Journal articles on the topic 'Computer programming Study and teaching (Higher) Case studies'

Edmodo is becoming increasingly used in higher education. It helps teachers to easily share learning content with students, and communicate with them better. Several studies demonstrate its effectiveness in improving students’ results and satisfaction with the learning process. In this paper, we describe our experience using Edmodo for courses in computer sciences designed for engineering students. We tested Edmodo in three courses delivered in a blended learning mode: the assembly language programming, the operating systems, and the PHP language programming. The learning scenario adopted for these courses was already presented in our previous work on the pedagogy of integration. Results show that the use of Edmodo within the pedagogy of integration enhances both learning and teaching experiences.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to speed up the exponential growth of cutting-edge technology, much way the Internet did. Due to intense competition from the private sector, governments, and businesspeople around the world, the Internet has already reached its peak as an exponential technology. In contrast, artificial intelligence is still in its infancy, and people all over the world are unsure of how it will impact their lives in the future. Artificial intelligence, is a field of technology that enables robots and computer programmes to mimic human intellect by teaching a predetermined set of software rules to learn by repetitive learning from experience and slowly moving toward maximum performance. Although this intelligence is still developing, it has already demonstrated five different levels of independence. Utilized initially to resolve issues. Next, think about solutions. Third, respond to inquiries. Fourth, use data analytics to generate forecasts. Fifth, make tactical recommendations. Massive data sets and "iterative algorithms," which use lookup tables and other data structures like stacks and queues to solve issues, make all of this possible. Iteration is a strategy where software rules are regularly adjusted to patterns in the data for a certain number of iterations. The artificial intelligence continuously makes small, incremental improvements that result in exponential growth, which enables the computer to become incredibly proficient at whatever it is trained to do. For each round of data processing, the artificial intelligence tests and measures its performance to develop new expertise. In order to address complicated problems, artificial intelligence aims to create computer systems that can mimic human behavior and exhibit human-like thought processes [1]. Artificial intelligence technology is being developed to give individualized medication in the field of healthcare. By 2030, six different artificial intelligence sectors will have considerably improved healthcare delivery through the utilization of larger, more accessible data sets. The first is machine learning. This area of artificial intelligence learns automatically and produces improved results based on identifying patterns in the data, gaining new insights, and enhancing the outcomes of whatever activity the system is intended to accomplish. It does this without being trained to learn a particular topic. Here are several instances of machine learning in the healthcare industry. The first is the IBM Watson Genomics, which aids in rapid disease diagnosis and identification by fusing cognitive computing with genome-based tumour sequencing. Second, a project called Nave Bayes allows for the prediction of diabetes years before an official diagnosis, before it results in harm to the kidneys, the heart, and the nerves. Third, employing two machine learning approaches termed classification and clustering to analyse the Indian Liver Patient Data (ILPD) set in order to predict liver illness before this organ that regulates metabolism becomes susceptible to chronic hepatitis, liver cancer, and cirrhosis [2]. Second, deep learning. Deep learning employs artificial intelligence to learn from data processing, much like machine learning does. Deep learning, on the other hand, makes use of synthetic neural networks that mimic human brain function to analyse data, identify relationships between the data, and provide outputs based on positive and negative reinforcement. For instance, in the fields of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Computed Tomography (CT), deep learning aids in the processes of picture recognition and object detection. Deep learning algorithms for the early identification of Alzheimer's, diabetic retinopathy, and breast nodule ultrasound detection are three applications of this cutting-edge technology in the real world. Future developments in deep learning will make considerable improvements in pathology and radiology pictures [3]. Third, neural networks. The artificial intelligence system can now accept massive data sets, find patterns within the data, and respond to queries regarding the information processed because the computer learning process resembles a network of neurons in the human brain. Let's examine a few application examples that are now applicable to the healthcare sector. According to studies from John Hopkins University, surgical errors are a major contributor to medical malpractice claims since they happen more than 4,000 times a year in just the United States due to the human error of surgeons. Neural networks can be used in robot-assisted surgery to model and plan procedures, evaluate the abilities of the surgeon, and streamline surgical activities. In one study of 379 orthopaedic patients, it was discovered that robotic surgery using neural networks results in five times fewer complications than surgery performed by a single surgeon. Another application of neural networks is in visualising diagnostics, which was proven to physicians by Harvard University researchers who inserted an image of a gorilla to x-rays. Of the radiologists who saw the images, 83% did not recognise the gorilla. The Houston Medical Research Institute has created a breast cancer early detection programme that can analyse mammograms with 99 percent accuracy and offer diagnostic information 30 times faster than a human [4]. Cognitive computing is the fourth. Aims to replicate the way people and machines interact, showing how a computer may operate like the human brain when handling challenging tasks like text, speech, or image analysis. Large volumes of patient data have been analysed, with the majority of the research to date focusing on cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Companies like Google, IBM, Facebook, and Apple have shown interest in this work. Cognitive computing made up the greatest component of the artificial market in 2020, with 39% of the total [5]. Hospitals made up 42% of the market for cognitive computing end users because of the rising demand for individualised medical data. IBM invested more than $1 billion on the development of the WATSON analytics platform ecosystem and collaboration with startups committed to creating various cloud and application-based systems for the healthcare business in 2014 because it predicted the demand for cognitive computing in this sector. Natural Language Processing (NLP) is the fifth. This area of artificial intelligence enables computers to comprehend and analyse spoken language. The initial phase of this pre-processing is to divide the data up into more manageable semantic units, which merely makes the information simpler for the NLP system to understand. Clinical trial development is experiencing exponential expansion in the healthcare sector thanks to NLP. First, the NLP uses speech-to-text dictation and structured data entry to extract clinical data at the point of care, reducing the need for manual assessment of complex clinical paperwork. Second, using NLP technology, healthcare professionals can automatically examine enormous amounts of unstructured clinical and patient data to select the most suitable patients for clinical trials, perhaps leading to an improvement in the patients' health [6]. Computer vision comes in sixth. Computer vision, an essential part of artificial intelligence, uses visual data as input to process photos and videos continuously in order to get better results faster and with higher quality than would be possible if the same job were done manually. Simply put, doctors can now diagnose their patients with diseases like cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disorders more quickly and at an earlier stage. Here are a few examples of real-world applications where computer vision technology is making notable strides. Mammogram images are analysed by visual systems that are intended to spot breast cancer at an early stage. Automated cell counting is another example from the real world that dramatically decreases human error and raises concerns about the accuracy of the results because they might differ greatly depending on the examiner's experience and degree of focus. A third application of computer vision in the real world is the quick and painless early-stage tumour detection enabled by artificial intelligence. Without a doubt, computer vision has the unfathomable potential to significantly enhance how healthcare is delivered. Other than for visual data analysis, clinicians can use this technology to enhance their training and skill development. Currently, Gramener is the top company offering medical facilities and research organisations computer vision solutions [7]. The usage of imperative rather than functional programming languages is one of the key difficulties in creating artificial intelligence software. As artificial intelligence starts to increase exponentially, developers employing imperative programming languages must assume that the machine is stupid and supply detailed instructions that are subject to a high level of maintenance and human error. In software with hundreds of thousands of lines of code, human error detection is challenging. Therefore, the substantial amount of ensuing maintenance may become ridiculously expensive, maintaining the high expenditures of research and development. As a result, software developers have contributed to the unreasonably high cost of medical care. Functional programming languages, on the other hand, demand that the developer use their problem-solving abilities as though the computer were a mathematician. As a result, compared to the number of lines of code needed by the programme to perform the same operation, mathematical functions are orders of magnitude shorter. In software with hundreds of thousands of lines of code, human error detection is challenging. Therefore, the substantial amount of ensuing maintenance may become ridiculously expensive, maintaining the high expenditures of research and development. As a result, software developers have contributed to the unreasonably high cost of medical care. Functional programming languages, on the other hand, demand that the developer use their problem-solving abilities as though the computer were a mathematician. As a result, compared to the number of lines of code needed by the programme to perform the same operation, mathematical functions are orders of magnitude shorter. The bulk of software developers that use functional programming languages are well-trained in mathematical logic; thus, they reason differently than most American software developers, who are more accustomed to following step-by-step instructions. The market for artificial intelligence in healthcare is expected to increase from $3.4 billion in 2021 to at least $18.7 billion by 2027, or a 30 percent annual growth rate before 2030, according to market research firm IMARC Group. The only outstanding query is whether these operational reductions will ultimately result in less expensive therapies.

Recent developments in technology have changed the learner’s profile and the learning outcomes. Today, with the emergence of higher-order thinking skills and computer literacy skills, teaching through traditional methods is likely to fail to achieve the learning outcomes. That is why; teachers and teacher candidates are expected to have computer literacy skills. Programming is the main focus of this study since it is an important part of computer literacy. The study aims to analyze mathematics education students’ skills in the process of programming and their practices of integrating it into their teaching. The participants of the study are 42 third grade students of an Elementary Mathematics Education Program of a state university in Turkey. Within the study in which theory and practice was carried out simultaneously, the participants were taught the basics of programming and the algorithms with C programming language. The teacher candidates put the theoretical knowledge into practice using the visual programming application by MIT App Inventor at the computer laboratory. In addition, they used the MIT App Inventor visual programming environment to develop programs they will use in teaching mathematics in groups. Given the component of teaching of programming during this process, it is considered that the process of teaching in question will be effective in planning the teaching process of future studies. The reason is that not only it analyses the development of the variables used in this study but also because it takes into consideration the opinions of teacher candidates.

