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New communication technologies express the transformation of traditional communication technologies in parallel with technological development. New media tools, such as propaganda tools in political elections, have become widespread in recent years. The use of social media in political elections has gained significant importance in recent years. Social media platforms provide an environment where political campaigns, candidates and voters can interact, and information sharing occurs quickly and widely. Candidates and political parties use social media platforms to deliver campaign messages, announce their policies, and communicate with voters. Through visual and written content, videos, live broadcasts and posts, candidates directly interact with voters and mobilize their supporters. Social media is an effective tool for spreading political propaganda and reaching large audiences with political information. Candidates and their supporters share various social media content to influence voters, defend their policies and persuade voters. Social media platforms gauge voters' opinions and preferences through surveys and feedback. Candidates and political parties seek feedback on social media to identify voters' expectations and concerns, shape their campaigns accordingly, and improve their policies. TRNC 2020 Presidential Elections is an essential topic for political science and international relations thesis studies. These elections provide a rich source for examining the political atmosphere of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, the election process, competition between candidates, election results, and political transformations. By discussing the use of social media in the 2020 TRNC Presidential elections, this research examined how the candidates used social media channels and what the reflections were by revealing the political communication languages of the propaganda and the differences it created in social perception. Qualitative research methods and scanning models will be used in the research. The candidates' use of social media in the 2020 TRNC Presidential elections was examined with their propaganda languages and statistics obtained in new media.

The objectives of this research were to study (1) the development of knowledge on the aesthetics of Lam in Ubon Style, and (2) the process of transferring knowledge to inherit the performing arts of Molam Morlam-Ruang-Tor-Klon in Ubon style. Data from documents and fieldwork were analyzed and presented using descriptive analysis. The results showed that there are developments and changes according to the eras, divided into the old era before 1937, a few numbers of performers; the changing era into theatrical performance; the modern Morlam era brought popular musical instruments to play; and the current Morlam era, in which light and sound technology is used to help in the performance of three aspects of aesthetics: melody, poetry, and aesthetics of singing techniques. Regarding the process of transferring knowledge, the results indicated that two national artists have provided knowledge by practicing the performing arts in singing, dancing, and poetic gestures. Improvements are made in each area to enhance learners' skills development. The study provides significant insight and implications for developing learners' skills in performing arts at home.

English language education nowadays is not merely about the instruction and acquisition of linguistic knowledge and skills. Instead, it has progressed to the real-life applications of the target language, which further requires a mastery of cultural knowledge and skills. In terms of culture, English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners, compared to native speakers of English, own their unique native culture. Yet, since language teachers tend to focus on the delivery of English cultural knowledge, EFL learners' native culture is sometimes shadowed in the mainstream English classrooms worldwide. To this end, this exploratory paper aims to advocate attention to the importance of EFL learners' native culture awareness and share some practical teaching and learning experiences in an English course called "Multimedia and Foreign Language Learning." The paper outlines the pedagogical design of the course in China, providing classroom examples and practical suggestions to course designers, educators and instructors. We expect to give insights into integrating native culture into foreign language education in university settings.

We propose a semiotic framework to underpin a posthumanist philosophy of education, as contrasted to technological determinism. A recent approach to educational processes as semiotic phenomena lends itself as a philosophy to understand the current interplay between education and technology. This view is aligned with the transhumanist movement to defend techno-scientific progress as fundamental to human development. Particularly, we adopt a semiotic approach to education to tackle certain tensions in current debates on the human. Transhumanism scholars share the optimistic belief that there is no limit to how the ethical use of technology can help alleviate suffering and increase our health and wisdom. From this perspective, it appears possible to acquire capacities that require rethinking the notion of human altogether. For others, this undermining of essentialist concepts of humanity entails serious risks, especially related to ethical egalitarianism. We adopte the perspective of edusemiotics, a framework that brings together semiotics, educational theory and philosophy of education. As a theoretical-practical framework, edusemiotics affords a hermeneutic and semiotic method for our approach. Peirce's logic of signs is used to analyze socio- educational interactions as environmental. We observe two lines of thought. On the one hand, technological transhumanism enhances Cartesian mind--body dualism. On the other hand, philosophical posthumanism seeks to overcome this dichotomy. The former proposal construes human transformation as an artifactualization derived from techno-scientific enhancements. The latter position proposes an integrative posthumanism, capable not only to include edusemiotic theory but also to rethink the concept of learning as mutual to that of human.

