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Fragmented connectivity in South Africa is the dominant barrier for digitising initiatives. New insights surfaced when a university-based nursing programme introduced tablets within a supportive network learning environment. A qualitative, explorative design investigated adult nurses' experiences of the realities when moving from paper-based learning towards using tablets within a blended learning environment. Purposive sampling was applied. 45 (N) participants were included, each receiving a preloaded tablet (15 running on iOS, 15 on Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean and 15 on Windows® 8 operating systems), being WiFi-dependent, integrated into a supportive learning network. Participants completed eleven compulsory Internet-based activities. Three reflective focus groups with 18 (n) participants concluded the project. Through self-empowerment and supportive environment, students adopted seamlessly, overcame network and resource-related challenges. Valuable lessons were learned within the digital divide, integrate tablets into distance learning from a resilient and pragmatic approach.

This paper investigates the integration of blockchain technology into core systems within institutions of higher education, utilizing the National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework as a guiding framework. It supplies definitions of key terminology including blockchain, consensus mechanisms, decentralized identity, and smart contracts, and examines the application of secure blockchain across various educational functions such as enrollment management, degree auditing, and award processing. Each facet of the NIST Framework is utilized to explore the integration of blockchain technology and address persistent security concerns. The paper contributes to the literature by defining blockchain technology applications and opportunities within the education sector.

While computational biology and bioinformatics became an inherent part of most life science degrees, it remains challenging to encourage students to employ these diverse skills in a practical research context. In this education paper, we present a method to enable students to acquire hands-on skills by the data-driven study of complex biomolecular datasets. The course starts with a series of introductory lectures, including a practical session on Cytoscape and associated computational network biology techniques. As we believe that enabling students to work on their own research questions will increase their motivation and interest, we introduced a recent hallmark virus-host protein-protein interaction article from which the database served as a starting point for the students to develop their research goal, which was presented and discussed in a first informal meeting. Over the next two months, about four interactive sessions were held, where students presented their problems, progress and challenges and exchanged ideas to help each other reach their goals. The role of the lecturers was to assist the students with independently collecting data and exploring new software tools for their research question. We present this concept and methods, and we share our experiences from an evaluation of the student learning outcomes.

There is a growing realization on the part of lawmakers, policy experts and practitioners that cyber risks and threat vectors constitute a critical and strategic challenge for all outer space operations. Stakeholders' professional attention and resources are beginning to focus on measures for mitigating these risks and threats. Space-based activities depend on the reliable functionality of computer systems and the wireless communications connecting them through use of the electromagnetic spectrum resource – all of which constitute parts of the infrastructure of cyberspace both on Earth and in space. Thus, cyber risks and vulnerabilities arise in all aspects of outer space operations: satellite launches and their orbital telemetry, tracking, and control (TTC); operational communications (space-to-space, earth-to-space and space-to-earth); and other spectrum-dependent space transmissions. Additional cyber vulnerabilities are present in the terrestrial systems supporting space operations, including launch systems and supply chains for dedicated equipment and services. The mitigation of such cyber threats and vulnerabilities in the more traditional terrestrial context is a rapidly developing area of law and policy aiming to counter the activities of malicious cyber actors whether they are criminals, States or hostile ideological groups. On the one hand, the threat mitigation aspects of cybersecurity have by no means been resolved, as hostile actors use increasingly sophisticated means to achieve their ends. On the other, progress has been made with respect to measures and best practices recognized as critical to boosting cybersecurity for space activities. This article focuses on one of these: information sharing (IS) among trusted participants in a secure platform designed for sharing actionable cybersecurity data. The primary goal of such sharing is to reduce the informational asymmetry between the attacker and the target, whether the latter is a State, private company, or other entity. Cyber attackers leverage their knowledge of the target's vulnerabilities, and only need to be right on one occasion to cause operational, financial, and/or reputational damage that may impair the long-term functionality of the targeted entity. Yet when a group of potential targets can reliably share data on cyber risks and measures to counter them, the informational asymmetry is reduced, and cybersecurity improved. Several conditions exist for optimizing IS which provides actionable information, and for ensuring that trust is developed and maintained among IS participants. Finally, in the context of outer space-related cybersecurity threats, the paper argues that IS proves critical because of two elements: the aggravated asymmetry of cyber threat vectors in outer space, and their distinctive space-related characteristics. • There is a growing realization that cyber risks and threat vectors constitute a critical and strategic challenge for all outer space operations. • Stakeholders' professional attention and resources are focusing on measures for mitigating these risks and threats. • Space-based activities depend on the reliability of computer systems and their wireless connection, – which constitute the infrastructure of cyberspaceon Earth and in space. • Cyber risks and vulnerabilities arise in all aspects of outer space operations, andadditional. • Cyber vulnerabilities are present in the terrestrial systems supporting them. • Several conditions exist for optimizing IS which is actionable, and for ensuring that trust is maintained among IS participants. • Several conditions exist for optimizing IS which is actionable, and for ensuring that trust is maintained among IS participants. • Information sharing for outer space cybersecurity is critical because of the aggravated asymmetry of cyber threat vectors in space and their distinctive space-related characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper employs BP Neural Network (BPNN) theory to evaluate innovation and entrepreneurship education in universities. It utilizes students' evaluation indexes as input vectors and determines the number of hidden layer neurons. Experimental results serve as output vectors. The BPNN method proves reasonable and feasible for vocational education course evaluation, exhibiting a 14.96% higher accuracy than traditional genetic algorithms. The paper discusses the model, configuration, characteristics, training process, algorithm enhancement, and limitations of neural networks, followed by an introduction to genetic algorithms. Through analysis of principles, basic operations, and common operators, it establishes a theoretical foundation for subsequent discussions.