Abstract : Education gamification has been spreading in various disciplines such as languages, computer programming, medicine, natural languages, engineering, etc. Software Engineering is our interest in this work as we saw an opportunity of contribution to enrich literature and empirical studies in this area. Traditional methods of teaching Software Engineering could significantly benefit from gamification as a complementary component in student learning outcomes. We believe we can provide our students with more effective learning environment in number of aspects including: providing enjoyable practice, immediate feedback, enhancing the sense of responsibility, enhanced engagement and performance real time tracking. In this paper, we will present our case study in adopting a computer game in software engineering course. Further, we will present the results of a course exist survey that shows the responses of 114 participating students. The analysis of the survey showed significant positive impact on number of aspects including: student engagement, learning concepts and critical thinking. The overall mean of positiveresponses was 81.2%. Keywords: Software Engineering Education, Enhancing Learning Environment, Utilizing Games in Learning.

Many studies have shown that the shift from contact teaching to fully online teaching has had many negative effects on teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the pandemic has also had an effect on leading teaching in higher education institutions, there has not been much empirical research on leaders’ experiences during a pandemic. The present study brings out the voices of academic leaders themselves and how they experienced the pandemic in the light of leading teaching that is provided exclusively online. To examine the variety of degree programme directors’ experiences, open-ended questions were asked and analysed using content analysis. Seven dimensions of experiences were detected, and they represented negative, positive and neutral experiences. The present study shows that higher education leaders need more guidance, training and support to face crisis situations and develop their skills, especially to communicate effectively, but at the same time to do so collaboratively and in an informal way.

Aim/Purpose: This study seeks to understand the various ways information systems (IS) students experience introductory programming to inform IS educators on effective pedagogical approaches to teaching programming. Background: Many students who choose to major in information systems (IS), enter university with little or no experience of learning programming. Few studies have dealt with students’ learning to program in the business faculty, who do not necessarily have the computer science goal of programming. It has been shown that undergraduate IS students struggle with programming. Methodology: The qualitative approach was used in this study to determine students’ notions of learning to program and to determine their cognitive processes while learning to program in higher education. A cohort of 47 students, who were majoring in Information Systems within the Bachelor of Commerce degree programme were part of the study. Reflective journals were used to allow students to record their experiences and to study in-depth their insights and experiences of learning to program during the course. Using phenomenographic methods, categories of description that uniquely characterises the various ways IS students experience learning to program were determined. Contribution: This paper provides educators with empirical evidence on IS students’ experiences of learning to program, which play a crucial role in informing IS educators on how they can lend support and modify their pedagogical approach to teach programming to students who do not necessarily need to have the computer science goal of programming. This study contributes additional evidence that suggests more categories of description for IS students within a business degree. It provides valuable pedagogical insights for IS educators, thus contributing to the body of knowledge Findings: The findings of this study reveal six ways in which IS students’ experience the phenomenon, learning to program. These ways, referred to categories of description, formed an outcome space. Recommendations for Practitioners: Use the experiences of students identified in this study to determine approach to teaching and tasks or assessments assigned Recommendation for Researchers: Using phenomenographic methods researchers in IS or IT may determine pedagogical content knowledge in teaching specific aspects of IT or IS. Impact on Society: More business students would be able to program and improve their logical thinking and coding skills. Future Research: Implement the recommendations for practice and evaluate the students’ performance.

AbstractOnline language teaching is gaining momentum worldwide and an expanding body of research analyses online pedagogical interactions. However, few studies have explored experienced online teachers’ practices in videoconferencing particularly while giving instructions, which are key to success in task-based language teaching (Markee, 2015). Adopting multimodal (inter)action analysis (Norris, 2004, 2019) to investigate the multimodal construction of instructions in a single case study, we examine instruction-giving as a social practice demonstrated in a specific site of engagement (a synchronous online lesson recorded for research purposes). Drawing on the higher-level actions (instruction-giving fragments) we have identified elsewhere (Satar & Wigham, 2020), in this paper we analyse the lower-level actions (modes) that comprise these higher-level actions, specifically focusing on the print mode (task resource sheets, URLs, text chat, and online collaborative writing spaces) wherein certain higher-level actions become frozen. Our findings are unique in depicting the modal complexity of sharing task resources in synchronous online teaching due to semiotic misalignment and semiotic lag that precludes the establishment of a completely shared interactional space. We observe gaze shifts as the sole indicator for learners that the teacher is multitasking between different higher-level actions. Further research is needed to fully understand the interactional features of online language teaching via videoconferencing to inform teacher training policy and practice.

Purpose Rudimentary programming is an essential, transferrable, problem solving skill in many higher education (HE) programmes in academic institutions including Software Engineering, Business Information Technology, Computer Games Development, Design and Technology. The purpose of this paper is to address some of the problematic issues associated with teaching programming by the utilisation of a new novel teaching approach called games-based construction learning (GBCL) to attempt to increase motivation, engagement and learning effectiveness. An international and national trend is to introduce coding at earlier education levels resulting in upper primary education (PE) being the focus of this paper to ascertain if GBCL using Scratch to teach programming concepts is more effective at different levels of upper PE. Design/methodology/approach A large-scale empirical study introducing GBCL to teach programming concepts into 16 classes between levels 4 and 7 in PE utilising 384 children. A detailed implementation framework for GBCL using Scratch in PE was utilised to address all incorporation issues and the games constructed by the children scored utilising a game codification scheme specifically designed to address programming and design as a quantification rubric. The experiment utilised eight 1- h lessons on GBCL using Scratch. Findings The resulted in 178 games of varying levels of complexity developed. The results indicated that GBCL was an effective mechanism to teach programming concepts using Scratch at all levels of upper PE. Primary seven students scored higher in relation to the design metric of the quantification codification rubric. Research limitations/implications Under the Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) in Scotland non-traditional teaching approaches are encouraged and development of digital literacy skill is highly advocated. This has resulted in a new approach, novel approach called GBCL where children create their own games utilising an engine such as Scratch is gaining significant attention in terms of being a novel approach. Despite a plethora of similar studies associated with GBCL, it is still not as developed as games-based learning and requires further empirical studies to support the validity of the approach and resolve identified issues. Practical implications Computer programming itself can lead to a highly rewarding career in a number of sectors from games development to banking, such as cybersecurity and systems development. In the last decade, in particular due to the ubiquitous nature of technology there is an increasing international and national trend associated with teaching rudimentary programming concepts at a far younger age including secondary education and the upper PE level. Introducing programming at an earlier level is now being considered essential as the path to transfer from novice to expert programmer level in time is considered nearly a decade approximately. The introduction of GBCL interventions may yield positive results in a supplementary learning capacity in accordance with the CfE and increase the educational effectiveness of programming education in later levels of education. Originality/value This study presents a large-scale empirical evaluation of GBCL in upper PE utilising a compiled implementation framework for incorporation and a detailed game codification scheme to quantify the games produced highlighting coding constructs and design.

Education has been integrated into the globalization process supported by technological advances such as e-learning. The sustainability of the universities is one of the key points of the university survival, and they strongly depend on the number of students that can enroll in them. Thus, many of the educational institutions have had to develop their curricula based on the use new technologies. Without a doubt, virtual laboratories are the latest technology in this regard. The objective of this work is to determine which are the main institutions and research trends in relation to virtual laboratories. The methodology followed in this research was to perform a bibliometric analysis of the whole scientific production indexed in Scopus. The world’s scientific production has been analysed in the following domains: first the trend over time, types of publications and countries, second the main subjects and keywords, third main institutions and their main topics, and fourth the main journals and proceedings that publish on this topic. After that, a case study was analysed in detailed as a representative country (Spain). The most productive institution in this field, Universidad de Educación a Distancia (UNED). If the ranking is established by average citations per published paper, the first three institutions are from the USA: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), University of Washington (Seattle), and Carnegie Mellon University. The scientific categories at world level and in the case of study are similar. First, there is the field of engineering followed by computer science and above all it highlights the wide spectrum of branches of knowledge in which this topic is published, which indicates the great acceptance of this teaching methodology in all fields of education. Finally, community detection has been applied to the case study and six clusters have been found: Virtual Reality, Users, E-learning, Programming, Automatic-robotics, Computer Simulation and Engineering Education. As a main conclusion, bibliographic analysis confirms that research in virtual laboratories is a very active field, where scientific productivity has exponentially increased over recent years in tandem with universities growth. Therefore, expectations are high in this field for the near future. The possibility of virtual laboratories opens up new perspectives for higher education sustainability, where the educational policies of countries could be reoriented.

An algorithm learning tool was developed for an introductory computer science class in a specialized science and technology high school in Japan. The tool presents lessons and simple visualizations that aim to facilitate teaching and learning of fundamental algorithms. Written tests and an evaluation questionnaire were designed and implemented along with the learning tool among the participants. The tool’s effect on the learning performance of the students was examined. The differences of the two types of visualizations offered by the tool, one with more input and control options and the other with fewer options, were analyzed. Based on the evaluation questionnaire, the scales with which the tool can be assessed according to its usability and pedagogical effectiveness were identified. After using the algorithm learning tool there was an increase in the posttest scores of the students, and those who used the visualization with more input and control options had higher scores compared to those who used the one with limited options. The learning objectives used to evaluate the tool correlated with the test performance of the students. Properties comprised of learning objectives, algorithm visualization characteristics, and interface assessment are proposed to be incorporated in evaluating an algorithm learning tool for novice learners.

Achieving the Saudi Kingdom’s vision 2030 in the higher education sector requires higher education institutions to make a significant simultaneous change in their current practices. This encompasses the transitioning of government-funded educational institutions to be financially independent. Therefore, a prompt, agile transition is required while maintaining a positive socioeconomic impact, entrepreneurship and innovation, and high-quality education. This necessitates the transition to lean processes and the review of current practices. One of the most vital processes in educational institutions is student admission/enrollment capacity planning. This study puts forward a capacity planning decision support system (DSS)-based framework for university student enrollment. The framework was applied to the case of KAU, where current practice and challenges are presented, and from which data were collected. A top-down/bottom-up approach was followed and applied using the goal programming technique and a developed mathematical model, respectively. Results show that the proposed framework effectively affects student admission/enrollment capacity planning on strategic and operational levels. Moreover, it can be used in other planning aspects of higher education in universities, such as human resources planning, teaching load planning, faculty-to-student ratios, accreditation, quality requirements, lab capacity planning, equipment/teaching aids procurement, and financial planning, to mention a few. The implications of this study include assisting decision-makers in higher education institutions in matching their admission/enrollment capacity of student numbers between the macro-strategic and the micro-operational level.

