Academic literature on the topic 'Flexible e-service learning; curriculum development; social development'

The study aims to design a socio-scientific issues (SSIs)-based electronic learning (℮-LM) design framework. It is anchored to the SSI occurrences in teaching Science at a State University in Batangas province, Philippines. This SSI-based ℮-LM design framework will guide the ℮-LM development for teaching Science socio-contextually through flexible learning. The explanatory sequential mixed method design addressed the study’s goal. Initially, the existing SSIs in the science course curriculum were analyzed. Significant insights into the occurrence of existing SSIs, such as the appropriate teaching approaches, suitable teaching strategies, assessments, and ℮-LM design structure, were identified. The resulting least occurring SSI identified and factors affecting their existence comprised the salient features of the proposed e-LM design framework. Findings showed that lifelong learning issues, ethical issues, and sustainability issues were almost “no occurrences at all” SSIs in the analysis. These identified SSIs became the priority SSIs in ℮-LM design framework. Significant insights showed that flexible learning and socio-contextualization are suitable teaching approaches. Meanwhile, the teaching strategies that were found appropriate in the SSI inclusion include brain-netting, discovering scientific ideas, ℮-collaboration, and reflective thinking evaluation. The ℮-LM design framework proposed is called Brain-D℮CoR ℮-LM Framework. Applying the proposed ℮-LM design framework in teaching Science will encourage science facilitators to situate priority SSIs in teaching Science. This results in creating a balance in SSI inclusion. The least occurring SSIs, which are the priority SSIs, are given into focus. Furthermore, the proposed framework will aid students in learning science beyond the content, developing their skills, and enhancing their environmental concerns and social awareness.

The article is dedicated to service learning – a popular and innovative method of teaching and learning that aims at bridging the academic and non-academic environments, introducing students to real-life challenges faced by local community, enhancing students’ social responsibility, empathy, leadership etc. Service learning is a comprehensive holistic approach that mixes traditional academic learning with community engagement, research, civic education, value-based and life skills learning, nurturing inclusion and diversity. Community service is distinctly linked to the curriculum and the subject area of the study programme; theoretical learning is complemented by service that augments students’ specific and general (transversal) competences. Service should be genuine, meet the real needs of a community, merge learning with practical activity and target personal development of service beneficiaries who are actively engaged. Students, though they work under guidance and coordination of their teachers, are expected to play an active role in service learning planning, delivery, monitoring and evaluation; they should demonstrate leadership and agency during service learning. Service learning is a flexible and allowing for variability teaching and learning method, which precipitates its effectiveness and attractiveness. Implementation of service learning in Ukrainian universities seems rational and essential as it can provide impetus for revision and modernization of study programmes, complement cognitive learning with social-emotional learning, augment links with stakeholders, involve students into real-life problem-solving, influence their outlook and encourage students to change the world for the better.

The article discusses the issues of social-communicative competency development of higher institutions’ future instructors by means of web-oriented technologies. It presents the analysis of different scientific approaches to the organization of social-communicative training of higher institutions’ future instructors. The authors state that among the means of the above-mentioned competency development scientists distinguish information and communication technologies, particularly web-oriented, as carrying a significant didactic and communicative potential. Special focus is put on the essence of the social-communicative competency of higher institutions’ future instructors and on its structure (motivational and axiological component, cognitive, operational-pragmatist, personal components). The experience of LearningApps.org service, e-mail, and social networks’ application to the process of higher institutions future instructors’ social-communicative competency development is explained. The article gives examples of the LearningApps.org service’s implementation into real learning scenarios as a constructor for creating interactive multimedia exercises based on a variety of templates. The application of interactive exercises provides an opportunity to intensify cognitive motivation of master students, involve them in solving the discussed problems, develop communicative skills and reflection; gives a more flexible control of the acquired knowledge and skills. The example of the e-mail usage as a tool to implement a long-term project aimed at establishing professionally directed contacts with future teachers of higher educational institutions and psychologists who study at universities in Poland is provided. The peculiarities of the project work organization in social network environment, aimed at developing teamwork skills, information and communication skills for solving professional and social problems are revealed. The article underlines the expediency of extra-curricular activities (Skype workshops, webinars, etc.) for the development of spoken and interactive skills, as well as social intelligence of master students.