The article is a call for project professionals to recognise the potential of emerging megatrends for the further development of project management. It inspires project leaders to educate their ethical beliefs and organisations to provide the appropriate environment to enable formation of ethical sensitivity. The systematic literature review is applied as method for this theoretical study to show how the potential of megatrends, digitisation and ethical conduct can be used for the progress of the discipline. Outgoing from the review insights, the features of the future project management are captured. The impact degree of megatrends on project management processes may differ, but they form the framework which supports the formation of reliable predictions on the direction in which this discipline is moving.

Purpose: End-user participation is often encouraged to promote the uptake of Digital Livestock Technologies (DLTs). However, managing participation during DLT development can be challenging. We explore how participation decisions can impact end-users' engagement and attitudes towards the process, before suggesting strategies for improved management of the participation process. Methodology: We explored the experiences of end-users (e.g. farmers and farm assessors) and other stakeholders (e.g. developers, researchers, industry) involved in the development and testing of DLTs on UK farms, using semi-structured, in-depth interviews (N = 31). Findings: Participation can help develop technologies that better align with users' needs, promote learning, and encourage feelings of ownership. However, participation can be a double-edged sword. Inadequate levels of involvement, management of stakeholder relationships and expectations, and available support can negatively impact end-users' engagement and attitudes. Practical implications: Our study highlights the importance of understanding how management decisions during the participatory development of DLTs can influence the engagement and attitudes of end-users towards the process. Theoretical implications: The study contributes to the participation literature in agriculture and demonstrates the importance of using a critical lens to avoid making normative assumptions that participation necessarily promotes uptake in a linear, uncomplicated fashion. Originality/Value: Participation is seen as key for technology adoption. However, the potential downsides of participation have received less attention in relation to the engagement of end-users in the process.

Traditionally, the exogenous control of gaze by external saliencies and the endogenous control of gaze by knowledge and context have been viewed as competing systems, with late infancy seen as a period of strengthening top-down control over the vagaries of the input. Here we found that one-year-old infants control sustained attention through head movements that increase the visibility of the attended object. Freely moving one-year-old infants (n = 45) wore head-mounted eye trackers and head motion sensors while exploring sets of toys of the same physical size. The visual size of the objects, a well-documented salience, varied naturally with the infant's moment-to-moment posture and head movements. Sustained attention to an object was characterized by the tight control of head movements that created and then stabilized a visual size advantage for the attended object for sustained attention. The findings show collaboration between exogenous and endogenous attentional systems and suggest new hypotheses about the development of sustained visual attention.

Creativity and problem-solving are 21st-century skills that students must have to respond to the complex world dominated by technology. Teaching activities integrating Design Thinking (DT) have the potential to cultivate individual skills. As future in-service teachers, pre-service teachers need to understand DT so as to be able to use it in their future classrooms. In line with this, the present study aimed to explore the effects of the Stanford DT model on pre-service teachers' creativity self-efficacy, inventive problem-solving skills, and technology-related motivation. Quasi-experimental research with a pre- and post-test control group design was applied in the current study. A total of 70 pre-service teachers participated in this study, consisting of 36 experimental group (EG) students who learned with the DT model approach and 34 control group (CG) students who learned with a regular instructional approach. Design Thinking Activities were completed in 12 weeks, with three activities in the Modern Educational Technology (MET) course. The creativity self-efficacy, inventive problem-solving skills, and technology-related motivation scale were used to collect data before and after the experiment. An independent t test, Mann--Whitney U test, and Wilcoxon Test were used to analyze the data. The results indicated that there were significant differences in technology-related motivation, creative self-efficacy, and inventive problem-solving skills between the CG and EG students. The Stanford DT model integrated with the MET course was conducive to enhancing pre-service teachers' creativity self-efficacy, inventive problem-solving skills, and technology-related motivation in the context of the technological literacy course. Implications for the findings of this study are discussed.

In this paper, several research topics are presented that provide productive avenues of exploration for students in an undergraduate cryptography course. The topics are intended for a variety of skill levels and interests. In some cases, a student might be inspired to try to solve the proposed problem or write computer code. Other topics might motivate them to learn new mathematics or algorithms, or research a historical event or person. In all cases, a short description of the topic is given along with several references that can be used as a starting point for student research. The author also describes some challenges and recommendations when teaching a course where a project is a main component.

This paper describes Alkaline, a size-reduced version of Kyber, which has recently been announced as a prototype NIST standard for post-quantum public-key cryptography. While not as simple as RSA, I believe that Alkaline can be used in an undergraduate classroom to effectively teach the techniques and principles behind Kyber and post-quantum cryptography in general. Classroom experiences with individual concepts used in Alkaline support this belief. In addition to cryptography, linear algebra and abstract algebra classes would be good candidates for the use of Alkaline. A few exercises suitable for use in these classes are included.

