Search

In order to enable online learning to continue developing when the COVID-19 pandemic passes, this study aimed to identify the critical factors that affected the use of e-learning by university students during the pandemic. These critical factors will help to increase the efficiency of future development and deployment of online learning systems. Through a literature review, this study employed the technology acceptance model, social support, and task–technology fit as the theoretical basis to establish the framework of the online learning environment with regards to the technology acceptance model in the context of emergency management. A questionnaire survey was administered to students in universities that had implemented online teaching during the pandemic, and 552 valid responses were collected. The survey explored the factors affecting the willingness of higher education institution students to continue using online learning, and the following conclusions were drawn. (1) The easier an online learning platform was to navigate, the better it was perceived by the students, and thus the students were more willing to use it. (2) Ease of use and usefulness were associated with the teachers' choice of platform and their ability to achieve a satisfactory fit between the course design and platform navigation, which thereby affected the students' learning outcomes and attitude towards use. (3) The positive attitude of teachers towards teaching increased the students' perceived ease of use of online learning. (4) During the pandemic, family support—a major support for teachers in online teaching—enhanced teachers' attitudes towards, and willingness to provide, online teaching. A high level of support showed that the parents urged the students to learn and complete online learning tasks as instructed by the teachers, implying that family support could affect the students' habits towards, adaptation to, and identification of online learning. The study results provide insights into the factors affecting the willingness of teachers and students to continue using e-learning platforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The roles of content producers, information receivers, and platform operators affect the stability of the governance of informational platforms. The purpose of this study was to identify and explore the sustainable factors of a platform ecosystem for health and fitness apps across Mainland China and Taiwan by interviewing producers, receivers, and operators. An advanced analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method was applied to derive expert perspectives from apps users and operators, live streamers, key opinion leaders, scholars, and officers across Mainland China and Taiwan via four dimensions and fourteen sub-dimensions of the initial health and fitness apps. The results revealed that the weights of the dimensions of health and fitness apps were sorted by content categories, content updates, user reviews, and platform terms; furthermore, the weights of the six highest sub-dimensions were the following: exercise, new feature, functionality, correctness, monitoring, and privacy. Content producers in Taiwan cared the most about the content category, whereas content producers in Mainland China cared the most about user reviews. Information receivers in Taiwan graded the content category the highest, whereas information receivers in Mainland China rated content updates the highest. Platform operators in Taiwan paid most attention to the platform terms, whereas the platform operators in Mainland China were most concerned with the content category. This comparative study can contribute to assisting the health and fitness industry across Mainland China and Taiwan area to provide an overall strategic operative process by identifying the effectiveness of the procedures, estimative processes, and cost reduction to enhance the competitiveness and further improve users' experiences and satisfaction for the sustainability of health and fitness information platform Ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to classify college freshmen based on the level of psychological states related to psychological well-being they experience, and to explore the factors influencing these psychological states. Group 1 had low levels of negative psychological states and high levels of positive psychological states (constituting 35% of the total sample); Group 2 had relatively high level of negative psychological states and very low level of life satisfaction (constituting 13% of the total sample), and Group 3 had moderate level of psychological states (constituting 52% of the total sample). First, it was identified that a group with high level of negative psychological states does not necessarily have a low level of positive psychological states in factors such as their self-esteem, resilience, or life goals. Second, female students were more likely to belong to the group with high manifestations of psychological problems. Students who get higher self-satisfaction from their income than their actual annual income, students with more allowance, students with lower burden relating to their tuition, and students who worked less part-time jobs (falls under the financial factor) were less likely to belong to the group with high manifestations of psychological problems. Students who had numerous communications with their peers and had a sense of trust in their school, and students who felt less alienated were also less likely to belong to the group with high manifestations of psychological problems (falls under the social relationship factor). In