The role of both higher and secondary education at the present stage of development of the Republic of Azerbaijan is mainly measured by the tasks set for it, its transition to a democratic and rule-of-law state, to a market economy, the need to overcome the danger of the country lagging behind the world trends of economic and social development. The main goal of the modernization of education is to create a mechanism for the sustainable development of the education system. To achieve this goal, such important tasks as ensuring State guarantees of accessibility and equal opportunities for obtaining a full-fledged education and achieving a new modern quality of preschool, general and vocational education should be solved as a priority, among others. Within the framework of solving these tasks, the concept of modernization of Russian education at the senior level of general education provides for specialized training and the development of distance education. The model of a general education institution with specialized training at the senior level provides for the possibility of various combinations of academic subjects, which will provide a flexible system of specialized training. This system includes the following types of academic subjects: basic general education, specialized and elective. Elective courses are implemented at the expense of the school component of the curriculum and provide “support” for the study of the main profile subjects, as well as serve for intra-profile specialization of training and the construction of individual educational trajectories. Schools are faced with the task of developing elective courses. On the one hand, solving this problem requires highly qualified specialists, which is extremely difficult to provide, especially in rural areas. On the other hand, today schools, including rural ones, get access to high-speed Internet, therefore, we can say that there is a sufficient technical base for the development of distance learning, which will also solve the problems of specialized training.

AI is everywhere.  Popular list  of various  digital  tools  and resources  that  teachers and  students can  use in  the academe, including e-learning platforms, digital pinboards, collaborative tools, and lesson planning apps. Artificial Intelligence is a booming technological domain capable of altering every aspect of social interactions. In education, AI has begun producing new teaching and learning solutions that are now undergoing testing in different contexts. AI requires advanced infrastructures and an ecosystem of thriving innovators. Additionally, it has a profound and increasingly important role in education. Its applications are transforming how education is delivered, making it more personalized, efficient, and effective. It is inevitable in the education aspect that teachers were informed and aware on how AI works. Teachers nowadays must be adaptive, flexible, and relevant in this tech driven world. AI in the education sector provides personalization, automation, accessibility, and data-driven insights. These features contribute to improved learning outcomes, increased teacher efficiency, and a more responsive and effective education system, ultimately benefiting students and educators alike. To address the research gaps, this study explores the status, challenges and future directions of AI in teaching practice. Since the field of AI-based instruction is still developing, this study can contribute to the development of comprehensive AI-based instruction that allow teachers to participate in the working process.

Background and Aim: Higher education was responsible for cultivating talent cultivation, scientific research, social service, inheritance and innovation, and international exchange and cooperation. It was also a core principle and key work content that was jointly recognized by international organizations and the Chinese Ministry of Education. The opening of the Health Qigong Ba Duan Jin course at the core quality level, it did not only cultivated college students' dignified body shape and good movement coordination ability, so that college students' limbs become more upright, flexible, and soft, but also cultivated college students' firm will quality and comprehensive learning ability; in the design of the curriculum, it not only makes the physical education course curriculum richer, but also receives a better effect in cultivating the comprehensive ability of college students. These research objectives were 1) To develop Ba Duan Jin teaching program for general physical education courses of general physical education for female university students. 2) To identify the appropriate teaching methods and contents for teaching and learning Ba Duan Jin in general physical education for female university students. 3) To set an experiment on the developed Ba Duan Jin teaching program in general physical education for female university students, and to compare the effectiveness between the effective output of the developed Ba Duan Jin teaching program and the Traditional Health Qigong program on, 1) physical health 2) Ba Duan Jin skills and 3) general competencies. Materials and Methods: The population of this research was first-year university students in the second semester of the academic year 2023 at Guilin Tourism University. They were registered in the Health Qigong in general physical education course of general education. The teaching program was developed and experimented with through a two-group pretest-posttest design with 30 students of first-year students in each group. The experimental group was taught with the developed Ba Duan Jin teaching program and the control group was taught with the traditional health qigong program. The research operated for 12 weeks, three days a week with one and a half hours a day. The paired t-test was used to analyze data within the group and the independent t-test was used to analyze data between groups. Results: 1) Participated in the Ba Duan Jin teaching program could gain more significant improvement at a .05 level of significance than participating in the Traditional Health Qigong teaching program only on the Ba Duan Jin Skills and in a Physical pain of General Competency: But the other items of General Competency and All items in Physical fitness did not have any differences. 2) Subjects in the Experimental group who participated in the Ba Duan Jin teaching program accepted the teaching operation and process with a very high perception of the benefits and values of Ba Duan Jin, teaching method, and process and carried over the values of Ba Duan Jin for lifelong health exercise. Conclusion: In general, physical education for university students both Ba Duan Jin and Health Qigong could improve Physical Fitness, Qigong Skill, and General Competency but the Ba Duan Jin teaching program could improve some few variables in General Competency more than Heath Qigong, The Ba Duan Jin. The teaching program was very highly accepted perceived the value of exercise, operation, and process of the teaching program.

