International Institute of
Blueprint for Inclusive Research & Development in Education: A Data-Driven Approach to Organize and Articulate Research Data Needs for Equitable Evaluation
Pratihast, Susmita; Mote, Erin (United States)
https://doi.org/10.54808/ICSIT2022.01.19
ABSTRACT:
In the field of education, there is a gap between research and practice.
Lack of data standardization and collection inhibits comparability and
generalizability of findings in the context of population heterogeneity.
Mapping of education research inquiries to local heterogeneous data
representations from different repositories is expensive and creates
barriers for content comprehensiveness in research. The paper focuses
on design and usability of the Blueprint, an organizing data framework
that summarizes key elements to represent education data needs to improve
articulation of data needs and allow practitioners to be part of an
inclusive research and development process in collaboration with the
research community. The design process included an exhaustive landscape
analysis of established data standards, conceptual frameworks in education
domains as well as publicly available databases and indicators. This
was supported by the analysis of current evidence and research base
with the use of natural language processing techniques and topic modeling
approaches. This methodology was used to validate and inform the inclusion
of different elements in the Blueprint. A large stakeholder review process
was adopted to further enhance and refine the Blueprint. With a generalizability
score of 77% across multiple pilot studies, the paper focuses on the
results of the pilot studies and demonstrates the real-world use cases
for widespread applicability and scalability in the sector.
Comparing Students' Evaluation of Online, Hybrid, and Face-to-Face Classes
Tu, Cindy Zhiling; Adkins, Joni (United States)
https://doi.org/10.54808/ICSIT2022.01.97
ABSTRACT:
This study compares students’ evaluation of the effectiveness of four
different class settings: face-to-face, synchronous online, asynchronous
online, and hybrid. The results directly show us how students compare
the four types of teaching and learning formats. Overall, students like
the traditional face-to-face class the most and the asynchronous online
class the least. Furthermore, students feel the hybrid class is most
flexible while the face-to-face class has the least flexibility.
Developing Preservice Teachers' Design Thinking Mindset Using Interactive Technology
ElSayary, Areej (United Arab Emirates)
https://doi.org/10.54808/ICSIT2022.01.37
ABSTRACT:
Design thinking mindset is integrated within various fields. It became
essential for any organization to develop individuals’ design thinking
mindset due to the positive impact on the whole organization. Design
thinking should be an essential component of preservice teachers’ programs
where teachers are facilitators to learning and designers of the learning
environment. This study aims to pilot the use of interactive technology
in developing preservice teachers’ design thinking mindsets. The participants
are preservice teachers in a university in the United Arab Emirates
(UAE). A quantitative study using exploratory and confirmatory factor
analysis was used. An online survey was adopted to collect the quantitative
data after the semester was ended. The study results showed a positive
impact of interactive technology in developing preservice teachers’
mindsets.
Establishing Social, Cognitive and Teacher Presences to Develop Students' Digital Competencies Through Their Engagements in Online Learning
ElSayary, Areej; Meda, Lawrence (United Arab Emirates)
https://doi.org/10.54808/ICSIT2022.01.84
ABSTRACT:
The global pandemic of COVID-19 has resulted in multimodal emergency
remote teaching and learning. As a result, academics have been challenged
to ensure that students’ engagement is maintained in order to enhance
their learning experiences. The purpose of this study was to examine
ways in which instructors established social, cognitive, and teacher
presences during online learning at a university in the United Arab
Emirates. The study was done using a qualitative case study within an
interpretive paradigm. A field note template and documentary analysis
were used to collect data. Results showed that participants established
the three critical components of the community of inquiry in multiple
ways that catered to students' diverse needs and enhanced their digital
competencies and learning experiences.
Factors Influence Students' Continuance Intention Toward Online Learning Transition After the COVID-19 Pandemic Unfolds
Farsawang, Premika; Songkram, Noawanit (Thailand)
https://doi.org/10.54808/ICSIT2022.01.91
ABSTRACT:
This research aimed to determine the impact factors that influence students’
intention to continue learning online in higher education during school
closures. The survey was completed voluntarily and anonymously by 427
students from 22 universities throughout Thailand. Previous studies
found five mediation factors in the relationship among self-determination,
online learning readiness, and continuance intention, namely, motivation,
engagement, perceived learning outcome, attitude, and satisfaction.