addition, students who selected their college major in accordance to their aptitudes and interests, or through the influence of their school teachers, were less likely to belong to the mild risk group or the risk group than the students who decided their college major based on employment prospects or recommendations (falls under the enrollment motivation factor). Meanwhile, students with a higher dependency to their mobile phones had higher probability of belonging to the risk group, and students who had higher computer use frequency, such as using a computer to chat or play games, had a lower probability of belonging to the mild risk group or the risk group (falls under the media utilization factor). The results of the study indicate the need for the following: (1) a three-dimensional diagnosis of the psychological state of college freshmen; (2) measures that can improve social relationships, such as support in the curriculum and linkage to counseling institutions; and (3) the selection of a major in accordance to one's aptitude, calling for the need for a linkage with career guidance at the high school stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the modern era, talent cultivation plays an essential role in the transition process to sustainable development. The emerging direction of talent cultivation is intended to achieve global competence in computational thinking and digital literacy; however, there is still a gap in Taiwan. Scholars and educators have identified the contents of digital literacy, which include statistical concepts, data analysis skills, and critical thinking. To fill this gap, this study proposed an innovative educational teaching method that integrates data visualization techniques and critical thinking training to improve students' decision-making literacy. An experiment on the curriculum with a one-group pre-test and post-test design was conducted for 79 participants. The data consisted of a geographical data map, visualized data diagrams, and a statistical test; the scores for critical thinking, academic self-confidence, and academic performance were separated into high, middle, and low achievement groups. For data analysis, the bootstrapping method (resampled 1000 times), paired sample t-test, and ANCOVA were applied for data analysis to compare the difference between each independent group. The results showed that the post-test scores (statistic test M = 9.59, infographic test M = 6.09, map test M = 5.02) were higher than the pre-test scores (statistic test M = 7.15, infographic test M = 3.46, map test M = 3.13). The most significant implication is the innovative teaching approach based on integrated data visualization and critical thinking. It plays a very significant role in enhancing decision-making abilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the pandemic, educators around the world were unexpectedly encouraged to switch to online and distance learning. They tried to integrate face-to-face learning–teaching processes in the classrooms into the technological environment and to sustain this process in the best way. In this research, it is aimed to examine the current results in the current studies on technology integration into the teaching–learning processes in the literature. In order to collect data, a descriptive compilation pattern was used within the frame of the Literature Search method based on the qualitative method. The data obtained by examining the current articles obtained with the keyword "Technology Integration" were used in the research. As a result of the study, it was seen that technology integration is a complex and multidimensional process with several dynamics, and full integration cannot be achieved. As a result, recommendations were made in the context of various models and Google Workspace tools to help ensure technology integration in line with the obstacles specified in the studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examining and developing courses of education for sustainable development (ESD) is the goal of this study. Building on the theory of game-based learning, this study develops teaching strategies that employ board games for ESD. The design context of the board game, entitled "Be Blessed Taiwan", is situated in the dilemma between biological conservation and economic development. It incorporates four core systemic concepts: the economy, policies, society, and ecology. Students from two high schools played the game for 200 min and 400 min, respectively (100 min per week). The study collected complete pre-game and post-game data from 34 high school students, including the test of scientific concepts, and gameplay results. The research results indicate that students' test scores significantly increased after the gameplay with a medium effect size; specifically, a large effect on the dimension of biodiversity concepts and a medium effect on the dimension of biological conservation concepts. The analysis of students' gameplay results shows the difficulty for high-school students to achieve all four ESD goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the information era, information security monitoring tools would be helpful for enterprises/organizations to monitor employees' computer usage behaviors and improve their information security protection. The Windows-based operating systems have the largest market share in the world. Therefore, the study target is the development of a Windows-based information security monitoring tool in this study. We proposed an assessment model for developing an information security tool in this study to explore the significances of functionalities