We introduce learning modules in cryptography that can be crafted to motivate many abstract mathematical ideas, and we illustrate with a sample module. These modules can be used in a variety of ways, such as the core for a cryptography course or as motivating topics in other courses such as abstract and linear algebra or number theory.

In this paper, I analyze the impact of culture and metaphor on cryptology education. I will compare and contrast the historically grounded metaphors of cryptology-is-warfare and encryption-is-security to a set of counter-metaphors: cryptology-is-privacy and encryption-is-communication. Using this explicit understanding of conceptual metaphor, I present design recommendations and metaphorizing activities for educators building their undergraduate cryptology course.

This article describes the author's experience designing and implementing an inquiry-based learning (IBL) pedagogical approach to an upper-division undergraduate cryptology course. The author shares the course goals and how the IBL style supports their achievement. The article concludes with sample activities -- in-class exercises that touch on one-time pad, the Birthday Problem, the Meet-in-the-Middle attack, and Diffie-Hellman key exchange protocol, and a programing assignment on the Vigenère cipher.

We present a detailed description of a Cryptography and Computer Security course that has been offered at Knox College for the last 15 years. While the course is roughly divided into two sections, Cryptology and Computer Security, our emphasis here is on the Cryptology section. The course puts the cryptologic material into its historical context and also includes reference to ciphers used and discussed in literature. Through lectures and assignments on cryptanalysis, the course motivates students to learn a variety of topics in advanced discrete mathematics, including discrete probability, elementary statistics, number theory, and abstract algebra. The students have found this approach motivating and we believe our experiences are relevant to instructors teaching this material in a variety of different courses and institutions.

We describe Shamir's secret sharing scheme and explain how it can be used for secure and redundant cryptocurrency storage. We include samples of individual and group assignments that can be used in an upper-division cryptology class for students who are familiar with modular arithmetic. It takes about one class to cover Shamir's secret sharing, but additional time can be spent on the described coding project about splitting mnemonic Bitcoin seeds into shares. We also provide references for topics of further study that can you use for student research projects.

We present a concrete situation where there is a difference between the theoretical security of a cipher and its limitations when implemented in practice. Specifically, when entering a PIN, smudges on the keypad substantially reduce its security. We show how the number of possible keys in the presence of the "smudge attack" can be calculated. Specifically, it turns out that in all interesting situations, a key with fewer smudges increases security. Possible extensions for use in an undergraduate discrete mathematics or cryptography class are presented.

"Research Findings:" This study examined the financial literacy of 5 and 6-year-old children in Shanghai, including their understanding of financial concepts and their preference for and ability to use digital payment methods. Using a mixed-methods research design, a sample of children ranging in age from 62 to 73 months completed multiple tasks to assess their financial literacy and participated in a semi-structured interview. The results suggested that most young Chinese children had a basic understanding of coins and their value, but there was variation in their perceptions of the need to provide change after making a payment. The majority of young children preferred to pay with digital devices and had a positive attitude toward mobile payments, although some children expressed concerns about their ability to use this method accurately. "Practice or Policy:" The study findings suggest that perceptions of financial literacy may vary across families from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. These results lay the groundwork for future digital financial literacy rating scales or behavior coding studies based on the initial findings of young children from middle-income families. The study also emphasizes the importance of providing formal and informal financial education to young children, particularly in regards to digital literacy, in order to prepare them for the future.

As education constitutes an essential development standard for individuals and societies, researchers have been exploring the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in this domain and have embedded the technology within it through a myriad of applications. In order to provide a detailed overview of the efforts, this article pays particular attention to these developments by highlighting key application areas of data-driven AI in education; it also analyzes existing tools, research trends, as well as limitations of the role data-driven AI can play in education. In particular, this article reviews various applications of AI in education including student grading and assessments, student retention and drop-out predictions, sentiment analysis, intelligent tutoring, classroom monitoring, and recommender systems. This article also provides a detailed bibliometric analysis to highlight the salient research trends in AI in education over nine years (2014-2022) and further provides a detailed description of the tools and platforms developed as the outcome of research and development efforts in AI in education. For the bibliometric analysis, articles from several top venues are analyzed to explore research trends in the domain. The analysis shows sufficient contribution in the domain from different parts of the world with a clear lead for the United States. Moreover, students' grading and evaluation have been observed as the most widely explored application. Despite the significant success, we observed several aspects of education where AI alone has not contributed much. We believe such detailed analysis is expected to provide a baseline for future research in the domain.