Before analysis, the fitness of the measurement model was verified and
the test results of the CFI, GFI, AGFI, RMSEA, and SRMR were 0.997,
0.900, 0.864, 0.033, and 0.054 respectively. Regarding the SEM results,
readiness had a total effect of 0.635 on continuance intention,
while self-determination turns out to have no significance.
Thus, the findings indicated the importance of learning readiness in
online education, which influences students’ intention to continue towards
online learning.
Future Ready Self-Directed Learning Students for a Successful Career
Maheswarappa, Satish S. (India)
https://doi.org/10.54808/ICSIT2022.01.16
ABSTRACT:
Fresh management graduates face daunting challenges in developing their
early professional career. They have to shift from espoused learning
approach encountered at management schools to enacted practices of learning
approach they encounter at work. To bridge gap between these two approaches,
this exploratory research work provides insights into developing andragogical
learning approach with a focus on self-directed learning. We use self-directed
learning and Kolb’s experiential learning cycle model for developing
the conceptual framework. We intend to carry out the exploratory and
qualitative study in three phases. Graduate students, young management
executives and senior executives who have the responsibility in recruiting
these graduates will be interviewed in each phase. Inductive analysis
of the qualitative data will enable us to andragogical learning approach
which will reduce the gap between espoused and enacted learning approach.
Our study will prepare the management graduates for a successful early
professional career.
Grammar Rules and Natural Language Understanding – How the Final Patterns Script Improves Performance of Chatbots
Lee, Ron C. (United States)
https://doi.org/10.54808/ICSIT2022.01.12
ABSTRACT:
The Final Patterns Script (FPS) method was developed from the study
of English language patterns and grammar rules, with the goal to improve
machine understanding of natural language questions and shorten the
time required to develop chatbots. FPS consists of over 100 groups of
patterns, with each group containing a set of semantically equivalent
patterns, and one pattern designated as Final Pattern. To answer questions
posed by humans, the system invokes patterns from these groups to match
the pattern in the natural language question from the user. Upon finding
a match, the FPS then performs transformations onto other patterns in
the group until it reaches the Final Pattern, which will finally retrieve
the answer to the question. By employing the FPS method, chatbot developers
only need to prepare answers to questions containing Final Patterns.
Users can ask the same question in different ways and be able to retrieve
the answer as long as that answer has been prepared for the relevant
final-pattern question. This significantly reduces the time needed to
create a functional chatbot. This article discusses how to choose a
Final Pattern, the ways to organize patterns, as well as the limits
of this Final Patterns Script method.
Impact of the Off-Campus Tutoring Industry on Engineering Education
Zhang, Runing; He, Mingli (United States)
https://doi.org/10.54808/ICSIT2022.01.31
ABSTRACT:
The core objectives of engineering education are to help students establish
sufficient fundamental engineering knowledge and develop creative thinking
abilities for engineering practices. To achieve this goal, the Accreditation
Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) [1] has designed a list
of criteria to measure student outcomes (SO). Based on the criteria,
each accredited engineering and engineering technology program develops
corresponding indicators to assess the SO areas. With the development
of information technology (IT) and artificial intelligence (AI), engineering
students are provided with a wide choice of off-campus tutoring and
learning services, online help, and problem solution manuals. The services
and solution materials definitely help students to understand engineering
concepts better and to improve grades and performance in classrooms
and labs. However, the services also open the door for plagiarism if
they are not used properly. Engineering educators are facing two types
of challenges: 1) to adopt innovative information technology in classrooms/labs
and 2) to develop appropriate assessment indicators to reflect the SO
accurately. This study focuses on the impact of off-campus tutoring
and learning services on engineering education. The study is based on
the assessment data of the National Assessment of Educational Progress
(NAEP) and the survey results of students from the civil, electrical,
and mechanical engineering technology programs at Metropolitan State
University of Denver (MSU Denver). The discussion presents thoughts
on efficient course assessments and improvement.