Purpose: Inclusive growth in the education sector is still a major challenge in some countries because of limited access to technologies and internet connectivity, among other reasons. However, as a technology, augmented reality (AR) is expected to be widely used in the field of education in the future. The main purpose of this paper is to explore the use of AR for inclusive growth in education as well as identify the challenges, particularly in countries like India and Tanzania. Design/methodology/approach: This paper applies a systematic literature review by analysing and synthesising relevant documents, mainly journal articles, books and conference papers. Descriptive statistics and cross-tabulation were used for the analysis. Content analysis was used to evaluate the contents of the reviewed literature. Findings: For the use of AR, it is important to have adequate digital infrastructure, access to universal internet or broadband facilities and the digital empowerment of citizens. Major challenges to inclusive growth in education include the lack of trained teacher educators and students' preference for practical or project-based curriculum. Practical implications: Practitioners in both countries may consider the use of AR for inclusive growth in education. Originality/value: This paper specifically examines the use of AR in higher education and the related challenges based on a review of two countries, namely India and Tanzania.

Purpose: This paper evaluated the effectiveness of blended learning of business courses in higher learning institutions (HEIs) in developing economies. Design/methodology/approach: A survey, involving 215 learners, was used to collect data. A stratified sampling technique was used in this study. The data were analyzed using the PROCESS macro in SPSS. Findings: In the blended learning approach, student attitudes, social presence, IT infrastructure and flexible learning are all favorable predictors of learner satisfaction. The impact of blended learning on learner satisfaction is further mediated by IT infrastructure, social presence and learner attitude. Practical implications: HEIs need to invest in planning and resource mobilization in order to realize several benefits derived from the use of blended learning. For optimal learning outcomes, this should be combined with training on IT infrastructure usage for both facilitators and learners. In order to assist learners in developing competencies through consistent use, institutions should also invest in tailored blended learning technologies. In addition, emphasis should be placed on training all actors in order to better manage change. Originality/value: This paper presents and ranks several dimensions for blended learning success in low-budget universities. In addition, the study contributes to the understanding of intervening variables necessary for enhancing the potential of pedagogy in maximizing learner satisfaction.