Alongside the growing demand for doctoral degrees, there has been an increasing number of online doctoral programmes and online doctoral students enrolled across the globe. While the importance of mediating roles that communication technology plays in online doctoral education has been extensively documented, a comprehensive account of how and for what purpose online doctoral students use different technological tools has been lacking in the literature. To address the gap, the present authors have conducted a systematic literature review on doctoral students' use of technology in distance programmes. The review results suggest that the range of technology used by online doctoral students is limited -- asynchronous and synchronous communication technology for discussing and community building being predominantly top. Arguably more advanced technology was rarely discussed in the reviewed literature. How online doctoral students learn and use other information technology to support their research activities was largely unknown. Based on the results, the directions of future research efforts have been suggested.

Current challenges in early identification of autism spectrum disorder lead to significant delays in starting interventions, thereby compromising outcomes. Digital tools can potentially address this barrier as they are accessible, can measure autism-relevant phenotypes and can be administered in children's natural environments by non-specialists. The purpose of this systematic review is to identify and characterise potentially scalable digital tools for direct assessment of autism spectrum disorder risk in early childhood. In total, 51,953 titles, 6884 abstracts and 567 full-text articles from four databases were screened using predefined criteria. Of these, 38 met inclusion criteria. Tasks are presented on both portable and non-portable technologies, typically by researchers in laboratory or clinic settings. Gamified tasks, virtual-reality platforms and automated analysis of video or audio recordings of children's behaviours and speech are used to assess autism spectrum disorder risk. Tasks tapping social communication/interaction and motor domains most reliably discriminate between autism spectrum disorder and typically developing groups. Digital tools employing objective data collection and analysis methods hold immense potential for early identification of autism spectrum disorder risk. Next steps should be to further validate these tools, evaluate their generalisability outside laboratory or clinic settings, and standardise derived measures across tasks. Furthermore, stakeholders from underserved communities should be involved in the research and development process.

Background: Virtual reality (VR) is becoming increasingly accessible and being utilized in various organizations to meet education and training needs. Despite its potential, research regarding VR applications has focused on measuring the effectiveness of VR programs relative to non-VR programs; consequently, the ways in which VR programs are effective remain unclear. Objectives: Recognizing this research gap, this study examined whether task type-dependent differences in training outcomes exist between VR training and non-VR training groups. Methods: To examine the effects of VR technology for training purposes in a military setting, we conducted a quasi-experiment focusing on how the effects vary based on task characteristics. A total of 90 military personnel were randomly assigned to either an experimental group (VR) or a control group (non-VR). After completing their respective training, the two groups participated in four tasks simulating real battle scenarios and designed to evaluate the effectiveness of the VR-based training. We analysed primary data collected through survey instruments and performance evaluation using a one-way between-group analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and supplementary interview data using thematic analysis. Results and Conclusions: The quantitative analysis showed that the VR group performed better than the control group on three tasks in which communication, interaction and immediate situational judgements were critical. No difference was found between the two groups in the other task, which involved the routine operation of physical objects. Additional interview data revealed the extent to which trainees perceived the VR training as effective in understanding in-situ conditions, preparing and practising their own and their team's reactions to emergent situations and in manipulating virtual objects. Implications: Our findings provide insight into VR technology's potential to enhance human performance in various training contexts. VR is specifically effective in training that aim to improve immediate judgement and group coordination. Our findings provide useful information for those seeking to design and develop training environments that maximize the effects of VR.

Policymakers, educators, and families throughout the world are concerned about the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on school-aged youth. Schools are working to help students readjust to school routines and regain lost ground on academic skill development while also addressing the wounds caused by the pandemic. This study describes one public charter high school's effort to leverage a university-practice partnership to respond to adolescent students' COVID-19-related stress. A 12-week intervention was developed based on youth voice principles; intervention activities focused on helping participants narrate and make sense of their COVID-19 experiences. Eight students participated in the full intervention; most participants were female (85.7%), Asian (71.4%), in the 9th grade (62.5%), and self-identified as ethnic and religious minorities (57.1%). Analysis of participant-produced youth voice artifacts illustrates participants' conscious awareness of, and an ability to reason through, the COVID-19-related forces and events that affected them at all levels of their ecological systems. Qualitative analysis yielded eight themes: emotional experience, social isolation and lost social opportunities, self-improvement, family relationships, experience of school, influence of the state, and relationship to technology. Implications are shared for those seeking to implement youth voice-derived interventions in schools.

