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DL 57/2016/CP1453/CT0066 UIDB/00183/2020 UIDP/00183/2020 The Covid-19 pandemic has presented an opportunity for rethinking assumptions about education in general and higher education in particular. In the light of the general crisis the pandemic caused, especially when it comes to the so-called emergency remote teaching (ERT), educators from all grades and contexts experienced the necessity of rethinking their roles, the ways of supporting the students’ learning tasks and the image of students as self-organising learners, active citizens and autonomous social agents. In our first Postdigital Science and Education paper, we sought to distil and share some expert advice for campus-based university teachers to adapt to online teaching and learning. In this sequel paper, we ask ourselves: Now that campus-based university teachers have experienced the unplanned and forced version of Online Learning and Teaching (OLT), how can this experience help bridge the gap between online and in-person teaching in the following years? The four experts, also co-authors of this paper, interviewed aligning towards an emphasis on pedagogisation rather than digitalisation of higher education, with strategic decision-making being in the heart of post-pandemic practices. Our literature review of papers published in the last year and analysis of the expert answers reveal that the ‘forced’ experience of teaching with digital technologies as part of ERT can gradually give place to a harmonious integration of physical and digital tools and methods for the sake of more active, flexible and meaningful learning. publishersversion published

The project “European Short Learning Programmes” (E-SLP) aims at developing networked Short Learning Programmes, which answer societal needs and provide flexibility to learners. Within the project SLPs are understood as short-term academic programs situated between singular learning units and more extensive academic programs. They offer academic training for selected topics that are of high relevance to certain target groups or introduce new skills that are highly relevant for primarily lifelong/adult learners in employment (D.2.1 E-SLP). A Short Learning Programme (SLP) is an educational programme with a sequenced set of components (units, modules or other learning building blocks). It is offered by Higher Education Institutions at EQF levels 4 to 8 (foundation, bachelor, master and doctoral). It is usually awarded with a (micro) credential and can be used as stackable elements of larger qualifications, (e.g. bachelor degree). It should be worth 5 to 30 ECTs. It can be market driven and focused on the needs of society. It is normally targeted at non-traditional and adult learners. A SLP can either be online or blended. It must be flexible and scalable. It can be recognised and preferably accredited, and can relate to larger formal degree (WP5 - one page summary). The aim of these “Design Guidelines for Flexible and Scalable SLPs” is to help the creation and development of SLPs at Meso and Micro level. They illustrate how to design flexible, scalable, accessible and relevant SLPs for users and groups of users. As it is relatively new, design principles are evolving and as front-runner the E-SLP project is the trailblazer. Using online SLPs to go beyond a regional design to national and international design. These “Design Guidelines for Flexible and Scalable SLPs” have been produced, as part of the E-SLP project. Data was collected from an internal report: “Compendium of Good Practices” (D 4.1 E-SLP), which was drafted from the findings of a survey collecting information on the design of 22 SLPs supported by the detailed interviews of 8 of these SLPs. This report gathered evidence of design good practices in existing SLPs and revealed possible progress that could be made. These improvements have evolved into guidelines, which focus on how to design SLPs that correspond to the parameters of the E-SLP project. These guidelines are, furthermore, based on results from reports published by collaborating partners: WP2, WP3, WP5 and on academic literature. This is the second version of the “Design Guidelines for Flexible and Scalable SLPs”, it was updated once the SLPs’ pilots were designed. A WP6 survey gathered feedback on the pilot design process and possible issues encountered. This enabled us to gather and include further information on the creative experience in this revised version (V2). The Guidelines are devided in 2 parts, the first one addresses topics of macro-design while the second concentrates on micro-design. It then provides an assessment template for existing SLPs, thus enabling universities to check whether their short learning programmes fit the general criteria of the E-SLPs, as well as numerous templates and methodological instruments in annexes. The target audience for these guidelines ranges from programme directors to educational staff (supporting the development of educational programmes), to management staff (dealing with educational policies) and to lecturers and professors. To facilitate its use, tags with the relevant target audience are displayed in the left margin of each section. nonPeerReviewed

With the intensive development of ICT and rapidly growing outbound tourism markets, the concept of smart tourism has been mentioned increasingly over the past several years. However, this concept is still not well grounded in theory, which makes it difficult to comprehend and even more complicated to implement in practice. To better understand the concept and provide tangible mechanisms for implementing it, this paper addresses some of its key aspects and provides a theoretical framework and guidelines for the development of a general model of information system that would serve the development and management of a smart tourism destination.

