learning and Procrastination Patterns: An Exploratory Investigation of ChatGPT Usage in Higher Education

This exploratory pilot study investigates the potential relationship between ChatGPT usage and academic procrastination among EFL Master students. As AI tools become increasingly prevalent in educational settings, understanding their impact on student learning behaviours becomes crucial for digital pedagogy. Through a survey of 95 Master students at Ibn Khaldoun University of Tiaret, Algeria, this investigation examines students’ self-reported ChatGPT usage patterns, procrastination levels, and perceptions of AI tools’ influence on their academic habits. The exploratory approach reveals that while students recognize ChatGPT’s utility for academic tasks, they also acknowledge its potential to facilitate procrastination behaviours. Findings suggest that moderate ChatGPT users demonstrate awareness of both benefits and risks associated with AI tool reliance. This preliminary investigation contributes to emerging discussions in digital education by providing initial insights into the complex relationship between AI assistance and self-regulated learning. The study offers a foundation for future research examining how educational institutions might develop frameworks for responsible AI integration while supporting student autonomy and critical thinking development.

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The Perspective of Medical School Students on Distance Education

This study examines the impact of this transition on medical students at a public university by focusing on their academic performance, emotional well-being, and adaptability to remote learning environments. Since the COVID-19 pandemic prompted an unprecedented shift from traditional classroom learning to online platforms across global educational systems, it is crucial to understand how students navigated these changes and adapted to the new learning conditions. This study collected qualitative data from 65 medical students through semi-structured interviews. The findings reveal significant effects on study habits, emotional well-being, and curriculum engagement. The findings reveal a mixed response to distance education in medical schools. While some students experienced increased flexibility and, in some instances, improved academic performance, significant challenges also emerged. These challenges included a decline in practical skills, heightened emotional distress, and technical issues that obstruct effective learning. The study emphasizes the necessity for hybrid educational models that combine the advantages of online flexibility with essential in-person interactions, particularly for training practical skills in medical education. It recommends enhancing online educational platforms to better support medical training during crises. Emphasis is placed on developing a robust technical infrastructure alongside comprehensive mental health support systems. 

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A Case Study: An Investigation into Foundation Pathway Teachers’ Beliefs of Incorporating Digital Pedagogy in Their Practice to Increase Student Engagement

This case study investigates the beliefs of Foundation Pathway teachers at INTO University of Exeter (IUoE) regarding the incorporation of digital pedagogy into their teaching, focusing on the Technological, Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework as the theoretical foundation. By employing a qualitative research design involving semi-structured interviews with seven teachers, the study uncovers the extent to which these teachers believe that digital tools can foster an interactive and engaging learning environment for their students. The results indicate that teachers strongly believe that digital pedagogy has improved student engagement to some extent. However, they also recognise certain challenges associated with using digital tools that could potentially hinder student engagement. This case study suggests that the integration of digital pedagogy contributes to the development of a more productive classroom environment.

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The Current State of Digital Literacy Research in China: A Literature Review

The purpose of this study is to analyse the current research status, hotspots and development trends of teachers’ digital literacy in China. The article uses Citespace to visualize and analyse 1,129 relevant Chinese literature published between 2007 and 2024 in China Knowledge Network CNKI. The study found that (1) the research on teachers’ digital literacy in China started in 2007 while the number of studies has increased significantly in recent years as well as the research topics have become increasingly diversified. (2) The research hotspots mainly focus on the connotation of digital literacy, the necessity of cultivation, the relationship with rural revitalization, and the strategies for improving digital literacy in higher education and basic education stages. Based on the research results, this paper puts forward suggestions with a view to providing valuable references and lessons for the development of the enhancement of teachers’ digital literacy in China.

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Blended Teaching Mode Based on the “Rain Classroom” Platform – A Case Study of the Course “Basic German Grammar” at Beijing International Studies University

The blended teaching is an “online + offline” teaching mode that integrates the dual experience of traditional classroom and online learning, which is a hot topic that educators at different levels are currently paying attention to and studying. The “Rain Classroom” is a new teaching platform developed with the support of information technology, which promotes the development of the blended teaching mode, improves teaching effect, monitors teaching process in real time, and enhances the effectiveness of teaching management. This paper takes the academic course of “Basic German Grammar” at Beijing International Studies University as an analysis case. Based on the online courses developed by the lecturer, while according to the characteristics of “Rain Classroom” as well as the principles and steps of the blended teaching, a blended teaching mode is constructed from multiple dimensions. Course design, teaching methods, teaching process and teaching evaluation are the different dimensions that have been developed. Thus forming a teaching system of “self-study before class + practice in class + review after class”, which effectively enhances the students’ knowledge, self-learning ability, and problem-solving ability.