in a Windows-based information security monitoring tool and the decision-makers' decision opinions. We adopted four steps with four study methods: the literature study method, the Delphi method, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method, and the analysis methods related to data-driven decision-making in the proposed model. In Step 1, we studied some literature about information security monitoring, and we discovered 26 functionalities as the decision criteria in this study. In Step 2, using the Delphi method, we confirmed the decision criterion set with potential decision-makers and organized the decision criteria hierarchy. In Step 3, we designed an AHP questionnaire to get the criterion weight vectors from the 12 decision-makers. With the AHP method, this study received the weights of the decision criteria and found that the 16 functionalities among the 26 functionalities should receive their corresponding developing priority in a Windows-based information security monitoring tool. Finally, we used the Pearson correlation coefficient and cosine distance to explore the correlations and similarities among the decision-makers' decision opinions. This study found the relevance among the decision-makers' decision opinions in a Windows-based information security monitoring tool developed with the Pearson correlation coefficients/the cosine distances among all pairs of decision-makers' decision opinions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Learning about artificial intelligence (AI) has become one of the most discussed topics in the field of education. However, it has become an equally important learning approach in contemporary education to propose a "general education" agenda that conveys instructional messages about AI basics and ethics, especially for those students without an engineering background. The current study proposes a situated learning design for education on this topic. Through a three-week lesson session and accompanying learning activities, the participants undertook hands-on tasks relating to AI. They were also afforded the opportunity to learn about the current attributes of AI and how these may apply to understanding AI-related ethical issues or problems in daily life. A pre- and post-test design was used to compare the learning effects with respect to different aspects of AI (e.g., AI understanding, cross-domain teamwork, AI attitudes, and AI ethics) among the participants. The study found a positive correlation among all the factors, as well as a strong link between AI understanding and attitudes on the one hand and AI ethics on the other. The implications of these findings are discussed, and suggestions are made for possible future revisions to current instructional design and for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this comparative analysis, the cases of Taiwan and Colombia display two paths for designing a natural sciences curriculum related to quality education goals. Their differences are based on their central concepts, definitions of learning stages, delimitations of cross-subjects and cores of scientific knowledge, and alignment with international assessments. The core practices in Taiwanese curriculum guidelines are to develop inquiries, research, and experimentations to promote scientific literacy and citizenship. In contrast, the core Colombian practices construct explanations based on scientific ideas, gathering information, and using evidence. Between both countries, there is also a concordance over practices related to obtaining and communicating information. These results show the importance of curriculum policy factors such as epistemological definitions, diagnostics and representations of social expectations, alignment instruments, curriculum definitions, and design criteria of teaching processes. The differences between national curriculum policies are identified in a comparative strategy of contexts, medium-term processes to reform the national education systems or schooling features. Curriculum guidelines respond to their intellectual traditions, theoretical and pedagogical influences, and current requirements of policies. These criteria allow for the identification of cooperative issues in specific areas of science education between both countries, such as teacher education, technological and pedagogical knowledge, and curriculum alignment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The flipped classroom approach is an emerging instructional approach that integrates digital technology. This approach has been applied in several fields, and it has demonstrated considerably higher learning effectiveness than conventional teaching modes. Common problems in its implementation that directly or indirectly affect learning effectiveness include students' low intention to preview learning materials and low class participation. To overcome these problems, the present study sought to increase students' intention to preview learning materials and participate in class through the implementation of educational activities integrated with an incentivisation system using a virtual currency and the provision of handouts. Students in two programming classes in the information management department of the participating university were divided into the experimental and control groups. The intention to preview learning materials, levels of class participation, and learning effectiveness were all significantly higher in the experimental group than in the control group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a feature of local cultural heritage, historical garden sites should not only focus on