Biology of cryptogams (Practical lessons)

E-book

Ľubomír Šnajder - Ján Guniš

The publication lists interim results of qualitative educational research focused on the development and evaluation of programming tasks being carried out by authors since 2005 in the frame of programming competition PALMA junior.

The publication consists of three chapters: Computer science competitions in Slovakia, Tasks in computer science education, Selected problems of PALMA junior competition. The first chapter provides an overview of computer science competitions for a primary and secondary schools in Slovakia. The second chapter described the issue of learning tasks - their components, focus, formulation types, and development system of tasks. The third chapter contains the assignments and commented author solutions of selected problems represented focus of PALMA junior competition – programming, algorithms and mathematics.

For each problem is mentioned analysis of pupils’ solutions aimed to ways of thinking, typical misconceptions, sets of preparatory and extended problems. The publication is addressed to computer science teacher trainers, authors of programming competitions problems, and computer science teachers.  

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Janka Vrláková - Stanislav Vokál

Atomic and nuclear physics are relatively young scientific disciplines forming the final part of the general physics course at the Faculty of Physics of the Jagiellonian University. Their aim is to explain the nature of the basic physical properties of atoms, atomic nucleus and elementary particles.

This is also the content of the lectures and exercises ‘General Physics IV’ in the 2nd year of the Bachelor's degree in Physics at the Faculty of Natural Sciences (PF) of the P.J. Šafárik University (UPJŠ) in Košice. They are followed by optional lectures ‘Nuclear Radiation in the Environment’, ‘Introduction to the Physics of the Microworld’ in the 3rd year of the Bachelor's degree of single-discipline study of physics, or teacher study of physics in combination with another subject, and ‘Subnuclear Physics’ in the 1st year of the Master's degree of teacher study of physics in combination with another subject.

In the aforementioned lectures, the latest experimental findings on the structure and behaviour of the microworld are presented by means of physical theories and their subsequent experimental verification in experiments.

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Ján Guniš - Ľubomír Šnajder

Prílohy

College scripts Programming in Python 1 are intended for future teachers of computer science. The content of the course is related to the teaching of programming in Scratch and is an introduction to text-based programming in Python.

Programming is introduced as a means of developing problem-solving skills. The first chapter is devoted to problem solving. The next 12 chapters sequentially introduce basic language constructions, data structures, and selected types of algorithms. Each of these chapters begins with an introduction to the problem. This section is primarily intended for self-study, to prepare students for the exercises. The following subchapter summarizes and completes the knowledge, and additional insights and approaches related to the chapter topic are presented. The chapters include a collection of exercises designed to practice and deepen knowledge and skills on the topic.

The final part of the chapter presents the solved problems. This section serves as a guide to solving the problems in the collection.

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Zuzana Vargová - Miroslav Almáši - Juraj Kuchár - Jana Dinajová 

The script „Základné laboratórne praktikum z anorganickej chémie“ builds on previous editions of the script, with some thematic units updated and supplemented with new knowledge, principles, and detailed work procedures.

This script is intended as a teaching aid for first-year students of the chemistry and interdisciplinary study programs at the Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice. The introductory part of the volume acquaints students with safety regulations that they should follow during work in a chemical laboratory. Subsequently, in five chapters, basic laboratory techniques are described in detail, which students will use in the further part of the practices for preparing inorganic compounds. These chapters are enriched with illustrative images created using the freely distributable ACDFreeLabs 10 program or taken from literature listed at the end of the script. Some images were created by the authors, and others were taken from the catalog of Fisher Slovakia, s.r.o., which provided written permission for their use. The chapters describing the preparation of inorganic compounds are organized according to their composition, from simple elements or molecules, through binary compounds, acids, and salts, to complex compounds.

Within this subject, students should apply their theoretical knowledge gained during lectures on General Chemistry and Inorganic Chemistry and thereby acquire basic practical experience and skills that they will use in further studies.

The last two chapters were developed based on cooperation with Duslo a.s., Production Plant Strážske, which participates in the innovation of practical teaching through direct involvement of experts from practice as part of the KEGA project No. 008UPJŠ-4/2018.

Authors

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Katarína Kimáková

The textbook is intended for university students who are preparing for the profession of biology teacher. The structure of the book is similar to an encyclopedia, with one page devoted to each content item, but the topics of the chapters and subchapters follow each other.

