Articoli di riviste sul tema "Information technology – study and teaching (Higher) – Curricula"

Aim/Purpose: This paper investigates the gaps between industry and academia perceptions of information technology fields, such as computer science, software engineering, and computer engineering, and it identifies areas of asymmetry between curricula and industry expectations. The study mainly focuses on the skills required of IT professionals (graduated students) and on how higher education institutes equip students for industry. Background: Higher education institutes have several IT-related departments. However, it is not clear whether these departments have sufficient content to equip students with industry-related skills. Rapid advances mean that some curriculum topics are redundant before the end of a standard two- or four-year degree programs. Balancing the technical/non-technical skills and adjusting the curricula to better prepare the students for industry is a constant demand for higher education institutions. Several studies have demonstrated that a generic curriculum is inadequate to address current IT industry needs. Methodology: The study involved a comprehensive survey of IT professionals and companies using a Web-based questionnaire sent directly to individual companies, academics, and employers. 64 universities and 38 companies in 24 countries were represented by the 209 participants, of whom 99 were IT professionals, 72 academics, and 38 employers. Contribution: This paper is intended to guide academics in preparing dynamic curricula that can be easily adapted to current industry trends and technological developments, with content directly relevant to student’s careers. In addition, the results may identify the skills that students need to secure employment and the courses that will provide skills in line with current industry trends. Findings: The results indicate a lack of emphasis on personal and non-technical skills in undergraduate education compared to general computer science, software development, and coding courses. Employers’ and software experts’ responses emphasize that soft skills should not be ignored, and that, of these, analytical thinking and teamwork are the two most requested. Rather than a theoretical emphasis, courses should include hands-on projects. Rapid developments and innovations in information technologies demand that spiral and waterfall models are replaced with emerging software development models, such as Agile and Scrum development. Recommendations for Practitioners: A multidisciplinary approach should be taken to the teaching of soft skills, such as communication, ethics, leadership, and customer relations. Establishing multiple learning tracks in IT education would equip students with specialized knowledge and skills in IT. An effective communication channel should be established between students and industry. It is also important to reduce the distance between academics and students and to provide an interactive environment for technical discussions. Enterprise level computing and Framework use provide job market advantages. Recommendation for Researchers: Researchers and department heads, particularly those involved in curriculum design and accreditation, could use the results of this exemplary study to identify key topics for attention. Impact on Society: Changes of various degrees are required in the current curricula in many higher education institutions to better meet student needs. Societies and technology are dynamic in nature, and information technology-related curricula in higher education institutions should be equally dynamic. Future Research: Since technology (especially information technology) transforms and advances itself so rapidly, this study should be replicated t to investigate how these changes affect the gap between revised curricula and current industry expectations.

The study strived to explore whether the accounting curricula of the University of Rajshahi fit the needs of both domestic and foreign job markets. To accomplish this purpose, we prepared five sets of Likert-type structured questionnaires and administered them to stakeholders viz faculties, students, alumni, non-academic staff, and employers. The Higher Education Quality Enhancement Program (HEQEP) of the University Grants Commission of Bangladesh provided the questionnaires. The study found a notable gap between the courses and content covered in the accounting curricula and the skills acquired by the graduates as well their skills and needs of the job market. The Department of Accounting and Information Systems of the University developed the accounting curricula without any participation of its stakeholders and professional body members. Faculties designed curricula, but it was just routine work. Recently it has mandatory to include a member from alumni, employers, and professionals in the curriculum committee. But they have very little freedom to exercise their rights and give inputs to a curriculum to meet the needs of the job market. Moreover, the prevailing lecture-based teaching-learning pedagogy and exam-based assessment practiced by universities expand the gap. The study recommends proper representation of stakeholders in the curricula Committee and designing market-led forward-looking curricula for accounting programs giving emphasis on information technology and taking into account the demands of the prevailing and prospective job markets.

Along with the rapid development of information technology, the information technology education trend is emerged. The enhancement of quality becomes the cross-century direction of education reform. To grasp the trend of time and integrate information multimedia into traditional teaching courses for enhancing teaching quality are the primary issues for professional teachers. With an experimental design model, Total 100 students of Hubei University of Automotive Technology, as the research objects. The class is an 8-week experimental instruction every Thursday (32 hours in total, 16 hours in class, another 16 hours are for out-of-class activities). The research results reveal that information multimedia instruction shows higher self-efficacy than general instruction and achieves the significance, information multimedia instruction reveals higher learning effect than general instruction and reaches the significance, and self-efficacy appears notably positive effects on learning effect. According to the results to propose suggestions, it is expected, through the integration of information multimedia, to induce and maintain students’ interests in the curricula and even the willingness to make efforts towards the learning goal for better learning effect.