landscape sightseeing, but should also champion the sustainability of cultural heritage and promote the local community's wellbeing. This article uses the landscape narrative method to explore how the local public, with both professional and non-professional backgrounds, manages the cultural heritage and enhances its sustainability. Qing Yan Yuan is a historical garden site in Huai'an, Jiangsu Province, China, and constitutes the research area of this study. This article firstly conducts in-depth interviews with local residents with non-professional backgrounds; then, it collects relevant information from professionals, such as introductions, comments, news, periodicals, etc.; finally, it adopts the content analysis method to decode, summarize and sort out accordingly. Through the analysis of landscape narrative data, this paper found that three cultural heritage value strategies are used by the public: (1) origin landscape narrative; (2) functional landscape narrative; (3) meaningful landscape narrative. The origin landscape narrative is the expression of a cultural heritage value of "past presentation"; the functional landscape narrative is a cultural heritage value of "place identity"; the meaningful landscape narrative shows a cultural heritage value of "future education"; all these together constitute the local public subjective conception of the sustainability of cultural heritage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to manage the worrying predicament of declining global birth rates, a majority of higher-education institutions have commenced to institute a series of diversified strategies in order to make higher-education sustainability count. The aim of this research is to present the results of a study with the goal of helping educational institutions achieve their sustainability. As a succession of quantitative and qualitative analyses and measurements, there are four valuable and contributive findings in this research. First, total tuition and miscellaneous revenues (TTMR), total university–industry cooperative revenues (TUCIR) and total grants from government (TGG) of higher-education governance (HEG) were able to directly and effectively increase higher-education sustainable value. This definitively indicates that current higher-education students and staff, as well as higher-education experts and professionals, indeed agree that the tuition and miscellaneous fees, university–industry cooperative, and government grant revenues have become the most critical determinants of university environment social governance (UESG). This is because the majority of higher-education institutions do need these revenue resources to advance a succession of environmental protections, social responsibilities, and governance performance for current higher-education institution sustainability development. Second, comprehensive scale of QS rankings (CS-QS) was the most important key determinant to evaluate the university social responsibility development (USRD), which means the majority of higher-education institutions have to pay more attention on the comprehensive scale of QS rankings (CS-QS) in order to make more sustainability count. The third finding is the number of student's publications (NSP), which was the most crucial key determinant to assay return on investments (ROI), meaning current higher-education students, staff, experts, and professionals consent to higher-education institutions having to establish an evaluated system for student's publications to stimulate students to publish their diversified studying outcomes in order to make students recognize their growth after taking courses in higher education. The last finding is total tuition and miscellaneous revenues (TTMR) was the most momentous key determinant to control high education governance (HEG), which means current higher-education students, staff, experts, and professionals are concerned with the various governance performances of their tuition and miscellaneous fees. As for the future direction, there are still some evaluated criteria and assessed methods to be comprehensively considered and employed for inducing in-depth conclusions and findings with higher research reliability and validity without time limitations and resource restrictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(1) Background: Critical thinking, CT, contributes to success in both career and higher education, and may be more important than professional content knowledge. Nevertheless, it is challenging to cultivate CT in a standalone course, especially for the engineering students who think less critically than those in other colleges. (2) Methods: This research incorporated CT concept into 18 weeks curriculum of Engineering·ethics and Society course, with the assistance of collaborative learning process for formative assessment and problem-based learning for summative assessment, in addition to 3 questionnaires to evaluate the progress in CT and collaboration. (3) Results: Both measurements in CT and collaboration improved significantly. In general, the participants enjoyed the course materials and thought these CT and values infused course activities were helpful to the learning. On the other hand, CT was also the most noticeable problem. About one over every five participants lacked the habit to think, while 17% of participants were afraid of complex questions to think. In addition, 10% doubted their CT skills. It concludes that total 46% participants thought CT is their most crucial shortage. (4) Conclusions: the pretest demonstrated the CT of the participants was below the college norm; fortunately, the assistance of