The purpose of the study is to investigate the effects on students' analytical thinking of a learning activity based on the analysis of flowing waters, represented on a hypsometric map. 20 students from the 8th grade participated in the study. The experimental design included three stages: in the first stage in which the students were asked to analyze flowing waters based on a map; in the second stage the students analyzed, in groups, the flowing waters represented on a hypsometric map using a worksheet; in the third stage the students solved the task received in the first stage. The results show that the students, after the formative intervention, have a higher level of competence in analyzing flowing waters on the hypsometric map and that the worksheet determined the increase in the level of competence and contributed to the development of analytical thinking.

Our understanding of the world is enhanced through learning Geography. But what is the specificity of learning geography during online classes at the university level? What materials are most successful and make learning more efficient when adapted for e-learning? How can one boost motivation, be efficient and enjoy learning Geography, and all this during a fast process of adaptation forced by a world pandemic? This research aims to analyse how e-learning takes place at university level, during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In order to collect information on the subject, we asked various categories of students from the Faculty of Geography in Babeş-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania, to take a survey. Through the items of this tool, we collected data about the students’ views on: the influence of university class content (lectures) in e-teaching on their motivation, interest and comprehension; the existing and desired characteristics of the support materials provided during online activities in order to boost learning efficiency; learning specificity during e-teaching. At the end of our research, based on students’ views and the existing bibliography, several proposals are put forward to improve students’ learning.

In the context of pandemic times when human interactions were limited and traditional (face-to-face) education was interrupted, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the perception and attitude of students towards the efficiency of practical training activities (fieldwork, internship, seminars and laboratories) held in the online environment as part of the e-learning that they were subjected to for a whole academic year. Mainly quantitative methods have been used to collect data, analyse and draw conclusions about the research topic, from Likert scale survey questions (which were included in the online questionnaire that had been submitted to the participants at the educational process) to statistical tests using SPSS software. Results revealed the quality of the experience that University students had in terms of alternatives that replaced the traditional training activities. Firstly, in terms of fieldwork, students still consider it indispensable for their professional development no matter how much the technology would ever improve. Secondly, regarding internships, students have indicated the fact that their outcomes related to specific skills were negatively affected by COVID-19. Finally, seminars and laboratories seemed to be easier to attend and adjust compared to fieldwork and internship alternatives due to the adaptability of both professors and students.

The COVID-19 pandemic challenged the activities within university in a variety of ways, but this health and overall societal crisis compelled the educational system to prove its resilience. Both students and professors had to learn new methods and strategies or adapt the old ones to make e-teaching efficient. What are the most appropriate materials to be used during e-teaching? How should online teaching be organised? How can one stimulate communication and interaction during online classes? These are just some of the questions we asked ourselves? This research stems from the issues faced by professors and university students during online classes and teaching procedures. Its aim is to investigate online teaching from the point of view of geography university students. To do so, we devised a survey for different categories of students from the Faculty of Geography in Babeş-Bolyai University, in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. This tool helped us collect several data on: the written and visual means used by professors (.doc, .docx, .pdf, PowerPoint documents, photographs, maps, animation and documentary films, etc.) and their usage during online teaching; professor speeches and organization of e-teaching (training models, teaching methods and procedures); factors influencing attention retention; communication and interaction with students; support means provided to students in order to learn content; note taking during online classes. At the end of this article, several suggestions for improving online university teaching were proposed.

Animation films were used frequently during online didactic activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. We have not identified research that focuses on the problems that teachers face when using animated films to enable students’ learning of Natural Sciences and on the training models that can be organized based on this resource. Therefore, we analysed the problems faced by teachers and, to solve them, we identified, analysed, and described several instruction models based on animation films: illustrative, expositive, interactive, flipped classroom, learning through discovery, and learning through simulation. We analysed the way to integrate them into the didactic activity and, finally, we realized some recommendations.

The objective of this research was to analyse didactic films made with the help of devices accessible to pre-university teachers and with a specific content for a field studied in primary and pre-school education. The proposal to realise didactic films using the smartphone was made to the students from the Master's Programme “Curricular Management” from the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences at Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca and who work as teachers in primary education and pre-school education. In these didactic films, the teachers demonstrated how they conduct, through oral language, the activity carried out by children and how they expose various contents intended for them. The films made voluntarily by students were posted on the closed discussion group “Curricular Management Didactic Films” on the Facebook social network of which their colleagues from this study program belong. We analysed the process of making films, the characteristics of the films (duration, volume of information), the filmed learning activities (organizational forms, teaching methods and educational means used) and the students’ opinion regarding the films, expressed in the discussion group and in interviews. These didactic films are useful to develop didactics competence of teachers.