Computers and other digital communication media have replaced paper and pencil from the writer's desk. This development has confronted special collections with a problem, as digital papers are difficult to process using established digital preservation strategies, because of their individual and unique nature. According to the proposal suggested in this paper, the creators should instead be involved in the preservation process, and special collections should integrate pre-custodial forms of curation within their range of tasks. The article outlines the use of a cloud architecture as a suitable instrument for accomplishing this task. The benefits and the prospects for such a collection cloud are exposed and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many studies have recently focused on the importance of the effective integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools in science education and the need for science teachers to receive adequate training and support to use them effectively. This paper aims to explore the Albanian science teachers' perceptions and use of ICTs in teaching processes. The study provides an interpretative analysis of the opinions of science teachers teaching in the middle and high schools of several Albanian regions expressed in an online survey. Overall, the results suggest that the use of ICT by science teachers in Albania is limited by a lack of proper infrastructure, limited access to technology, and training of teachers on integrating technology. However, there are indications that the adoption of ICT in science education may increase in the future, particularly after the boost from the COVID-19 pandemic emergency.

This paper introduces a Patron Counting and Analysis (PCA) system that leverages Wi-Fi-connection data to monitor space utilization and analyze visitor patterns in academic libraries. The PCA system offers real-time crowding information to the public and a comprehensive visitor analysis dashboard for library administrators. The system's development was driven by the need for occupancy restrictions during the pandemic, ensuring a spacious environment for library visitors as well as balancing between efficient utilization and adhering to social distancing regulations. Traditional methods of patron behavior performance and library spatial analysis, such as manual head counting or card-swiping systems, often incur additional costs for labor, hardware installation, or software subscription. The PCA system, however, utilizes existing Wi-Fi-connection data, providing a cost-effective solution to represent patron demographics and spatial usage. Limitations may arise when patrons do not carry Wi-Fi-enabled devices or during periods of low Wi-Fi service functionality. Implemented in Node.js and integrated with Python Flask framework and related libraries, the PCA system was piloted at the King Library in Miami University, successfully demonstrating a high validity compared to manually collected data. It filters out noise and redundancy, visualizes the occupancy index meter in real time, and generates statistical reports by linking user IDs with demographic information. The PCA system's reliability was validated through manually head counting data collected at the King Library in Miami University, establishing it as a reliable tool for library space management and patron analysis.

Hardware security is one of the most researched areas in the field of security. It focuses on discovering and understanding attacks and countermeasures for electronic hardware that provides the "root-of-trust" for modern computing systems upon which the software stack is built. The increasing reliance on electronic devices in our everyday life has also escalated the risks of experiencing security threats on these technologies. Students today are exposed to these devices and thus require a hands-on learning experience to be aware of the threats, solutions, and future research challenges in hardware security. Currently, there are limited opportunities for students to learn and understand hardware security. A significant factor limiting exposure to these topics is the lack of an accessible, low-cost, flexible, and ready-made platform for training students on the innards of a computing system and the spectrum of security issues/solutions at the hardware-level. In this paper, we introduce the motivation and efforts behind a course named "Hands-on Hardware Security." The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Florida has been offering this course for the past three years in providing experiential learning of hardware security through a set of well-designed experiments performed on a custom hardware module. We also present, in detail, the idea of a custom-designed, easy-to-understand, flexible hardware module with fundamental building blocks that can emulate a computer system and create a network of connected devices. We refer to the module as "HaHa SEP" (Hardware Hacking Security Education Platform), and it encourages students to learn and exercise "ethical hacking," a critical concept in the hardware security field. It is the first and only known lab course offered online, where students can perform ethical hacking of a computing system using a dedicated hardware module. This paper also provides a brief introduction to the experiments performed using this module, highlighting their significance in the field of Hardware Security. Finally, it concludes with a compilation of course evaluation survey results discussing the success of this course in engaging students' interest in the subject matter and determining the accomplishment of maintaining a balance between their expectation and the effort required towards the course.

In the era of the Internet-of-everything, learning the principles of data communications and networking is inevitable for many electrical engineering disciplines. The paper addresses the effectiveness of teaching the fundamentals of data communications and networking using a dedicated lab course as a co-requisite to a classic lecture-based course. In the introduced lab course, the students are asked to do a variety of tasks using real hardware and a network simulator. The paper introduces quantitative measures of an outcome-based learning approach applied to both courses. Based on students' achievements, the role of the lab course in the attainment of both the course learning outcomes and the electrical engineering program learning outcomes is measured in comparison with the case where the lab course is not taken. Our findings reveal a general enhancement trend in attaining the course and program learning outcomes with a significant increase in the program outcome related to solving engineering problems. Also, a slight increase is noticed in meeting the lab course outcomes for the students who attended the lab with the course in the same semester, which indicates an improvement in gaining practical knowledge.

