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For Europe to remain at the forefront of scientific and technological development, the current shortage of persons trained in these fields at secondary and higher education has to be overcome. The readySTEMgo project aims to improve the retention rates of higher education STEM programmes by the identification of at-risk students in an early stage. We successfully identified a number of key skills that are essential for first-year achievement in a STEM programme. Additionally, we investigated which intervention tools can support at-risk students and evaluated their effectiveness. Based on the output of this research project four policy recommendations are formulated.

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The article is devoted to education of future green engineers for achieving sustainable development in green manufacturing industry. It outlines that green engineering is an important industry which aim is to reduce consumption, to save resources, and to achieve sustainable development in manufacturing. Green manufacturing puts forward new requirements for the training future green engineers. The article reveals the principles of educating future green engineers. Specific attention is paid to the improvement of the teaching system for training of future green engineers, strengthening the teaching staff, changing the teaching mode, strengthening teaching practice and practical training for achieving teaching goals. The authors conclude that it is necessary to clarify the goals of training of future green engineers, and to establish reform of the teaching content of green engineering courses.

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The massive open online courses with self-directed learning model (SDL MOOCs model) was developed by the researcher as a tool to promote learning outside the classroom for the learners in digital age. The concept is based on the combination of new technologies and teaching methods in order to create new ideas and innovations that can enhance learning for modern learners and, at the same time, respond directly to their learning experiences. Thus, instructors are responsible for organizing the environment and creating learner-friendly learning materials using existing technology, which can lead to a digital university learning society.

The contributions of this article are: (1) to synthesize the conceptual framework of the SDL MOOCs model; (2) to develop the SDL MOOCs model; (3) to develop instructional processes with self-directed learning to enhance digital literacy skills (SDL process); and (4) to study the results of developing the SDL MOOCs model. The suitability of the SDL MOOCs model was assessed by 15 experts with extensive experience in the fields of online education design and development, computer science and information and communication technologies for education. The results of this research show that: (a) the SDL MOOCs model consists of 4 main elements (input factors, instructional process, output, and feedback); (b) the SDL process consists of 4 stages (preparation, web-based self-directed learning, post-testing, and certificate approval); and (c) the developmental adequacy of the SDL MOOCs model is at a very high level.

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The demands of the labor market today emphasize the importance of emotional intelligence and social behavior. This fact determines the educational needs of prospective teachers. One of the most effective ways to do this is to use student-centered methods. However, the majority of teachers continue to work with a frontal presentation method that does not develop students' social skills and does not contribute to preparation for real situations. This study presents an ongoing program based on the application of collaborative methods and the development of participants' social skills. The article identifies the main features of cooperative learning as a tool for developing the soft skills of future engineers and briefly summarizes the program. The results so far show that new methods can be easily promoted through well-organized planning and teaching processes, and students themselves recognize why the application of methods has a developmental effect.

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This article proposes an integrated approach regarding the use of different software for practice-oriented training in engineering disciplines. Emphasis is placed on the formation of a unified educational space for training in engineering disciplines. An approach to the integration of a large number of application software solutions based on the 'Moodle' distance learning shell was developed. Examples of the developed training courses for the engineering disciplines are presented. Examples include the use of the proposed approach for 'Machine Parts' and 'Theory of Machines and Mechanisms' technical training courses in terms of practice-based learning.

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Research focuses on the challenges that higher education faces in the field of STEM what kind of strategies and programs to launch for meeting the needs of industry and make the engineering career attractive. Using the Hungarian Higher Education Enrolment and Student Statistics, we address the significant higher educational challenges facing STEM education, not only in Hungary but also in the European Union. We include the lack of methodologies for the transition from upper secondary education, the low enrolment rate for STEM programs and the high dropout rates in these programs for various countries, including the presence of 'dropout courses'. Based on enrolment numbers, the research captures the characteristics of STEM undergraduate and graduate courses and training institutions, highlighting the regional differences and the resulting individual interventions.