Animation films that focus on narrative topics are frequently watched by pupils, while animation films that focus on natural phenomena are fewer and less watched. The purpose of this study is to analyse a learning activity that uses a film about the consequences of the Earth's rotation and revolutionary motions: the formation of days and nights and the formation of seasons. We analysed the following: the process of selecting the film, the activity of watching the film individually, at home, the activity carried out by the teacher and students on the Zoom platform, the students' results in three tests and in a gap text game, created with the Wordwall application. At the end of the research, we concluded that a learning activity in which animation films and interactive games are used and in which knowledge is mediated by the teacher is more effective than an individual viewing of an animation film about natural phenomena.

The research starts from the finding that primary school teachers have difficulties in choosing photographs for online learning activities. In order to investigate these difficulties and their causes, as a primary school teacher, the first author conducted an internet search and chose five photographs for several topics in the field of geography (rural settlements, urban settlements, landforms, running waters, lakes and others). For comparison, another contributor of our research group, with expertise in the didactics of geography research field, chose another suite of photographs. As a result, both similarities and differences were identified based on this comparison. During the discussions with the two researchers, we identified the reasons for choosing the photographs (the considered criteria) and the difficulties. At the end of the research, we spotted several causes that determined the inappropriate choice of photographs for a certain topic.

Any scientific inquiry and didactic activity needs to have a positive impact on the target group in order to reach the desired objective, in this case, raising awareness in an academic community by excellent teaching. To do so, the activities that took place during an internal fellowship in Babeș-Bolyai University not only helped the participants understand the importance of the matters discussed, but also engaged them into the process of learning. To understand what impact the activities had on the participants, the questionnaire was an appropriate tool to measure it. Answers reflected what participants appreciated and did not during a specific field activity regarding urban regeneration initiatives in Mănăștur Neighbourhood, within Cluj-Napoca urban area. Moreover, the statistical data generated by the questionnaire showed participants’ involvement degree. They considered that observing directly the way one urban space was organised and designed was one of the strengths of the activity, as well as the fact that they received all this new and specific information from those who were part of an urban regeneration project, involving the community. Last, but not least, being present on the field and having the possibility to see the results of the previous actions was relevant also for participants’ professional training.

The results of direct observation during a field trip and of a questionnaire investigating the participants’ opinions on their learning process during a study visit to Liberty Technology Park are considered during this research. Participants were, in their majority, university students at the Faculty of Geography (Babeș-Bolyai University, in Cluj-Napoca, Romania), at the Bachelor’s level (in Territorial Planning, first year of study), at the M.Sc. level (Regional Planning and Development, 1st and 2nd year of study) and at the Ph.D. level, as well as teaching staff and researchers. They represented the target group of the project developed within the fellowship of Associate Professor Oana-Ramona Ilovan, Ph.D. The participants had the opportunity to give feedback. They presented their observations, where they stated what they enjoyed and appreciated, such as: the planning of the building and its futuristic spaces, the presentation held by the CEO of the Park, the ways of using alternative/renewable energy sources throughout the Park, the session of questions and answers at the end, and what they appreciated and what they missed or would improve. We concluded that the visit had a positive impact on the participants’ professional development and future professional involvement in society relevant projects, and we listed the main requirements for an efficient learning activity in urban regeneration.

The Romanian preuniversity geography teaching system rarely uses graphical organisers as information organisation tools, despite countless recommendations and examples found in scientific literature. YouTube contains numerous films in English, depicting how graphical organisers are developed using software and film apps and which present the way to create and use them in a didactic manner. However, YouTube offers few Romanian films on the two subject matters. The paper analyses the way to create such films, the software app used, the strategy proposed by the authors to aid others in creating this scheme, soundtrack concept (oral text) and the visual means.

The purpose of this research is to analyse how two educational videos from YouTube could be useful for learning activities. The content of these videos refers to the environmental adaptation of forest creatures during autumn and winter. Thus an online experiment was designed, on Zoom platform, which was structured in several stages: the initial testing; the pupils' individual watching of two educational videos, on their own, at home; the after watching testing; the learning activity based on conversations held on Zoom platform; playing an interactive game with the help of Mentimeter; the final testing. Considering the analysis of the videos, the unfolded activities, and the results obtained by the pupils from the primary education cycle, the efficiency of both learning strategies used by the teacher and educational videos were equally established.

The participants to a university field trip in the urban area of Cluj-Napoca, besides having a good context to use classical research methods, got into contact with specialists who were directly involved in an urban regeneration project through art. The location was the “Paintbrush Factory”, a former industrial site in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Most of the participants were M.Sc. and Bachelor students. At the question: “What motivated your participation?”, many of them considered the chance to get information about urban regeneration or chose visiting the “Paintbrush Factory” in order to know a new place/urban landscape. Most of them understood the history of the “Paintbrush Factory” and the process of urban regeneration after 1989, as well as the role that the Federation of Cultural Associations had had in the urban regeneration of an abandoned industrial site. The majority appreciated the clarity of the received information and the results of the project. When they were asked about the strengths of the activity at the “Paintbrush Factory”, participants mentioned as a major educational achievement the study of the way an industrial site had been regenerated. On the other hand, participants accused the low degree of interactivity among group members. Conclusions list a series of benefits that such a learning activity introduce in the university educational system.