Previous research suggests that access to technology contributes to the implementation of mathematics education reform. This case study of three primary (grade 1–3) teachers investigated how access to computers and math teaching software influenced nine dimensions of reform. Teachers were selected on the basis of their commitment to math reform and their technological literacy. Interviews and observations over five months found that technology had its greatest impact by helping teachers expand the scope of their programs and by promoting positive attitudes toward math. Teachers adapted computer tasks to fit their off-line activities, heightening or depleting the contribution of technology to reform. The computer promoted equity of access to all forms and strands of mathematics but this did not necessarily ensure that all students had access to higher math. None of the teachers realized the potential of the computer to increase student-student construction of mathematical ideas, in part because of hardware problems but more because of their decision to assign students to individual computer tasks.

Aim/Purpose: This study aims to examine the challenges faculty members face with online teaching practices in public universities in Karachi, Pakistan during the COVID-19 pandemic. Faculty members’ pedagogical experiences were examined by following the approach of the technology acceptance model (TAM) framework presented by Davis in 1986 and 1989. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected educational activities and disrupted the traditional norms of education at colleges and universities in the world, and, as a result, teaching and learning have shifted to online. Accordingly, the outcome of the COVID-19 pandemic has unexpectedly forced educators and educational leaders to analyze pedagogical measures to offer quality education to students and make changes to their curriculum and instruction. Methodology: This study used a mixed-method research design with closed-ended surveys and interviews. The researchers distributed online questionnaires and conducted phone call interviews, followed by simple random sampling approach to strengthen data collection and analysis. The research data were analyzed through descriptive statistical tests, including mean, standard deviation, and Pearson correlation, and thematic analysis. Contribution: By examining the challenges faculty members face with online teaching practices, this study contributes to the literature knowledge to advance the Practical-Knowledge gap (the lack of empirical studies in the context of practice and theoretical perspective) by knowing faculty members’ experiences and attitudes regarding online teaching in public universities in Karachi, Pakistan. The adopted framework of the technology acceptance model provides confirmation of reliability in the context of higher education institutions, which can help explore pedagogical challenges and practices of teachers who teach online in other provinces in Pakistan, cultures, and countries. This study provides suggestions to online teachers in Pakistan to sort out their challenges. Findings: The findings highlight a favorable attitude of faculty members’ usage of virtual platforms for teaching. Likewise, faculty members encountered several challenges that caused restrictions in accomplishing competent teaching and learning. Furthermore, faculty members lacked sound experience in conducting online classes and were not given adequate technical assistance or ICT infrastructure to cope with the technical challenges. Recommendations for Practitioners: It is recommended by this study that teachers should be given adequate professional development opportunities to develop technical and ICT infrastructure competencies to facilitate them to successfully teach online. Recommendation for Researchers: Another study should be conducted at the national level to reinforce the understanding and generalization of this study’s results. Furthermore, this study assessed public universities faculty members’ experiences through self-reported surveys and interviews. However, future researchers should employ other means and methods of examination such as private universities, public universities, primary schools, middle schools, secondary schools, and observations or focus group discussions to broaden the understanding of online teaching practices and challenges in Pakistan. Impact on Society: By examining faculty members’ experiences and challenges of teaching online, this study will help educators and educational leaders to raise the quality of online teaching in Pakistan by knowing the appropriate solutions and recommendations. Future Research: This study examined the adoption of three ICT indicators through pedagogical practices such as perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and attitude to use. For future studies, researchers and practitioners should evaluate other indicators such as students’ learning outcomes.

In the current COVID-19 pandemic era, Learning Management Systems (LMS) are commonly used in e-learning for various learning activities in Higher Education. Learning Analytics (LA) is an emerging area of LMS, which plays a vital role in tracking and storing learners’ activities in the online environment in Higher Education. LA treats the collections of students’ digital footprints and evaluates this data to improve teaching and learning quality. LA measures the analysis and reports learners’ data and their activities to predict decisions on every tier of the education system. This promising area, which both teachers and students can use during this pandemic outbreak, converges LA, Artificial Intelligence, and Human-Centered Design in data visualization techniques, semantic and educational data mining techniques, feature data extraction, etc. Different learning activities of learners for each course are analyzed with the help of LA plug-ins. The progression of learners can be monitored and predicted with the help of this intelligent analysis, which aids in improving the academic progress of each learner in a secured manner. The Object-Oriented Programming course and Data Communication Network are used to implement our case studies and to collect the analysis reports. Two plug-ins, local and log store plug-ins, are added to the sample course, and reports are observed. This research collected and monitored the data of the activities each students are involved in. This analysis provides the distribution of access to contents from which the number of active students and students’ activities can be inferred. This analysis provides insight into how many assignment submissions and quiz submissions were on time. The hits distribution is also provided in the analytical chart. Our findings show that teaching methods can be improved based on these inferences as it reflects the students’ learning preferences, especially during this COVID-19 era. Furthermore, each student’s academic progression can be marked and planned in the department.

Admittedly, the teaching and learning of programming courses in the computer science and information technology programs have been extremely challenging. Currently, most instructors depend on either the problem-solving technique or the metacognitive technique to help students develop a range of cognitive skills, including metacognitive skills, which are important in the development of a strong computational thinking skill required for 21st-century learning. Studies focusing on the practices of instructors in using both techniques are scarce, thus motivating the researchers to carry out this study. This study was based on a qualitative approach involving a case-study design in which five (5) male and five (5) female instructors were selected from 10 pre-university centers in Malaysia as the respondents and participants in an intervention program. The research instruments used were an interview checklist and intervention guidelines. As anticipated, the findings showed that the activities of each technique could only help students develop certain sub-skills of the computational thinking skill, thus underscoring the need for instructors to integrate both techniques in their teaching practices. Thus, it could be reasoned that using either the metacognitive technique or the problem-solving technique alone would not be sufficient to help students develop strong computational thinking skills, as each technique has its strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, it becomes imperative for instructors to leverage the strengths of both techniques by integrating both of them in the teaching and learning of programming courses.

Dramatic changes in political, economic, cultural, scientific, and technological spheres, which have taken place in recent decades, have caused noticeable alterations in different societal domains, including education. Through the prism of the modern educational paradigm that mainly focuses on meeting the needs of human beings, nowadays, a special place is occupied by ICTs and their integration into the educational process. The present research is devoted to both theoretical evidence and practical implementation of automated writing evaluation (AWE) tool “Write and Improve” into language learning at a higher educational establishment. We use experimental method titled case study, which allows finding out ways to incorporate the software mentioned above into EFL. First and foremost, the author analyses fundamental and contemporary studies in the realm of ICT integration into language teaching, learning, and assessment. Special attention is paid to AWE as cutting-edge software, which utilizes artificial intelligence to assess students’ writing. The data under investigation indicate that using AWE computer-assisted programs facilitates students’ management and increases motivation for writing and revision. The article sets a goal to demonstrate that “Write and Improve” is an example of innovative technology to enhance writing as an essential academic competency. Based on profound theoretical substantiations, the author conducts the experiment to test the research hypothesis in the case study. Within the framework of the article's written tasks, university students who study English as their major subject at the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv have been chosen. The attempted investigation proved “Write and Improve” to be highly effective among language learners, thus worth being introduced not only into teaching and learning but also assessment.

AbstractThis paper considers how creativity and creative activities can be encouraged in regular mathematical classes by combining different teaching approaches and academic disciplines. We combined origami and paper folding with fractals and their mathematical properties as well as with coding in Scratch in order to facilitate learning mathematics and computer science. We conducted a case study experiment in a Serbian school with 15 high school students and applied different strategies for learning profound mathematical and coding concepts such as fractals dimension and recursion. The goal of the study was to employ creative activities and examine students’ activities during this process in regular classrooms and during extracurricular activities. We used Scratch as a programming language, since it is simple enough for students and it focuses on the concept rather than on the content. Real-life situation of folding Dragon curve was used to highlight points that could cause difficulties in the coding process. Classroom observations and interviews revealed that different approaches guided students through their learning processes and gradually made the introduced concepts meaningful and applicable. With the introduction of this approach, students acquired understanding of the concept of coding recursion trough paper folding and applied it in the higher-level programming. In addition, our teaching approach made students enthusiastic, motivated and engaged with the learning of usually difficult subjects.

Programming courses often turn into courses with high percentage of desertion and, sometimes, result in a factor that drives students to abandon their careers, even when they are subjects highly relevant in the training of engineers in the areas of computer science, IT, and related careers. These courses demand high cognitive processes, which generate several emotions learning-related that, when taken into account and evaluated, could be used in favor of learning. Programming courses generate negative emotions in female students in a higher proportion than men, which may even lead them to abandon the career, widening the gender gap. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the role of emotions in academic environments at university level, as well as for knowing the reason for the low participation of women, despite the importance of their role and skills, in computing areas. However, the interest in analyzing the emotions that emerge from students as they learn to program is quite recent. There is not an important number of studies around the emotions of women while they learn to program. The objective of this study is to analyze the behavior -at an emotional level- of students towards different teaching activities, establishing gender level comparisons, and considering the incorporation of elements of collaboration and gamification to identify differences in the emotions originated by these activities.

