Content area
Globalization as a process is connected to the higher level of education, requiring from students to develop their communication competences within an international environment. The use of digital tools increases options of information exchange among students, both in their daily and international communication. One form of such internationalization is the possibility of networking through presentations of students" research results at the international students" section. The paper demonstrates the organizational model of a students" section, which has been continuously organized as a part of an international scientific conference since 2011. The section gathers undergraduate and graduate students from different countries. In the last 14 years a total of 186 student projects were presented by 272 students from 10 countries who participated in 147 research teams or individual student research projects. The topics of student research are multidisciplinary. The results obtained from the analysis ofresearch titles indicate that there is a connection between information and communication technology on one side, and the areas of medical, technical and social sciences and humanities, as well as its application in art, on the other. The model can be applied by creating potential student networking models in an international environment covering various multidisciplinary research areas.
ABSTRACT
Globalization as a process is connected to the higher level of education, requiring from students to develop their communication competences within an international environment. The use of digital tools increases options of information exchange among students, both in their daily and international communication. One form of such internationalization is the possibility of networking through presentations of students" research results at the international students" section. The paper demonstrates the organizational model of a students" section, which has been continuously organized as a part of an international scientific conference since 2011. The section gathers undergraduate and graduate students from different countries. In the last 14 years a total of 186 student projects were presented by 272 students from 10 countries who participated in 147 research teams or individual student research projects. The topics of student research are multidisciplinary. The results obtained from the analysis ofresearch titles indicate that there is a connection between information and communication technology on one side, and the areas of medical, technical and social sciences and humanities, as well as its application in art, on the other. The model can be applied by creating potential student networking models in an international environment covering various multidisciplinary research areas.
Keywords: Information and Communication Technology, Communication, International Environment
1. INTRODUCTION
The challenges of modern education and business are related to the process of globalization, the necessity of adopting team work skills, communication competences Within an international environment, development of creativity and investigation approach to learning. The Teambased Learning (TBL) Method positively affects learning outcomes when it comes to the development of communication skills within a team, encourages students' activity and knowledge acquisition (Haidet et al., 2014). The Research-based Learning (RBL) Method is applicable in different areas of acquiring knowledge and skills relating to undergraduate students and encourages genre learning and writing development (You and You, 2025). The meta-analysis of research based on the implementation of the TBL Method into the curriculum that included 2.400 students involved in 10 research studies showed that the TBL Method had considerable advantage compared to traditional learning methods. The TBL Method includes problem-based learning and encourages collaborative learning among team members (Korayem et al., 2024). The transferring process means transferring from courses based on traditional textbook learning as the only source of information to student-centered course design. Such a course shall prepare students to become independent, efficient and responsible team members. This approach encourages self-awareness, self-management and experience-based learning (Eriksen et al., 2024). Apart from classical learning methods applied in live teaching, online learning has become an increasingly applied method today. In addition to numerous positive effects of the online learning method, its effect can also be adverse because it reduces social interaction and affects implementation of new learning strategies connected to emotional and cognitive dimension of social interacting (Sjolie et al, 2022).
Team creativity is connected to the method of decision-making by team members and the mediation process through which team members accept or reject creative ideas, i.e. there is a mutual link between creativity and collective thriving, with the concept of collective thriving describing how well the team progresses, which values it cherishes and what the attitude of team members towards team values is (Wang et al., 2024). There are individual differences when it comes to learning approach; some students prefer team work whilst others prefer individual learning. Since many tasks require team work, ways of fostering team work through games encouraging collaboration and development of social skills were analyzed. Interesting games or activities that boost motivation and contribute to learning and achieving learning goals, proved to be a useful tool for encouraging social interaction and team work (Eliasa, 2014). Psychological safety is one of the components associated to team work which encourage team members to work together. It is based on mutual trust and affects team performance (Rodsjo et al., 2024). Students" collaboration in students" research teams is based on team dynamics demonstrated by researchers in their scientific practice, which requires multidisciplinary approach. The interdisciplinary approach shall be integrated in all levels of education and work on acquiring and developing team work skills shall be intensified (Turner et al., 2014). The atmosphere within a team as well as its group dynamics affect successful completion of team tasks, where the high communication skills among team members, time management, commitment, problem analysis, problem solving, initiative and involvement are particularly important variables of team work success (Alencar da Costa et al., 2024). Research conducted by De Matos Fernandes et al. (2024) show that students who are also friends and who know each other very well prefer to stay together in a team. Teams are created by members of the same gender and those with similar grades who choose to work together in a team. The research reveals the need that in creating the teams, teachers should take into consideration personal preferences and variables like gender, grades and mutual relations of team members. According to typology provided by Belbin (1981), the roles of team members can be different, e.g. people-oriented - social skills (coordinator, resource investigator and team worker), cerebral - thinking oriented (plant, monitor evaluator and specialist) and action oriented (sharper, implementer and completer). These roles are shared by the team members throughout their work. Every role 1s associated to different personality types which contribute to team's diversity and work dynamics (Belbin, 1981). A potential form of sharing student research and team work results is a group presentation. The research conducted by Fekrya et al. (2019) show that during group presentations students focus on eye contact established with the presenter during which they closely follow the presentation. This study 1s based on video material analysis and determines links between personal characteristics of individuals and team work skills (Fekrya et al., 2019). The communication within international research teams 1s partly enabled via social networking. The results have confirmed that apart from its positive effects there are also negative effects of social networks on students during their university education. In particular, they proved the existing need of supervision and adjusting to the legal system. Students have declared that for them social networking caused confusion, that the time spent in networking may negatively affect the results of their studies and that they should be warned about risk safety. The authors warn about the need of increased safety measures and constant communication with students about risks of online communication (Wenxian, et al., 2012). The results of confirmatory factor analysis show that variables like cultural empathy, intercultural communication competence and psychosocial adjustment are positively associated with learning outcomes of courses taught in an international environment (Zhang and Noels, 2024). The experience of students" communication in an international environment increases the potential of skills development when 1t comes to empathy and adapting communication to members of different cultures. Genre knowledge of undergraduate students who participated in student symposia organized as a part of the English for Academic Purposes (EAP) course was assessed by the following dimensions: subject matter knowledge, formal genre knowledge, rhetorical knowledge, process knowledge and genre awareness. In the process of defining research questions, data collection and data analysis and interpretation, the students acquire analytical reasoning and team communication skills. Producing a report on conducted research requires written communication skills, whilst the presentation itself involves verbal expression skills. Mutually connected team work skills, logical thinking and reasoning, analysis and synthesis provide a link which enables their implementation in undergraduate and graduate study curricula (You and You, 2025). The answer to how work in international research teams encourages development of cross-cultural communication skills is provided in an ontological level model adopted by (Feola et al., 2024) according to the original model: Teaching Model Framework for Entrepreneurship Education (Fayolle and Gailly, 2008). The model includes entrepreneurship component by connecting learning outcomes in an education process with entrepreneurship environment.