Aim/Purpose: This paper describes a technologies education model for introducing Simulation Learning and Extended Reality (XR) solution creation skills and knowledge to students at the tertiary education level, which is broadly applicable to higher education-based contexts of teaching and learning. Background: This work is made possible via the model’s focus on advancing knowledge and understanding of a range of digital resources, and the processes and production skills to teach and produce playable educational digital content, including classroom practice and applications. Methodology: Through practice-based learning and technology as an enabler, to inform the development of this model, we proposed a mixed-mode project-based approach of study within a transdisciplinary course for Higher Education students from the first year through to the post-graduate level. Contribution: An argument is also presented for the utility of this model for upskilling Pre-service Teachers’ (PSTs) pedagogical content knowledge in Technologies, which is especially relevant to the Australian curriculum context and will be broadly applicable to various educative and non-Australian settings. Findings: Supported by practice-based research, work samples and digital projects of Simulation Learning and XR developed by the authors are demonstrated to ground the discussion in examples; the discussion that is based around some of the challenges and the technical considerations, and the scope of teaching digital solutions creation is provided. Recommendations for Practitioners: We provide a flexible technologies teaching and learning model for determining content for inclusion in a course designed to provide introductory Simulation Learning and XR solution creation skills and knowledge. Recommendation for Researchers: The goal was to provide key criteria and an outline that can be adapted by academic researchers and learning designers in various higher education-based contexts of teaching and inclusive learning design focused on XR. Impact on Society: We explore how educators work with entities in various settings and contexts with different priorities, and how we recognise expertise beyond the institutional interests, beyond discipline, and explore ‘what is possible’ through digital technologies for social good and inclusivity. Future Research: The next step for this research is to investigate and explore how XR and Simulation Learning could be utilised to accelerate student learning in STEM and HASS disciplines, to promote knowledge retention and a higher level of technology-enhanced learning engagement.

Research into networked learning has until recently focused on specific technologies, or specific interventions in learners' practice, or specific environments designed for learning. This was appropriate in an era when the technology used by learners was largely defined by the institutions in which they chose to study. Whether from a business process perspective - justifying the investment in digital technologies - or from a participative perspective - exploring how learners experienced the new digital offering - the technologies themselves were often the starting point simply because they were in every sense a 'given'. Today's learners are independently networked. Institutionally-provided technologies are not their only options, and among well-resourced learners they are often the least-favoured. The curriculum as manifested through institutional web pages, bibliographies, lecture notes and scheduled tasks is only one route to the advertised outcomes: digitally wised-up learners will be exploiting many others. This makes it less easy - and less relevant - to construct research around the technologies themselves or around technical/curricular innovations. We are now observing learners as they participate in a range of social and educational practices, supported by an array of personal, public and institutional technologies. How do they experience their learning in this new environment? And what practices and beliefs characterise an'effective' e-learner? The UK's Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) has a strong track record of funding development projects in e-learning, many of which have been evaluated for their impact on learners. For the JISC, investigating learners' experiences in a more holistic way became a priority because of the need to develop systems and standards that fit the learning lifestyles of this'net generation'. A comprehensive review of literature (Sharpe et al. 2005) found that learners' perspectives on e-learning were poorly represented even in research claiming to place learners' experience at its heart. There was a particular need for studies that looked at learners' experiences beyond the boundaries of individual programmes or technical environments. Following recommendations from this review, two projects were funded specifically to elicit learners' experiences across different programmes of study and modes of technology use (Creanor et al. 2006 and Conole et al. 2006). Using innovative and participative methods, they identified some trends. Learners are living complex and time-constrained lives. In these circumstances efficient and flexible access to learning materials, experts and communities are increasingly important. Learners make frequent use of technology both at home and within their institution. They use the internet as the first port of call for information in their lives and expect to be able to locate and download relevant resources for their study. This fits with Frand's observation that for the 'Net Generation' 'computers are not a technology but a given' (Frand, 2000). Similarly, many learners are used to establishing technology-mediated conversations and expect frequent and responsive communications in support of their study. Again this corresponds to Frand's Net Gen characteristics of 'staying connected' and 'zero tolerance for delays'. Personalisation and choice are key aspects of technology use in learners' lives that they expect to transfer to their study. There is an'underworld' of informal learning which is not mandated or supported by the institution but frequently enabled and sustained by use of technology. Effective e-learning involves complex strategies in which personal beliefs, motivations and affective issues are a factor as well as access and skills. This last point illustrates how, within the general trend toward digital literacy, learners show enormous diversity. As Thorpe et al. point out in their paper here, learners are still highly influenced by their past experiences of learning, it is just that in considering this history we must now include their different experiences with e-learning, with social networks, and with personal technologies. To the existing challenges of learner-centred research we must add the complexity of learners' relationships with and through technology, considering that they too are open to development and change. The projects presenting papers at this symposium are part of a second phase of JISC funding, designed to add detail to this broad picture of diversity and change. The projects have the common aims to: investigate how learners experience and participate in learning in technology-rich environments; investigate the strategies, beliefs and intentions of learners who are effective in learning in technology -rich environments (recognising that effectiveness is a complex and contested idea); develop methodologies for eliciting the learner experience, drawing on the relevant technologies where appropriate. Although the projects engage in regular collaborative events and have a shared wiki for research outcomes http://mw.brookes.ac.uk/display/JISCle2/Home the four papers offer different viewpoints on the research process. Jefferies et al. explore in more detail the innovative and participative research methods the projects have adopted, and which continue to evolve. They discuss the use of video and audio diaries and the implications of allowing participants to control the technologies they use for data capture as part of the research process. This project is following participants over two years of study and identifying critical moments in their emerging practices and identities as e-learners. First-year learners in transition to higher education are the focus of Hardy et al.'s research. Their paper explores some of the practicalities of data collection and offers insights into new students' expectations. They suggest that while most undergraduates arrive with already-high levels of IT competence and confidence, they tend to be conservative in their approaches to university study. Learners involved in this project maintained a clear separation between technologies for learning and for social networking. Thorpe et al. situate their research in the context of well-established literatures on student learning in general, on work-based and informal learning, and on communities of practice. In dealing with learners as subjects of and in their own learning contexts, they argue that we can also learn from the methodological frameworks offered by identity theory and activity theory. They present early data from learners on two practice-based courses, and contrast their experiences with the educational intentions expressed by their course tutors. Finally, Childs and Espinoza-Ramos offer a draft typology of learners' preferences, suggesting a complex inter-dependency of choices around physical spaces for learning, levels of social engagement in learning, and supportive technologies. The symposium will offer an opportunity to hear updates from these projects as well as exploring the issues raised in their presented papers.