YOLOv5 is one of the latest and often used versions of a very popular deep learning neural network used for various machine learning tasks, mainly in computer vision. The YOLO algorithm has steadily gained acceptance in the data science community due to its superior performance in complex and noisy data environments, availability, and ease of use in combination with widely used programming languages such as Python. This paper aims to compare different versions of the YOLOv5 model using an everyday image dataset and to provide researchers with precise suggestions for selecting the optimal model for a given problem type. The obtained results and the implemented YOLOv5 models are available for non-commercial use at: https://github.com/mhorvat/YOLOv5-models-comparison

This paper presents a study conducted within an international project to investigate the experiences of higher education (HE) teachers with the shift to digital teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study was based on a survey conducted among HE teachers (n = 167) in autumn 2021 in four European countries: Spain, Portugal, Finland and Croatia. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to investigate the differences in responses with respect to the country and the study field, with more significant differences found among the countries than among the study fields. The results will contribute to a MOOC for teachers’ professional development.

After the first lockdown at universities in March and April 2020 due to the onset of the COVID- 19 pandemic numerous studies have been conducted to investigate the effects of the pandemic circumstances on teaching and learning at higher education institutions (HEIs), as well as on their students and teachers. This paper briefly outlines the results of international studies that were performed during the pandemic, as well as some findings from surveys performed at the national level in Croatia, and at the level of one HEI in Croatia. The main focus of this paper is on students’ satisfaction with online and hybrid instruction, their evaluation of various replacements for on-site (face to face) teaching, their preference for on-site, online and hybrid (partly onsite, partly online) teaching, the obstacles/barriers to online teaching, as well as on its advantages during the COVID-19 pandemic. An empirical pilot study was performed with students enrolled in two university courses (N=70) that investigated in more detail the effects of hybrid instruction on students’ satisfaction, preferences for online content delivery, flexibility in course attendance (on-site vs. online), and possible reasons for students’ inclination toward online teaching and learning. The main finding of the pilot study was that students’ preference for online delivery of instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic may have been predominantly grounded on practical and pragmatic reasons.

The constant need for harmonization and improvement of competencies in changing labour market conditions leads to an increased need for standard definition/description for particular occupation. An occupational standard is a document that outlines the competencies required for a specific job. It is generated using a well-defined methodology and data collection. This article describes the process of developing occupational standards in four areas: 1) management of information security and privacy systems, 2) distributed and interactive systems, 3) management of business system transformation and innovation, and 4) data technology and artificial intelligence.

In this work-in-progress article we present our initial attempt in building a streamed 3D holographic game engine. Game streaming technology provides the opportunity to use cloud-based resources like advanced graphic processors to play computer games on low-cost end-user devices. Holographic games are a relatively new technology which provides a new way of experiencing multimedia and games but are currently a high-cost. Herein we present a prototype game streaming engine we have built that allows us to stream holographic games to consoles based on Peppers’s Ghost pyramids which emulates a holographic display.

Digital transformation in higher education leads to new digital services for stakeholders, particularly students. The importance of service quality and quality assurance is particularly emphasised in the shift to the "digital-first" or "digitalonly" mode. In that context, the paper focuses on the multidimensionality of digital services in higher education and the subdimension of information quality based on the feedback from over 561 students in Croatia.