Industry Connect Initiative Experience Report: Undergraduate Computer Science Courses
Achee, Bonnie; Alkadi, Ghassan; McNulty, Matthew (United States)
https://doi.org/10.54808/ICSIT2022.01.1
ABSTRACT:
Southeastern Louisiana University is a medium sized university located
in Hammond, Louisiana with approximately 14,000 students and ranks 59th
best affordable Information Technology Program in the United States
[9,10]. Over the course of many years, what is now known as the “Industry
Connect Initiative” (ICI) has been developed. The ICI is a four-pronged
approach to connect students to real-world-ready skills and relevant
topics. The four prongs of the ICI are the industry advisory board (IAB),
internship program, distinguished lecturer series (DLS), and real-world
curriculum opportunities (a.k.a. “Project classes”). In addition to
the ICI, support from the university’s Career Services Department and
Workforce Talent Initiative completes the suite of resources resulting
in graduates being highly sought after for employment.
While numerous implementations of real-world ready courses and project
courses are widely available, the focus is only on the “capstone” or
“major project” [3-6]. Even if the capstone course is multi-semester,
this approach is limited as the real-world application occurs only at
the end of the degree program [3-6]. This paper details the ICI curriculum
opportunity, a unique approach that incorporates these real-world experiences
throughout a student’s educational experience at a variety of difficulty
levels, beginning in the third semester and culminating in the final
semester in the Capstone course [2].
In-Service Primary School Teachers' Affective-Motivational Dispositions Towards ICT Use in Geometry
Grave-Gierlinger, Frederik; Jenßen, Lars; Eilerts, Katja (Germany)
https://doi.org/10.54808/ICSIT2022.01.110
ABSTRACT:
The use of ICT as an educational tool poses challenges for both pre-
and in-service teachers – many of which feel insufficiently prepared
for the task. This quantitative study examines affective-motivational
dispositions regarding the use of information and communication technologies
(ICT) in geometry among in-service primary school teachers (n
= 120). Based on the control-value theory of achievement emotions, the
effects of control and value appraisals on enjoyment and on ICT teaching
self-efficacy in geometry are examined. Results imply that perceived
control over ICT and perceived value of ICT are equally important to
in-service teachers and that enjoyment mediates the relation of control
and value appraisals to ICT teaching self-efficacy in geometry. The
importance of these findings for primary school teacher professional
development programs (grade 1-6) is dis-cussed.
IoT Based Smart Systems using Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI): Vulnerabilities and Intelligent Solutions
Ahmed, Shaftab *; Ilyas, Mohammad **; Raja, M. Yasin Akhtar ** (* Pakistan, ** United States)
https://doi.org/10.54808/ICSIT2022.01.56
ABSTRACT:
Internet of Things (IoT) has assumed great importance in technical and
social domains due to desire of smart living and intelligent solutions
for industrial operations, home automation and healthcare. The telecommunication
networks provide all-time internet connectivity for the devices in physical
systems and hand- held devices. The developments have made it easy to
remain engaged on all time, anywhere basis, while users interact with
one or more applications. Many smart devices may interact in the background
resulting in event-driven intelligent activities raising alerts or recording
status summary under a policy. The smart solutions are being shaped
for the industry, transport, eHealthcare, eEducation and other daily
life activities. IoT activities are autonomous and support dynamic Machine-to-Machine
(M2M) communication. The challenges of hetrogeneity, dynamic variation
in signal quality and large volume of data are being addressed through
number of techniques. In this paper, we discuss IoT based smart system
technologies, security, vulnerabilities and role of intelligent solutions
using Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI). A crucial
factor hindering the ongoing efforts for widespread IoT-adoption, is
security. We propose the requirement of Standard Security Framework
(SSF) for platform independent and interoperable hardware/software modules
in distributed networks domains. Trends to use Fog- and Edge-computing
along with cloud applications has been also reviewed in the context
to security and efficiency.
