The effectiveness of information literacy online tutorials on student learning: A systematic review

Background and Objectives:Despite the emergence and advancement of new technologies and, consequently, the change in lifestyle in recent decades, education systems have maintained the same traditional method of education and have not changed according to the characteristics of the digital generation. Meanwhile, digital generation features have been effective in learning-teaching approaches. One of the most important and recent developments in the field of modern technologies is the use of gamification, that is, the use of game elements in non-game contexts. Gamification is using game mechanics, game aesthetics, and game thinking to engage people, motivate them, and promote learning, and problem-solving. The use of game elements in educational environments has been found in developed countries and even in developing countries as a special place to face current educational problems. The purpose of this study was to review the studies in the field of ‘Gamification in e-learning’ and to present the content analysis of this field and its effectiveness in education. Methods: A systematic search of articles was done in February 2018. After searching the databases Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Wiley, Taylor & Francis, and Emerald with keywords Gamification, gamify, and gameful and also online, web, tutorial, module, e-learning, electronic, and e-course, and based on input criteria, 60 relevant articles were selected in this study. The selected articles were analyzed in terms of game elements, gamified e-learning courses, and the purpose of the articles. Findings: Target population in this reviewed article included high school, secondary school, and elementary school students, and also university students from a variety of disciplines, including Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering, Business Management, Building Engineering, Computer, Informatics, Library and Information Sciences, Psychology, Journalism, Construction Engineering, Nursing, and Tourism. In these studies, the effectiveness of gamification on learning various educational topics such as the programming languages, English language, data structure and algorithm, mathematics, economy and politics, psychology, informatics, physics, German language, medicine, and biology, have been studied. The effectiveness of gamification on participation/engagement, learning, motivation, anxiety, peer assessment, collaboration, website optimization, cost reduction, and faculty load were among the subject areas studied in these articles. Effectiveness of game elements on behaviors such as leaderboard on anxiety, point on motivation, leaderboard on learning and engagement, half-anonymity avatar on motivation and engagement and, avatar on motivation are among other topics covered in these studies. Furthermore, a few research has been done on determining the game elements affecting learning and motivation, the possibility of predicting the game elements suitable for different users, and gender differences in dealing with gamification. The game element point, leaderboard, badge, levels, challenge, and feedback were used more than other elements. Other elements of the game used in educational environments include avatar, progress bar, social sharing, unexpected rewards, time limit, freedom to fail, currency, missions, and rules/goals. The number of game elements used in these studies varies. In some studies, only one element of the game has been used, and in other studies, two, three, or even more elements of the game have been used and evaluated. Conclusion: The results indicated the effectiveness of gamified e-learning environments to increase learning, engagement, and motivation of learners. This result is due to the features that are at the heart of gamification; because gamification leads to a change in behavior and extensive learning experiences.   ===================================================================================== COPYRIGHTS  ©2020 The author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, as long as the original authors and source are cited. No permission is required from the authors or the publishers.  ====================================================================================

Multi-lingual and multi-cultural information literacy; perspectives, models and good practice

Purpose This paper reviews current approaches to, and good practice, in information literacy development in multi-lingual and multi-cultural settings, with particular emphasis on provision for international students. Design/methodology/approach A selective and critical review of published literature is extended by evaluation of examples of multi-lingual information literacy tutorials and MOOCs. Findings Multi-lingual and multi-cultural information literacy are umbrella terms covering a variety of situations and issues. This provision is of increasing importance in an increasingly mobile and multi-cultural world. This article evaluates current approaches and good practice, focusing on issues of culture vis a vis language, the balance between individual and group needs, specific and generic information literacy instruction, and models for information literacy, pedagogy and culture. Recommendations for good practice and for further research are given, Originality/value This is one of very few articles critically reviewing how information literacy development is affected by linguistic and cultural factors

