Over 500 participants at the Open Education & Science Practices 2025 Workshop
Politehnica University of Timișoara, through the Digital and Distance Education Department in collaboration with European Universities Alliance E³UDRES², the Horizon Europe project Ent-r-e-novators and with the support of IEEE Romania, successfully hosted the 12th edition of the International Open Education & Science Practices Workshop, Thursday, March 13, 2025.
The hybrid event gathered over 500 participants, 466 online and 50 participants on-site, in the K1 Amphitheater of the UPT Conference Center. Sessions explored the impact of AI, VR, and blockchain on education and research, providing practical examples and case studies.
Under the theme "Challenges in Practices, Tools, and Methods of Open Science and Open Education”, the workshop explored how open science and open educational resources (OER) are integrated into university practices, research projects, and general education. A particular emphasis was placed on the response of educational and research systems to the challenges posed by emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR), and blockchain.
17 Exceptional Presentations by International Experts:
The event gathered 15 speakers from Romania, Germany, Austria, Sweden, Belgium, and the USA, and over 500 participants from 6 countries, who had the opportunity to interact with speakers, exchange ideas, ask dozens of questions, and collaborate with speakers during presentations.
The collaborative spirit was significantly amplified by the participation of esteemed experts from five distinct university alliances (E³UDRES, UNITE, UNITA, EU4DUALL, CLUSTER). This strategic presence facilitated a profound interconnection, nurturing the growth of robust collaborative networks and fostering exchange of knowledge and best practices across the open education, open science practices. Participants were given the opportunity to evaluate the event, and the feedback provided was overwhelmingly positive, as well as the many direct positive messages.
Dr. Anthony Camilleri (Knowledge Innovation Center | KIC), for the first time in Timișoara, opened the event with an exceptional keynote presentation on the impact of AI in teaching and research, emphasizing the role of open education in creating ethical AI usage models. His presentation was applauded by the audience, both online and in the amphitheater, and gathered a series of questions.
Prof. Em. Dr. Eng. Radu Vasiu (Politehnica University of Timisoara) presented the E³UDRES² and Ent-re-novators projects, highlighting the importance of open science and open education. Dr. Eng. Diana Andone (UPT) provided valuable insights into the use of AI in education, emphasizing the need for open educational practices and awareness of ethical challenges, in a presentation that delighted the audience.
Associate Professor Dr. Gabriela Grosseck (West University of Timisoara) gave a presentation on the use of artificial intelligence in student assessment, as well as the risks and ethical concerns.
Prof. Arnold Pears (Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm) spoke about the concerns and implications of using AI in research, but also about the evolution of artificial intelligence.
Dr. Vlad Mihăescu (Politehnica University of Timișoara) discussed the development of micro-certifications through blockchain within the E³UDRES² Alliance.
Dr. Mark Frydenberg (Bentley University, USA) together with Dr. Diana Andone (UPT) presented the TalkTech project, which facilitated collaboration between students from Romania and the USA, using AR and VR technologies. Dr.
Lesson. Ann Reulens (UCLL, Belgium) emphasized the importance of citizen involvement in citizen science and the implementation steps for this purpose within the E³UDRES² – Ent-re-novators project.
Dr. Knut Blind (Technical University of Berlin, Germany) spoke about the importance of standardization education in Europe.
Dr. Andrei Ternauciuc (UPT) presented the evolution of the Moodle platform at UPT – CVUPT, the team's contributions over the last 25 years, but also the students' perspective on its development
Dr. Cristian Tecu (UPT) presented the use of "design thinking" to attract and involve students in technical faculties
Prof. Cristian Gyozo – Haba (Technical University “Gheorghe Asachi” Iași) explored the evolution of remote access laboratories.
Martin Ebner (Graz University of Technology, Austria), presented the institutional integration and development of open educational resources (OER) at the Graz University of Technology (TU Graz).
Prof. Anca Drăghici (UPT) addressed the circular economy and education for sustainability.
Dr. Maria Boatca (UPT) presented a training framework for educators, managers and remote workers
For the first time, within the XII edition of the Workshop Open Education & Science Practices, the papers will be published in open-access format by Publishing House of the Politehnica University of Timișoara, contributing to the dissemination of knowledge and the advancement of the field.
Among the initiatives highlighted in several presentations were the projects E³UDRES² and Ent-r-e-novators, with a series of detailed presentations, highlighting initiatives in promoting open science and innovation in open education.
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