Multimedia network technology refers to multimedia network teaching based on text data communication, which can make better use of sports resources in college physical education teaching. Multimedia technology combines computer and video technology. It refers to the combination of two or more sounds and images to form a system that can transmit information. When the initial key changes slightly, the hash bit change rate of the scheme is greater than the threshold value of 0.451, which shows that the hash algorithm in this paper has good key sensitivity. The more sensitive the perceived hash is to the change of the key, the more difficult it is for the attacker to estimate the key, and the better the security of the hash key. Therefore, the above experiments can prove that the hash algorithm in this paper is safe. The appearance of sports network distance education in this paper provides a broader stage for schools and makes greater contributions to the improvement of the overall physical quality of citizens in the whole society.

Over four semesters of a large introductory statistics course the authors found students were engaging in contract cheating on Chegg.com during multiple choice examinations. In this paper we describe our methodology for identifying, addressing and eventually eliminating cheating. We successfully identified 23 out of 25 students using a combination of unique academic and digital fingerprints, and identified students who used virtual private networks (VPNs) to protect their online identity. There were two forms of cheating - posting questions and waiting for responses from tutors, and looking for questions that had already been solved. We found that 165 questions from these examinations were posted by 10 different students, but that the most common form of cheating was searching for answers that had already been posted. This paper discusses these patterns of Chegg usage, the consequences of not catching cheating early on, and how students reacted to being caught. Also provided are R and Python code that readers may use to identify cheating students in their own courses.

The importance of updating, expanding and improving what is taught in cybersecurity curricula is increasing as the security threat landscape becomes more dangerous, breaches become more frequent, and the number of deployed Internet of Things (IoT) devices, known for their security challenges, grows exponentially. This paper argues that a profile of "T-shaped" skills, which is known to be desirable in many consulting and design professions, is being reflected in the latest manifestations of cybersecurity curriculum design and accreditation. A model of learning that yields "T-shaped" professionals combines the ability to apply knowledge across domains (breadth) with the ability to apply functional and disciplinary skills (depth). We present the design of a junior- or senior-level cybersecurity course in which the horizontal stroke of the "T" (representing breadth) spans knowledge areas that cut across the people, process and technology triad. The vertical stroke of the "T" (representing depth) is provided by two aspects of the course design: first, learning the foundational principles of cybersecurity, including practical examples from cryptography and network security; and second, applying the principles of cybersecurity to a semester project, allowing students to expand the core "T" of the course to satisfy their own passions and interests. Our paper concludes with student and instructor reflections on the implementation of this cybersecurity course, as well as broader implications of the lessons learned after the initial offering of this course.

With the rapid development of information technology, scientific social networks (SSNs) have become the fastest and most convenient way for researchers to communicate with each other. Many published papers are shared via SSNs every day, resulting in the problem of information overload. How to appropriately recommend personalized and highly valuable papers for researchers is becoming more urgent. However, when recommending papers in SSNs, only a small amount of positive instances are available, leaving a vast amount of unlabelled data, in which negative instances and potential unseen positive instances are mixed together, which naturally belongs to One-Class Collaborative Filtering (OCCF) problem. Therefore, considering the extreme data imbalance and data sparsity of this OCCF problem, a hybrid approach of Social and Content aware One-class Recommendation of Papers in SSNs, termed SCORP, is proposed in this study. Unlike previous approaches recommended to address the OCCF problem, social information, which has been proved playing a significant role in performing recommendations in many domains, is applied in both the profiling of content-based filtering and the collaborative filtering to achieve superior recommendations. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed SCORP approach, a real-life dataset from CiteULike was employed. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed approach is superior to all of the compared approaches, thus providing a more effective method for recommending papers in SSNs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Real-life room-escape games are ludic activities in which participants enter a room in order to get out of it only after solving some riddles. In this paper, we explain a Room Escape teaching experience developed in the Engineering School at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. The goal of this activity is to increase student's motivation and to improve their learning on two courses of the second year in the "Computer Engineering degree: Computer Networks and Information and Security". [Paper presented at the International Conference on University Teaching and Innovation (CIDUI): Learning and Teaching Innovation Impacts (9th, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain, Jul 5-7 2016.)]

