Assessment of the factors influencing the self-efficacy of final year students of computer science in Southwest Nigeria

This study investigates the  influence of gender, previous computing knowledge, institution type and interpersonal skills on the self-efficacy of final year students of Computer Science in  Southwest, Nigeria. Leveraging on survey data collected from 408 final year students of Computer Science across 9 universities, the research provides empirical evidence into the influence of some factors associated with the self-efficacy of undergraduate students. The findings revealed that interpersonal skills and previous computing knowledge influences the self-efficacy of the final year undergraduate students while the self-efficacy of the students does not differ across gender and school type. Implications for both curriculum developers and students were discussed, and the need to enhance the self-efficacy of the students for workplace competitiveness was underscored

Cyber security problems associated with remote work applications

Many companies cite cost, scalability, and data integrity as the top three driving factors. Most have long-term plans for the cloud, with 25% planning to use them for most of their market data needs over the next year. However, the most impressive potential benefit of the cloud lies in its ability to provide the powerful analytics and machine learning tools needed to develop AI solutions, as well as unlock the potential for increased profitability. Cloud technologies provide fast and cost-effective on-demand access to large amounts of data. Cloud users can quickly validate the results of experiments, avoiding lengthy approval and implementation processes and costs that previously held the pace of innovation. This research addresses the main problems facing remote work, including distance education, during the situation related to the COVID-19 pandemic, by using current technologies. Where the authors studied the identification, analysis and organization of the most important problems facing cybersecurity related to remote work applications

Artificial intelligence, deep learning, machine learning, robotics and digital transformation: applications, implications and future

Artificial intelligence, deep learning, machine learning, robotics and digital transformation have revolutionized industries, while creating new opportunities together with challenges and implications in the society. This comprehensive survey explores the applications, prospects, problems, and future perspectives of artificial intelligence, deep learning, machine learning, robotics, and digital transformation in the contemporary society. The objectives of this research included to explore practical applications of these emerging technologies and industrial trends, examine the impact and potential opportunities of the technologies and innovations, assess the challenges and problems associated with implementation of such disruption technologies and transformations, and determine future trends and advancements through which the technologies can be utilized to achieve sustainable prospects. The research methodology involved collecting and analyzing relevant scholarly articles and reports from electronic journals, electronic books as well as Internet and web based information. First, this comprehensive search was conducted in academic databases such as Scopus, ACM Digital Library, and Google Scholar. Secondly, critical review was done based on vital information regarding applications of these technologies, problems faced in implementation, future prospects and advancements in the field. With the digital transformation, this research has significant implications since artificial intelligence, deep learning, machine learning and robotics are applied in various industries and economies. Applications of these technologies in healthcare, manufacturing and transportation, climate adaptation and agriculture, business and trade, information science and computing as well information communication technology have led to improved efficiency, accuracy, and decision-making. By leveraging the capabilities of these technologies, significant progress has been made towards achieving sustainability and combating climate change challenges. Additionally, artificial intelligence, deep learning, machine learning, robotics, and digital transformation have profound implications for employment patterns, job skills, and workforce dynamics. Developments and connections in these emerging and disruption technologies present tremendous opportunities for humanities, organizations, industries and broad societies

The Zelensky files: courage under fire: Leadership strategies and practices for university leaders – Part II

This paper explored the long-term leadership of Zelensky given that when the original article The Zelensky Files:  Strategies and approaches for university leaders was published, it was still early days in the war.  Zelensky, it seemed went from an obscure, challenged peacetime leader to a global ‘Ambassador for Freedom’ in a very short time.  Indeed, as noted in the original article, leadership in all its diverse guises is messy, complex,  unpredictable, and often enigmatic.   Talented leaders fail every day; other average leaders emerge as the right leader for the right reasons and purposes; and perhaps with a little luck become leadership icons.  Zelensky exemplifies the latter but, in reality he also is talented and has an instinctive and refined blend of pragmatism and  common sense making him the right choice for Ukraine and freedom.  Zelensky’s long-term leadership strategies include 1)  the leader’s core values and approaches comprise his/her leadership foundation; 2) recognition that leadership decision making is difficult and often heart wrenching; 3) Partnerships are essential strategies for leaders and organizations; 4) the right people in the right positions is more important than talent; and 5) the leader’s singular and only role is to lead.  The world of the university seems at times a universe away from the battlefield and yet when we delve down for a closer look, we find the most remarkable alignments where leadership strategies turn out to be fluid, agile, and adaptive to the needs of many diverse leaders and organizations, wartime and peacetime, and beyond.  Ukraine’s universities have faced the destruction of war.  One in five institutions in Ukraine have been damaged or destroyed.  Student enrolments have declined and many foreign students left the country whilst research output overall has been estimated to have declined between 10-18%.  Indeed, even with all these challenges, this is where an inspirational, transformative leader who exudes confidence, belief in the cause and love of country during one of the most serious crises in Ukraine’s history since the Holodomor (Ukrainian Famine, 1932-33), can inspire a nation.  And, despite the ravages of war,  the university doors are open and the classroom lights have remained on in most institutions.  The images of students taking online courses in shelters and bunkers whilst others risk their lives sitting by a fountain or in a park for better Internet access all in the name of freedom. The indelible point here is education is freedom.  Education is innovation.  Education is the future.  Education is peaceful revolution.  And, education is the heart and soul of the human condition.  The Zelensky Files are not a leadership panacea for all the complex issues facing the modern university.  A word that may best describe the leadership continuum is kaleidoscope.   The kaleidoscope of leadership often seen as a changing array of shapes, sizes and colors.   The kaleidoscope of leadership with its changing approaches, strategies and blends over time with the Zeitgeist norms of the era becoming the catalyst for exploring new situational contexts, evolving trends and developments and yet accepting there is no one single silver bullet style of leadership for resolving all issues.     The Zelensky Files do, however, contribute to our journey to better understand that elusive, enigmatic endeavor – leadership.      &nbsp