This qualitative study presents the opinions of two geography teachers who use graphic organizers in their activity with secondary school students and geography students who train to become geography teachers. These were collected through a postmodern interview. The initiative searched the answers to several questions: the information sources about the graphic organizers and the learning methods for their implementation; the most used graphic organizers and the motivation for their use; the way students are trained to elaborate graphic organizers; the context of the graphic organizers (the type of interaction, the location), indications and rules given to the students, the achieving ways, their importance for the development of the geographic thinking. Both interviewed teachers formed the foundation of their competence to elaborate graphic organizers during training programs held by American and Romanian trainers, not by studying books. In relation to making of the graphic organizers by the pupils and students, certain similarities are observed.

This research aims to analyse an online learning activity based on an original training model and the preschoolers' learning outcomes. A narrative text and a PowerPoint presentation regarding the environment of a rural household, the domestic birds and their connections and living environment were created to approach this activity. The evaluation of children's knowledge was achieved through an online game. The following were studied: the storyline, the PowerPoint presentation, the learning activity, the children' scores, and the learning efficiency as a result of using this audio-visual resource.

The purpose of the research is to analyse students' perceptions of their own specific and transversal competencies, the diversity and typology of the formulated competencies, competencies’ formulation modalities. The data were collected using the survey method, and 30 geographic students answered the questionnaire. The data collection was done in 2019 by the survey method. In the seminar of the discipline Geography Didactics we have applied a questionnaire with two open questions: Which are the transversal competencies (besides disciplinary) you have trained and developed in different contexts, apart from university studies? Which are the specific competencies that you have trained and developed in the study program from the specialization for which you are preparing? The formulations were subjected to content analysis, qualitative text analysis and comparative method. We determined: greater diversity of categories and transversal competencies than that of the competencies specific to specialization; ascertainment of some competencies areas in the case of transversal competencies; presentation of hierarchies and classifications of transversal competencies; a higher average per student of transversal competencies, compared to that of specific competencies; different ways of presenting competencies (grouping by categories and subcategories, competencies areas enumeration; competencies enumeration); similar formulations as meaning in the name of a skill. The students in geography presented more comprehensive lists than those in previous series and demonstrated the use of transversal competencies in the context of the observed didactic activities.

This research aimed at investigating, within a focus group, the primary grades teachers’ opinions concerning the use of photographs in Natural Sciences lessons. We asked teachers to answer nine questions on: the contents of the used photographs, their sources, the circumstances/reasons they took into account when selecting the photographs, the lesson stag es when they used them, the used methods, the context in which they had got information about the manner in which photographs should have been used, the pupils’ interest in using photographs during learning activities in Natural Sciences, which are the disadvantages/risks for pupils if photographs were not used, and on the challenges the teachers had to cope with when using photographs during Natural Sciences lessons. At the end of our study, we noticed the diversity of the topics and lesson stages when pho tographs had been used, teachers’ preference for the Internet as a source of photographs although Internet connection in school was poor, and that teachers appreciated photographs as significant for pupils’ motivation, to focus their attention, enabling per ception and understanding of natural and human induced processes, to form their representations and enable knowledge retention in pupils’ memory, to develop thinking, language, imagination, and creativity. They pointed out that in the absence of photographs for learning Natural Sciences, pupils would run the risk of not understanding or less understand the topics, and of making misleading representations.

In the context of organizing online the graduation exams of the university programs, students who completed the study program for the didactic career made films in which they presented a part of their graduation portfolio. We analysed several tools and applications available for free on the Internet, we identified their advantages and disadvantages and we chose the Zoom platform for making these films. The research was focused on two directions: students' experiential learning process and their films. Research results will be capitalized in the future in carrying out other learning activities in the online environment. The experiential learning resulting from making films was considered useful by students in other contexts, including those in which they would help others make films.

In the context of the coronavirus pandemic and of transferring face-to-face academic activities to online, we analyse several e-learning solutions in Geography university education, from the perspective of three components: e-communication, e-training, and e-assessment. The aim of this research is to investigate the use of photographs to enable learning of Geography during the educational process organized synchronously and asynchronously at Babes-Bolyai University, in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. After analyzing the online activities realized in the virtual classes on the Microsoft Teams platform, we identified, discussed, and represented schematically three instruction models, with their advantages and disadvantages, considering the Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning. The efficiency of these models depends on the features of the discipline and on professor's competence level in specialty and in didactic transposition.