According to the Teaching Model Framework for Entrepreneurship Education Source: Adapted from Fayolle and Gailly (2008), in addition to the basic educational goals within the context of entrepreneurship, it is necessary to precisely determine the target group's characteristics, define the context of collaboration, choose teaching practices and method of results evaluation, and expected results. The given model connects the students' research to their future career's real segment practice. The elements of this model are partially implemented in the Students' Poster and Online Section organization.
2. GOAL OF THE PAPER
The goal of this paper is to show the organizational model of the Students' Poster and Online Section as a form of international students networking, in order to work on joint projects and present the results of their projects. Particular emphasis is given to interdisciplinary approach to using information and communication technologies, since undergraduate and graduate students attend different study programs.
3. THE INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS' POSTER AND ONLINE RESEARCH SECTION ORGANIZATIONAL METHODS
Students' Poster and Online Section of the Central European Conference on Information and Intellygendt Systems CECIIS started in 2011, and has since then been organized once a year, gathering undergraduate and graduate students who work on multidisciplinary projects and present research results at Students Poster and Online Section. Students' Section focuses on the use of information and communication technology in various areas of human activity and on developing communication skills in an international environment. The areas in which the application of information and communication technology is analyzed include medicine, psychology, economy, entrepreneurship, geology, literature etc. Students' section starts by publishing an open call for students to register their papers on https://ceciis.foi.hr/call-forpapers/student-poster-and-presentation-section . Once registered, all papers are submitted to a blind review. All accepted papers are presented on the Students' Section as a poster on the conference itself or online as a PowerPoint presentation. Students' Section is organized as a hybrid event. Abstracts containing basic results of students' research are permanently available on the Students poster and Online Section CECIIS websites (Student Presentation and Poster Section Archive 2011-2024, https://archive.ceciis.foi.hr/index.php/ceciis/index/pages/view/studentPoster. html).
4. RESULTS
The 2024 Students" Section, organized once a year since 2011, was 14" in a row. During these 14 years, a total of 186 students' projects were presented on the section. The number of students' projects has varied from one year to the next, ranging from 5 to 20 students' research projects per year. Figure 1 shows the range of students' project's number during the 14 years of its existence.
The results presented in Figure 1 show that the highest number of students' projects was registered and presented in 2018 and 2023, when it reached 20 students' projects. During the pandemic in 2020 the number of students' projects remained relatively high, i.e. a total of 16 projects was presented. The reason for that is the online option of presentation provided by the Students' Section since its very beginning.
Figure 2 presents numbers of domicile and foreign students who participated at the Students' Section. The 272 participating students were divided into 147 research teams.
Figure 2 shows a relatively consistent number of students from Croatia, whilst the number of international students-presenters has been slightly increasing from 2017 onwards. Figure 3 includes details of countries which foreign students-presenters come from. The highest number of foreigners were from the USA and Albania, with a few from Peru, South Africa, Austria, Bulgaria, Romania and Slovakia. Student-presenters from the USA and Albania are students of the partner universities of the University of Zagreb.
Several international teams were mixed, i.e. combined of Croatian and students from other countries, which enhanced the importance of networking and communication in an international environment. It was those diverse nationalities, and cultural and language differences that contributed to cultural diversity and development of communication competencies in an international environment. By applying the Collaborative Learning Method, the students learned from each other, developed their creative potentials and as a team analyzed the issues of using information and communication technology in different areas of human activity.
5. CONCLUSION
Through continuous work of students networked in international students' research teams it is possible to encourage them to conduct research projects. The multidisciplinary approach and the development of communication competencies in an international environment enables the implementation of the Team-based Learning and Research-based Learning methods. These methods are student-centered, they encourage their activity and collaborative learning. The paper presents quantitative indicators (numbers) of students and students' research projects presented in the last 14 years at the Students' Poster and Online Research Section of the CECIIS International Conference. This model of students' research results' dissemination proved to be a sustainable high-quality method of work with students. In the last 14 years, there were 186 students' research projects presented at the Students' Section. They were prepared by 272 students from 10 different countries gathered in 17 teams. This students' international networking model can be applied in similar international multidisciplinary teams. The model can also be adapted to high-school students, to prepare these future university students for research projects.
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