Organization of e-learning at a technical university

Introduction. It is known that the educational process in any educational institution is the cornerstone of the institution, where this research came to clarify the process of organizing e learning within the educational activities within the educational institution. The platform and methods of providing technical support. Methodology. This study was implemented by using some methods including: the analysis of some previous studies on the subject of the study, in addition to making an analysis of some techniques used in distance learning in addition to studying and analyzing some government educational standards for higher education with the generalization of the results of the study for consideration them in the educational process. As for the experimental methods, they are represented in the analysis of student activities and the illumination of the faculty at the university, with some questions for discussion. The results. Among the most important results obtained in this study are determining the requirements for establishing training courses in the field of e-learning, in addition to submitting a proposal to develop an experimental model for educational courses in the field of e-learning and its basic components. Among the most important additional results obtained in this work it is to reveal the advantages of organizing the individual work mechanism for students, using LMS Moodle, whether for the teacher or the student. This is in addition to reconsidering the possible models needed to motivate faculty members while working in the Moodle educational system. Where these results came in response to improving the educational process within the educational institution (university). Conclusion. It is known that any educational institution takes into account the quality in the educational process, and to ensure quality is maintained, the control and oversight systems are improved, which leads to controlling the quality of the use of e-learning, which in turn works to evaluate the effectiveness in the use of the English language, in addition to making some administrative decisions, which are aimed at E-learning department

Using a blended learning instructional strategy to support students’ civic knowledge and social skills: A strategy to support rural schools in East Timor

Timor-Leste began re-engineering the educational system after suffering the effects of a drawn-out struggle to attain independence. Despite the opportunities provided for out-of-school children to enlist in the new education system, and the projects bankrolled by international organizations, teachers in rural schools in Timor-Leste are confronted with teaching and learning-related challenges. This paper presents the outcomes of an experiment on the usability of blended learning instructional strategy to support students’ civic knowledge and social skills. A pretest-posttest quasi experimental design was used to evaluate the usability of a Blended Learning Instructional Strategy on 52 secondary school students in the junior cadre in rural areas in Nigeria. The data analysis suggested that the combination of blended learning and conventional lecture method has the capacity of inculcating civic knowledge and social skills in learners in rural schools. The research determined the trajectories of male and female learners’ performance using their academic abilities after being taught civic concepts and socially-related skills with conventional teaching methods and computer-assisted teaching. The results from the Nigerian study were used to present best practices for citizenship and social development teachers in using a blended learning instructional strategy in rural schools in Timor-Leste. However, further research is recommended on using a blended learning instructional strategy in Timor-Leste and other developing nations.Тимор-Лешті розпочав реорганізацію системи освіти після того, як зазнав наслідків тривалої боротьби за незалежність. Незважаючи на можливості, надані дітям, які не відвідують школу, залучитися до нової системи освіти та проекти, фінансовані міжнародними організаціями, вчителі сільських шкіл Тимору-Лешті стикаються з труднощами, пов’язаними з навчанням. У цьому документі представлені результати експерименту щодо можливості використання навчальної стратегії змішаного навчання для підтримки громадянських знань і соціальних навичок учнів. Квазіекспериментальний дизайн перед тестуванням і після тестування використовувався для оцінки можливості використання стратегії змішаного навчання на 52 учнях середніх шкіл молодших класів у сільській місцевості Нігерії. Аналіз даних показав, що поєднання змішаного навчання та традиційного лекційного методу має здатність прищеплювати громадянські знання та соціальні навички учням у сільських школах. Дослідження визначило траєкторії успішності учнів чоловічої та жіночої статі, використовуючи їхні академічні здібності після навчання громадянським поняттям і навичкам, пов’язаним із соціальними засобами, за допомогою звичайних методів навчання та навчання за допомогою комп’ютера. Результати нігерійського дослідження були використані для представлення найкращих практик для вчителів громадянства та соціального розвитку щодо використання стратегії змішаного навчання в сільських школах Тимору-Лешті. Проте рекомендовано провести подальші дослідження щодо використання стратегії змішаного навчання в Тиморі-Лешті та інших країнах, що розвиваються