An Alternative Approach to Security Concerns in Digital Library Initiatives

Digital preservation refers to an important aspect that most Iranian digital library initiatives lack. This component is Security. While a digital library may be misconceived as an information supply space without a physical form, the same security concerns in force for operation of physical library are valid. Unlike the analog materials, all digital copies of digital materials are original. A digital library can provide a tool whereby the user can authenticate the same material without compromising sensitive watermark key data. Watermarks must be impervious to premeditated alterations and tampering. A national digital watermark assignment center is proposed for sharing the burden of development and distribution of such security features to content developers

Evaluation of Proximal Gastric Vagotomy During a 10-Year Period

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Peptic ulcer is one of the most common gastrointestinal diseases. Among the three recommended surgical methods for this problem, highly selective vagotomy with less than 0.5% mortality rate, has the fewest side effects. Due to absence of documented reports, this study aims to investigate the risk factors and promote prognosis in patients undergoing proximal vagotomy during a 10-year period. METHODS: Highly selective vagotomy was performed in 45 patients during 10 years. Endoscopy was carried out three to six months after surgery. Thereafter, endoscopy results and the patients’ symptoms such as abdominal pain, bleeding, gastric outlet obstruction, weight gain or loss, patients’ demographics, and the reason for referral were gathered and analyzed. FINDINGS: Generally, 36 out of 45 patients were male (80%), and the mean age of the patients was 39.29±11.51 years. Among these patients, 40 (88%) suffered from obstruction and in 40 (88%) of them, no signs were detected during reexamination. Marginal ulcers were observed in two (4.4%) patients and a new duodenal ulcer was observed in one (2.2%) of the participants. The final diagnosis for two patients (2.2%) who underwent surgery due to obstruction was cancer. CONCLUSION: Our study shows that highly selective vagotomy has low side effects and rate of recurrence, and in spite of negative biopsy results for elderly patients, the likelihood of cancer must be considered

The Analysis and Review of the Literatures in the field of Gamification in e-Learning

Background and Objective:Despite the advent of new technologies and the consequent change in lifestyle in recent decades, education systems have retained their traditional way of teaching and have not adapted to the characteristics of the digital generation. At the same time, the characteristics of digital people have also influenced their teaching-learning methods. One of the latest developments in the field of new technologies is the revitalization of educational environments. Despite the emergence and advancement of new technologies and, consequently, the change in lifestyle in recent decades, education systems have maintained the same traditional method of education and have not changed according to the characteristics of the digital generation. Meanwhile, digital generation features have been effective on their learning-teaching methods. One of the most important and recent developments in the field of modern technologies is gamified learning environments. The purpose of this study was to review the studies in the field of ‘Gamification in e-Learning’ and to provide the content analysis of this field and its effectiveness in education. Materials: After searching the databases with related keywords and based on input criteria, 60 relevant articles were selected in this study. The selected articles were analyzed in terms of the game elements, gamified e-learning courses and the purpose of the articles. The effectiveness of the gamification on participation, learning, motivation, anxiety, peer assessment, collaboration, website optimization, cost reduction and faculty load were among the subject areas of these articles. The programming languages and English language were the most gamified educational courses. The game element point, leaderboard, badge, levels, challenge and feedback were used more than other elements. Findings: The results indicated the effectiveness of gamified e-learning environments to increase learning, engagement and motivation of learners. Conclusion: The present study tries to have a comprehensive review of studies in the field of gamification in e-learning, although it was accompanied by limitations such as not reviewing articles in non-English languages and not reviewing studies published in a format other than journal and conference articles. Undoubtedly, in order to succeed in projects related to gamification in e-learning, looking at its different dimensions and planning in those areas will be very fruitful, and research such as the present study can provide a comprehensive view for designing long-term gamified e-learning environments. The subjects obtained from the analysis of the field studies of gamification in e-learning can be done in Iran, although additional and more detailed research with various methods will help to enrich it.   ===================================================================================== COPYRIGHTS  ©2019 The author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, as long as the original authors and source are cited. No permission is required from the authors or the publishers.  ====================================================================================