Софийски университет "Св. Климент Охридски"

• ICT in education and social work
• Online pedagogy and eLearning
• Contemporary paradigms of teaching and learning
• Teachers’ education

• 2015 – 2018 - An Adaptive Trust-based e-assessment System for Learning (TeSLA) - Horizon2020 – ICT 20 (Information and Communication Technologies) - Technologies for better human learning and teaching
• 2012-2014 - EU Structural fund project BG051PO001-4.3.04/11 - Increasing the capacity of the faculty staff from the pedagogical units in Sofia University in the design and delivery of elearning. Human resource development programme

1. Desk-research and analysis of the experience of leading European universities in the field of e-learning and distance learning

2. Based on qualitative and quantitative research analysis of competencies and training needs of the academic staff in Sofia University in the field of e-learning and distance learning

• 2012-2014 - EU Structural fund project № BG051PO001-3.3.06/0026 „Development of University Doctoral programme in educational research and elearning”, Human resource development programme

1. Identification of the educational needs of PhD students for training in a PhD program in the field of e-learning and educational research

• 2010 –2011 - Reference project number: 510453-LLP-1-2010-1-DE-ERASMUSEMHE - WEBWISE - Web 2.0 supported Higher Education Institutional Learning "Scenarios for Collaborative Learning"

The general objective of WebWise is to support the improvement, the quality, the efficiency and the accessibility of Higher Education using the structure of the Bologna process and the innovative methodological collaborative Web 2.0. learning tools. As a result of qualitative research (interviews and observations) the following aims are achieved:

1. Identification of innovative learning scenarios and learning designs within public health or general health education

2. Development and a pilot test of a number of innovations to improve the learning process within the scenarios

3. Identification and elaboration of the key improvements from the pilots and formulation of recommendations to the University policy makers

• 2010-2012 - Project № 511472-LLP-1-2010-1ES-KA3_KA3MP-simAULA - „SimAula Tomorrow’s Teachers Training”, Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency, Lifelong Learning; Comenius, ICT and Language

1. Design and development of an innovative ICT-based simulation environment for virtual practicum training of future teachers in their pedagogical skills, integrating existing best practices, outcomes recommendations concerning the classroom practicum of teachers and teachers-to-be;

2. Design of a model for successfully expressing and integrating multiple levels of detail, fidelity and simulation, with learner-to-virtual-agent interactions that will enable student- and in-service teachers to improve their teachers skills through critical thinking, creativity, &learning by doing in a virtual training environment;

3.Pilot test and evaluation of the impact of the novel virtual practicum approach to teaching and pedagogic methodologies on the students’ and teachers’ learning outcomes in different EU states and educational levels

• 2008-2011 - Project № INZO1/0111 - Integrated University Center for Research, Design and Delivery of Quality e-Learning (eLearning Centre).

Key research activities and results:

1. A qualitative and quantitative study was carried out on the educational and research potential of Sofia University academic staff and a competencies matrix was developed in the field of technology enhanced learning.

2. A qualitative research on the current status of eLearning in the Bulgarian secondary education was carried out in order to identify the typical approaches of integrating technology in the classroom; to establish how technology influences the teaching and learning process from the point of view of both benefactor and beneficent; which are the strengths and weaknesses of these approaches. Good practices were identified for the purposes of integration of technology in educational context so as to develop theoretical meta-frame for quality eLearning that is applicable in various learning environments.

3. A survey on national level was carried out among secondary schools’ professionals in order to identify, define and structure their training needs in the field of technology enhanced teaching and learning, which resulted in the development of ‘ICT in Education” Master degree program, which is aimed at teachers, pedagogy scientists and educational managers.

4. The results of the three researches were analysed and discussed in the monograph – “The status of ICT integration in Bulgarian secondary school – the perspective of the researcher” published by the Sofia University Publishing house.