Postgraduate medical training started with the apprenticeship model. This system heavily relied on tradition and subjectivity. In the middle of the 20th century, there was a gradual shift to an objective-based structure which had its roots in the works of Ralph Tyler and Benjamin Bloom. As a result, the curriculum became focused on predefined objectives in the cognitive, psychomotor, and affective domains. This drive was aimed to standardize the learning criteria across various centers and align the tools for assessment for postgraduate medical students.1In our country, the College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan (CPSP) has been the main center of postgraduate medical education since its inception in 1962. With both local and foreign-trained faculty members, it was one of the first centers to start training in Medical Education in collaboration with the World Health Organization in 1979.2 Various supervisor workshops and certifications by the Department of Medical Education helped equip the faculty with the tools required for curricular development.3 Thus new curricula in each discipline were developed and were called “structured training programs”. They were based on the objective approach and largely focused on summative assessments with very few formative assessments.4In the last two decades, new evidence and methods of postgraduate teaching and assessment have evolved in the west.5 Due to technological enhancements in patient care and vast development in the scientific pool of medical knowledge, there was a demand to define outcome-based competencies that strongly align with the demands of the workplace. As a result, competency-based curriculum models were developed which “de-emphasized time-based training and promised greater accountability, flexibility, and learner-centeredness”.1 CANMEDS (Canadian Medical Education Directives for Specialists) and ACGME (Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education) are two of the most popular systems having a competency-based framework which has been developed and successfully implemented in North America.Competency-based programs differ from objective-based ones in the fact that instead of prescribing how to teach or learn, they focus on the demonstration of various competencies required for practice. A competency-based curriculum must exhibit “teacher-learner relationship and responsibility, workplace-based assessment approach, alignment of competencies with criterion-referenced assessment, and flexible training duration”. 6 The system focuses on the attainment of competencies by the trainee to determine readiness for unsupervised practice rather than the length of their training.The structure of a competency-based curriculum is not based solely on objectives but rather uses defined Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) which align the teaching and assessment at the workplace with the competency frameworks. Another key aspect of this curricular structure is milestones which are based on the skill development framework of Dreyfus and Dreyfus.1 Both these key elements ensure that the trainee has attained the desired level of clinical skill to practice.The teaching of these competencies is often done in a workplace setting. Assessments employ Work Place Based Assessment (WPBA) tools such as Directly Observed Procedural Skills (DOPS) for procedural skills, Mini Clinical Evaluation Exercises (Mini-CEX), and Chart Based Recall (CBR) for clinical reasoning skills and 360-degree feedback for professionalism, interpersonal and communication skills. The system also caters to the extent of differential achievement of learners by offering targeted help to trainees in form of regular formative feedback which is an essential component of WPBAs.7As with other, in vogue ideas of medical education, the College of Surgeons and Physicians Pakistan was the first to develop a competency-based curricular framework nearly a decade ago. It was centered on patient care and involved professionalism, pedagogy, and advocacy as essential competencies to be acquired by the specialists.4,8 One key area where the CPSP fellowship program has developed since then is the development of portfolios 9 in the form of an electronic log (e-log) system for regular monitoring of training. The e-log system also includes reflections by supervisors and trainees which is a step in the right direction.10 Other technological solutions such as learning management systems, mobile applications, simulation, and social media if added could further enhance student learning and engagement.11,12 A close inspection of the current fellowship and membership structured training programs of CPSP reveals that despite the claim of running a competency-based framework, none of the key features of this system like defined EPAs, milestones, and WPBA strategies exist. Also, there is a lack of curricular alignment with the core competencies. So, it is difficult to consider it as a competency-based framework of postgraduate medical education in a true sense.Other medical universities in the country have relatively recently developed their Master of Surgery (MS) and Doctor of Medicine (MD) curricula. Wide variations exist in their induction, teaching & learning, assessment, and evaluation criteria. Also, limited literature is available to study their curricular structural design. Instead of adopting the new competency-based framework, most have chosen to retain the archaic objective-based curricular model. Unfortunately, with no guidelines from the nascent Pakistan Medical Commission, most programs tend to evolve in the light of the Higher Education Commission’s curriculum recommendations which are based on the older objective-based approach.13Rawalpindi Medical University right from its inception had the vision to develop a University Residency Program for post-graduate studies in Medicine, Surgery, and allied disciplines based on ACGME competency-based curriculum. Under this program, we train hundreds of trainees with regular monitoring via workplace-based assessment and 360-degree feedback forms. These are evaluated by the Quality Enhancement Cell in 6 monthly cycles with feedback provided to the trainees, supervisors, and administration. The trainee is also required to log cases and activities with reflections in their logbooks. Each clinical case is also added to their online portal for record and evaluation. These regular formative tools with monitoring and feedback help the trainee assess their weaknesses, supervisors plan their trainee's progress and administration take decisions for improvement. Formative assessments are done at the end of each year comprising of MCQ, SAQ, and OSCE formats. At the end of the program, a comprehensive summative assessment is also conducted to certify competence.Nine years ago, Wasim Jafri14 wrote that “The competency-based model provides an exceptional opportunity for Pakistani postgraduate medical institutes”. We believe that today Rawalpindi Medical University is a pioneer among the medical sector universities in providing this excellent opportunity to its trainees and supports other partnering universities in developing competency-based curricula.