With the extensive rise of BIM technology, universities at home and abroad have carried out BIM teaching. There is no effective teaching model in China, because the curriculum is independent or requires higher teaching conditions. Foreign teaching carried out a long time, has more experienced experience. The main teaching models are: BIM teaching in a single course, BIM teaching in a series of courses, and BIM teaching in integrated design studio. We draw lessons from the advanced experience of foreign countries, and put forward three suggestions for the teaching method of BIM course to universities in our country: design course teaching Integrating BIM information flow, multi-professional integrated teaching and life cycle simulation teaching.

Purpose The higher education, universities and institutions across the world have increasingly adopted information and communication technology (ICT) as a tool for curriculum development, learning and teaching, and for administrative activities. The use of technology to facilitate learning is gaining acceptance across various educational institutions. In order to use technology in the best possible manner, it becomes essential that the teacher should be willing to accept the technology and use it for the teaching activities. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to understand the teachers’ motivation toward adopting technology in the higher education. Design/methodology/approach An exploratory-descriptive approach is used in this research. The sampling frame for the study is the teachers employed in the management institutes in Bengaluru, Pune, Indore and Delhi. A simple random sampling technique is used for identifying the sample for the study. A self-administered questionnaire was employed to measure the validity of items measuring the teacher’s intention to use technology. Findings The results of the study confirm a significant positive impact of value beliefs (VB), social influence (SI) and perceived ease of use (PEOU) on the behavioral intention (BI) to use technology by the teachers. However, the study does not establish the relationship between self-efficacy and BI to use technology by teachers. Practical implications The use of technology will be an important area in the field of higher education where it becomes crucial to understand the motivation factors that lead to the adoption of ICT in the classroom and the curriculum. In order to successfully integrate technology into the teaching-learning process, it is concluded that the factors that positively influence the BI to use technology include the VB, PEOU and the SI. Originality/value This study contributes toward the study of teachers’ motivation in the adoption of technology in higher education in India.

Purpose This study aims to explore undergraduate students’ perceptions of teaching information and communication technology (ICT) courses in the library and information science (LIS) program in Jordanian universities. It also aims at investigating the correlation between the impact of some variables, namely, gender, the type of university, academic year and student GPA on and their students’ views. Design/methodology/approach Quantitative methods were adopted. A questionnaire with 40 items was distributed on a stratified random sample of 220 students from four LIS departments in Jordan and, of whom, 203 responded with a response rate of 92.3 per cent. Findings Research findings indicated that teaching ICT courses was considered highly important. Students stressed on the importance of incorporating ICT courses in LIS programs. They also pointed out the competence of the teaching staff and the efficacy of their teaching methods. On the other hand, student assessments of the curriculum content, the teaching pedagogy and methods of assessment were on an average level. In addition, the findings indicated that resources and facilities necessary to teach ICT courses were available and adequate. It was noted that the “university” was the only factor that affected results; the University of Jordan students showed a higher satisfaction. The other factors (gender, academic year and GPA) did not appear to affect student perceptions. Originality/value Previous studies investigated the importance of teaching ICT courses in general but did not consider students’ perceptions. Only a few studies discussed students’ perceptions of studying ICT courses but in a different context, i.e. Kuwait. This research focused on students’ perceptions of studying ICT in Jordan as a new geographic region. This would be beneficial for other developing countries to learn from this experience and refine their ICT curricula and LIS programs accordingly.