Mind the Gap: Designing an Open-Source Digital Privacy Course
Robertson, Lorayne; Muirhead, Bill; Leatham, Heather; Robertson, James (Canada)
https://doi.org/10.54808/ICSIT2022.01.68
ABSTRACT:
The pandemic has accelerated the use of digital technologies, prompting
the Canadian Privacy Commissioner to raise awareness of significant
gaps in the national legislative framework to protect the privacy of
Canadian citizens. Yet legal frameworks are only one piece of the privacy
puzzle. Canadian students are particularly vulnerable to the unintended
release of their personally-identifiable information. Inherent within
this need to protect the privacy of students and others are multiple
digital privacy paradoxes and contradictions of our time. In this paper,
the authors outline the purpose behind a digital privacy course at the
graduate level in Canadian education. This unique course combines the
level of criticality and rigour required to understand privacy despite
its policy gaps and paradoxes. The authors outline deliberate instructional
design imperatives and the most promising pedagogical approaches for
engaging educators in understanding the complexities of digital privacy
in Canadian education today.
Moodle Tests: Not So Much of a Fuss When You Have R
Miranda, M. Cristina; Rocha, Anabela (Portugal)
https://doi.org/10.54808/ICSIT2022.01.45
ABSTRACT:
One of the least motivating parts of the teaching-learning process is
evaluation. It is a task done with some periodicity and one of the aspects
that teachers seek to improve. In higher education institutions, evaluation
consolidates the learning process and it is an important tool that permits
the accountability and certification of the results. During that process
teachers aim to achieve equity, suitability, reliability, and efficiency.
The preparation of different components of evaluation is one of the
most time-consuming activities and so it is highly desirable to reduce
the time used in that process, namely, in the preparation of written
exams. All over the world, educational institutions of all degrees have
adopted some mixed models of communications between the agents of the
process of learning-teaching. The digital way is largely spread using
suitable platforms. One of the top preferences among a great part of
those institutions is Moodle. Moodle provides some tools to perform
formative as well as summative evaluation. We’ve seen how Pandemic disease
increased the need for the use of such tools. Recent studies show new
problems raised with home evaluation tests, one of which is the easier
possibility of fraud. As a response to this problem, one can increase
the number of different questions presented to different students. With
particularly advantages to statistics teachers (familiarized with R),
the R package exams is a powerful tool that provides some answers to
those problems: it produces questions that can be exported directly
to Moodle quiz format (as well as in paper format) and it allows for
random generation of parametrized questions. This way, one rapidly obtain
a number of multiple questions, all of them with the same level of difficulty
and related to the same topics, ready to include in the Moodle bank
of questions. This paper aims to show how these tools combined with
latex and markdown environments may contribute to help Statistics teacher’s
activity.
Phased Framework for Automated Educational Content Curation
Smith, Katherine; Johnson, Jessica; Ayaz, Gul; Horner, Charis (United States)
https://doi.org/10.54808/ICSIT2022.01.114
ABSTRACT:
This paper applies modern, data-driven techniques to the traditionally
manual, time consuming process of educational content curation. Specifically,
educational content produced through a peer-to-peer knowledge sharing
process is considered. After an overall introduction, an overview of
previous work in the application of machine learning to education is
provided. Then, a three-phase framework is developed to support implementation
of an educational content curation process designed to inspire and enable
learning. This process involves evaluation of individual content items,
situation of content items in a repository of existing content, and
correlation of content items to a learner and their needs. An initial
example implementation of this framework is conceptualized. Finally,
directions for future work are described.
Privacy of Data Against the Challenges of Information Technology from the Perspective of the Normative Regulation of GDPAR – Aspects of Security During the Processing of Personal Data
Rupa, Yllka (Albania)
https://doi.org/10.54808/ICSIT2022.01.74
ABSTRACT:
Information technology has transformed the economy and social life by
influencing the creation of a global order controlled by algorithms.
It is the individuals who endanger their privacy precisely by becoming
part of the exchanges of personal data for various purposes. Rapid advances
in technology and globalization have posed new challenges to personal
data protection. But how prepared is the justice system to guarantee
the individual for the privacy of the data? GDPAR, and recent developments
in the field of personal data security and protection of the individual
will be addressed in this article. Among other things, this paper will
reflect on a world where the regulatory system of justice is increasingly
at stake due to a new order of control, that of digital technology.