This descriptive quantitative study discusses the instructors’ implementation of the flexible learning guidelines during the pandemic as perceived in their self-assessment results. Assessing how the instructors dealt with the flexible learning modality will lead to better curricular planning and implementation in higher education in the new normal. Using a survey rating scale and checklist, the respondents rated their own implementation of the flexible guidelines. A self-assessment process can facilitate curricular and instructional improvements on the part of the instructor, upgrading the professional stance of these teachers and achieving the standard guidelines set along the way. Results showed that the instructors are Always implementing the flexible learning guidelines specifically on the general guidelines, requirements and qualifications for flexible learning, implementing policies and procedures on facilitating online teaching, social-emotional learning, rules and discipline, teacher organization and communication, assessment, support services, and adherence to data privacy. Yet, the instructors had a lower rating on assessment which means a need for support on online assessment. Also, the instructors expressed their concerns on the LMS, virtual synchronous platform, access and connectivity, students’ concerns, and general concerns on teachers’ coursework and online learning. It is recommended to conduct impact studies on flexible learning and to provide further professional development sessions to enrich the curriculum and instruction needs of instructors.

This case study examined a constructivist approach to creating an interactive learning environment on ANGEL for graduate students in a course: EDC 604—Authoring for Educators. The course curriculum was designed to help students construct knowledge to develop professional Websites. However, the class time was insufficient to meet the student learning needs and course objectives. The social interaction on ANGEL provided flexible time and space for participants to discuss the issues important to them. Findings revealed that practical action research combined with social interaction shed light on important issues of professional development through reflection on practice. The constructivist approach provided an interaction of two important sets of learning conditions: Internal and external levels for student cognitive development in authoring skills. Data were analyzed using a grounded theory approach. This study also identified issues for further research: The importance of curriculum design to meet students’ needs, the effect of digital divide, and how student attitude impacts learning.

