Teachers' Perspectives on ICT Curriculum and Students' Learning Skills

Objectives: The role of technology in modern life is expanding rapidly. Educational technology has emerged as a crucial component in raising academic achievement worldwide. Teachers all over the world are now focusing on it. Therefore, this study examined the teachers' perspectives on the ICT curriculum and its effect on students' eLearning skills in the UAE. Methods/Analysis: Researchers used a questionnaire to gather the data to learn more about how technology is being used in UAE Model Schools. There were a total of 150 teachers (60 female and 90 male) from three different Abu Dhabi schools included in the study. In addition, the study used descriptive statistics for the analysis. Findings: The study's findings confirmed that teachers at both institutions use technology in the classroom. Novelty /Improvement:Practical implications for the United Arab Emirates support of technology are explored. Doi: 10.28991/ESJ-2023-SIED2-03 Full Text: PD

Perceptions of ATP Certified Occupational Therapy Practitioners on Assistive Technology Education in Occupational Therapy Programs

This capstone project focused on identifying which categories of assistive technology (AT) that practitioners perceived to be needed in entry-level master’s occupational therapy (OT) programs; and validating the need for post-professional AT training and post-professional AT certificate programs. For this capstone project, a survey approach was used as the data collection method. The purpose of the survey was to determine perceptions of OT practitioners on AT education received during their entry-level OT program. The survey was returned by 148 occupational therapy practitioners certified as assistive technology professionals (ATP) by the Rehabilitation and Engineering Society of North America (RESNA). Results indicated that OT practitioners with ATP certification indicated the need for more AT education in entry-level OT programs. Participants reported that seating and mobility, computer access, augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), and technology for learning disabilities were the categories they desired more training in. The AT categories that participants reported using most in intervention included seating and mobility, environmental modifications, sensory (hearing and vision), and computer access which also matches the AT categories that participants desired more training on and received training on as a professional. Future research with a larger sample size and more generalized sample of OT practitioners is necessary to compare results for more detailed evidence of the AT categories needed in entry-level OT programs. This evidence could be utilized to improve the education of OT students and assist the profession in full acceptance of AT as a vital part of the OT profession

After the big bang: what's next in design education? Time to relax?

The article "Big Bang technology: What's next in design education, radical innovation or incremental change?" (Fleischmann, 2013) appeared in the Journal of Learning Design Volume 6, Issue 3 in 2013. Two years on, Associate Professor Fleischmann reflects upon her original article

Higher Education and IR 4.0: Embedding Entrepreneurship Education in Malaysian and Nigerian Universities—Developments and Challenges

Purpose: This paper identify major objectives as yardsticks to juxtapose our arguments throughout the study, examining the implications of IR 4.0 for higher education and entrepreneurship education by reviewing Nigeria’s and Malaysia’s national development plans to determine their relevance to IR 4.0. Design/methodology/approach: In view of the complexities generated by the Fourth Industrial Revolution (IR 4.0), which affects every sector including entrepreneurship and education, this study undertakes a systematic literature review to ascertain the facts and discuss concepts related to higher education and entrepreneurship, particularly the role of IR 4.0 in changing and modifying the direction of entrepreneurship. Findings: The study also highlights the approaches adopted and challenges encountered by universities in their implementation of entrepreneurship education, considering the job market disparities mentioned earlier. The paper conclude that it is imperative for both countries to instill the virtues of entrepreneurship education in their students, in order to prepare them for the challenges and needs of IR 4.0. Research limitations/implications: This problem is largely associated with the weak approach adopted by universities in equipping students with the necessary entrepreneurial skills for today’s highly competitive industrialized era, and not in any way related to the students themselves. Practical implications: Thousands of students graduate every year from Malaysia and Nigerian universities and other higher institutions across the globe. However, the availability of job vacancies in government and other sectors is insufficient to match the number of graduates produced annually.   Originality/value: This paper is original Paper type: Research pape

Digital skills requirements of the Real Estate, Finance and Business Services sector in South Africa