Teaching Mathematics and Statistics Using IT-Based Methods in the COVID-19 Era
Tsami, Eleni; Rokopanos, Andreas; Skiadas, Petros (Greece)
https://doi.org/10.54808/ICSIT2022.01.25
ABSTRACT:
The COVID-19 pandemic revealed the need for an education focusing on
diverse and often highly specialized concepts in Statistics, to broader
and possibly non-technical audiences. The public gets to this day, overwhelmed
with information relating to statistical testing procedures, drug testing,
pharmacovigilance, epidemiologic risk assessments, etc. It has therefore
become vital for one to be familiar with elaborate statistical concepts,
in order to comprehend the outcomes of the vast medical and epidemiologic
research currently taking place. In this context, we present and discuss
the preliminary results of a survey considering the impacts of IT-based
learning, with regards to Mathematics and Statistics subjects. The survey
has been conducted using the platforms of the University of Piraeus
between September 2020 and May 2022, including 132 participants from
the specific university. Our findings suggest that the majority of students
still face considerable difficulties in using distance-based learning
methods and much effort is still needed before we can obtain sufficient
cognitive outcomes.
The Teaching of Mathematics and Its Contextualization With Engineering – A Study of Calculus Programs of a Chilean University
Gaete-Peralta, Claudio (Chile)
https://doi.org/10.54808/ICSIT2022.01.7
ABSTRACT:
A problem present in the teaching of Calculus is its weak contextualization
with engineering specific situations. In order to confront this problem,
the objective of this research was to describe the contents taught in
the Engineering Calculus programs of a certain Chilean university. In
order to respond to the proposed objective, a thematic analysis, combined
with documentary analysis techniques, of Calculus I and II programs
of this university that are transversally taught in the engineering
careers, was carried out. As a result of the research, a thematic map
was constructed in which five topics were identified to describe the
contents taught in the Engineering Calculus courses: Functions of one
variable, Limits of functions of one variable, Derivatives of functions
of one variable, Integrals of functions of one variable and Functions
of several variables. Based on these results, a discussion about socio-epistemological
research that can serve as a reference to strengthen the contextualization
of the contents taught in Calculus with engineering specific situations
was held.
The Use of Mixed-Methods as a Research Strategy in Information Systems Studies
Shaanika, Irja N. (Namibia)
https://doi.org/10.54808/ICSIT2022.01.50
ABSTRACT:
The use of mixed-method approach in information systems (IS) research
is rapidly increasing. Despite its popularity and usefulness, many challenges
persist, particularly, in the areas of order of use in the collection
of data, data analysis, and presenting the findings. The challenges
lead to confusion and inconsistencies, which makes many emerging researchs
including postgraduates to avoid the method, despite its richness. It
is on this basis that study seeks to address a fundamental question:
what method comes first in a mixed-method approach in IS research. Peer-reviewed
articles where qualitative and quantititative methods have been separately
applied were gathered and systematically analysed. From the findings,
a formulaic guide is developed, intended to provide shape and ways on
how to apply mixed-method in IS studies. This contributes by reducing
the confusions and challenges in applying the mixed methods for IS studies.
Tips for Designing an Accessible and Inclusive Online Course
Burgstahler, Sheryl (United States)
https://doi.org/10.54808/ICSIT2022.01.79
ABSTRACT:
In this paper I tell how a universal design in education (UDE) framework
can be used by instructors interested in ensuring that their formal
and informal online learning activities are accessible to and inclusive
of all potential students, including those with disabilities. Applying
the principles that underpin UDE I will share tips for getting started
in creating and delivering an online course that is accessible and inclusive.
The tips are informed by experiences of students with disabilities,
online instructors, course designers, and IT accessibility experts presented
in the literature and conference presentations, as well as my personal
experiences as an online instructor since 1993. The topic of this paper
is particularly relevant because of the conversion of thousands of on-site
courses to online formats in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, legal
mandates for making courses accessible to students with disabilities,
and heightened interest nationwide in addressing diversity, equity,
and inclusion issues.