In Bayesian random-effects meta-analysis, the use of weakly informative prior distributions is of particular benefit in cases where only a few studies are included, a situation often encountered in health technology assessment (HTA). Suggestions for empirical prior distributions are available in the literature but it is unknown whether these are adequate in the context of HTA. Therefore, a database of all relevant meta-analyses conducted by the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG, Germany) was constructed to derive empirical prior distributions for the heterogeneity parameter suitable for HTA. Previously, an extension to the normal-normal hierarchical model had been suggested for this purpose. For different effect measures, this extended model was applied on the database to conservatively derive a prior distribution for the heterogeneity parameter. Comparison of a Bayesian approach using the derived priors with IQWiG's current standard approach for evidence synthesis shows favorable properties. Therefore, these prior distributions are recommended for future meta-analyses in HTA settings and could be embedded into the IQWiG evidence synthesis approach in the case of very few studies.

Generative artificial intelligence (generative AI) applications such as ChatGPT and its brethren erupted onto the scene last year and have been quite a disruptor throughout higher education. Like much new technology, generative AI brings with it benefits and challenges. This note focuses on early experiences with ChatGPT, attempts to learn how to use it, and possible changes needed for our assessment methodologies. I provide some suggested modifications to traditional assignments to adapt to generative AI's ubiquity.

To better grasp the issue of underrepresentation in makerspaces, it's crucial to closely examine the environment where these problems arise. A spatial enumeration of a makerspace, which is a complete listing of items within a collection or environment, extends such an evaluation. By responding to this overarching research question, "why do students from underrepresented communities turn away at the threshold of a makerspace," this article provides findings from the first phase of a five-year, qualitative research program. Specifically, this paper presents the sensory features (sight, sound, smell) that comprise a university makerspace. The process and findings from enumerating a makerspace offer vital insights into how STEM-focused environments convey inclusivity. Seventeen makerspace leaders from a university network were asked to discern what a typical makerspace looks, sounds, and smells like. The findings from this study provide information professionals with entry points to analyze their makerspace from a DEI standpoint.

Technology offers a new set of challenges for Montessori educators, as there are concerns of how freedom within limits can best be applied to technology use and how boundaries can be set for safety while not extinguishing children's natural curiosity. For students to have a comprehensive and meaningful understanding of technology and its benefits and limitations, it's important for a school to have a transparent and meaningful technology policy in place for faculty and staff and for school-family collaboration to take place. A list of talking points that can be offered to the families at the school to help them start conversations at home are provided.

Children with Autism face several significant challenges, including deficits in both verbal and nonverbal communication, difficulties with concentration, limited interest in their surroundings, non-responsiveness, and struggles with adapting to new situations. It is imperative to consider and address these challenges when implementing technological interventions aimed at enhancing the skills of children with Autism. This study aims to identify the research emphasis on the following four determinants of technological interventions for children with Autism: (1) involvement of caregivers; (2) design considerations; (3) persuasive technology; (4) psychological and physiological effects of technologies. These determinants address their deficiencies in communication, coping with new situations, responsiveness and effects of using technologies respectively. A total of seventy six review articles from 2010 to 2022 have been selected through PRISMA guidelines for this study. Most of the selected review articles have not evaluated these four determinants in their studies. This study discusses this research scope and presents future research directions to bridge this gap to develop effective technological solutions to upskill the children with Autism.

COVID-19 drastically disrupted teaching and learning worldwide and across all educational levels. Technology took on a central role in redefining education under these exceptional circumstances and frequently revealed challenges related to both infrastructure and to teachers' and learners' technological skills and readiness. This study aimed to investigate whether the experience of emergency remote education significantly impacted preservice teachers' knowledge and beliefs for their future teaching with technology. We investigated three cohorts of preservice teachers (pre-lockdown, n = 179; during lockdown, n = 48; post-lockdown, n = 228) and explored differences in their self-reported technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) and their technological beliefs. Findings showed positive effects in the post-lockdown cohort, reflected in higher levels of technological knowledge (TK) and technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPCK) compared to the pre-lockdown cohort. In addition, unique positive effects on content knowledge (CK) and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) were found in the post-lockdown cohort among preservice teachers with prior teaching experiences. No effects of either cohort or experience emerged for preservice teachers' technological beliefs. These findings indicate that, despite the challenges related to COVID-19 lockdowns, preservice teachers not only appear to have maintained positive beliefs towards technology but may have even been able to draw benefits from the experience of lockdown. These findings and the positive effects associated with teaching experience are discussed with regard to their implication for teacher education.