Purpose: Owing to the digital skills shortage in South Africa, this article ascertains the digital skills requirements of the Real Estate, Finance and Business Services sector in South Africa. The aim of this study is to understand which digital skills graduates are expected to possess when they enter this sector, as well as its level of importance of each digital skill. The Real Estate, Finance and Business Services sector has been South Africa’s largest GDP contributor for the past several years, therefore this particular sector was selected for this study. Methodology: A quantitative research approach was undertaken to survey 387 business professionals from the Real-Estate, Finance and Business Services sector in South Africa. The survey was conducted online via LinkedIn and participants acted in their individual capacity as business professionals, resulting in a response rate of 49 per cent. Findings: Digital skills related to the use of software applications and Web tools, the use of information systems, and the application of security measures in digital environments were analysed using Principal Component Analysis. The findings revealed that this industry sector placed a great deal of importance on a graduate’s ability to apply security measures in digital environments, particularly pertaining to Personal IT Security Skills. Originality: This study will greatly assist South African higher education institutions with regard to curriculum development in the commerce disciplines, since most commerce students feed into the said sector. A curriculum that is better aligned to meet industry needs, will ensure that graduates are adequately prepared for this particular South African industry sector. A study of this nature is lacking in the South African context, which will greatly help South African higher education institutions to align their curricula to meet this sector’s digital skills need

Integration of virtual reality within the built environment curriculum

Virtual Reality (VR) technology is still perceived by many as being inaccessible and cost prohibitive with VR applications considered expensive to develop as well as challenging to operate. This paper reflects on current developments in VR technologies and describes an approach adopted for its phased integration into the academic curriculum of built environment students. The process and end results of implementing the integration are discussed and the paper illustrates the challenges of introducing VR, including the acceptance of the technology by academic staff and students, interest from industry, and issues pertaining to model development. It sets out to show that fairly sophisticated VR models can now be created by non-VR specialists using commercially available software and advocates that the implementation of VR will increase alongside industryis adoption of these tools and the emergence of a new generation of students with VR skills. The study shows that current VR technologies, if integrated appropriately within built environment academic programmes, demonstrate clear promise to provide a foundation for more widespread collaborative working environments

Core Competencies in Cancer Genomics for Healthcare Professionals: Results From a Systematic Literature Review and a Delphi Process

The continuous development and use of genomic sequencing requires healthcare professionals to constantly integrate these advancements into their clinical practice. There is a documented lack of cancer genomics contents in the teaching and learning programs. We aimed to identify the core competencies in cancer genomics for non-genetic healthcare professionals. We performed a literature review in PubMed, SCOPUS, and Web of Science databases to retrieve articles published from 2000 to 2018, in English or Italian language. We included articles that reported the competencies for non-genetic healthcare professionals in cancer genomics. A web-based modified Delphi survey was conducted, aiming to define, through consensus, a set of core competencies that should be covered in the curricula. The international expert panel included specialists in genetics, genomics, oncology, and medical specialists. In the literature review, we retrieved nine articles, from which we identified core competencies for general physicians and nurses. The competencies were organized in three main domains: knowledge, attitudes, and practical abilities. In the second round of Delphi survey, consensus of 83.3% was reached for the definition of the core competencies. Thirty-seven items were defined as the competencies required for physicians and forty-two items for nurses. Through a consensus-based approach, a set of core competencies in cancer genomics for non-genetic healthcare professionals has been identified. Our findings could benchmark standards for curriculum development and future educational strategies

Children in 2077: Designing Children’s Technologies in the Age of Transhumanism

What for and how will we design children’s technologies in the transhumanism age, and what stance will we take as designers? This paper aims to answer this question with 13 fictional abstracts from sixteen authors of different countries, institutions and disciplines. Transhumanist thinking envisions enhancing human body and mind by blending human biology with technological augmentations. Fundamentally, it seeks to improve the human species, yet the impacts of such movement are unknown and the implications on children’s lives and technologies were not explored deeply. In an age, where technologies can clearly be defined as transhumanist, such as under-skin chips or brain-machine interfaces, our aim is to reveal probable pitfalls and benefits of those technologies on children’s’ lives by using the power of design fiction