Viktorija Sulcic

Electronic learning in Slovenia

The presence or expansion of internet-based e-learning is one of the characteristics of the information society by which we can estimate the level of its development. We have witnessed many changes in Slovenia in the last decade and are interested in what is happening in the e-learning arena, especially as the internet is rather successfully penetrating Slovenian society.

Lifelong learning: case study in higher education in Slovenia

As a result of the third industrial revolution, the thirty-year-old idea of lifelong learning (LLL) has been gaining particularly strong ground in the last decade. Lifelong education is a strategic principle which traverses the whole education vertical without depleting itself. Todays rapidly changing environment calls for new knowledge and skills that stayed out of reach for the beneficiaries of the Slovenian education system in the past, and still remain largely unattainable through those forms of formal schooling that lead to a bonafide degree (higher education diploma). The main reasons are to be found in deep-rooted traditions and substantial autonomy of the Slovenian higher education system – the system, institutions and individuals – as well as in its distinctive approach to adopting study programmes.

The Labour Market, Graduate Competences and Study Programme Development: A Case Study.

Developments in higher education are taking place in the wider context of globalisation, the Lisbon strategy and within the framework of the Bologna Process. Designing and developing Bologna programmes by taking into account the needs of the economy is a tool for successful quality assurance in higher education and for close cooperation with the environment. Our contribution aims to present the process of first cycle study programme formation and is based on a case study. By studying three groups of stakeholders, involved in the renewal of the study programme (teachers, students and employers), competences were thoroughly researched. It was found that graduate competences included in the questionnaire are of utmost importance and that they do not differ substantially from the competences of graduates in business studies presented in similar research (e.g. The Tuning Project of the European Commission, and the work carried out by the EFMD – the European Foundation for Management Development).

The key factors for acquired knowledge through e-learning

In the paper, some study results of the key factors that have impact on acquired knowledge in a blended learning course are presented. The study derives from two groups of research activities the results of which are presented in the paper – the research on student dropout and research on learning outcomes. The experience of e-learning implementation in a business school in higher education is included in the research as well. The research is based on nine hypotheses about the impact on student success in a blended learning course. An e-learning course is considered successful if students gain more knowledge than they do in a traditional course. Different e-learning characteristics were investigated on the sample of 339 undergraduate students. The regression analysis was used to identify the variables that have significant impact on the acquired knowledge. More knowledge participating in a blended learning course was acquired by part-time students, by students whose personal characteristics studying online improved, by the students who were able to use different e-business services, who were more motivated in their studies and by the students for whom the course performance was acceptable. At the end of our research, three main factors were isolated as the key factors for the success of blended learning courses in small educational environment – course performance, output characteristics and tutor support.

Slovenian SMEs and e-business

Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are socially and economically very important since they represent 99% of all enterprises in the EU and more than 96% of all enterprises in Slovenia. In this paper, the comparison of the e-business in Slovenian and in the EU countries is presented. More than infrastructure is needed to extend e-business among SMEs, which is the case among Slovenian SMEs. Even if the broadband access to the internet in Slovenia is not a problem anymore, B2B e-business is not common among Slovenian SMEs as it is in the EU countries. On the other hand, B2G and C2G services are more widely spread among Slovenian companies and even among individuals than in the EU countries.