Purpose: This study offers insight on the impact of virtual team projects (VTPs) of varying types (global vs domestic teams, technology vs non-tech projects) on competency and anxiety outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach: Paired-sample t-tests and ANOVA tests were performed on student survey responses pre- and post-engagement of different VTPs. Findings: The results demonstrated positive effects of VTPs on intercultural sensitivity (ISS), computer self-efficacy, perceived ease of use of online learning and COVID-19 anxiety. ISS ("interaction confidence") improved more for students in the global vs. domestic teams and technology-related outcomes (CSE, PEU and computer anxiety) and ISS ("respect for cultural differences") improved more for students that participated in tech projects, whereas COVID-19 anxiety lessened more for those that participated in non-tech projects. Originality/value: The study expands understanding of the Technology Acceptance Model and provides insight into the ISS literature showing that VTPs could be a worthwhile pedagogical approach for improving student competencies and anxiety during times of academic disruption, but that project type can influence these changes.

In response to COVID-19 many companies, particularly technology companies, voluntarily attended to the strained education sector by donating or temporarily discounting their core products, generating public support and gratitude. This type of philanthropic corporate action demonstrates an expansive and perhaps increasing function in the provisioning of certain educational materials and resources by private actors. This article analyzes this strand of corporate activity as "pipeline philanthropy" and shows how this model of strategic corporate giving differs from existing models of philanthropy in education. Through illustrations this study assesses the democratic implications of corporate entanglement through philanthropic action to evaluate whether the benefits brought about by an enhanced role for corporate actors in education are worth what they compromise.

Understanding factors affecting student academic and life outcomes may be critical for social work programs and educational institutions. Therefore, this study aims to explore the relationships between resilience, technostress and reflective capacity among social work students. A cross-sectional non-experimental research design was used. One hundred and sixty-three social work students completed an online survey measuring technostress level, reflective capacity and psychological resilience. Data were analyzed using Pearson's to estimate linear correlations, confirmatory factor analysis to ensure model fit and structural equation modeling with covariates to reveal the relationships between the measured constructs. The results indicated thatresilience had a direct and negative effect on technostress, a positive and direct effect on reflective capacity and a negative indirect effect on technostress through reflective capacity. This means that social work students with higher levels of resilience had lower levels of technostress related to technology use were more likely to engage in reflective practices and had lower levels of technostress due to improved reflective capacity. These findings emphasize the significance of resilience and reflective practices in mitigating the negative effects of technology use among social work students. However, researchers should be cautious about generalizing findings due to the sample's limitations and future investigations should consider longitudinal data from diverse populations.

Lack of awareness about the interconnections between Science, Technology, and Society and students' dislike of studying science have led to many environmental and social problems. During the COVID-19 Pandemic, students experienced difficulties accessing educational resources and demanded new programs to support their academic science experiences. This study designed a science outreach program, a video project competition using a science, technology, and society (STS) learning approach and explored its effects on 13 randomly selected students (Grades 4-11). This video project employed three foundational theories--identity formation, attitudes toward science, and growth mindset--to increase students' affinities in science and assess the program's effects. Pre-and post-survey data showed that the video project using the STS approach did not have statistically meaningful effects on the participants who had high achievement in STEM areas. However, their interviews suggested that this study helped to sustain and increase their affinities and science learning even during the Pandemic by involving them in the learning process, understanding Science and Technology in our society, and making decisions for society's future.

Blended learning (BL) has been increasingly implemented in higher education. However, limited research is available to understand the role of metacognitive awareness, reflective thinking, problem solving and community of inquiry as related to students' academic self-efficacy in BL. The purpose of this research is to examine the effect of metacognitive awareness, reflective thinking, problem solving and community of inquiry on students' academic self-efficacy in BL. This correlational study collected data from 217 undergraduate students in an introductory computer course, using five well-established instruments. The research found a strong and positive relationship between self-efficacy and metacognitive awareness, reflective thinking and problem solving skills. There was also a moderate positive relationship between students' academic self-efficacy and community of inquiry. In addition, the predictive models revealed that metacognitive awareness, reflective thinking, problem solving skills and community of inquiry were the predictors of academic self-efficacy as well as its subdimensions, such as learners' engagement, social status and cognitive applications. The article then discusses the practical and research implications of the study and suggests future research directions.