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Digital entrepreneurship has gained more attention in theory and practice in recent years. Among other forms of digital entrepreneurship education, MOOCs (massive open online courses) are one of the strongest trends and influence the content and flow of teaching and learning. The paper contributes to a better understanding of the necessary skills, opportunities and risks arising from the use of MOOCs as a new way of teaching entrepreneurship. It empirically examines challenges and drivers for the use of MOOCs as a novel pedagogical concept. The results show that a lack of self-discipline to complete a MOOC and a lack of interaction with others are the main obstacles compared to lectures with compulsory university attendance. However, the results also show that MOOCs are flexible in time and space and can thus facilitate the accessibility of education, especially entrepreneurial education.

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The Rocky Mountain Scholars Program (RMSP) was developed, in part, to improve student success and persistence in Engineering disciplines at Colorado State University through a portfolio of engagement activities focused around undergraduate research experiences. Female RMSP participants exhibited substantially higher retention rates and grade point averages relative to other female engineering students at CSU. To better understand the impact of the RMSP, and its effectiveness among female engineering students, researchers focused on whether, and how, experiences and perceptions differ between male and female students in engineering programs. That is, how do male and female students differ, if at all, in their subjective perception of life as an engineering major at CSU? A survey was developed measuring resilience, self-efficacy, motivation, social support, academic support, and perceived sexism. Data was obtained from 144 first-year engineering students at CSU. Results indicated that social support from extracurricular activities is particularly important among female students. This points to an increasing need for programs like the RMSP to create social networks among students and faculty, link students to the broader impacts of their work, and ultimately improve the undergraduate experience of under-represented groups in STEM programs.

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The issue of the quality of vocational education, schools, teaching and learning of students should be in the interest of all participants in the Slovakian education process. The quality of secondary school is the critical element in enhancing the attractiveness of vocational education in Slovakia. Finding an official scale that would provide such information of Slovakia is unfortunately impossible. There is no system for evaluating the quality of vocational education and training (VET) at vocational schools. There are no clearly defined criteria, rules or standards. Speaking of assessing the level of quality of vocational education on the base of existing outcomes in formal education such as monitoring, final exams or graduation exams result in one-sided evaluation and does not address the systematic coherence and complexity of this issue. Essential steps to create a functional system of evaluation of VET in Slovakia must be taken. The article describes the importance of VET which can play a central role in preparing young people for work, developing the skills of adults and responding to the labor market needs of the economy. It presents a model of quality evaluation of the vocational education and training at secondary vocational schools in Slovakia that is currently going on at many secondary vocational schools in western Slovakia and Austria. The aim of the project is to develop and apply an open, flexible and adaptable quality management system.

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On 16 March 2020, as a result of the unprecedented global health crisis linked to the emergence of a new form of coronavirus [Coronavirus Disease 2019] (COVID-19), the 74 universities of France closed their doors, forcing nearly 1.6 million students, as well as their teachers, to find solutions and initiatives that could ensure continuity in teaching. In the reliance on videoconferencing tools, chat, the sharing of documents/tutorials/videos/podcasts, and the use of social networks, many ideas have emerged, but no consensus has developed nor has a common way of doing things been adopted by a majority of teachers. Some software tools, such as Zoom, have also been questioned over data security issues or excessive intrusion into the student learning process. Nevertheless, in these uncertain times, much had to be done so that students can acquire the requisite knowledge, develop skills, and build on what they have learned. How can we ensure that the learning process is as smooth as possible for everyone involved? How can we evaluate knowledge and skills learned at a distance, and their relevance? Four groups of electronic and electrical engineering students in France were monitored during the containment period in order to provide answers to these questions.

Lectures, tutorials, practical work, and projects were carried out using the Microsoft Teams and Zoom video conferencing and chat tools to complement activities made available through the digital work environment. In order to ensure equity among all students, especially in view of the digital divide, open access tools/software/applications have been promoted. In the various surveys completed, the engineering students asserted their complete satisfaction with the learning process, the use of distance tools, and the level of mastery of these tools by their teachers. The results of the various knowledge tests show that, for the same course, distance learning does not reduce the performance of the engineering students. Indeed, they obtained local grades similar to those expected in face-to-face teaching. The results presented in this article are not intended to highlight the virtues of distance education, but rather to open up a debate and reflect more widely on the sustainability of this transformation of education in universities.

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