The explanatory text on the page illustrates the diagram and there are notes and links to other sources of information. For better orientation, the content of the textbook is divided into 8 sections, which cover several chapters. It follows the general didactics, which it connects with the teaching of biological content. The book provides a basic orientation in the approaches to learning this subject, and also explains the relationship between biology as a science and the didactics of biology. It deals with teaching standards and curricula, advises on how to master biological concepts and understanding, how to communicate with students in biology classes, when and why are effective visual and practical methods. It acquaints the reader with the issue of setting goals for biological education in the cognitive, psychomotor and affective areas in relation to formative and summative assessment.

Hopeful as well as experienced teachers will find in this publication not only a look into the history of teaching biology, but also a look into the future. Current trends in biology teaching, the connection of teaching with digital technologies, the virtual learning environment and interactive simulations and models belong to science lessons today.

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Ivana Sotáková-Martin Vavra-Mária Ganajová

This textbook has been designed for the master students of chemistry teaching (combined) at the Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice as a source of model school experiments in general and inorganic chemistry. It will be used for teaching the Special Practice of School Experiments I compulsory course. It consists of instructions for experiments related to the selected topics in general and inorganic chemistry as well as the didactic and technical aspects of their performance. Each experiment includes an explanation of the principle, specification of the tools and chemicals needed, working procedure, and the respective apparatus assembly scheme. At the end of each experiment, the observation and explanation necessary for the correct interpretation of the results of the chemical experiment performed are provided. To follow the requirements for the digital transformation of education, selected computer-aided experiments and visualiser projections have been included as well. The next part is focused on the work with the monitoring suitcase, which can be used for making simple field experiments related to environmental topics. The final part is dedicated to attractive experiments that complement the topics in inorganic chemistry and can be used to motivate students. All experiment instructions are in line with the requirements specified by the state educational programmes for primary and grammar schools. This book allows teachers to select appropriate demonstrative experiments or experiments for laboratory classes performed by students themselves. The videos of selected experiments are also available as part of the interactive periodical table of elements operated by the Institute of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice.

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E-book

Janetta Nestorová Dická

The university handbook Elementals of Population Geography and Demography - Part I, as an introduction to population studies, is primary study material for students of the geography study program, as well as for students of the Information Systems in Public Administration study program at the Pavel Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, but also for the wider public interested in about population phenomena and their spatiality. Among other things, the handbook offers the latest population reports in the world and its regions.

The aim of the handbook is to introduce young geographers to the basics of population research, which includes the most frequently used tools and methods in geographic analysis. The first part of the handbook contains an introduction to the scientific disciplines of population geography and demography with an overview of basic sources of demographic data.

The next part discusses the issue of anthropogenesis, i.e. the development of humans from our ancestors and the spatial spread of humans across our Earth. Part of this part is the recent development of the world population and changes in the size and distribution of the global population over time. The last part analyses how the population is distributed in the world and in relation to the geographical components of the space.

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Božena Mihalíková - Ondrej Hutník - Jozef Kiseľák

The textbook is devoted to the mathematical analysis of infinite series of numbers and functions. It is intended for students of mathematics, physics and computer science, as well as interdisciplinary study of combination with mathematics. It contains a theoretical background for investigating the convergence of infinite series, expanding functions into power and Taylor series, as well as the use of these results in various problems of mathematics, physics, and computer science. Using the historical background the textbook clarifies the motivations and the need to introduce some key concepts and their further development. Basic concepts and statements are demonstrated on a large number of solved exercises, but it contains a number of exercises for independent practice. Several results are supplemented by dynamic animations executable in the electronic version of the textbook.

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E-book

Ján Füzer

Auxiliary teaching material for the course General Physics III – Oscillations, Waves, and Optics is intended for students of single-subject and interdisciplinary studies of physics.

The content provides a basic outline of the material covered, without detailed explanations, with an emphasis on the physical method of thinking using the simplest elements of higher mathematics. The presented text does not aim to replace the recommended textbooks, but rather to help students navigate the subject matter. Recommended literature can be found at the end of the text.

The teaching material contains the basic framework of the lectures and is supplemented and revised each year, with lectures enriched by supporting demonstration experiments.

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E-publication

Beáta Valkay ed.
Ivana Slepáková-Monika Balogová a kol.

EFFUSE - Scientific Education for Advanced is an educational material designed for university students interested in ecological sciences, biology and environmental protection. The publication was developed as part of the EFFUSE project and focuses on the scientific investigation of living organisms in the river ecosystem, with an emphasis on their ecological role and importance as bioindicators. The river ecosystem is a dynamic environment where a wide range of organisms can be studied, from algae and phytoplankton to aquatic invertebrates, fish, amphibians and reptiles. This publication presents a detailed study of their adaptations, life cycles, reproductive strategies and their importance for ecological balance. Particular attention is paid to fish and amphibians, whose environmental demands and sensitivity to pollution make them important indicators of water quality and environmental status. The publication also provides guidance on how to integrate their study into university education in the form of practical research. It also includes a chapter on science education in the context of sustainable development, which is often absent from university curricula in Slovakia and Ukraine. This material promotes the link between theory and practice and develops students' scientific thinking in order to prepare them to meet the environmental challenges of the future.

