Migration of cloud services and deliveries to higher education

This paper discusses the adoption of cloud computing in education. It emphasizes the view that cloud computing is vital in the education sector because of its ability to reduce the overall costs of IT infrastructure installation and maintenance, improvement of efficiency, and the sharing of IT resources among students. The flexibility of cloud computing and its reliability makes it more appropriate for use in the educational environment. The Leeds Beckett University cloud project utilizes the SAS Educational Value-Added Assessment System, which gives lecturers the opportunity to deliver accurate content to students while monitoring their progress. Contemporary educational institutions must look forward to improve their research and education through cloud computing

Benefits and challenges of cloud computing adoption and usage in higher education

The aim of this article was to provide evidence pertaining to cloud computing (CC) adoption in education, namely higher education institutions (HEIs) or Universities. A systematic literature review (SLR) of empirical studies exploring the current CC adoption levels in HEIs and the benefits and challenges for using CC in HEIs was performed. A total of 20 papers were included in the SLR. It was discovered that a number of universities have a keen interest in using CC in their institution, and the evidence indicates a high level of successful CC adoption in the HEIs reviewed in the SLR. In conclusion, the SLR identified a clear literature gap in this research area: there exists limited empirical studies focusing on CC utilisation in HEIs

Tracking and debriefing birth data at scale: A mobile phone application to improve obstetric and neonatal care in Bihar, India.

AimThis analysis assessed changes over time in skill and knowledge related to the use of evidence-based practices associated with quality of maternal and neonatal care during a nurse midwife mentoring intervention at primary health clinics (PHCs) in Bihar, India.DesignNurse midwife mentors (NMMs) entered live birth observation data into a mobile App from 320 PHCs.MethodsThe NMMs completed prompted questions in the App after every live birth witnessed. The App consisted of questions around three main themes, "What went well?", "What needed improvement?" and "What can be done differently next time?".ResultsObservational data from 5,799 births was recorded by 120 NMMs in 320 PHCs. Knowledge and skill during normal spontaneous vaginal deliveries and complicated deliveries with either a postpartum haemorrhage or non-vigorous infant all showed statistically significant improvement (p < .001) over time using a Chi-squared test for trend with a mean increase of 41% across all indicators

Gender issues, water issues: a gender perspective on irrigation management

Women in developmentGender differencesWater useIrrigation managementIrrigated farmingPerformancePlanningIrrigation effectsPovertyHouseholdsAgricultural productionSettlement patterns

Cloud-computing strategies for sustainable ICT utilization : a decision-making framework for non-expert Smart Building managers

Virtualization of processing power, storage, and networking applications via cloud-computing allows Smart Buildings to operate heavy demand computing resources off-premises. While this approach reduces in-house costs and energy use, recent case-studies have highlighted complexities in decision-making processes associated with implementing the concept of cloud-computing. This complexity is due to the rapid evolution of these technologies without standardization of approach by those organizations offering cloud-computing provision as a commercial concern. This study defines the term Smart Building as an ICT environment where a degree of system integration is accomplished. Non-expert managers are highlighted as key users of the outcomes from this project given the diverse nature of Smart Buildings’ operational objectives. This research evaluates different ICT management methods to effectively support decisions made by non-expert clients to deploy different models of cloud-computing services in their Smart Buildings ICT environments. The objective of this study is to reduce the need for costly 3rd party ICT consultancy providers, so non-experts can focus more on their Smart Buildings’ core competencies rather than the complex, expensive, and energy consuming processes of ICT management. The gap identified by this research represents vulnerability for non-expert managers to make effective decisions regarding cloud-computing cost estimation, deployment assessment, associated power consumption, and management flexibility in their Smart Buildings ICT environments. The project analyses cloud-computing decision-making concepts with reference to different Smart Building ICT attributes. In particular, it focuses on a structured programme of data collection which is achieved through semi-structured interviews, cost simulations and risk-analysis surveys. The main output is a theoretical management framework for non-expert decision-makers across variously-operated Smart Buildings. Furthermore, a decision-support tool is designed to enable non-expert managers to identify the extent of virtualization potential by evaluating different implementation options. This is presented to correlate with contract limitations, security challenges, system integration levels, sustainability, and long-term costs. These requirements are explored in contrast to cloud demand changes observed across specified periods. Dependencies were identified to greatly vary depending on numerous organizational aspects such as performance, size, and workload. The study argues that constructing long-term, sustainable, and cost-efficient strategies for any cloud deployment, depends on the thorough identification of required services off and on-premises. It points out that most of today’s heavy-burdened Smart Buildings are outsourcing these services to costly independent suppliers, which causes unnecessary management complexities, additional cost, and system incompatibility. The main conclusions argue that cloud-computing cost can differ depending on the Smart Building attributes and ICT requirements, and although in most cases cloud services are more convenient and cost effective at the early stages of the deployment and migration process, it can become costly in the future if not planned carefully using cost estimation service patterns. The results of the study can be exploited to enhance core competencies within Smart Buildings in order to maximize growth and attract new business opportunities

