Butrimė, Edita

The aim of this paper is to present the dominant concepts of Emotional Intelligence (EI) and to outline the main theoretical considerations on the role and development of EI in relation to democracy, as an environment worth living. The emphasis is on contextualizing these theoretical concepts within the framework of specific empirical data. The empirical data was collected during the 1 quarter of 2024, under the framework of the POL-COM (KA220-VET - Cooperation partnerships in vocational education and training project: A developmental and educational platform and gamified tools for training police officers and similar professionals, with respect to communications) project, where members of the public were invited to share their opinion on contemporary communication with and of law enforcement officers. Methods of critical analyses of references, theoretical considerations, and empirical study, involving respondents – members of the public in the Republic of Lithuania, were used for the development of this paper. The findings revealed that the Lithuanian public holds a general positive perception of law enforcement. A large proportion of the respondents in the sample reported not having encountered the police; those who had experienced interactions with the police assessed them positively, which serves as an argument for a relatively good state of affairs in the state, the general environment and democracy.

Contemporary higher education teacher faces the challenges in their professional activities, which are both similar and a bit different than the challenges previous generations of teachers faced. This paper is dedicated to analysis of the situation and subjective interpretation of the situation by teachers in higher education. The paper aims at analyzing contemporary university teacher’s challenges, including perspective on the AI in studies. The analysis is organized on the basis of three RQs. The methods of critical analysis of sources, analysis of personal experiences and a study based on qualitative methodology approach were employed for the development of this paper. The results of the theoretical analysis show that the challenges that contemporary HE teachers face are not unique, rather the degree of their manifestation is greater; in some cases the degree is more pronounced (e.g., IT (including AI) in studies) than in the other (e.g., marketization). The results of empiric study enabled conclusion that in some cases the theoretical considerations were empirically validated (teachers note challenge and opportunities prompted by technologies; pressure to publish), in some cases the challenges were not validated (marketization; multicultural setting as a challenge). Also empirical study enabled adding other challenges that a contemporary teacher faces on a regular basis: a challenge to deal with excessive, constant changes in legal stipulations and bureaucracy and a challenge to motivate students and help them grow.

In the wake of the global pandemic that disrupted all aspects of life—including edu- cation—significant changes have reshaped teaching and learning practices. The crisis acted as a catalyst for rapid digital adaptation among instructors, administrators, and learners; consequently, many adopted Information and communication technologies (ICT) tools out of necessity, even those who were previously hesitant due to tradi- tional pedagogical norms or skepticism about technology’s value. This shift was espe- cially notable in higher and vocational education, and it has led to changes that now appear largely irreversible. ICT tools have proven effective for knowledge- and fact-based learning; however, a critical challenge has emerged: the increasing reliance on digital technologies risks limiting the development of interpersonal and emotional intelligence (EI) competencies. These soft skills are indispensable in law enforcement, where professionals must navigate high-pressure and emotionally charged contexts, yet they remain underrepre- sented in existing curricula. The aim of this study is to examine how gamified ICT tools can be integrated into vocational education and training (VET) to enhance the emotional intelligence and communication skills of law enforcement students. To achieve this aim, the research pursued the following objectives: (1) to analyse theoretical foundations of EI and its relevance to law enforcement; (2) to explore gamification as a pedagogical strategy for EI development; (3) to assess VET students’ perceptions and experiences with gamified ICT environments; and (4) to provide recommendations for incorporating gamification into training curricula. The KA220-VET Pol-Com project was launched to address this gap by designing a digital platform with gamified tools aimed at fostering EI and communication compe- tencies. The project unfolded in several phases: identification of EI as an underexplored domain (Q1 2024), trainer feedback confirming its importance (Q2 2024), and student feedback from higher education (Q4 2024) and VET cohorts (Q1–Q2 2025). This paper presents the findings from VET students, offering insights into how ICT-based gami- fied tools can support the development of emotional and social skills in law enforce- ment education.

While the pandemic served as a disrupter for all aspects of life, including educational practices, however, the pandemic also served as an impetus for accelerated learning. Higher education and vocational education teachers have learned to use various information and communications technology (ICT) tools. At least some of the teachers before the pandemic had been reluctant to use due to traditional settings in education or just sincerely had not believed these tools to be useful. This reluctance, maybe sometimes fear, and quite often - a genuine belief in the merit of personal interaction in class - was more prominent for teachers in social sciences or humanities. Nevertheless, due to the pandemic, the practices for teaching and also fostering learning were promptly disrupted and then - changed. On the one hand, the educational landscape in higher education has changed dramatically in recent years. On the other hand, it may be argued that the pendulum has already swung much too far towards ICT domination in the study process for almost all the subjects taught. Even if there is no doubt that these, ICT tools are useful and efficient for acquiring knowledge-orientated and facts-based competencies (which has been evidenced by many studies), it is worthwhile to examine whether the same also applies to the acquisition of other competencies. Namely, for acquiring competencies associated with communication, including emotional intelligence. It is worth noting that law enforcement officers in their professional activities are constantly exposed to stressful, high-pressure situations. However, the field lacks robust attention, and research regarding the place, role, and format of emotional intelligence techniques in their pre-service and in-service training to help them to get equipped to deal with those high-pressure situations. During the implementation of the KA220-VET - Cooperation partnerships in vocational education and training project: A developmental and educational platform and gamified tools for training police officers and similar professionals, with respect to communications, it was identified that the professional field of law enforcement is not yet examined significantly from that perspective (1st phase, 1st quarter of 2024). Then the empirical study (2nd phase, 2nd quarter of 2024; based on experts’/educators’ perspectives) showed that there was a great demand for such techniques. The 3rd phase (4th quarter of 2024) is dedicated to examining the perspective of students/future law enforcement officers (the study is outlined in greater detail in the paper further on).