Traditional teaching methods have faced unprecedented challenges as a result of educational reform, but it also presents limitless opportunities. The development of the flipped classroom teaching mode provides inspiration for the development of a PE teaching mode. This paper connects PE teaching with the “flipped classroom” teaching mode and designs an evaluation system for PE flipped classroom teaching based on the perspective of knowledge construction. The weight values of the contents of all levels of the evaluation dimensions of classroom teaching effectiveness are established in this paper, as well as the conceptual model and data table structure of the system database. In addition, using literature, questionnaires, and case studies, this paper investigates the effectiveness and application ideas of the “flipped classroom” teaching mode in PE classes. Experiments show that this method has an evaluation accuracy of 95.37 percent, which is about 13 percent higher than traditional methods. It is feasible and practicable in some ways. Additionally, flipping the classroom can increase student engagement, improve test scores, and increase teacher satisfaction. This study is expected to promote the use of the “flipped classroom” teaching mode in PE classes at colleges and universities, thereby speeding up the reform of PE education.

The purpose of the paper is to improve the methods of using test technologies in the educational process and to develop an optimal schedule for conducting tests in higher education when teaching programming languages. The article considers the advantages and disadvantages of test technologies. The author investigates the effectiveness of one-time and step-by-step testing and studies the role of testing at different stages of the educational process. In the course of the study, the author used written and computer forms of testing. The paper shows that step-by-step testing is more effective than one-time testing. The article identifies the expediency of testing that precedes the implementation of practical work. The results of the study allow us to develop an optimal schedule for conducting tests, which contributes to improving the quality of learning material and increasing students’ motivation.

Teamwork is the most important soft skill of the modern specialist, not to mention a teacher. It is also undisputed that skills development is very important to start at school, in particular at computer science lessons. Accordingly, a future teacher of computer science has to know version control systems and use one of them to organize collective student's work like in class and in the process of preparing for science competitions of the Junior Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. This topic of the article is relevant because it doesn't fully describe in the scientific and methodological resources. The main goal of this article is to open the main features of teaching students to work with version control systems on the example of Git. The systematic approach was the methodological basis for the investigation discovery. But besides, the researcher analyzed, compared, and summarized the investigation and experience of the leading scientists. As the result of the article the author rise to the following conclusions that the knowledge of version control systems (in particular Git) is an important part of the preparation of computer science teachers; teaching students to work with such programs have to be combined with the study of programming; should be encouraged students to complete labs and case studies using Git; teachers have to demonstrate through examples the correct organization and culture of work with such programs. The writer is also considering using the GitHub Classroom service to organize the educational process subjects such as programming and page making of web pages.

This paper is about the problem of the management of an aggregator of electric vehicles participating in an electricity market environment. The problem consists in the maximization of the expected profit through a formulation given by a stochastic programming problem to consider the uncertainty faced by the aggregator. This uncertainty is due to the day-ahead market prices and the driving requirements of the owners of the vehicles. Depending on the consent of the owners, inflexible charging to flexible charging is considered. Thus, the aggregator can propose different profiles and charging periods to the owners of electric vehicles. Qualitatively, as expected, the more flexible the vehicle owners, the higher the expected profit. The formulation, however, offers more to the aggregator and provides the ability to quantify the influence of consent of favorable driving requirements in the expected profit, allowing the aggregator to consider rewarding the owners of vehicles with more flexibility. Case studies addressed are for comparison of the influence of owners having inflexibility, partial flexibility, or flexibility in the expected profit of the aggregator.

Student engagement is the core of the teaching and learning practice in higher education. This exploratory action research project was designed to enhance teaching and learning using a blended learning approach to increase student engagement prior, during, and after lecture and seminar sessions of a module run for first-year undergraduate students. Within an academic semester, three action research cycles were carried out to collect data and redesign the classroom practice. Different data collection techniques were used along with Microsoft OneNote Class Notebook. This article presents three case studies of individual students to demonstrate how the digital workspace helped to develop the practice of participatory teaching and learning during a first-year undergraduate module. This study indicates that listening to students' voices through a blended learning approach helped to increase student engagement, thus increasing student participation in shaping and redesigning teaching and learning to engage them within the classroom and beyond.

Politeknik Negeri Batam is one college that gives higher priority to practicum activity. Students are therefore faced with a larger practical task than theory, making it more laboratory than practicum sessions. While access to the lab is quite limited. Virtual computer labs using Cloud Computing technology can be a solution to overcome this limitation. The author has been doing research on the design of Cloud Computing's virtual computer lab using OpenStack on a centralized network and has got some results. Tests are performed with specific server specifications and use the OpenStack platform. And the results of testing of the virtual computer lab with case studies of object-based programming courses show the server used during testing can run virtual computer lab with 9 computers well. While in the case study there are 30 computers per lab. This is due to hardware resources that are not good enough.

COVID-19 has impacted Higher Education worldwide. While several studies have examined the effects of the pandemic on students, few have addressed its impact on academic staff. Here, we present both survey (n = 89) and interview (n = 12) data highlighting the pandemic-induced effects on academics from various disciplines and career stages. Data was collected between May and September 2020, aiming to capture and understand the immediate effects of the U.K. lockdown on the academics examining demographic and employment factors, digital abilities and confidence, and mental wellbeing. Analyses revealed that most academics were satisfied with the support they received from the university and colleagues, and they had adequate equipment and space at home to work. However, half incurred additional financial costs to maintain access to technology and many felt an altered relationship with the university. There were discrepancies in digital abilities and confidence according to employment status, age, faculty, and social identity as an academic. Teaching workload did not increase across the board, rather seniority predicted increases. Levels of wellbeing were low but were not significantly predicted by workload increase or abilities and confidence in working digitally as might have been expected. Stronger social identity as an academic may predict higher mental wellbeing with qualitative data suggesting teamwork and collegiate activities helped. Furthermore, interviewees identified several positive aspects to working remotely. These findings suggest universities should consider carefully how to support all staff to work digitally and consider flexible working post-pandemic.

The aim of this investigation was to explore student behaviour when students brought their own digital devices into a lecture theatre. A total of 361 undergraduate psychology students from the University of Liverpool who used at least one digital device during lecture time fully completed an online questionnaire (159 first-, 124 second- and 78 third-year psychology students) during the 2018–2019 academic year. Although all the three years of undergraduate students brought laptops and/or smartphones into a lecture theatre, there was no significant difference in academic performance over the years of studies. The findings have linked student multitasking processes in a lecture theatre to Social Cognitive Theory principles (reciprocal interactions between behaviours, learning environment, and individuals). There was a significant difference between the three years regarding the use of applications and student characteristics after controlling for the different types of devices. Students who used only one application during lecture time were more likely to achieve higher academic performance as they were less distracted from their primary tasks of processing and retaining information. Overall, this investigation concluded the importance of reconsidering the teaching delivery process so as to avoid students’ escapism using devices during lecture theatres due to their engagement level and lecture norm pressures.

Aim/Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of five factors on the user acceptance of Three-Dimensional Virtual Worlds (3DVWs) in higher education. Another objective of the study was to investigate the effects of the application of 3DVWs on five variables relevant to positive outcomes for higher education students. Background: Three-Dimensional Virtual Worlds (3DVW) are of considerable importance and potential for the creation of the next generation of teaching and learning environments. There has been a remarkable interest in the educational communities in applying virtual environments for teaching and learning, and this technology has been largely adopted to favour educational settings. With the increasing development of 3DVW technologies in the education sector, two uncertainties have emerged with respect to higher education that significantly influence the applicability of the technology in the field: user acceptance of the technology and educational benefits of the technology for both individuals and institutions. Thus, this study examined the relationship between various factors and the user acceptance of 3DVWs in higher education as well as the relationship between the application of 3DVWs in higher education and positive educational outcomes. Methodology: By conducting a quantitative study, an extensive research model was developed by which 21 hypotheses were examined to assess the relationships between 12 variables. In order to evaluate the hypotheses, an online survey with 32 questions was developed and distributed among the participants. The questionnaire was developed to analyse the relationship between independent and dependent constructs of the research model. By applying a purposive convenience sampling technique, 135 undergraduate students, who were enrolled in a first-year elective course, participated in the survey. The PLS-SEM method was used to analyse the relationships between variables based on the hypothesised hypotheses. Second Life was used as the primary 3DVW environment for the research experiment in this study. Contribution: This study is among the first to conduct a quantitative method by developing an extensive research model to examine both antecedents and consequences of the application of 3DVWs in higher education. The research model exam-ined several self-developed variables relevant to the antecedents and conse-quences of user acceptance of 3DVWs those had not been defined or exam-ined previously in this field. The study takes 3DVW engagement into account, which is a variable associated with not only use, but also with continuous use of the technology, and deeper involvement with the technology. This study contributes to the research and practitioner body of knowledge by introduc-ing various factors significant in preparing a distance learning environment and activities that can be adapted in higher education. Findings: The findings suggest the effectiveness of ease of use, usefulness, enjoyment, and visual attractiveness of a 3DVW-based learning environment on user acceptance of the technology. Findings also suggest that application of 3DVWs has a significant impact on student satisfaction, learning outcome, retention, course engagement, and students’ graduate outcome. The study confirms that computer self-efficacy of higher education students does not have a positive impact on the acceptance of 3DVWs. Recommendations for Practitioners: Curriculum designers and developers should consider designing easy-to-use and user-friendly virtual learning environments and should make aesthetic design decisions to create appealing learning environments to attract students’ attention. A 3DVW-based learning environment needs to be realistic to make students experience a sense of presence within the environment. Increased enjoyment, pleasure, and playfulness of the virtual learning environment contribute to a higher level of adoption of 3DVWs among students. For the higher education institutions, the costs of developing and maintaining a virtual learning environment and implementing a teaching and learning programme are very low in comparison with a traditional face-to-face education system. This technology provides great capabilities for collaboration, teamwork, and networking on a worldwide scale. Recommendation for Researchers: Further studies are required to investigate from different perspectives the various factors impacting on user acceptance and/or positive outcomes of user acceptance of the technology. Using the technology for different courses, implementing different teaching and learning methods, and developing creative activities in the virtual environment might contribute to new findings in the field. This study could be extended by applying the technology in educational settings other than higher education, such as K–12. New studies could also explore other aspects of 3DVWs which were not part of the case study, such as the implementation of the technology on virtual reality, augmented reality, and smartphones. Impact on Society: The study would be beneficial for higher education institutions worldwide to regulate the key factors that affect students’ entrancement of 3DVWs as well as the positive outcomes of user acceptance of this cutting-edge technology for students. Future Research: This study could be a starting point for future research focusing on various aspects of the application of 3DVW technology in education. Future studies could identify and investigate other variables that are associated with user acceptance of 3DVW in education as well as the positive outcomes of the application of the technology in this field. The four new variables presented in this study can also be examined in different contexts and/or with the application of various technologies. There have been some inconsistencies between the findings of the current study and some of the previous studies in the field. Future studies can investigate inconsistent relationships much more meticulously in a similar context. Future studies could also explore other aspects of 3DVWs which were not part of the case study.