Closing the gap between skills training and academic education at a military academy: An integrated instructional design model

Linking skills training and academic education is a formidable challenge in many professional fields. At modern military academies, officer cadets learn military skills and strategic thinking, fostered by skills training and academic education respectively. As an example, we briefly elaborate on these two learning tracks at the Royal Military Academy of the Netherlands Defence Academy. However, skills training and academic education are often implemented in a non-integrated manner. Because officers have to integrate military skills and strategic thinking during actual military operations, it is paramount that officer cadets learn how to integrate these in a meaningful way. Therefore, we designed an innovative integrated instructional design (ID) model that aims to meet the needs of both military training and academic education. We herein describe the six-step design process of the resulting so-called TrEd ID model, based on the Nine events of instruction model and STAR Legacy, linked through the First Principles of Instruction. The TrEd ID model provides common ground to military instructors and civilian academicians at a military academy, encouraging mutual understanding and collaboration. Future research is needed to understand the potential value of the TrEd ID model in bridging the gap between skills training and academic education, and how to optimally prepare officer cadets for their roles

Status of valuing play-based learning as a facilitating pedagogy in implementation of early childhood education curriculum in Sidama Regional State, Ethiopia

The study aimed at investigating the extent to which teachers valued play-based learning as a facilitating pedagogy in early childhood education curriculum in Sidama Regional State. A study employed mixed research approach with convergent parallel design. A total of 427 participants were selected from various educational backgrounds, including teachers, PTA members, principals, experts and ECE coordinators. The instruments were self-constructed questionnaires and interviews guiding questions. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze closed-ended quantitative data while open-ended qualitative data were narrated. The findings indicated that large number of pre-primary school teachers were not valuing play-based learning as a mediating pedagogy for indoor-and outdoor activities. This lack of emphasis on play-based learning was attributed to misconceptions and a lack of awareness about effective pedagogical practices. As a result, the traditional teaching methods were prevalent, prohibiting the implementation of play-based pedagogy in early childhood education. To address the issues the study recommends that teacher training colleges focus on raising awareness through training and seminars on the benefits of play-based learning in early childhood education. Furthermore, provide on-job training and professional development opportunities for facilitators can help enhance their knowledge, attitudes and skills in implementing play – based learning strategies effectively

Measuring the impact of technology-enhanced teaching and learning in science education: a systematic review of methods and tools

The use of technology in science education is almost evident in every school across the globe. Measuring the impact of technology in science classrooms has become a favorite field of many research practitioners. Therefore, this present undertaking conducted a systematic review of the methods and tools used by different researchers, plus the students’ perspectives and experiences regarding the impact of technology in science lessons. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) were utilized in selecting, coding, and analyzing the research articles subject to this review. In total, 15 articles were reviewed from major academic databases such as PubMed, ERIC, Scopus, Springer, and Google Scholar, and 100 were originally under examination. The review results suggest that articles from 2020-2024 used varied research designs, with quantitative survey design being the most common. The data collection tool is primarily a questionnaire, which can be a Likert or a test. Most articles reported their validity and reliability data, but many failed to divulge the data. Moreover, the students' perceptions and experiences of using technology inside the science classroom were reasonably positive. The threat to validity, if eliminated, can allow for conclusive and undoubtful findings that the impact of technology in the science class is positive

Credit worthiness prediction: Approaches and methods

This paper presents a systematic literature review on creditworthiness prediction, a critical aspect of financial risk assessment. With a focus on informing lending decisions and mitigating risks in financial institutions, the review examines methods, algorithms, and features commonly utilized in creditworthiness prediction. Through systematic searches across high-impact academic databases such as Scopus, ScienceDirect, IEEE Xplore, and SpringerLink, 25 relevant papers were collected and analyzed. Classification and regression methods emerged as predominant approaches, with Decision Trees, Random Forest, and Support Vector Machines identified as effective algorithms. Additionally, hybrid models combining traditional machine learning with deep learning techniques demonstrated promising performance. Features encompassed loan/application information, employment and income, financial history, demographics, and external factors. The findings provide insights into current practices and highlight opportunities for future research, including the integration of emerging technologies like blockchain and explainable AI, and the exploration of alternative data sources. This review contributes to advancing understanding and informs the development of more effective credit risk assessment models to support informed lending decisions and enhance financial stability