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Katarína Cechlárová - Eva Pitoňáková (eds.)

Proceedings of Abstracts from Contributions by Participants of the Student Scientific Conference at the Faculty of Science, UPJŠ in Košice, Held on April 26, 2017

This is the fifth edition of the proceedings from the Student Scientific Conference (ŠVK) at the Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice. We are pleased that ŠVK has become an integral part of faculty life and a showcase for the quality of education provided. In 2017, ŠVK took place as part of the traditional Science Days on April 26, 2017. 105 students from the Faculty of Science presented their work. Contributions were organized into 15 sections, supplemented by an open programming competition involving 17 students and the final round of the IHRA competition, which included 27 teams from across Slovakia.

The abstracts in this proceedings demonstrate that students at the Faculty of Science, UPJŠ, acquire knowledge and skills in their field not only through theoretical study of disciplines but also through active engagement in solving partial scientific problems aligned with research goals at the faculty’s institutes. These abstracts also provide an overview of the faculty’s scientific activity, which we believe will be of interest to the broader public.

doc. RNDr. Gabriel Semanišin, PhD.

Dean of the Faculty

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E-publication

Beáta Valkay ed.
Ivana Slepáková-Andrej Mock a kol.

The publication EFFUSE – River Landscape, Volume 2: Guidelines for Experts, developed within the EFFUSE project, is intended for professionals in the field of environmental sciences. It provides recommendations for research in river landscapes and highlights their importance for understanding ecological processes. The text presents bioindicators as a key tool for assessing landscape health and biodiversity conservation. A dedicated section explains why studying river landscapes as natural laboratories is essential. The publication also includes a practical manual for the Olympus DSX-1000 High End Model microscope, expanding opportunities in scientific education and research. In this way, it combines theoretical guidelines with modern technologies that enhance environmental knowledge.

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Zuzana Vargová - Miroslav Almáši (eds.)

Proceedings of Abstracts from the 3rd Conference Advances in Inorganic Chemistry (Levoča, June 17–21, 2018)

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Igor Hudec - Ľubomír Kováč 

The study course provides the basic knowledge on the fundamental parameters, relationships and processes in ecological sciences. Brief content: ecological factors and relations to environment (air, water, soil); influence of ecological factors upon organisms (morphological adaptations, behavioural responses); populations and communities (external and internal parameters of populations, population dynamics); ecosystems (impact assessment) and biomes (basic features and human impact); cycles (hydrologic, gaseous, sedimentation) of basic elements on Earth.  

Authors

E-book

Juraj Ševc - Filip Mochnacký

Students studying biology as the single-subject or as a part of two-subject programs on various faculties of sciences are often encountered with the problem, how to limit the topics in the subject Human anatomy. This List of anatomical terms is aiming to help the non-medical students to get acquainted with the extensive anatomical nomenclature and to optimize the number of anatomical terms, which should be memorized, to preserve the sufficient capacity of the students for another knowledge of the field of systemic, comparative, developmental and functional anatomy. The emphasis on the arrangement of individual anatomical terms into the logical units supports the hierarchical view on the architecture of the human body.

Despite the common opinion, anatomical nomenclature represents a framework, which is during the further study gradually enveloped with the knowledge of more or less related disciplines concerning with the human body and its biological processes. Moreover, besides this ambition, which exceeds the area of the human anatomy, this List of anatomical terms continues the long tradition with respect to the valid Latin and Slovak anatomical terminology.

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E-book

Mariana Budovská

The aim of writing the university textbook "Selected Heterocyclic Compounds" was to create a study aid for students of the Organic Chemistry program, which provides essential information in a clear format for the subject of Heterocyclic Compounds. In selecting the content of the textbook, the goal was to present basic information about the chemistry of the most significant heterocycles. Given that the summary of chemical knowledge about heterocycles is vast, it was not possible to include all heterocyclic compounds in the content.

The intention was for readers to orient themselves in the field of heterocyclic compounds. Separate chapters included in the content address the nomenclature of heterocycles, basic chemical properties of individual heterocycles, their synthesis and reactions, the occurrence of heterocycles in nature, and their practical applications (medications, dyes, pesticides, detergents, etc.).

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