This article presents a double evaluation carried out in the subject Complements for disciplinary training II: Computing, corresponding to the Master's degree teacher training in secondary education, baccalaureate, vocational training and languages taught by the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos. The students of the subject had to learn how to prepare simple web pages, using HTML, CSS and JavaScript programming languages. To this end, the flipped classroom technique was used to present the necessary contents, combined with the adaptation of Aronson's cooperative learning puzzle technique, used to carry out a group practice that reflected the knowledge acquired. It is worth mentioning, as a complement to the two techniques used, the use of an adapted assessment rubric, which was provided to the students at the beginning of the teaching block. The evaluation was carried out during two consecutive academic years, 2018/2019 and 2019/2020. There were important differences between the two studies: in the first study, the students' previous self-assigned level was much higher (2.8 points as opposed to 1.4 points on a scale of 1 to 5). The other difference, even more relevant, was that in the second year all teaching was done at home, in a non-attendance format, on a mandatory basis, due to the period of confinement decreed by the state of alarm at that moment, because of the pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, popularly known as coronavirus. At the end of the experience, the students expressed their satisfaction with the learning acquired and with the tasks performed, in both cases. The techniques used were well-appreciated, in the first year more than in the second, and especially flipped classroom. The scores obtained were, in addition, always very relevant.

Abstract This study aimed to identify the effect of using the gamification strategy on academic achievement and motivation towards learning problem-solving skills in computer and information technology course. A quasi-experimental method was adopted. The study population included tenth-grade female students in Al-Badi’ah schools in Riyadh. The sample consisted of 54 students divided into two equal groups: control group and experimental group. The study tools comprised an achievement test and the motivation scale. The results showed that there were statistically significant differences between the two groups in the academic achievement test in favor of the experimental group, with a large effect size of the gamification seen on academic achievement. The results also showed that there were no differences between the two groups in the motivation scale, with a small effect size of the gamification on student motivation. One of the most important recommendations of this study was encouraging the use of the gamification strategy in teaching the computer course to help boost students’ achievement levels and applying the gamification in the classroom for prolonged periods to achieve higher student-motivation scales. This study also proposes conducting additional more research studies to gauge the effects of gamification on covering different variables and spanning various subjects and grade levels. Keywords: Gamification, academic achievement, motivation, problem-solving skills, programming, computer, e-learning

Active learning is increasingly of interest within Higher Education. The use of technology provides, in theory, the opportunity for more effective active learning, but in practice the majority of learning technology usage is still for “traditional” approaches. Conventional staff training is failing to address this. The authors’ university has provided an experimental technology-rich teaching space (the Teaching Grid) for supporting teachers as they experiment with the delivery of innovative, technology-based teaching. This study investigates teachers’ experiences of trialling active learning approaches within the Teaching Grid using four case studies. The results suggest that the Teaching Grid can be effectively used to support teacher professional development, and the experience of using the facility encourages teachers to integrate technology into their future teaching plans. Five factors are identified which contribute to the promotion of active learning. Teachers’ perceptions of their experience indicate not only the intention to use technology more but also an increased awareness of its potential and openness to adopt more active, student-focused approaches. The broader significance of this work is to identify an alternative model for teacher development which, in contrast to most current approaches, has a demonstrable positive impact on fostering innovative, technology-based pedagogy.

ERIK POUTSMA and Aad Zwaard are research associates at the Economic Research Institute for Small-and Medium-sized businesses in Zoetermeer, the Netherlands. This paper focusses on the effects of new technologies in small-and medium-sized industrial businesses. The study is based on a survey of 780 enterprises in different industries and three case studies in the metals industry. One of the crucial indicators to judge the changes in work organisation and job content is where and by whom computer numerically controlled (CNC) machines are programmed. In general it can be stated that the smaller the scale of the enterprise and size of batches, the greater the number of tasks and responsibilities on the part of the operator. Furthermore, in small firms with variable runs of production, the machine operators carry out programming functions as well as tasks of optimalisation, adjustment and quality control. The number of different tasks also depends on the level of education and skills of the operator, which is slightly higher in small firms. One of the main findings is that new technologies leave room for organisational choices concerning the quality of work. If small firms are to be able to compete in the future much depends on the way they make use of modern technologies. The first concern when automation is introduced is to keep the multi-skill and autonomous character of jobs intact.

Teaching live electronic music techniques to instrumental performers presents some interesting challenges. Whilst most higher music education institutions provide opportunities for composers to explore computer-based techniques for live audio processing, it is rare for performers to receive any formal training in live electronic music as part of their study. The first experience of live electronics for many performers is during final preparation for a concert. If a performer is to give a convincing musical interpretation ‘with’ and not simply ‘into’ the electronics, significant insight and preparation are required. At Birmingham Conservatoire we explored two distinct methods for teaching live electronics to performers between 2010 and 2012: training workshops aimed at groups of professional performers, and a curriculum pilot project aimed at augmenting undergraduate instrumental lessons. In this paper we present the details of these training methods followed by the qualitative results of specific case studies and a post-training survey. We discuss the survey results in the context of tacit knowledge gained through delivery of these programmes, and finally suggest recommendations and possibilities for future research.

Universities are currently immersed in what is known as the process of European convergence to create the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). The aim is to establish a standardized, compatible and flexible European university system that enables graduates and undergraduates to move easily from one institution to another within Europe. As a result of evaluation mechanisms, the system will be transparent and of high quality, which will make it attractive and competitive internationally in a globalized world. In this paper, we focus on two distance learning modes that will become more important as a result of this change in universities: e-learning and b-learning. These basically involve the virtualization of learning processes through the use of computer equipment. We carried out a qualitative study using the case study method. The results indicate that teaching staff use information and communication technology (ICT) to improve student learning. Similarly, a high percentage (78%) of lecturers use some form of digital platform as a support for teaching. In conclusion, training policies should strengthen university teachers’ skills in the use of ICT equipment, tools and resources related to blended and virtual learning.Actualmente las universidades están inmersas en lo que se conoce como el proceso de «convergencia europea» y que llevará al Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior (EEES). El objetivo es dotar a Europa de un sistema universitario homogéneo, compatible y flexible que permita a los estudiantes y titulados universitarios europeos una mayor movilidad, así como ofrecer al sistema universitario europeo unos niveles de transparencia y calidad, mediante sistemas de evaluación, que le hagan atractivo y competitivo en el ámbito internacional dentro del actual proceso de globalización. En este artículo, interesa centrar la reflexión en dos de las modalidades de la educación a distancia que asumirán importancia en ese cambio universitario: el e-learning y el b-learning, que consisten básicamente en la virtualización de los procesos de aprendizaje a través del uso de equipos informáticos. Para ello se ha realizado una investigación cualitativa con metodología de estudio de casos. De entre los resultados se destaca el uso de las TIC por parte del profesorado para conseguir un mejor aprendizaje en los estudiantes, de igual forma un porcentaje importante de los profesores 78% utiliza alguna plataforma virtual como apoyo a la docencia. Como conclusión se resalta que las políticas de formación deberían fortalecer las competencias del profesorado universitario en el uso de dispositivos telemáticos, recursos e instrumentos relacionados con el aprendizaje semipresencial y virtual.

During the last decade, several studies have proposed and tested different instructional methods for teaching digital reading strategies to young students. In this study, we have tested the effectiveness of a program combining eye-movements modeling examples (EMMEs) and contrasting cases to instruct ninth-grade students how to plan, evaluate, and monitor their digital reading. EMMEs are videos that display a dot representing the eye movements of a model and an oral transcription of her thoughts while answering a specific question in a hypertext. Students in the EMME condition obtain higher comprehension scores in a posttest performed 1 week after the instruction, as compared with a control group that have received a control instruction using written case examples. Students working with EMMEs also spend more time reading the main digital document, but they do not differ in terms of visits and time to relevant and irrelevant pages. Our study suggests that EMMEs can be used to foster literacy strategy instruction.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore three diverse case studies in higher education that provide learners with innovative, disruptive and potent ways of seeing, thinking and acting. It considers pedagogical structure and phenomenological dimensions over an array of study abroad and immersive learning conditions. This paper illustrates rich and impactful ways that learning can unfold, including the unintended consequences of education that opens eyes, changes perspectives and builds empathy. Methodology This paper deploys a case study method whereby three unique programs for studio education are critically considered/analyzed. The research connects cases and delineates approaches in environmental design, whereby greater understanding and deeper knowledge can be attained. Findings This paper, through study of cases of immersive learning, reveals effective ways in which studio teaching can serve to heighten sensitivity, construct rich self/world views and render visible more profound knowledge. Such knowledge transcends disciplinary boundaries and professional borders – encompassing a fuller spectrum of awareness that includes the social, the cultural and the spiritual. Research limitations/implications This paper investigates studio-based graduate education in Environmental Design, with a particular focus on Architecture/Planning. As such, there are limitations to the applicability of discoveries and revelations. That said, the general model for teaching and learning may have value across disciplines well beyond those examined in the current research. Practical implications In an increasingly complex world, where cultures and values routinely collide, the research presents pedagogical approaches that promise to erode walls, dissolve barriers and counter fragmentation. The case studies illustrate effective ways to heighten learning beyond the ethos of traditional classes and conventional classrooms. Originality/value This paper proffers bold creative models for teaching that defy everyday strategies. It encourages moving students to places/spaces, both concrete and abstract, that challenge their assumptions, test their capabilities and permit exceptional personal/professional growth.