The objectives of this research were to synthesize the competencies of the digital researcher, carry out an empirical investigation of the digital researcher landscape, and evaluate the results of a synthesis of digital researcher competency. To conduct the research, the researchers carried out a review of the literature related to researcher competency, digital competency, digital researcher competency and digital technology for researchers. Then, a focus group discussed the conclusion of the digital technology landscape used to enhance the digital researcher. The results showed that digital researchers' competency had six features: 1) Personalize and Security Competency, 2) Literature Review and Reference Management Competency, 3) Communication and Collaboration Management Competency, 4) Analyzing and Reporting Competency, 5) Proofreading and Plagiarism Checking Competency, and 6) Publication Competency.

This qualitative study investigated perceptions of STSE topics manifested by adults visiting four biodiversity exhibits at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) in Toronto, Canada. Seven visitors were observed by researchers during their visits and completed post-visit interviews. The theoretical perspective on STSE relationships expounded by Pedretti and Nazir (2011) and Steele (2014) was adopted for the analysis portion of this investigation. Results indicate that the exhibits were able to communicate their central messages on the relationship between human beings and the natural world and the relationship between science and society, as well as reveal some of the effects that these messages had on the public. However, results also support the assertion that some of the intended STSE concepts were not perceived by the participants. Moreover, we identified limitations regarding adult visitors' abilities to perceive science and technology as human activities embedded in a social, historical and moral context.

Citizen science's (CS) deployment and benefit over the last ten years have been remarkably substantial in their contributions to the massification of citizen participation in tech-based CS projects. Insights into how CS projects influence community changes through proposals of actions and public policies are essential to understanding how they facilitate citizens' advocacy in decision-making at various ecosystem levels. To this end, we conducted a systematic literature review of tech-based CS projects published between 2017 and 2022, in which the participation of the tertiary education sector played a central role. We used a guideline that education plays a fundamental role in developing technology-based CS projects. The more educational processes, such as incorporating activities that strengthen complex thinking in citizens, the greater their involvement in decision-making to propose public policies that address their current problems. Findings suggested that a) there is significant involvement of the educational system with CS; b) CS projects do not comply with the innovation helixes; c) tech-based CS projects usually indirectly develop competencies and sub-competencies of complex thinking, and d) social actions are clearly articulated through these competencies and sub-competencies that determine the complete cycle of tech-based CS projects, which result in organized actions or public policies. To sum up, this study serves as a call for long-term co-design projects that consider both the individual development of the participants and the integral impact on decision-making at all levels.

The objectives of this paper were to 1) study the learning model of the smart crematorium system, 2) create a learning manual on smart cremation management, and 3) promote the development of learning for undertakers to use the smart crematorium. This was mixed method research with qualitative research and action research as parts of the conduct of quantitative research. The samples were from informants that consisted of 10 monks, 5 community leaders, 5 academicians, 17 seminars, 30 participants, a total of 67 people, and content analysis according to the study issues. The research instruments consisted of 1) an interview form, 2) a focus group meeting, 3) an activity participation form, and 4) an activity assessment form. The data collection was as follows: 1) secondary sources, documents, books, journals, and research reports related to concepts, and theories, 2) workshops, 3) in-depth interviews, 4) specific group discussions, and 5) collecting data from measurement reports and analysis of dioxin/furans compounds to categorize the data and analyzed according to the study issues. The findings revealed that 1. A learning model for using a smart crematorium system for the undertakers: 1) filling the fielder with the reaper into the storage tank 2) turning on the air compressor to fill the tank 3) opening the valve to let air into the system 4) checking the wind pressure and 5) checking the air flowing through the system along the main pipes which would pass the Vimutti substances into the crematorium and smoke furnace room continued to for about 30 minutes continuously. 2. Operations of creating a learning manual on smart cremation management that contained details in the book: 1) the problem of pollution from cremation 2) the smart crematorium with new options 3) the benefits of using the smart crematorium. This would introduce the features of a new smart crematorium, how to use and the benefits of using a smart crematorium. 3. To promote and develop knowledge for undertakers to use smart crematoriums and Vimutti substance sprayers by organizing training to educate about dioxins and furans, organized training and demonstrating how to use the smart crematorium and the Vimutti substance sprayers. This was the development of a learning model to enhance the Buddhist way of temples and urban communities as a cremation model.

Previous research has shown the consolidation of the digital divide as an object of study over the last two decades. The pandemic caused by COVID-19 has multiplied the consequences of digital exclusion, as well as the number of studies examining its effects in the educational field. Based on this current educational reality, we approach a proposal that examines in depth the existing literature on the digital divide in the educational context by using the systematic review as a research methodology. We present an analysis of relevant studies published in the last three years with the aim of answering the following questions: How did the digital divide affected e-learning and ICT implementation during the pandemic?; what methods were used to assess it?; and what are the proposals to counteract its presence?. The results obtained in our study confirm the use of systematic reviewing which synthesize and accumulate the results of different primary studies. These results also serve to identify research gaps that point, in our case, towards future lines of work on the causes, persistence and interventions to mitigate the expansion of the digital divide in today's educational landscape.