In the paper it is discussed what are the potential possibilities to foster creativity in contemporary higher education in the context of the artificial intelligence expansion based on theoretical analysis of sources and the findings of a pilot empiric study. The aim of this paper is to discuss aspects for potential development of creativity in higher education in the context of the artificial intelligence expansion. The objectives are organized around the research question: what are the aspects of studies in the context the artificial intelligence expansion that students in higher education experience and note today as relevant for their studies (potentially – for professional activity)? Methods of critical analyses of references, theoretical considerations, reflections on authors’ personal experiences, and a pilot empiric study, involving respondents/students, were employed for the development of the paper. Results of an empiric study are presented together with the conclusions that students in higher education conceptualise expansion of the artificial intelligence quite broadly and to a major degree – optimistically, with some attention on creativity and quite extensive attention to changes in culture.

With the pandemic, higher education and vocational education teachers have learned to use various information and communications technology (ICT) tools that at least some of the teachers before the pandemic had been reluctant to use due to traditional settings in education. This reluctance or even the fear was more prominent for teachers in social sciences or humanities. However, due to the pandemic, the practices for teaching and supporting learning were promptly changed. While the educational landscape in higher education has changed dramatically, in short recent years, one may argue that the pendulum has already swung too far towards IT domination in the study process. Even if there is no doubt that these tools are useful and productive for acquiring knowledge-orientated and facts-based competencies, it is worthwhile to examine whether the same also applies to the acquisition of soft skills, such as skills associated with communication, including emotional intelligence. Law enforcement officers in their professional activities are constantly exposed to stressful, high-pressure situations. However, the field lacks robust attention, and research regarding the place, role, and format of emotional intelligence techniques in their pre-service and in-service training in order help them to get equipped to deal with those high-pressure situations. During the implementation of the KA220-VET - Cooperation partnerships in vocational education and training project: A developmental and educational platform and gamified tools for training police officers and similar professionals, with respect to communications, it was identified that the professional field of law enforcement is not yet examined significantly from that perspective (1st phase, 1st quarter of 2024). The empirical study (2nd phase, 2nd quarter of 2024; based on experts’ perspectives) shows that there is a great demand for such techniques. However, according to experts’ opinions, whether gamification will be helpful depends on several conditions. Namely: the quality of the preparatory/introductory phase, immediate and generalized feedback, the relevance of gamified situations to real-life/professional situations, and other conditions (which we outline in greater detail in the paper further on).

Notwithstanding the discussions – valid! -about the necessity to preserve multilingualism and thus facilitate and cherish multifaceted cultural diversity, however, the English language has firmly established itself as a lingua franca globally. Consequently, employment arena requires employees to achieve high standards of English communication skills, knowledge and competences. The achievement of the level may be facilitated by an abundance of teaching and learning tools, aids at the disposal of a contemporary teacher in higher education. One of the tools in the tool kit of a teacher in higher education right after the pandemic is the wider spread usage of the electronic visual aids, which were incorporated into everyday teaching practices during COVID-19 pandemic out of necessity, however, may have proved themselves being useful further on. Visual aids, as pedagogy, due to the research and theories, offered, by esteemed thinkers in the field (Gardner, 1983) stated, were always considered as useful for the quality of teaching and learning of students in the classroom. However, once COVID-19 struck, even the teachers who had been reluctant previously to use the el. tools (including el. visual aids) previously, had been pushed to do exactly that. Many universities have managed to use the COVID-19 pandemic as an opportunity for modernization foreign language programs, curriculum content and helped modernize the way of work and study for the better. Implementing new technologies such as el. visual aids into the language learning and teaching environment, specifically for a new generation of students changed the landscape of pedagogy forever. According to the analysis of the findings from the empiric study, the results of which are presented in the paper, using el. visual aids may have certain positive effect on certain aspects of learning.

The paper is dedicated for the theme that captivated the imagination, the discourse and the time in numerous meetings, work-group forums and conferences in a recent year (actually, a bit longer, since the end of 2022, when the Chat GPT entered the global scene with the fanfare louder than one given for India after its successful Moon mission in mid 2023). While researchers and educators in higher education (HE) dedicated numerous hours to discussions about potential implications, advantages, shortcomings, risks, and gains of AI, our students continued with their daily lives. They worked on their term papers, studied for exams, went on with dating, juggling studies and part (sometimes full) time jobs, and continued using AI tools (Chat GPT is just one of the tools now available in busy market) without too much thought or furore. We discovered that particular perspective in informal discussions, debates with our students, however, a more structured study on the matter seemed warranted. The paper aims at presenting several theoretical considerations and the results of the empiric study on students’ perspective on the AI expansion in higher education. Methods of critical analyses of references, theoretical considerations, reflection on personal experiences of authors and a two phase empiric study, involving respondents (students) were employed for the development of the paper.

The pace of developments, or – rather - the impact of developments on everyday life, including studies in higher education, may be either overrated, or used just to a proportion of true potential, or - to the very least – unreflected. With the higher education being at focus by the authors, the impact (or –rather- the reflection upon the possible impact) on technologies for studies is analyzed in this paper. The research question (RQ) addressed in the study: in what way do students of several universities reflect on using virtual learning environment (VLE) for their studies (data from 2014 and 2016 is used)? Results of theoretical considerations and results of an empiric on-line questionnaire for students are presented in the paper.