Aim/Purpose: Business analytics is a cross-functional field that is important to implement for a college and has emerged as a critically important core component of the business curriculum. It is a difficult task due to scheduling concerns and limits to faculty and student resources. This paper describes the process of creating a central video repository to serve as a platform for just in time teaching and the impact on student learning outcomes. Background: Industry demand for employees with analytical knowledge, skills, and abilities requires additional analytical content throughout the college of business curriculum. This demand needs other content to be added to ensure that students have the prerequisite skills to complete assignments. Two pedagogical approaches to address this issue are Just-in-Time Teaching (JiTT) and scaffolding, grounded in the Vygoskian concept of “Zone of Proximal Development. Methodology: This paper presents a case study that applies scaffolding and JiTT teaching to create a video repository to add business analytics instruction to a curriculum. The California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST) and Major Field Test (MFT) scores were analyzed to assess learning outcomes. Student and faculty comments were considered to inform the results of the review. Contribution: This paper demonstrates a practical application of scaffolding and JiTT theory by outlining the process of using a video library to provide valuable instructional resources that support meaningful learning, promote student academic achievement, and improve program flexibility. Findings: A centrally created library is a simple and inexpensive way to provide business analytics course content, augmenting standard content delivery. Assessment of learning scores showed an improvement, and a summary of lessons learned is provided to guide implications. Recommendations for Practitioners: Pedagogical implications of this research include the observation that producing a central library of instructor created videos and assignments can help address knowledge and skills gaps, augment the learning of business analytics content, and provide a valuable educational resource throughout the college of business curriculum. Recommendation for Researchers: This paper examines the use of scaffolding and JiTT theories. Additional examination of these theories may improve the understanding and limits of these concepts as higher education evolves due to the combination of market forces changing the execution of course delivery. Impact on Society: Universities are tasked with providing new and increasing skills to students while controlling the costs. A centrally created library of instructional videos provides a means of delivering meaningful content while controlling costs. Future Research: Future research may examine student success, including the immediate impact of videos and longitudinally using video repositories throughout the curriculum. Studies examining the approach across multiple institutions may help to evaluate the success of video repositories. Faculty acceptance of centrally created video libraries and assignments should be considered for the value of faculty recruiting and use in the classroom. The economic impact on both the university and students should be evaluated.

The integration of numerous intermittent renewable energy sources (IRESs) poses challenges to the power supply-demand balance due to the inherent intermittent and uncertain power outputs of IRESs, which requires higher operational flexibility of the power system. The deployment of flexible ramping products (FRPs) provides a new alternative to accommodate the high penetration of IRESs. Given this background, a bi-level risk-limiting real-time unit commitment/real-time economic dispatch model considering FRPs provided by different flexibility resources is proposed. In the proposed model, the objective is to maximize the social surplus while minimizing the operational risk, quantified using the concept of conditional value-at-risk (CVaR). Energy and ramping capabilities of conventional generating units during the start-up or shut-down processes are considered, while meeting the constraints including unit start-up/shut-down trajectories and ramping up/down rates in consecutive time periods. The Karush–Kuhn–Tucker (KKT) optimality conditions are then used to convert the bi-level programming problem into a single-level one, which can be directly solved after linearization. The modified IEEE 14-bus power system is employed to demonstrate the proposed method, and the role of FRPs in enhancing the system flexibility and improving the accommodation capability for IRESs is illustrated in some operation scenarios of the sample system. The impact of the confidence level in CVaR on the system operational flexibility is also investigated through case studies. Finally, a case study is conducted on a regional power system in Guangdong Province, China to demonstrate the potential of the proposed method for practical applications.

Students of Elementary School Teacher Education programs must be able to have higher-order thinking skills (HOTS) so that they can train students to have HOTS through learning activities created when they have become elementary school teachers. This study aims to explain students' high-level thinking skills in solving HOTS-oriented questions in Instructional Evaluation courses. This study uses qualitative research methods with data collection techniques using cognitive test instruments in the form of descriptions. Data analysis techniques use simple descriptive statistics. The results showed the level of thinking ability of students in answering HOTS practice questions still needed improvement. Students who have high learning abilities are better at answering HOTS-oriented questions compared to students in the medium and low categories. 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Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) optimization algorithms provide accurate and clear solutions for Microgrid and Distributed Energy Resources projects. Full-scale optimization approaches optimize all time-steps of data sets (e.g., 8760 time-step and higher resolutions), incurring extreme and unpredictable run-times, often prohibiting such approaches for effective Microgrid designs. To reduce run-times down-sampling approaches exist. Given that the literature evaluates the full-scale and down-sampling approaches only for limited numbers of case studies, there is a lack of a more comprehensive study involving multiple Microgrids. This paper closes this gap by comparing results and run-times of a full-scale 8760 h time-series MILP to a peak preserving day-type MILP for 13 real Microgrid projects. The day-type approach reduces the computational time between 85% and almost 100% (from 2 h computational time to less than 1 min). At the same time the day-type approach keeps the objective function (OF) differences below 1.5% for 77% of the Microgrids. The other cases show OF differences between 6% and 13%, which can be reduced to 1.5% or less by applying a two-stage hybrid approach that designs the Microgrid based on down-sampled data and then performs a full-scale dispatch algorithm. This two stage approach results in 20–99% run-time savings.

The study of water surface profiles is beneficial to various applications in water resources management. In this study, two artificial intelligence (AI) models named the artificial neural network (ANN) and genetic programming (GP) were employed to estimate the length of six steady GVF profiles for the first time. The AI models were trained using a database consisting of 5154 dimensionless cases. A comparison was carried out to assess the performances of the AI techniques for estimating lengths of 330 GVF profiles in both mild and steep slopes in trapezoidal channels. The corresponding GVF lengths were also calculated by 1-step, 3-step, and 5-step direct step methods for comparison purposes. Based on six metrics used for the comparative analysis, GP and the ANN improve five out of six metrics computed by the 1-step direct step method for both mild and steep slopes. Moreover, GP enhanced GVF lengths estimated by the 3-step direct step method based on three out of six accuracy indices when the channel slope is higher and lower than the critical slope. Additionally, the performances of the AI techniques were also investigated depending on comparing the water depth of each case and the corresponding normal and critical grade lines. Furthermore, the results show that the more the number of subreaches considered in the direct method, the better the results will be achieved with the compensation of much more computational efforts. The achieved improvements can be used in further studies to improve modeling water surface profiles in channel networks and hydraulic structure designs.

Problem solving skills are very important in supporting social development. Children with problem solving skills can build healthy relationships with their friends, understand the emotions of those around them, and see events with other people's perspectives. The purpose of this study was to determine the implementation of playing unplugged coding programs in improving early childhood problem solving skills. This study used a classroom action research design, using the Kemmis and Taggart cycle models. The subjects of this study were children aged 5-6 years in Shafa Marwah Kindergarten. Research can achieve the target results of increasing children's problem-solving abilities after going through two cycles. In the first cycle, the child's initial problem-solving skills was 67.5% and in the second cycle it increased to 80.5%. 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AbstractRecent studies have explored English vocabulary learning in environments where students used mobile technologies for prescribed vocabulary learning tasks, or tested designed personalized learning systems to enhance student vocabulary learning for short periods of time in language related courses. Dictionary use via mobile devices has mostly been used for referential purposes. Referential use refers to applications that provide student access to content such as dictionaries, e-books, etc. at places where learning activities occur, taking advantage of the portability and mobility of mobile devices. Research on free student use of mobile devices to foster incidental vocabulary learning in non-English courses remains scant, and no in-depth studies have been carried out to investigate the value of dictionary use on mobile devices for incidental vocabulary learning in higher education. This one-year multiple-case study investigated undergraduate students' dictionary and other uses of Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) to enhance their incidental vocabulary learning in an English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) university. The research findings show: (a) the students made various uses of the PDA to improve their vocabulary learning, namely, referential, situated, constructive, reflective, explorative and conversing uses, (b) the students adopted integrated uses of the tools on the PDA and the computer for their incidental vocabulary learning, and (c) the integrated use of the PDA and the computer shaped the vocabulary learning activities and vice versa. These research results indicate that PDAs can be used in more flexible, novel and extended ways for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) vocabulary teaching and learning in higher education, taking student needs and contexts into consideration.