Companies in today's market, especially in the service sector, require constant monitoring and adaptation to the more dynamic needs and desires of their customers. Therefore, companies use all their resources to achieve their goals and competitive advantage. This paper shows a theoretical review of CRM concept with a focus on the telecommunications industry and the results of quantitative research conducted through a questionnaire, on a purposive sample, a sample of experts. The aim of this paper is to show, whether there is a difference in the perception of CRM by 170 employees at different managerial levels in selected telecommunications companies in Croatia.

In this paper, we present the preliminary results of testing an adaptive learning system on tablet computers developed for mathematics classes in the lower grades of primary school. The developed system consists of two parts: the mobile application for repetition and revision of math exercises, and an administrative interface, through which teachers can create new tasks, monitor students’ progress, and analyse the results of each student. The adaptivity algorithm, based on various available information, assesses the current knowledge level of each student and populates a list of next tasks with ones of appropriate difficulty. The preliminary study was conducted with a small class of third-grade students, and the results show that the adaptivity algorithm generally successfully assessed the students' knowledge level (the level which coincides with the teacher's assessment). Exceptions and border case issues are analysed in detail, and improvements to the algorithm are suggested.

Mostly pushed by the maturity of information and communication technology (ICT) and readiness of customers to embrace the change, the software engineering organizations (the Organizations) have built their businesses, engineering teams and managers around culture, working processes and methodological frameworks scaled mainly for onsite work, accompanied with managerial (authoritative or delegator) influence style. With already present lack of available software engineers (SE’s), new era for software engineering managers begun with the need for response to change called “COVID-19”. Relying on their experience gathered in years long projects, authors are analyzing challenges that the Software Engineering Project Manager (PM) is faced while delivering software project with a group of SE’s, working together in geographically distributed environment.

In recent years new technologies for DNA sequence widened research of the roles of tandem repeats in eukaryotes, especially ones that are located in centromere region in chromosomes because of their importance for chromosome segregation, microtubule attachment to kinetochores and, as recently showed, their role in some diseases such as cancers. For identification of tandem repeats and higher order repeats (HORs) we use Global Repeat Map (GRM) algorithm and AlphaSub (ASu) algorithm, developed at Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb. Here we present some illustrative results obtained using this tool. Based on analysis of DNA sequences, we create a database including information on location, length and divergence for alpha satellite arrays and HORs in human, Neanderthal and chimpanzee genomes (at link http://genom.hazu.hr). We summarize analysis of alpha satellite HORs for human Y chromosome, as well as for some other HORs identified in human and other primates’ chromosome 1 with novel comparison of ~1.6 kb monomer units in them. We also show preliminary results of GRM analysis of three breast cancer exomes. In this respect, we emphasize a need for employing new sequencing methods to determine complete genome assemblies for identification of more precise HOR structures.

In this paper we provide a game development perspective on Digital twins (DTs) with emphasis on smart and autonomous vehicles. A DT which comprises a virtual representation of some systems’ throughout its lifecycle and used real- time input, simulation, reasoning and machine learning to allow for decision making about the actual system is described as an agent or actor inside a simulated (game) environment. We provide a conceptual model for the development of DTs within an orchestration platform for hybrid artificial intelligence services that is being developed for complex game engines.

Threat modeling is a structured information generating process that begins early in the development life cycle to identify potential security threats to a system being built. Threat modeling for medical devices is a relatively new area of research. The medical device industry recognizes the benefits of performing threat modeling throughout the product life cycle by adopting threat modeling to systematically uncover threats and proactively develop secure medical devices. This paper presents the results of an integrative literature review of 26 relevant studies. A total of 32 threat modeling methods and approaches in the medical device industry were identified and systematized.

In this study, we have examined secondary school teachers' perceptions about the benefits and challenges of using educational humanoid robots in their teaching processes and their connection with the subject fields. In this regard, a survey was conducted among 154 Croatian secondary school teachers, almost none of whom were users of educational humanoid robots in the teaching process. The results of the research presented in this paper can contribute to understanding the factors of adopting educational humanoid robots by secondary school teachers and developing strategies for implementing this innovative educational technology.