Use of Testing Dojo as a Methodology of Collaborative Learning in Teaching Testcase Writing: An Experience Report
Meireles, Maria A. C.; Filho, Alexandre R. L.; Lima, Ketlen R. da S.; Ferraz, Luiz Gustavo de C.; Batista, Fabricio A.; Barros, Francisco Caio P. de; Chaves, Lennon C.; Souza, Camilo de; Roque, Lidia F. N. de Melo (Brazil)
https://doi.org/10.54808/ICSIT2022.01.41
ABSTRACT:
Training IT professionals in a new role is a big challenge, especially
when their context and role are particular, requiring specific qualifications.
This article describes an experience of training new professionals in
the creation and updating of test cases using the collaborative learning
technique Testing DOJO in the context of the mobile software industry.
We evaluated the influence of Testing DOJO related to motivation, collaboration
and learning perception regarding the creation and updating of test
cases. To achieve this objective, we used a methodology based on three
steps: literature review, proposal creation and a feasibility study
in which we assess employee perception. The results obtained show that
the use of the Testing Dojo contributed positively to the motivation,
collaboration and learning perception of the test developers who participated
in the study, enabling improvements in interaction, knowledge exchange
and collaboration among participants. We also verified that the use
of the technique can be an interesting alternative for training new
members to create and update test cases in software testing teams composed
of several test developers working on the same project.
Using Quiz Scores to Measure Learning Outcomes
Jordan, Paula (United States)
https://doi.org/10.54808/ICSIT2022.01.101
ABSTRACT:
This paper will discuss the interpretation of assessment data from an
online Managerial Economics Course in the Masters of Business Program
(MBA) at National Louis University. The MBA508 Managerial Economics
Course is one of two economics courses in the MBA program. This course
utilizes students quiz scores as an assessment of program learning outcomes.
This paper will review the current research on assessment, specifically
using test scores to measure direct learning outcomes. The MBA Program
and the MBA508 Managerial Economics Course will be introduced. Information
about the implementation of the quizzes along with some example questions
will be introduced. A summary of the quiz data from individual student
quiz scores over several sections will be reviewed, analyzed and interpreted.
Websites Accessibility Compliance of Official Agencies for Disabilities
Khasawneh, Baha A. (Jordan)
https://doi.org/10.54808/ICSIT2022.01.62
ABSTRACT:
The design of official websites that care for people with special needs
is a key indicator of the extent of compliance of governments with international
standards, as it sends a clear message of commitment to accessible design
practices. Since the design of accessible web pages is highly challenging,
regulations in most cases do not enforce the mandatory adoption of accessibility
standards; rather, it is left as an optional preference. This is also
true for most Arab countries. To assess the degree of accessibility
compliance of the official websites of governmental institutions responsible
for disability in Arab countries we evaluated accessibility options
under the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1) standard using
two free online tools, WAVE and Acheker. We also included a by-hand
evaluation of certain accessibility choices. Only 13 Middle East and
North Africa (MENA) country websites were evaluated due to the lack
of available data in the rest of the countries. Our results show the
non-compliance of all tested websites and demonstrate the need for a
better design of accessible websites. We ranked the evaluated websites
based on the results of the two evaluation tools.
Where Do We Go From Here? An Interdisciplinary Exploration of Leveraging New Technologies in Education
Robertson, Lorayne; Muirhead, Bill (Canada)
https://doi.org/10.54808/ICSIT2022.01.104
ABSTRACT:
Artificial intelligence and machine learning are at work behind the
scenes in many aspects of life today. Research to examine the impact
of these technologies on education is at a nascent stage. In response
to these emergent technologies, the authors employ critical policy analysis
to identify gaps where curriculum and educational policies have not
yet responded to these emergent innovations. The authors argue that
innovative technologies should be examined using critical, interdisciplinary
approaches which combine the knowledge, theory and processes from more
than one discipline or way of knowing. These approaches across disciplines
allow the examination of authentic problems through different lenses,
including where different disciplines intersect. For example, text-to-speech
applications are available to the public but their use in school settings
may label these same apps as assistive technologies and their use will
be regulated. Interdisciplinary approaches stimulate critical questions
that challenge taken-for-granted assumptions. The authors analyze both
artificial intelligence and machine learning in educational settings.
This work is exploratory and generative. They provide a framework to
examine the efficacy and equity of these innovations and examine ways
forward. It is hoped that multiple disciplines can contribute and help
to interrogate these emergent findings.
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