• 2009-2011 - EU Structural fund project № BG051PO001-3.3.04/52, „Strengthening and sustainable development of the research potential of the University of Sofia in e-learning, Human resource development programme

1.Identification of the educational needs of PhD students for training in a PhD program in the field of e-learning and educational research

• Peytcheva-Forsyth, R.,Yovkova, B., Aleksieva, L. (2019) The Disabled and Non-disabled students' Views and Attitudes towards e-Authentication in e-Assessment, Proceedings of 13th annual International Technology, Education and Development Conference (INTED 2019) , Valencia, Spain,
• Peytcheva-Forsyth, R., Aleksieva, L. (2019) Students’ authentication and authorship checking system as a factor affecting students’ trust in online assessment, Proceedings of 13th annual International Technology, Education and Development Conference (INTED 2019), Valencia, Spain,
• Peytcheva-Forsyth, R., H. Mellar, L. Aleksieva (2019) Using a student authentication and authorship checking system as a catalyst for developing an academic integrity culture: a Bulgarian case study. In: - Journal of Academic Ethics 17(3), 245-269
• Peytcheva-Forsyth R., Mellar H. (2020) Design and Execution of Large-Scale Pilots. In: Baneres D., Rodríguez M., Guerrero-Roldán A. (eds) Engineering Data-Driven Adaptive Trust-based e-Assessment Systems. Lecture Notes on Data Engineering and Communications Technologies, vol 34. Springer, Cham
• Mellar H., Peytcheva-Forsyth R. (2020) Integration of TeSLA in Assessment Activities. In: Baneres D., Rodríguez M., Guerrero-Roldán A. (eds) Engineering Data-Driven Adaptive Trust-based e-Assessment Systems. Lecture Notes on Data Engineering and Communications Technologies, vol 34. Springer, Cham
• Yovkova, B. Peytcheva-Forsyth, R. (2019) Factors affecting the attitude of university professors towards the use of electronic resources in the education of disabled students, AIP Conference Proceedings 2172, 040008 (2019);
• Peytcheva-Forsyth, R., Alexieva,L. & B. Yovkova, (2018), The Impact of Technology on Cheating and Plagiarism in the Assessment – the teachers’ and students’ perspectives, In: AIP Conference Proceedings 2048, 020037 (2018)
• Peytcheva-Forsyth, R., Yovkova, B. & L. Alexieva, (2018), Factors Affecting Students’ Attitudes Towards Online Learning - The Case of Sofia University, In: AIP Conference Proceedings 2048, 020025 (2018)
• Mellar, H., R. Peytcheva-Forsyth, S.Kocdar, A. Karadeniz, B. Yovkova. Addressing cheating in e-assessment using student authentication and authorship checking systems: teachers’ perspectives. In: International Journal for Educational Integrity, 12.02.2018
• Peytcheva-Forsyth, R., L. Aleksieva & B. Yovkova. (2018), The impact of prior experience of e-learning and e-assessment on students’ and teachers’ approaches to the use of a student authentication and authorship checking system. In: 10th annual International Conference on Education and New Learning Technologies Proceedings, Palma de Mallorca, Spain, 2-4 July,2018.
• Karadeniz A., Peytcheva-Forsyth, R., Kocdar, S., & Okur, M. R. (2018). Approaches to prevent cheating and plagiarism in e-assessment: Higher education students’ views. Proceedings from EDULEARN18: 10th annual International Conference on Education and New Learning Technologies. Spain: IATED Academy. 10.21125/edulearn
• Noguera,I., A. Guerrero-Roldán, R. Peytcheva-Forsyth, B. Yovkova, Perceptions of students with special educational needs and disabilities towards the use of e-assessment in online and blended education: barrier or aid?”. In: 12th International Technology, Education and Development Conference, Valencia, Spain, 5-7 March, 2018.
• Kocdar, S., Karadeniz, A., Peytcheva-Forsyth, R. & Stoeva, V. (2018). Cheating and Plagiarism in E-Assessment: Students’ Perspectives. In: Open Praxis, 10(3), 221-235. International Council for Open and Distance Education. Retrieved December 1, 2018.

• r.peytcheva@fp.uni-sofia.bg
• Phone: ++ 359 2 846 40 85 - office
• Fax: ++ 359 2 946 02 55