In this paper we present a systematic literature review of studies related to digital maturity of schools. The focus is on the identification of the most significant papers from the field of digital maturity of schools, essential elements of digital maturity frameworks and their validation, as well as the connection with other sectors related to the school. The analysis shows that ICT infrastructure is an important but not sufficient element for digital transformation. Digital transformation is also influenced by digital competences of schools’ employees, use of ICT in teaching and learning and administration, and the strategic approach to digital transformation.

Organizational transformation is an integral part of implementing, joining, or adopting digital platforms in platform-based ecosystems. Insights into the perspective of digital platform providers presented in this paper aim to contribute to understanding the digital platform providers’ intention to implement their solution for supporting platform-based business models and operations. This research is motivated by the scarce existing literature on this matter and based on the application of qualitative data- extraction and assessment methods for identifying concepts that define the role of DP providers. Ten factors describing providers perspective were identified and which are related to previous factors describing other stakeholders’ intentions as well. By evaluating their capabilities across the conceptual model presented in this paper, providers can assess their readiness to implement DP and thereby evaluate perceived values and risks impacting their intention to implement a DP.

The development of virtual reality has been very intensive in recent years. Available systems combined together with very fast wireless communication networks have reached industry-level robustness and are being used more and more in industry, and not only for entertainment. One of the important areas for application is also the transport sector. In the transport sector, virtual reality-based systems improve the schooling of vehicle operators, serve as driver assistant systems, guide workers in warehouses and enable visualization of complex traffic solutions. This paper gives a short overview of the current state and application of virtual reality in the transport sector.

The COVID-19 pandemic put the educational system in front of a big challenge, which required an immediate transition to distance learning and digitalization of teaching. Teaching and learning were transferred to virtual classrooms, which required a complete adjustment of the educational system. The aim of research is to examine the legal regulation of individual protection in the digital (educational) environment, at macro and micro level. The examination at the macro level implies a qualitative analysis of the relevant legislation. At the micro level on a representative sample of primary and secondary schools (N=303) documentation analysis was conducted to examined whether schools have regulated this matter internally. The results indicate insufficient legal and internal (only 5%) regulation of safe and responsible use of ICT.

Gamification represents the introduction of computer game related concepts into other, not game related processes in order to foster motivation of participants. There have been numerous studies which have shown that gamification can and should be applied to various aspects of mobility and have provided promising results in encouraging smart and sustainable forms of transportation. Herein, we provide an overview of these studies. Nevertheless, only particular aspects of gamification have been applied so far and there are still many more methods that gamification has to offer. Thus, we provide a roadmap of possible application areas in future developments.

Supply chains (SC) are the heart of global trade. Shortening the routing distance, lower transport and distribution costs, the global connection between countries and partners, as well as worldwide customer supply, are just a few of the major advantages of the global supply chains. However, like every other global process, supply chains also face obstacles in their continuity. One of the recent, bigger disruptions (DISR) happened when the Ever Given container vessel got stranded in the Suez Canal causing a global blockade of the customer supply. A question arises if such an incident would have been prevented if there was less impact of a human hand and greater use of digital technology in the supply process itself. This paper aims to show how the usage of digital technologies can improve the quality and continuity of the supply chains, prevent disruptions such as the Suez Canal blockade and prove that digital transformation is the future of a high-quality distribution process.

This research is a continuation of previous research in which two instruments for analyzing the individuals’ decision-making styles are applied to the population of students. The first is the Rowe instrument (used to identify the dominant decision-making style among analytical, behavioral, conceptual, and directive). The second is Scott & Bruce instrument (used to identify the dominant decision-making style among rational, intuitive, spontaneous, dependent, and avoidant styles). Now again, both were applied to a new sample. However, in both cases, we talk about the army and business students from the same faculties. The first sample was collected in 2020 (before COVID-19), and the second was collected in 2022 (after the COVID-19). We used descriptive statistics, t-tests with one- way ANOVA, and the χ2 test in the data analysis. We analyzed the two samples separately and made the analysis on the joint sample, and finally, we analyzed some subsets. Significant differences were not identified in many cases, but not in all. The distribution of 2022 students per Rowe's dominant decision styles differs significantly from that of students in 2020. The distribution of 2022 army students per Bruce & Scott's dominant decision styles is significantly different from the distribution of 2020 army students. There are significant differences in dominant decision-making styles using Scott & Bruce’s instrument in students with respect to high school education and type of students.