This project focused on how two technology coaches, a K-12 Technology Coach and a Science Technology Engineering Mathematics (STEM) Coach collaborated with their coach colleagues and tech-industry partners to offer teachers resources and embedded professional learning (PL). As part of a multiple-case study of coaching models of PL, over the course of two academic years, the researchers gathered observational data during classroom coaching sessions, small group professional learning sessions, and professional development workshops hosted by a tech-industry partner. Additionally, the coaches and a subset of middle school teachers participated in one-on-one interviews and the coaches had discussions in a focus group. Data analyses distilled two main themes: (1) coaches appeal to and collaborate with tech-industry partners; and (2) coaches solicit support and collaborate with school district administrators. Conclusions suggest that technology and STEM coaches serve an integral role in the implementation of technology across the district when collaborating with tech-industry partners. Recommendations include the need for technology coaches to be resourceful and initiate and foster tech-industry partnerships as well as dedicate time to collaborate with other coaches to enhance their own professional knowledge and skills.

This research evaluated the influence of technology-based teaching models on the development of critical thinking abilities in elementary school mathematics teacher candidates, as measured using Facione's (1990) criteria. The research was conducted with fourth-grade students studying in the Faculty of Education, Elementary Mathematics Education at a state university in the Marmara Region of Türkiye during the 2019-2020 Fall Semester. A case study research design was used to obtain a qualitative understanding of the participants' experiences. Two pre-service teachers were video-recorded throughout the research implementation process (5 weeks in total, from the 3rd week when the teaching model practices started to the 7th week when it ended). The dialogues in the video recording were analyzed using the descriptive analysis technique. Keywords and sentences describing the critical thinking sub-skills identified by Facione (1990) were observed to be included in the student dialogues, especially in the implementations of the designed teaching model that required the use of GeoGebra. These dialogues concluded that the proposed instructional model programs are consistent with the critical thinking competencies, include activities to use critical thinking skills, and can provide opportunities for developing critical thinking skills.

Professional learning networks (PLN) in Higher Education represent new social configurations for networked workplaces in which education, research and innovation can be combined. Here academic staff engages with others outside of their everyday organisational community. This study identifies and conceptualizes essential behaviours that facilitators of professional learning networks use to promote value creation of various kinds. The two-phase study started with an empirical field study on the value creation stories of 11 participants within 3 professional networks to investigate essential facilitator behaviours. A panel study including 30 researchers, lecturers and practitioners representing a wide range of learning and innovation networks, was conducted to validate and enrich the findings derived from the field study. From the field study 54 facilitator behaviours were identified. The panel study raised 68 complementary statements on essential facilitator behaviours. Qualitative data analysis lead to five themes of facilitator behaviour. Facilitators? contributions to value creation in networked workplace contexts can be understood as the interplay of five foci of facilitative behaviour: 1. relationship, 2. space, 3. ownership, 4. direction, 5. result. Findings concerning facilitator behaviours are synthesised in an conceptualisation of the process dynamic of value creation in networked workplaces: The Facilitator Compass. This paper provides insight on what plays a major role in the success of professional networks: the way they are facilitated. While the role of a facilitator is acknowledged in literature and in practice, this study adds to the knowledge base by showing how academic staff can navigate for value creation in networked workplaces.

This research study investigated the relationship between technostress creators (techno-complexity, techno-insecurity, techno-invasion, techno-overload, and techno-uncertainty) and faculty perceptions of student cheating in online classes. Data were collected from faculty members of the Management and Organizational Behavior Teaching Society (MOBTS), a member of the AACSB Business Education Alliance, the American Society of Business and Behavioral Sciences (ASBBS), an interdisciplinary professional organization comprised of faculty teaching in accounting, finance, management, marketing, organizational behavior, and computer information systems, and other research panels during 2021 (N = 94). Findings from regression analysis indicated that the techno-complexity subconstruct is positively related to a faculty's perception of student cheating in online classes. In contrast, the techno-insecurity subconstruct was marginally significant and positively related to the faculty's perception of student cheating in online classes. Techno-overload, techno-invasion, and techno-uncertainty subconstructs were not identified as statistically significant in predicting a faculty's perception of student cheating in online classes.