The use of technology has grown significantly at the universities in recent years. Blackboards have been replaced with PowerPoint presentations, online courses, and videos. Nowadays all universities incorporate technologies into their curriculum in some form. They have digitilised their whole education system by recognising the function of digital classes. More and more aspects of today’s world become digital because of the advancement of the internet, mobile phones, mobile apps, tablets, laptops, and other gadgets, Digital education is replacing conventional education in classrooms at many universities and colleges. The purpose of the paper is to demonstrate how teachers may build their curriculum and support materials, employing the most creative side to personalise learning, using modern technologies. Although, many people favour traditional teaching methods, the possibilities are endless when technology is integrated into the classroom. The education has become much more accessible, with a wide choice of learning techniques. Teachers should think about why students want to use the technology in the classroom rather than need it. It will surely assist educators in tracking a student progress and developing innovative lesson strategies. Students who learn using technology can build skills that will help them to succeed in the future. Methodology of the study is based on general research methods of analysis and synthesis, induction and deduction, observation and abstraction, which are used to systematise achievements in the theory and practice of modelling systems of different nature in the humanities and, in particular, in pedagogics. In general, our research aims to contribute to better understanding of accrued benefits of using GSRSs in learning and to gauge the extent to which the use of digital technologies can enhance students’ learning experience. More specifically, our objective is to understand how students experience the use of digital platforms and to explore the extent to which these interactive technologies influence classroom dynamics, engagement, motivation and learning. In our study, we addresse the following four research questions: Interactive collaboration between a teacher and students using digital tools; features of the digital learning tool Quizlet and its correlation with the SAMR model; the impact of the digital learning tool Kahoot! on teaching and learning; benefits of using Pear Deck, Wooclap, Baamboozle, Gimkit, Genial.ly in the educational process.We employed a qualitative approach to address four stated questions. We believe that a qualitative research approach is relevant to utilise in this study because the phenomenon being studied is not easily distinguished from the context in which it is observed. Using explorative case studies, we intend to unravel complex perceptions and issues relating to the use of digital technologies in the context of students’ engagement, motivation and learning. This approach is used to enrich the insights gained from the exploration of the literature and provide deep levels of interpretation for the phenomenon under consideration.Results of the study show that due to technology improvements, the education has become more flexible and accessible. Online degrees and mobile learning are more popular, physical boundaries have been removed, and technologies can help their employees pursue their education. These are an excellent way for teachers to teach students how to keep organised and simplify their tasks right from the start. In addition, giving students an access to the information, modern technology has the potential to excite and empower them.Practical implications. Educational technology improves a student performance by systematically approaching instructional resources. It recognises individual needs by incorporating technologies into the classroom instruction and tracking a student progress. Instructors must appropriately expose conditions the or select an appropriate technology for the curriculum delivery and track outcomes to determine the success of the measures. Digital learning tools and technology engage students and improve critical thinking skills, the foundation for developing analytic reasoning. Because they require students to observe the rules and conventions to play, interactive social skill games effectively teach them discipline. Students experience feelings of accomplishment due to gaining new knowledge and skills through digital learning tools, which give them the confidence to pursue new interests. Value/originality. The technological advancement has boosted distance learning education. It provides an easy access to all learning resources and allows for convenient interaction with the teacher. Instructors can quickly create and manage groups using learning tools and technologies, such as social learning platforms. Digital technologies in education have given a rise to various Learning management systems (LMS). They have promoted virtual classrooms where a teacher can interact with students in real-time, share his resources, deliver his lecture, assess students’ learning, collect feedback, and reply to their queries.Students collaborate to solve ongoing educational challenges using online platforms. Hackathons have emerged as a successful event to find the solutions to many challenging problems. Students can express themselves and collaborate on activities by sharing their thoughts and ideas. Using learning tools and technologies, students can build self-directed strong learning abilities. They can figure out what they need to know, locate and use online resources, apply what they have learned to the problem, and even analyse comments. As a consequence, they have increased their production and efficiency. Technologies break down all educational barriers, allowing students and teachers to communicate in real time and learn across the time and place. A complete and thorough learning process adds a new dimension to their learning and helps them to achieve academic success. Students have an access to a wide range of online resources and journals related to their studying topics through their computers and portable devices, allowing them to obtain additional information to complete assignments. Furthermore, digital platforms provide reliable and high-quality data from their computers, anywhere and anytime. In addition to information resources, the educational technologies allow students to connect with academic professionals around the world. Thus, in the context of modern technological development, teachers have to use a variety of gadgets, such as: smartphones and tablets, available online resources; specialized learning products as: animation, games, or artificial intelligence-based systems, to make their materials lively, interesting, and relevant. The compatibility of e-learning systems with new smart devices is an important element for easier access and faster uptake of digital learning. Technological innovations help to facilitate learning for different age groups and topics. The importance of big data and the use of analytics in education is an important part of technologies. Educational institutions realize the value of comprehensive data on student and faculty performance as they expand the use of virtual classrooms, e-learning platforms, and online exams.