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The Use of E-Portfolios in Working with Pre-School Children

The advancement of information technologies has contributed to shaping a different vision of the life of society as a whole. In the age of digitalisation, society faces various changes in communication, as well as in everyday life. In the context of pre-school education and upbringing, the use of technology is on the rise for the purposes of implementing numerous educational activities. Communication with parents, monitoring the children´s personal growth and their behaviour, discovering the talents and abilities of pre-school children, and potential opportunities for preventing undesirable behaviour comprise activities which can be significantly improved by resorting to e-portfolios.

Accordingly, this research aimed to explore the importance and methods of use of e-portfolios in working with pre-school children, as well as to pin down the prevailing type of e-portfolio based on pre-school teachers´ experiences. The research included 138 pre-school teachers from the city of Pirot, Serbia. Research results show that pre-school teachers resort to e-portfolios in pre-school institutions mostly to monitor children´s personal growth and behaviour. Consequently, they use such e-portfolios to prevent undesirable behaviour (with a special focus on aggressive behaviour). Likewise, the results indicate that an in-depth assessment e-portfolio is predominantly used by pre-school teachers, while the least frequently used is the subject-specific e-portfolio.

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Online Learning in Primary School: Perspectives of Teachers, Students, Parents

Part of the life of the society in which it develops and on which it has an impact perhaps not always fully assumed and respected, the school benefits both from the scientific structure and from the tendency – natural and necessary – to investigate the new. So how do we deal with the digital reality that students live in and that even the most conservative of teachers can’t dissociate themselves from? Here is the plot of this work!
In this context, the purpose of this work is to investigate and assess the impact of online schooling on Romanian grounds, following the opinions of the three active educational performers immerged in it the most: teachers, pupils, parents. The inquiry has followed the primary education learning path, as part of a deeper concern for this field, with an open eye towards both achievements and challenges. The questionnaires have given the possibility to all three categories to express personal perspectives and conclusions.
The reasonable deduction of the present educational approach is that online courses represent a milestone in the functioning of Romanian schools, providing us with the ability to acknowledge the importance of both direct interaction and need to develop acquires in terms of technology.

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Social Networks and the Development of Students’ Social Competences

Social competencies of students are crucial for successful studying and further academic careers, as they encompass communication, teamwork, and collaboration skills. Social networks offer opportunities for interaction and the exchange of ideas with peers and mentors. Therefore, it is important to study the relationship between social networks and social competencies to better understand the opportunities and challenges faced by students.
The primary aim of this research is to examine students’ perceptions of the impact of social networks on the development of their social competencies. A descriptive research method was employed, and data were collected using a specially designed assessment scale. The research sample is purposive, comprising students from the Faculty of Philosophy in Niš (N=314). The results indicate that students are generally ambivalent about the influence of social networks on their social development, suggesting the need for a deeper understanding of this relationship. Students primarily perceive social networks as communication channels used for maintaining contact and exchanging information. Additionally, students view social networks as potential platforms for collaboration with peers, as well as friends and other community members.

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Need, Advantages and Capabilities of Learning Analytics in K12 Education: Study Results from Lithuania

Learning analytics is identified as one of the essential prerequisites for ensuring the quality of learning for each student and is associated with wider opportunities for the organization of individualized, differentiated and personalized learning. One of the focuses – the individualization and personalization of natural science and mathematics education – is connected with one of the priorities of Lithuanian education, recognizing the need to develop students’ mathematical, natural science and technological competences, and to foster a culture of innovation in schools. Although the importance of integrated education is recognized for the sustainable improvement of the student’s natural science and mathematics competence, there are problems in solving the issues of integrated organization of natural sciences and mathematics in lessons, searching for the most appropriate didactic solutions at the student and class levels. The usefulness of learning analytics in modern education is not in doubt internationally, but the approach to it in educational practice is quite ambiguous: the search for tools of learning analytics, the system of its use, definitions of advantages for the learner – these are the questions that raise researchers’ attention. It is recognized that the Lithuanian scientific discourse of the use of learning analytics in science and mathematics education contains little research, examples of pedagogical practice that analyse the possibilities of digital platforms with artificial intelligence and learning analytics tools are scarce.

This qualitative study was particularly sought to disclose the possibility of using learning analytics in the science education and math lessons. Focus group participants were teachers and students from general education schools in Lithuania who, in September – December 2021, participated in a project dedicated to the testing of learning analytics tools in science education and mathematics classes. The aim of the investigation was to extract the accumulated experience of teachers and students in working with digital platforms and in applying learning analytics based on artificial intelligence. The results of the study revealed that teachers and students have no doubts about the advantages of digital platforms integrating learning analytics based on artificial intelligence, in identifying student (class) learning gaps, learning characteristics, making data-based decisions regarding differentiation and individualization of learning. Research participants saw the importance of data generated by learning analytics in planning and organizing integrated math and science education lessons.

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