Position Paper: Escaping Academic Cloudification to Preserve Academic Freedom

Especially since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of cloud-based tools and solutions - lead by the ‘Zoomification’ of education, has picked up attention in the EdTech and privacy communities. In this paper, we take a look at the progressing use of cloud-based educational tools, often controlled by only a handful of major corporations. We analyse how this ‘cloudification’ impacts academics’ and students’ privacy and how it influences the handling of privacy by universities and higher education institutions. Furthermore, we take a critical perspective on how this cloudification may not only threaten users’ privacy, but ultimately may also compromise core values like academic freedom: the dependency relationships between universities and corporations could impact curricula, while also threatening what research can be conducted. Finally, we take a perspective on universities’ cloudification in different western regions to identify policy mechanisms and recommendations that can enable universities to preserve their academic independence, without compromising on digitalization and functionality

Towards Developing a Cost-Benefit Model for Learning Management Systems

Although Learning Management Systems (LMS) have become a common place in higher education many stakeholders invest in this technology once the expected benefits align with the strategic goals of the institution and the technology falls within a given budget. However, it is not immediately apparent how stakeholders can determine whether the level of investment associated with implementing the LMS is justified by the benefits obtained. In this paper, a case study will be used to identify the costs and benefits associated with the implementation of a web-based LMS. In the instances where these costs and benefits and indirect, measures will be proposed that can be used to quantify them. The goal is to produce information that stakeholders can use to understand the value of their investments and at the same time, practitioners can use the information to maximize the value of the investment in a LMS

Iowa Crop Progress & Condition, November 15, 2015

Report produced by the The Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Climatology Bureau. Weather report released by the USDA National Agricultural Statistical Service. The report is released weekly from April through October. Formally titled: Iowa Crop and Weather Repor

Web storage technology platform usage by faculty members in the faculty of education, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria

This paper examined Web Storage Technology Platform usage by Faculty Members in the Faculty of Education, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. Two (2) objectives were identified for this paper which are; to identify the types of WST Platform the Faculty Members are aware of, to find out the extent to which Faculty Members utilise WST Platforms in the Faculty of Education, A.B.U., Zaria. Quantitative research methodology was employed and cross-sectional survey research design was used for this study. The population of the study is the whole 175 Faculty Members in the Faculty of Education, A. B.U., Zaria, excluding staff on sabbatical and staff on study leave. Self-developed questionnaire was used to collect data from the respondents. Descriptive statistics (frequency distribution, percentage, mean and standard deviation) was used to analyse the data collected from the respondents. This study discovered that, google cloud (google docs, gmail) was the most common WST Platform that Faculty Members are aware of. The study also revealed that Faculty Members most commonly utilise Google cloud (google docs, gmail) as the type of WST Platform in the Faculty of Education A.B.U., Zaria and partially utilise drop box. The researcher recommended that; the University management should put more efforts through the ICT Department/unit in creating awareness on different type of WST Platforms available for Faculty Members to utilise. Also, WST Platform service providers should provide more concise, clear and understandable steps to facilitate the high use of the platforms for academic activities. Keywords: Web Storage Technology Platform, Awareness, Usage, Faculty Members&nbsp