THE LANDSCAPE OF PUBLIC SCHOOLING in the United States has changed dramatically over the past 40 years, in part because of substantial movement toward the collective goals of education. Schools are more racially integrated than before Brown v. Board of Education; desegregation continues to contribute to the growth of the black middle class. Levels of school funding are higher than a generation ago, and in many states funding is more equitable across districts. Children with severe disabilities spend more of their days in the mainstream; children with subtle learning problems are increasingly identified and helped; parents have the legal right either to challenge the separation of children with disabilities or to demand special services for them. Most English language learners get at least some help in making the transition to English-speaking classes. Dropout rates have declined for whites and for blacks (although not for Hispanics). NAEP scores are higher in many subjects in most grades, with the greatest gains being made by black students. Most states have adopted standards and are developing curricula and professional development programs to bring those standards into the classroom; some states have shown demonstrable improvement in student learning as a consequence. Schools are increasingly sensitive to students from varied religious and ethnic backgrounds, and curricula are more multicultural. Ability grouping is more flexible than it used to be, more students have access to Advanced Placement classes, more take a reasonably demanding curricula, and more attend college. Through it all, despite concerns and disagreements, Americans have sustained their commitment to public schooling. While conflicts over education policy remain serious and policy irrationality persists, policy and practice have changed in ways that bring the ideology of the American dream closer to reality. These developments took place mostly in a context of economic stability (or even great prosperity) that made it relatively easy to dedicate more resources to public education. Broader political, social, and demographic developments, beginning with civil rights protests, also strongly affected them. Yet schools would not have moved toward greater quality, equality, and inclusiveness unless enough Americans believed deeply in the American dream and expected public education to foster the institutions and practices needed both to promote the pursuit of individual dreams and to keep democracy vital.

The Australian Catholic University (ACU National at www.acu.edu.au) is a public university funded by the Australian Government. There are six campuses across the country, located in Brisbane, Queensland; North Sydney, New South Wales; Strathfield, New South Wales; Canberra, Australian Capital Territory (ACT); Ballarat, Victoria; and Melbourne, Victoria. The university serves a total of approximately 27,000 students, including both full- and part-time students, and those enrolled in undergraduate and postgraduate studies. Through fostering and advancing knowledge in education, health, commerce, the humanities, science and technology, and the creative arts, ACU National seeks to make specific and targeted contributions to its local, national, and international communities. The university explicitly engages the social, ethical, and religious dimensions of the questions it faces in teaching, research, and service. In its endeavors, it is guided by a fundamental concern for social justice, equity, and inclusivity. The university is open to all, irrespective of religious belief or background. ACU National opened its doors in 1991 following the amalgamation of four Catholic tertiary institutions in eastern Australia. The institutions that merged to form the university had their origins in the mid-17th century when religious orders and institutes became involved in the preparation of teachers for Catholic schools and, later, nurses for Catholic hospitals. As a result of a series of amalgamations, relocations, transfers of responsibilities, and diocesan initiatives, more than twenty historical entities have contributed to the creation of ACU National. Today, ACU National operates within a rapidly changing educational and industrial context. Student numbers are increasing, areas of teaching and learning have changed and expanded, e-learning plays an important role, and there is greater emphasis on research. In its 2005–2009 Strategic Plan, the university commits to the adoption of quality teaching, an internationalized curriculum, as well as the cultivation of generic skills in students, to meet the challenges of the dynamic university and information environment (ACU National, 2008). The Graduate Diploma of Education (Secondary) Program at ACU Canberra Situated in Australia’s capital city, the Canberra campus is one of the smallest campuses of ACU National, where there are approximately 800 undergraduate and 200 postgraduate students studying to be primary or secondary school teachers through the School of Education (ACT). Other programs offered at this campus include nursing, theology, social work, arts, and religious education. A new model of pre-service secondary teacher education commenced with the introduction of the Graduate Diploma of Education (Secondary) program at this campus in 2005. It marked an innovative collaboration between the university and a cohort of experienced secondary school teachers in the ACT and its surrounding region. This partnership was forged to allow student teachers undertaking the program to be inducted into the teaching profession with the cooperation of leading practitioners from schools in and around the ACT. In the preparation of novices for the teaching profession, an enduring challenge is to create learning experiences capable of transforming practice, and to instill in the novices an array of professional skills, attributes, and competencies (Putnam & Borko, 2000). Another dimension of the beginning teacher experience is the need to bridge theory and practice, and to apply pedagogical content knowledge in real-life classroom practice. During the one-year Graduate Diploma program, the student teachers undertake two four-week block practicum placements, during which they have the opportunity to observe exemplary lessons, as well as to commence teaching. The goals of the practicum include improving participants’ access to innovative pedagogy and educational theory, helping them situate their own prior knowledge regarding pedagogy, and assisting them in reflecting on and evaluating their own practice. Each student teacher is paired with a more experienced teacher based at the school where he/she is placed, who serves as a supervisor and mentor. In 2007, a new dimension to the teaching practicum was added to facilitate online peer mentoring among the pre-service teachers at the Canberra campus of ACU National, and provide them with opportunities to reflect on teaching prior to entering full-time employment at a school. The creation of an online community to facilitate this mentorship and professional development process forms the context for the present case study. While on their practicum, students used social software in the form of collaborative web logging (blogging) and threaded voice discussion tools that were integrated into the university’s course management system (CMS), to share and reflect on their experiences, identify critical incidents, and invite comment on their responses and reactions from peers.