The central topic of this research paper is virtual team performance in an academic context in which students use communication platforms to perform their tasks. The Task-Technology Fit model and various aspects of communication quality and usability of communication tools were used as a theoretical framework as they are considered to be important for the virtual team performance, but still understudied in that context. This paper presents a preliminary evaluation of a measurement instrument that was used to analyse processes in virtual teams in a university setting. Participants were university graduates in software engineering (N=64) who collaborated in virtual teams and extensively used various communication applications for their task related activities. The results confirmed the reliability and validity of the scales of our measurement instrument and revealed that communication quality was the most influential and statistically significant predictor of perceived performance in virtual teams.

Modern plagiarism detection tools calculate the percentage of the similarity between two given source code files. In academia, the process of checking for potential plagiarized students solutions can be challenging in terms of resources due to the large number of combinations between many students. In such conditions, the reliability of plagiarism detection tools may be put to risk. Every plagiarism detection tool produces a similarity report as files containing the results of the analysis for each pair of analyzed source code files. While such a report is useful for a one-time checking, sometimes it is needed to store the result data for future use. In our previous work, the results were stored in a relational database and a list of relevant queries was defined for meaningful analysis. Nevertheless, the large number of pair-wise impacts the storage and query execution speeds. In this paper, we present a solution to this problem by importing the similarity analysis data into a graph database and evaluate the difference in the query execution speed between a graph and a relational database.

The paper presents the results of performing a systematic literature review process aiming to answer which ISO standards and metrics are used for software quality assessment and which are their area of application. The review was performed on 696 original scientific studies. After applying inclusion criteria, 32 papers were filtered that dealt with this topic. Results of performed review were 8 identified software quality standards with different areas of application. Also, 62 metrics were identified for software quality assessment with corresponding software quality attributes. These metrics are divided into two groups for product quality assessment and for quality in use assessment. In the context of product quality 42 metrics were identified and 20 metrics for quality in use assessment.

Nowadays, mostly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, digital technology and the Internet have taken a very important role and become an integral part of the life of almost every individual. What happens to those who, for any reason, are still unable to participate in a society that actively uses digital technology and the Internet, especially those who belong to vulnerable groups of the population? Numerous studies have shown that these circumstances lead to social exclusion. The aim of this paper is to present a methodology for development of an instrument for measuring needs of vulnerable groups in terms of digital inclusion. The instrument was created as a part of the project Digitalna.hr, implemented by the Croatian Digital Literacy Network. It can be used to collect data on the state of digital inclusion of vulnerable groups in a population. Such data are necessary for formulating recommendations and measures for building public policies and strategies, as well as their implementation and enforcement by regional and local government, in order to include this segment of the population in the digital society.

The aim of the research is to demonstrate author’s intention of designing a successful high school freshmen course that can improve students’ generic skills and competences needed to empower them on a journey to become valuable contributors of modern society. Even in global COVID-19 pandemic circumstances, when all education went on-line. Whole six-year educational journey is documented and explained through two type of students’ surveys, one official, institutional and the authors one, proving some good initial and pandemic Course design decisions. In discussion part some authors recommendations and further challenges are opened.

Biometric authentication has become one of the most popular ways of protecting information, with techniques such as “face unlocking” becoming more and more prevalent. For the purpose of authentication, a face image needs to be saved in the form of a template. To ensure that our information is protected, biometric face template protection methods have been created. In this paper we will present an overview of template protection methods, show their effectiveness and their uses.