Since the coronavirus COVID-19 was identified as an international public health emergency in 2020, many studies on the perceptions of students in higher education have been published concerning it. Although young students’ perceptions also influence decision making and actions, their perceptions of COVID-19 have, so far, been little studied. Therefore, to increase knowledge about their understanding of COVID-19, a cross-sectional and descriptive study was conducted as a drawing survey in two schools in the Dakhla-Oued Eddahab region, Morocco. The participants were 94 high school students (aged 14–19). The drawings were analyzed by inductive and deductive content analysis. The findings show that the majority of the students knew the archetypal representation of COVID-19. They had a good grasp of the COVID-19, how it spreads, and how to stop it from spreading. Some students were aware of the potential dangers associated with COVID-19. Admittedly, misrepresentations related to fear and unfamiliarity with COVID-19 lead to mental health issues that undermine the key factors in students’ academic success. Younger children’s representations were dominated by magical thinking that reduces COVID-19 to preventive measures. Overall, the results made it possible to deduce that COVID-19 is strongly associated with terms that are both characteristic and socially valued (disease, prevention, barrier measures, etc.) and, conversely, with rather negative terms (fear of dying, anxiety, sadness, helplessness, etc.). The identification of these representations is very useful because they make it possible to apprehend and understand the attitudes and behaviors of these students, which, therefore, implies the need to define the appropriate teaching methods to try to align these behaviors with the behaviors desired.

Although the variety of computer-based games offered for strategic management, ease of use and the number of games available in the market has decreased due to multiple factors, it has also increased. Depending on the criterion of the objectively measured learning outcomes, various games that have been studied to date yield higher results than those obtained by case approach as an alternative teaching strategy. Very little research has been conducted on factors that facilitate play, leading to effective learning outcomes in a business gaming environment. The general purpose of this research is to determine the work conducted on Business Strategy Game (BSG) and Learning Strategic Management. This study was conducted using qualitative research method, document analysis and related content analysis, studying the keywords ‘Business Strategy Game and Learning Strategic Management’ in the Web of Science database, based on the analysis of the documents. The studies in the Web of Science database were analysed according to years, the Web of Science categories, the research area, country/types and writing languages. The analysis of the studies in the Web of Science database for BSG and learning strategic management emerged with the resulting content. A total of 39 studies were carried out and it was concluded that the most common transactions were made in 2019. However, the first study was conducted in 1995. In the literature review, the year 2019 has the most reads, which were mostly published articles. According to the Web of Science field type, it is concluded that there are studies mostly in the Education and Educational Research field and it was also concluded that 38 of these studies were written in English.

Purpose The REDINGE2 – Reengineering Engineering Teaching, version 2 – project seeks to transform engineering education practices at the University of los Andes (UNIANDES) by using technology-based active learning strategies in courses from different disciplines that are to be reformed using a Big-ideas approach. Studies from this two-year project (2017-2018) seek to solve three main questions: What changes in engineering teaching conceptions, methods, tools and practices could be generated by reengineering courses using a Big-ideas approach? What changes in key conditions of learning environments have the students perceived in courses that use a Big-ideas approach? What lessons can be derived from the initial studies of REDINGE2’s pilot experiences? Design/methodology/approach The REDINGE2 project was conceived as a technology-based educational transformation initiative. It is the Faculty of Engineering at UNIANDES’ explicit intention to move engineering teaching from being content-focused to being big-ideas focused. It also wants to migrate from teacher-centered teaching strategies to student- and group-centered approaches. Additionally, this project intends to enrich engineering education ecologies with digital resources by integrating experiential, flexible and collaborative digital learning environments with traditional classroom/workshop/library/home/work learning settings. To promote this organic change, the project implemented a facilitation-from-the side strategy, which redesigned 14 engineering courses: each was given a two-year grant from the Office of the Dean of Engineering to rethink teaching practices and redesign the course. A cybernetic evaluation system was embedded in the life cycle of the transformation process that could support decision-making through each of the project’s stages (Stufflebeam, 1971). Questions of interest in this study are provided with information using triangulation of data at different times during each course’s redesign process. Findings After a year and half of the two-year REDINGE2 project (2017-2018), it is possible to say the following three research questions are fully solved. Concerning Question #1: What changes in engineering teaching conceptions, methods, tools and practices contribute to reengineering courses when using a Big-ideas approach? Participating teaching staff have demonstrated changes in their teaching conceptions, methods and resources, which can be attributed to their exposure to active-learning strategies supported by digital technologies. In fact, each one has redesigned and pilot tested at least one restructured learning unit for one of their courses according to the proposed Big-ideas approach; in addition, most admit to already having adjusted their teaching practices by changing their mindset regarding learning and how to promote it. Concerning Question #2: What changes in key conditions of learning environments have the students perceived in courses that have been redesigned using a Big-ideas approach? Data collected from students and participating staff members, both before the redesign and throughout this process, have provided teachers and students with feedback concerning perceived changes in learning environments. This has had positive results and provided opportunities for improvement. Concerning Question #3: What lessons can be derived from REDINGE2’s pilot experiences? Lessons from this project are multi-dimensional and there are organizational, pedagogic, technological and cultural considerations. A decalogue of critical success factors was established, which considered the things that must go right to successfully accomplish proposed educational transformations. Research limitations/implications This study is a good case of educational transformations in engineering teaching. No generalizations should be made, but it shows that similar processes of planned change can be made in tertiary science, math, engineering and technology (SMET) education. Practical implications The lessons learned from this experience are very valuable for higher education decision-makers who want to innovate by using learning ecologies in their institutions. In addition, theoretical considerations that illuminate the innovation process become very useful to help provide a foundation to similar interventions. Originality/value A non-conventional approach to integrate digital technologies in higher education teaching is the most significant contribution this experience has made. Its focus has been to transform educational practices with pedagogically sound uses of digital technologies instead of just integrating technologies in current SMET teaching practices. Facilitation-from-the-side and embedded cybernetic evaluation through the transformation process are key ideas that add value to organic change processes.

Background: Since its global introduction in 2000, capsule endoscopy (CE) has revolutionized the evaluation of small bowel disease. Aims and Objective: The aim of this study was to share our experience with CE including the findings and its diagnostic yield. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study was carried out at Colombo South Teaching Hospital of Sri Lanka. Data of patients who underwent CE from its initiation in 2017 until June 2020 were obtained from the hospital computer database. These included the patient demographics, indications for the study, quality of bowel preparation, and its findings. Results: The study included 54 patients with a mean age of 55 years. Mean gastric time and small bowel transit time were 52 and 272 min, respectively. Forty-five CE studies were done for the evaluation of small bowel bleeding and an abnormal study was found in 26 (57.78%) patients. Small intestinal ulcers and erosions were the most frequently found abnormality (n=16, 35.56%) followed by tumors (n=5, 11.11%). Active bleeding was evident in 14 (31.11%) patients. Overall diagnostic yield was higher in those with a history of overt bleeding (n=15, 71.43%) compared to occult bleeding (n=11, 45.83%). Most patients who were evaluated for abdominal pain and diarrhea had normal CE except for two who had small intestinal ulcers and subepithelial lesions. Only one case was complicated with capsule retention. Conclusion: CE is a useful investigation for the evaluation of small bowel disease, particularly in suspected small bowel bleeding. In contrast to western population, ulcers and erosions were the more frequently found abnormalities seen in local setting.

Aim/Purpose: One of the main objectives of higher education institutions is to provide a high-quality education to their students and reduce dropout rates. This can be achieved by predicting students’ academic achievement early using Educational Data Mining (EDM). This study aims to predict students’ final grades and identify honorary students at an early stage. Background: EDM research has emerged as an exciting research area, which can unfold valuable knowledge from educational databases for many purposes, such as identifying the dropouts and students who need special attention and discovering honorary students for allocating scholarships. Methodology: In this work, we have collected 300 undergraduate students’ records from three departments of a Computer and Information Science College at a university located in Saudi Arabia. We compared the performance of six data mining methods in predicting academic achievement. Those methods are C4.5, Simple CART, LADTree, Naïve Bayes, Bayes Net with ADTree, and Random Forest. Contribution: We tested the significance of correlation attribute predictors using four different methods. We found 9 out of 18 proposed features with a significant correlation for predicting students’ academic achievement after their 4th semester. Those features are student GPA during the first four semesters, the number of failed courses during the first four semesters, and the grades of three core courses, i.e., database fundamentals, programming language (1), and computer network fundamentals. Findings: The empirical results show the following: (i) the main features that can predict students’ academic achievement are the student GPA during the first four semesters, the number of failed courses during the first four semesters, and the grades of three core courses; (ii) Naïve Bayes classifier performed better than Tree-based Models in predicting students’ academic achievement in general, however, Random Forest outperformed Naïve Bayes in predicting honorary students; (iii) English language skills do not play an essential role in students’ success at the college of Computer and Information Sciences; and (iv) studying an orientation year does not contribute to students’ success. Recommendations for Practitioners: We would recommend instructors to consider using EDM in predicting students’ academic achievement and benefit from that in customizing students’ learning experience based on their different needs. Recommendation for Researchers: We would highly endorse that researchers apply more EDM studies across various universities and compare between them. For example, future research could investigate the effects of offering tutoring sessions for students who fail core courses in their first semesters, examine the role of language skills in social science programs, and examine the role of the orientation year in other programs. Impact on Society: The prediction of academic performance can help both teachers and students in many ways. It also enables the early discovery of honorary students. Thus, well-deserved opportunities can be offered; for example, scholarships, internships, and workshops. It can also help identify students who require special attention to take an appropriate intervention at the earliest stage possible. Moreover, instructors can be aware of each student’s capability and customize the teaching tasks based on students’ needs. Future Research: For future work, the experiment can be repeated with a larger dataset. It could also be extended with more distinctive attributes to reach more accurate results that are useful for improving the students’ learning outcomes. Moreover, experiments could be done using other data mining algorithms to get a broader approach and more valuable and accurate outputs.