The present paper presents the results of an Erasmus+ project entitled � Development of New Skills for Medical Students in Pandemic Context. For most of the medical universities digital readiness/capacity was found unprepared for the COVID induced changes toward on-line education. Now, after 2 years, on line education is not anymore a novelty in higher education. But, especially for medical students, the problem raised during COVID pandemics was to follow practical stages. Telemedicine is a solution adopted in many countries both for medical as for educational services. By our approach we address not only the need to harness the potential of digital technologies for teaching and learning but also to equip students with digital skills as needed in present contexts of recovery after pandemic. The proposed solutions are in line with the digital transformation that Europe needs in the educational medical field. They will increase the capacity and readiness of participant HEIs to manage an effective shift towards required digital education and support medical university students in acquisition of new skills as requested by the labor market. e-Med offers an entirely new curricula/course addressing to COVID 19 simptoms, complications, treatment and recovery. Stimulation of innovative learning/teaching practices will be achieved by an interactive model of learning and training, encompassing the benefits of e-learning with innovative on line work-based approaches. The e-MED-skills on-line collaborative platform acts as a virtual place where both students and teachers will work together in learning, teaching and development of course content. As main aspects we promote digital content of training, OER development, testing and implementation of flexible learning pathways. The course content is developed by joint research, consisting in different e- modules dedicated to COVID 19 complex aspects included into the e-learning platform. A specific module dedicated to tele-medicine will develop digital skills of participants. The methodologies and e-learning tools were enhanced by work based learning approaches, aiming to give the students the opportunity to apply gained knowledge in live situations. A virtual environment offers on line consultations regarding COVID or post-COVID complications. Students can follow the medical teachers intervention and can directly work with patients under trainer supervision by the use of tele-medicine. In this way e-MED will engage students and medical universities in the path to digital transformation not only for teaching but also for medical services needed in future jobs.

Living in an age of information and technology in which time is of the essence, people try to use their available resources and time as efficiently as possible. Because traditional methods of training and educating students have become obsolete, there is a need for new ways to approach and interactive training in the e-Learning system where these stand out as key factors in the society of tomorrow. This paper will also tackle the advantages and disadvantages of this mobile technology which requires a remote learning system. The purpose is to create flexible teaching solutions, which will allow access to information via all kinds of devices, as well as to produce flexible materials in a wide variety of situations. Furthermore, this paper will try to approach the answer to the question: how can we learn effectively? and how can we address the issue of limited availability of time using mobile technology? The main features of this article refer to voice, messaging (short messaging service, multimedia messaging service), graphics, user-controlled operating systems, download facilities, browsers, embedded cameras, GIS systems, mobile devices, including fingerprint scanners, sensors, hardware and software accessories available as input mechanisms, as well as potential output systems. Mobile technology is still in the beginning of academic teaching and learning systems. The idea of a wireless campus is becoming more widespread in the academic environment and the integration of the Internet and of mobile technologies will turn using the technology of information and communication in an open teaching environment as long as mobile technology is regarded as a means of academic development and not only. Using the computer will improve the quality of training students which will be superior in terms of information, and also the educators will be spared of routine activities, allowing them to pursue other scientific activities more diligently. It is becoming more and more clear that mobile learning is not only just a fad, but is becoming an important part of individual development, regardless of age, gender, nationality, cultural background or social status. It is also desirable that future learning should work together with traditional learning, with m-learning and e-learning. In conclusion, the quality of educational system will increase, leading to the development of a new society based on a new core concept which will lead to an increasingly modern education.