the social interaction, including team work practices, peer evaluation, and pressure to push individuals work harder and think deeper, did promote their CT cognitive development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 3rd Eurasian Conference on Educational Innovation 2020 (ECEI 2020) was held in Hanoi, Vietnam from 5–7 February 2020. The Special Issue "Selected Papers from the Eurasian Conference on Educational Innovation 2020" selected excellent papers from ECEI 2020 about the topics of education and awareness of sustainability. There were 36 papers published in this Special Issue from 366 papers presented at ECEI 2020. The topics of published papers are relative to educational innovation, socioeconomic, scientific, cultural, and social sustainability, and integrated approaches to sustainable development. The aim is to encourage the attendees of ECEI 2020 to publish their novel experimental and theoretical research relating to educational innovation and awareness of sustainability in this Special Issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study argues that the coupling between higher education, economic growth, and innovation ability is of great significance for regional sustainable development. Through the experience of Jiangsu Province in China, this study establishes a coupling coordination evaluation index system and applies the coupling coordination model to evaluate interactive relationships among the three. It finds that during 2007–2017, the level of coupling of 13 prefecture-level cities in Jiangsu was increasing over time, which fully verified the previous scholars' view that the three can improve each other over a long period. However, this study finds that there are obvious differences within Jiangsu. Inadequate investment in higher education has become a crucial constraint on sustainable economic growth in northern and central Jiangsu, which are backward regions of Jiangsu. By contrast, in southern Jiangsu, which is the advanced region of Jiangsu, although the resources of higher education are abundant the growth of innovation ability cannot support sustained economic growth well. Thus, the quality of higher education should be improved to meet the needs of the innovation-based economy. Accordingly, cross-regional cooperation and balanced investment in higher education are the keys to practicing a balanced and sustained regional development. The results of this study's coupling coordination analysis and evaluation can serve as a reference for governments in enhancing regional sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2019 IEEE Eurasia Conference on Biomedical Engineering, Healthcare, and Sustainability (IEEE ECBIOS 2019) was held in Okinawa, Japan on 31 May–3 June 2019, and provided a unified communication platform for researchers in the fields of biomedical engineering, healthcare, and sustainability. Recently, healthcare has undergone a sector-wide transformation thanks to advances in computing, networking technologies, big data, and artificial intelligence. Healthcare is not only changing from being reactive and hospital-centered to preventive and personalized, but it is also changing from being disease focused to well-being centered. Healthcare systems, as well as fundamental medicine research, are becoming smarter and enabled in biomedical engineering. Furthermore, with cutting edge sensors and computer technologies, healthcare delivery could also yield better efficiency, higher quality, and lower cost. This Special Issue on "Selected Papers from the 2019 IEEE Eurasia Conference on Biomedical Engineering, Healthcare, and Sustainability (IEEE ECBIOS 2019)" is expected to select excellent papers that were presented in IEEE ECBIOS 2019 on the topic of sustainability. It will link several disciplines, including the environmental, cultural, economic, and social sustainability of human beings, which provide an advanced forum for studies related to sustainability and sustainable development. Our aim is to encourage scientists to publish their experimental and theoretical research relating to natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities in as much detail as possible in order to promote scientific predictions and impact assessments of global change and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Second Eurasian Conference on Educational Innovation 2019 (ECEI 2019) was held in Singapore, 25–27 January 2019, and provided a communication platform for researchers on the topic of educational innovations. This conference aims to enable interdisciplinary collaboration between educators and experts from other areas in the academic and industrial fields, as well as international networking. Sustainability is an international and cross-disciplinary scholarly, open access journal on environmental, cultural, economic and social sustainability of human beings, which provides an advanced forum for studies related to sustainability and sustainable development. It encourages researchers to publish their experimental and theoretical research relating to natural sciences, social sciences and humanities in as much detail as possible in order to promote scientific predictions and impact assessments of global change and development. This Special Issue, "Selected Papers from the 2nd Eurasian Conference on Educational Innovation 2019", aims to invite excellent papers from ECEI 2019 about the topics of education and awareness of sustainability. The aim is to encourage the attendees of ECEI 2019 to publish their experimental and theoretical research relating to educational innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]