Purpose: The purpose of this research was to adapt the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to predict the use and intended use of e-learning systems among undergraduate students at a state university in Ecuador, with the intention of improving the understanding of those factors that could enhance the utilization of these systems and the implementation of policies to increase the benefits they bring to the process of teaching and learning.Design/methodology: The analysis has epistemological basis on the empirical-inductive, based on observation of perception. Based on the literature review on the evaluation and acceptance of e-learning systems, the model has been adapted to the case of Ecuador and a questionnaire with 52 items based on Likert scales was developed. The instrument was emailed to 600 undergraduate students from a state university in Ecuador, being 423 of them answered satisfactorily. We performed validity and reliability tests of structural equation model by partial least squares (PLS), with the support of statistical software SmartPLS.Contributions and results: The results indicate that all the hypotheses of TAM are met in the Ecuadorian context, when assessing the acceptance of e-learning systems among undergraduate students at a state university. The main contribution was to identify that the perceived enjoyment, social influence and computer self-efficacy have a direct effect on the two main constructs of TAM, perceived ease of use (PEOU) and perceived usefulness (PU). It was also found that satisfaction (S) is highly influenced by PU and S influences the use of e-learning systems, being the first a specific contribution of this study. Technical support showed no influence on the fundamental constructs of TAM.Limitations: The research was conducted to undergraduate students in one state Category B university of Ecuador, being the reality of this country more complex, as there are four categories with different characteristics. We haven’t considered neither age, gender, graduate students nor socioeconomic status, among other student characteristics that may affect the investigation.Practical implications: Identifying the factors that influence the acceptance and use of e-learning systems will help to create and improve teaching and learning environments for undergraduate students. Allowing exploiting the benefits of these technological tools more efficiently, adapting them to management policies of the institutions of higher education.Originality/value: This paper presents empirical data on the use and acceptance of e-learning systems for undergraduate students of a particular university in Ecuador. No similar studies are evident in the country and the model can be considered for future studies of national scope.

From the EditorsHuseyin Uzunboylu, Cigdem HursenIt is an honour for us to welcome you as Editors of Cypriot Journal of Educational Sciences which has accepted publications indexed in qualified databases since 2006. Cypriot Journal of Educational Sciences (CJES) is listed in many scholarly citation indexes; DOAJ, Ulrich's Educational Research Abstracts (ERA), EBSCO, Google Scholar, PsycINFO, Asian Education Index & AWER index. Also our major aim is to increase the quality of the journal day by day. We are ready to publish the new studies of Cypriot Journal of Educational Sciences which has 9 full length articles written by authors from, Cyprus, Canada, Nigeria and Turkey.The aim of this issue is to give the researchers an opportunity to share their academic studies. First of all, I would like to thank all who have contributed to this issue. There are different focuses. For example, Hayat Boz and Sibel Esra Karatasexplored the impact of Internet use on QOL of the elderly by examining available researches in this field. By searching on ADM Digital Library, WEB Science, ERIC, PsycINFO and PubMed databases, this study reviewed 25 studies published after 1990 that investigates the relationship between Internet use and QOL of elderly. The synthesis of the research findings indicates that the functional use of computer and Internet improves QOL for older people. The findings also provide a comprehensive perspective on the current state of knowledge and raises questions for further research.On the other hand, Japo Oweikeye Amasuomo, examined the academic performance of students in the compulsory courses in technical education during the transition period of first and second years of three years Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) Technical programme before choosing their disciplines in the third year. The study established that, students in Electrical/Electronics discipline performed better than their counterparts who made Automobile, Building, Metalwork and Woodwork as their discipline, and the academic performance of the five groups of students differed significantly. Also, Hussain Ali Alkharusi examined students' perceptions of classroom assessment tasks as a function of gender, subject area, and grade level. Results showed that students tended to hold positive perceptions of their classroom assessment tasks in terms of congruence with planned learning, authenticity, student consultation, transparency, and diversity.In addition to these, Johnson Enero Upahi, Ganiyat Bukola Issa and Oloyede Solomon Oyelekan carried out a study on students. This study assesses the classroom activities which are the fundamental process required to determine the extent to which intended learning outcomes has been achieved. Emrah Soykan aimed to identification of views of teachers, students and their parents at Near East College in North Cyprus on use of tablets in education. The research is a descriptive case study. As result of the analysis carried out in this research, it has been seen that teachers, students and parents evaluate the problems related with tablet PCs under the following two sub-dimensions; the experienced problems of during tablet supported education and the benefits of tablet pc usage in education.Zeynep Karatas and E. Tremblay Richard examined the level of depressive symptoms of the secondary school students in Turkey and Canada has been aimed in this study. The research group of the study consists of 1050 secondary school students with the average age of 13. Their socio-economic levels are low in both countries, Canada and Turkey. The study revealed that the level of depressive symptoms of Turkish secondary school students has been found higher than the level of depressive symptoms of Canadian secondary school students. While the levels of depressive symptoms of the Canadian female students have been higher than male students, the level of depressive symptoms of Turkish students has not differentiated in terms of their genders. Behiye Akacan and Gurcan Secim examine the responses of university students in social anxiety situations in order to create a psychological counselling program with a structured group based on Cognitive Behavioural and Existential Approaches. These responses involve the behaviour and thoughts of the university students in situations where they experience or anticipate social anxiety. The findings of the study revealed that the thoughts regarding the social anxiety situations of the final year students studying in Guidance and Psychological Counselling and Pre-School Teaching departments are generally negative and their behaviour usually presents as desertion or avoidance.Also, Halil İbrahim Akyuz and Hafize Keser examined the effect of an educational agent, used in online task based learning media, and its form characteristics on problem solving ability perceptions of students. It is determined that applied method has an important effect on problem solving ability perception of students and that the educational agent in the role of teacher is more effective than the role of friend in the development of problem solving ability perception. Finally Muge Tacman and Nazan Comunoglu examined the way how the primary school class teachers evaluate the candidates, what their expect from the candidates and the effectivenes of the teaching training program being conducted in Ataturk Teacher Training Academy (AOA) to fulfill these expectations. Research findings were studied and interpreted in the framework of 4 main topics which are field knowledge, basic professional attitudes, effective communication and teaching abilities.I would like to express my thanks to all authors preferring Cypriot Journal of Educational Sciences to make their articles published, all reviewers working seriously in the process of publishing, and also quest editors supporting us in this process.Best regards,Prof. Dr. Huseyin Uzunboylu, Editor-in-ChiefAssist. Prof. Dr. Cigdem Hursen, Executive Editor

Students are excited by the possibilities presented through digital technologies and their applicability across a broad range of industries. Digital literacy has been identified as a foundational 21st Century skill by the Australian Government (2020, p. 4), which is ‘essential for individuals to participate effectively in today’s society’. The need for strong transferable skills has accelerated during the pandemic as many industries have migrated to digital contexts. Digital literacy is a transferable skill sought after by employers, alongside other emerging transferable skills required for 21st Century success, including critical thinking, creativity and problem-solving (FYA 2017, p. 8). In this paper, we will provide a case study of authentic assessment in an innovative digital literacy course at an Australian university, designed to support students from underrepresented backgrounds to build transferable skills for degree study and future careers. Authentic assessment provides opportunities for meaningful learning as students complete assessments aligned with their aspirations and career interests: ‘Authenticity automatically gives relevance to the learning journey; relevance encourages engagement and enthusiasm, which should bring about meaningful learning’ (ACEL 2016). The scaffolded course design focuses on embedding professional practice through authentic assessment. Recent student projects include: an infographic of wellbeing techniques for children designed for educational contexts, an informative website to support refugees, a share-economy inspired app for deep cleaning, an infographic on sustainable architecture, a blog on brand development, and a review of robot programming for IT students. We will provide strategies for authentic assessment through technology-enhanced learning, which will offer insight and inspiration for educators interested in adopting these approaches. Choice is a key element of course design, allowing students to demonstrate key concepts through the creation of unique and meaningful projects. First, students demonstrate threshold concepts, then they follow industry practice to pitch and produce an individual digital project. Course design is grounded in Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and enabling pedagogy (Stokes 2017). UDL techniques, including multiple modes of representation, action and expression, and engagement, support the learning of all students (CAST 2011). Enabling pedagogical approaches work to support the development of confidence, capability and agency, while valuing the strengths individual students bring (Stokes 2021). Students aiming for diverse fields have followed their interests to create digital projects aligned with their career aspirations, from game development to health apps, business sites to educational modules, critical digital reviews to music videos, animations to augmented and virtual reality content. Production work is negotiated with tutors, who provide guidance and mentorship, following a production company ethos. Students adhere to industry standards for copyright and ethical practice in assessments, while building their professional portfolio and skills for future success. The combination of digital literacy and authentic assessments motivates students to follow their passions and create digital products they care about. This approach has resulted in outstanding student evaluations and learning outcomes, above average retention, and institutional recognition through a Digital Learning citation. Importantly, this approach supports students to build professional skills and knowledge for emerging industries and future career opportunities. References ACEL. (2016). Authentic learning: what, why and how? e-Teaching, 10. http://www.acel.org.au/acel/ACEL_docs/Publications/e-Teaching/2016/e-Teaching_2016_10.pdf Australian Government. (2020). Foundation Skills for Your Future Program: Digital Literacy Skills Framework, Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia. Australian Technology Network. (2020). ATN joint statement on authentic assessment, Australian Technology Network. https://www.atn.edu.au/news-and-events/latest-news/atn-joint-statement-on-authentic-assessment CAST. (2011). Universal Design for Learning Guidelines Version 2.0. Massachusetts: Wakefield. Foundation for Young Australians (2017). The new work smarts. https://www.fya.org.au/report/the-new-work-smarts Stokes, J. (2017). Inclusion and engagement by design: Creating a digital literacy course to inspire diverse learners in an​ Australian university enabling program. International Studies in Widening Participation, 4(2), 65–78. https://novaojs.newcastle.edu.au/ceehe/index.php/iswp/article/download/85/103 ​ Stokes, J. (2021). Those skills to take on the world: developing capitals through university enabling programs. The International Journal of Learning in Higher Education, 28 (2), 133-146. DOI: 10.18848/2327-7955/CGP/v28i02/133-146