A web-based learning environment exploiting 3D virtual worlds

There is no doubt that during the last few years the learning process has been greatly affected by the rapidly evolving era of information and technological development. The continuously increasing pace in computer power advancement in conjunction with new Internet technologies have led to the extensive usage of multimedia and 3D graphics, resulting to new forms of visualization, distribution and presentation of training material. The objectives of this work are to present an integrated view of interactive 3D virtual worlds used in the implementation of learning activities through the web and to analyze and design an e-learning system based on the exploitation of multimedia technologies, the Internet and 3D virtual worlds. The proposed system provides learners with an interactive 3D virtual learning environment thus enabling them to participate virtually in studying and performing simulated lab experiments for a course in Computer Graphics. Some of the aforementioned system’s highlights include the increased management and security capabilities of the virtual environment along with additional features offering simulation of various laboratory exercises

Intention to adopt Cloud-based e-Learning in Nigerian Educational Institutions

Institutions of higher education must utilize innovative information and communication technologies for teaching in Nigeria. Thus, cloud-based e-Learning is essential to curtail educational challenges such as limited infrastructure, funds, and student-to-lecturer ratio. Recently, there has been widespread enthusiasm regarding Cloud computing for e-Learning; adopting and strategically utilizing these technologies remains a significant challenge for higher education institutions. Furthermore, there is a limited understanding of how cloud-based e-learning can transform Nigerian educational establishments. Cloud-based e-Learning systems' technological components have been the subject of numerous study studies, but little is known about how they operate from an organizational perspective. Accordingly, using the Technology-Organization-Environment theory, the goal of this study is to investigate the variables that influence the adoption of cloud-based e-learning. The findings of the research show that relative benefit and competing pressure have a big impact on whether cloud-based e-learning is adopted. However, compatibility, security, and top management commitment do not appear to be significant determinants. These findings will help Nigerian education institutions, the ministry of education, and practitioners to understand the critical factors for adopting this technology for improved education

Issues in Information Systems Education: A Text Mining Approach

Issues related to teaching and learning of information systems concepts have been of great interest to IS academics since the inception of the discipline over 60 years ago. A major issue is the curriculum, which has received continued research interest since it was first discussed in the literature in the early 1970s (Ashenhurst, 1972). Under the sponsorship of major professional organizations, first The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and then the Association for Information Systems (AIS), a series of model curricula have been developed, culminating with the release of IS2020 in 2021. The interdisciplinary nature of the field and the ever-changing landscape of technology, dictate that curriculum remains a central issue for the years to come. However, the curriculum is but one aspect of any education. Education can be defined as conducive learning, in which learning is both guided and intended (Frick, 2020). Guided learning is learning facilitated by a teacher and can include a carefully prepared learning environment. Intended learning is learning chosen by the learner. Consequently, equal emphasis should be given to the study of the teacher, the learner, and the environment in which IS education transpires. Additional IS education issues have been proposed. For example, Topi (2019) discusses five areas for further research in addition to curriculum: The role of IS as an academic discipline, the IS environment, IS education quality improvement, the visibility and impact of IS education research, and the implications of technology-based solutions. It will be interesting to assess how well the various issues have been addressed in the literature to obtain a better understanding of the state of IS education and to provide directions for future research. Text mining can be defined as “the discovery by computer of new, previously unknown information, by automatically extracting information from different written resources” (Hearst, 2003). The use of text mining has experienced explosive growth in recent years with applications ranging from security to biomedicine. It has also been applied as a literature review tool by several researchers. In IS, Talafidaryani (2020) conducted a topic modeling of the dynamic capabilities literature and identified seven themes. We propose that a similar analysis be performed on the publications of the Journal of Information Systems Education, the premier IS education journal, to identify major IS education issues. References Ashenhurst, R. L. (1972). Curriculum Recommendations for Graduate Professional Programs in Information Systems. Communications of the ACM, 15(5), 364–398. Frick, T. W. (2020, in press). Importance of educology for improving educational systems. In J. M. Spector, B. B. Lockee, and M. D. Childress (Eds.), Learning, Design, and Technology: An International Compendium of Theory, Research, Practice and Policy: Systems Thinking and Change (E. Kowch, Section Ed.). Basel: Springer Nature Switzerland AG. Hearst, M. (2003). What is text mining? Available at https://people.ischool.berkeley.edu/~hearst/text-mining.html Talafidaryani, M. (2020). A text mining-based review of the literature on dynamic capabilities perspective in information systems research. Management Research Review, Vol. 44 No. 2, pp. 236-267. Topi, H. (2019). Invited Paper: Reflections on the Current State and Future of Information Systems Education. Journal of Information Systems Education, 30(1), 1-9

On-Line Learning on Information Security Based on Critical Thinking Andragogy

There is a demand in higher educational institutions for an on-line learning model that positively stimulates learners’ critical thinking. Higher education learners are considered adults. Thus, standard pedagogical approaches do not always work. Adults need an andragogical approach that takes into consideration that teaching is relevant to them. Andragogy refers to adult teaching theories. In this article, the authors propose a new model that intends to provide an effective on-line teaching environment that applies critical thinking andragogy in higher education. The model was applied to 140 learners of the Basics of Information Security course at Zayed University in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates. This course was specifically chosen because the skills taught in this course are used in real life, while dealing with e-mails, Web sites, social networks and other on-line platforms. Thus, an andragogical approach seemed appropriate. Learners’ response to the applied model was measured through a quantitative research method. There was noticeable student satisfaction regarding the applied framework. The authors describe the model in detail and how it was utilised

PrivHome: Privacy-preserving authenticated communication in smart home environment

A smart home enables users to access devices such as lighting, HVAC, temperature sensors, and surveillance camera. It provides a more convenient and safe living environment for users. Security and privacy, however, is a key concern since information collected from these devices are normally communicated to the user through an open network (i. e. Internet) or system provided by the service provider. The service provider may store and have access to these information. Emerging smart home hubs such as Samsung SmartThings and Google Home are also capable of collecting and storing these information. Leakage and unauthorized access to the information can have serious consequences. For example, the mere timing of switching on/off of an HVAC unit may reveal the presence or absence of the home owner. Similarly, leakage or tampering of critical medical information collected from wearable body sensors can have serious consequences. Encrypting these information will address the issues, but it also reduces utility since queries is no longer straightforward. Therefore, we propose a privacy-preserving scheme, PrivHome. It supports authentication, secure data storage and query for smart home systems. PrivHome provides data confidentiality as well as entity and data authentication to prevent an outsider from learning or modifying the data communicated between the devices, service provider, gateway, and the user. It further provides privacy-preserving queries in such a way that the service provider, and the gateway does not learn content of the data. To the best of our knowledge, privacy-preserving queries for smart home systems has not been considered before. Under our scheme is a new, lightweight entity and key-exchange protocol, and an efficient searchable encryption protocol. Our scheme is practical as both protocols are based solely on symmetric cryptographic techniques. We demonstrate efficiency and effectiveness of our scheme based on experimental and simulation results, as well as comparisons to existing smart home security protocols