Intangible cultural heritage is an important part of Chinese excellent traditional culture, and college dance teaching is paid more attention by researchers of physical education and computer technology. In order to help the inheritance and development of non-legacy culture in college dance teaching, this paper analyzes the influencing factors of wireless communication network in college dance teaching, constructs an interactive platform for non-legacy digital dance teaching based on wireless communication network technology, and applies it in the dance teaching process of a university in Henan province to highlight the role of wireless communication technology in dance teaching. The results show that the interactive platform can effectively reduce teachers' physical energy consumption and has certain reliability and practicality. Through artificial intelligence algorithm, the traditional dance teaching method has been changed, and a new exploration of non-legacy dance teaching has been realized.

Higher education is becoming increasingly competitive and all educational institutions are concentrating on improving quality and changing traditional higher education teaching methods. New-type classroom instruction has embraced a unique advancement opportunity with the arrival of the fifth generation (5G) era. It is critical to develop a teaching assistance system that makes use of high-speed network methodology and new-type display methodology. For the innovation and reform of higher education, this article combines soft computing techniques, artificial intelligence (AI), and 5G networks. This paper outlines the exact processes and measures for incorporating "5G" technology into higher education. Finally, conduct a comparative experiment to see how good the system is at learning AI knowledge when compared to standard learning methods. The outcomes of the experiments are examined to show that employing this approach to gain AI knowledge is successful and improves students' enthusiasm in learning as well as their hands-on abilities.

The COVID-19 pandemic sparked an unprecedented expansion of educational technologies and digitisation of the university sector, and also amplified existing inequalities and crises. In this paper, we introduce the 'socio-technically just pedagogies framework' to systemically explore curriculum-making, student-staff partnerships, knowledge production, and networked capabilities in higher education. This conceptual innovation seeks to (re)articulate pedagogy across four aspects: (i) a commitment to curriculum-making as a form of everyday activism; (ii) a nurturing of student-staff coalitions to expand student-staff partnerships; (iii) development of generative spaces for transdisciplinary co-creation; and (iv) the deliberation of networked capabilities. This framework emerged from a partnership with students at an Australian university that sought to experiment with pedagogical practices and possibilities. Our coalition then responded to the framework to illicit collective insights about the curriculum-making phenomenon. The framework seeks to articulate curriculum-making initiatives that collectively enact socio-technically just pedagogies.

Qualitative research has been strongly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the possibilities that Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technologies such as Skype, WhatsApp, and Zoom offer to qualitative scholars. Based on the experience of using such technologies to collect qualitative data for our PhD studies, we present how we dealt with the challenges of this interview mode. Precisely, we discuss problems related to rapport, technology, digital exclusion, and ethics frequently pointed out in the methodological literature on online interviews. Thereby we put forward strategies and techniques that helped us to 1) build a rapport, 2) manage technical difficulties, 3) reflect on risks of digital exclusion, and 4) comply with the ethical standards of our institution. In doing so, we draw on our qualitative data to support the arguments. The aim of this paper is, thus, to deepen the methodological debate on online interviews in social sciences.

Technology is advancing and metaverse is gaining popularity. The magic of metaverse is beyond our imagination. In simple terms, the metaverse refers to a virtual shared space that exists online, where people can interact, socialise, work, and play using digital avatars, just like they do in the real world. It is a combination of virtual reality, augmented reality, and the internet, all rolled into one immersive environment. Virtual reality (VR) immerses users in entirely computer-generated environments through headsets, while augmented reality (AR) overlays digital information onto the real world, enhancing the user's perception. This paper introduces new strategies to bring healthcare into the metaverse by providing solutions to the hurdles that have kept us from exploring this idea. These include reducing data transfer delays in the metaverse, making VR headsets more affordable, accurately predicting diseases by studying symptoms, and creating a platform for medical professionals to practice procedures on avatars before performing them on real patients. Metaverse has immense scope of revolutionising the healthcare and we are yet to unfold its complete usefulness.