Aim/Purpose: The purpose of the study is to examine and understand the attitude of Kazakhstani universities’ instructors towards ICT integration into the curriculum and to find out the relationship between instructors’ attitudes towards ICT and their actual usage of ICT for teaching and learning processes. Background: The Kazakhstani government has taken initiatives and developed state programs to integrate information communication technologies (ICT) into all levels of education. According to previous research studies, instructors’ negative attitude towards ICT integration into curriculum can affect the implementation of ICT-related initiatives in education including higher education. Therefore, this research study examines the attitudes of Kazakhstani higher education instructors towards ICT integration into curriculum. Methodology: The study implemented an explanatory sequential mixed methods design. For quantitative and qualitative data collection paper-based questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were used, respectively. Convenience sampling was conducted, and the sample consisted of 102 instructors working in two universities in Kazakhstan. In quantitative data analysis, descriptive and inferential statistics were used; Spearman’s rho correlation coefficient was used to identify the relationship between variables. Contribution: Understanding instructors’ attitude towards ICT in education and exploring reasons behind attitudes might be beneficial in accomplishing aims and purposes of governmental ICT-related programs in the higher education system. Findings: Quantitative data analysis reveals that instructors generally possess positive to very positive attitude towards using ICT in education. Instructors often use simple basic tools such as multimedia presentation software; however, they very rarely use more advanced tools such as discipline-oriented software. No statistically significant relationship was found between attitude and advanced ICT tools. Qualitative data analysis identifies several barriers to ICT usage: insufficient or lack of provision of ICT tools and software, lack of technical support, and lack of technical knowledge among instructors. Recommendations for Practitioners: As a result of the study, it is firstly recommended to university administrations to create and add positions of information technology (IT) specialists, to each department and on a permanent basis. Secondly, it is recommended to provide faculty members with training courses that focus on ICT in pedagogy. Thirdly, universities could ask for guidance from their existing faculty members who are advanced ICT integrators, that is to say, collegial learning should be encouraged more strongly. Finally, universities are recommended to reward those faculty members who are active and effective in their attempts to integrate ICT into teaching. Future Research: As I was not able to interview those instructors who possessed negative attitude towards ICT in education, I would recommend filling this gap in the future. Interviewing instructors who are reluctant to integrate ICT into teaching can help identify more issues related to using ICT in education which were not discovered in the current research study. Also, the current research study did not investigate instructors’ attitudes in relation to their demographic background. Further research studies can examine how instructors’ age, gender, place of study, place of work, academic degree, or subject area of teaching influence their attitude towards using ICT in education and their actual usage of ICT in teaching practices.

The study aims to present the development of education in North Macedonia from the country’s independence to the present day, as documented in several national reports and other official documents. The focus is on development and changes in chemistry education throughout the years of primary, secondary and higher education. Particular attention is devoted to the introduction of the new curricula of natural sciences courses in primary education, which is an adapted curricula of the Cambridge International Examinations, and the use of information and communication technology in increasing the efficiency of the education system. Despite numerous reforms over the years, the country is still faced with various challenges and issues regarding chemistry teaching. Investment in education is constantly decreasing and no notable improvements in conditions for teaching chemistry are being made. Recommendations are made regarding the need for appropriately educated, qualified and motivated teaching staff, well-equipped laboratories and teaching resources, continuous professional development of teachers, mutual cooperation of all stakeholders in the educational process, and continuous support from the authorities and policy makers for gifted pupils and chemistry teachers at all levels.

Background With the increasing use of digital technology in society, there is a greater need for health professionals to engage in eHealth-enabled clinical practice. For this, higher education institutions need to suitably prepare graduates of health professional degrees with the capabilities required to practice in eHealth contexts. Objective This study aims to understand how eHealth is taught at a major Australian university and the challenges and suggestions for integrating eHealth into allied health, nursing, and medical university curricula. Methods Cross-disciplinary subject unit outlines (N=77) were reviewed for eHealth-related content, and interviews and focus groups were conducted with the corresponding subject unit coordinators (n=26). Content analysis was used to identify themes around challenges and opportunities for embedding eHealth in teaching. Results There was no evidence of a standardized approach to eHealth teaching across any of the health degrees at the university. Where eHealth content existed, it tended to focus on clinical applications rather than systems and policies, data analysis and knowledge creation, or system and technology implementation. Despite identifying numerous challenges to embedding eHealth in their subjects, unit coordinators expressed enthusiasm for eHealth teaching and were keen to adjust content and learning activities. Conclusions Explicit strategies are required to address how eHealth capabilities can be embedded across clinical health degrees. Unit coordinators require support, including access to relevant information, teaching resources, and curriculum mapping, which clearly articulates eHealth capabilities for students across their degrees. Degree-wide conversations and collaboration are required between professional bodes, clinical practice, and universities to overcome the practical and perceived challenges of integrating eHealth in health curricula.

A flipped classroom refers toa model of learning which reverses how time is spent in and out of the class to shift the ownership of learning from the teachers to learners. But from the perspective of ecology, education can be healthily developed in a harmonious and dynamically-balanced ecological system. Therefore, this project, exemplified through translation teaching, constructed a flipped teaching model based on an ecological perspective that open university distance learners will adapt to after revisiting the flipped classroom. Through the teaching experiment in the course on Translation Theory and Practice, the author highlighted that a good ecological relationship should be established in the translation subject, the translation object, the objectives of the translation course, and translation sources and requirements from the translation market — based on which the basic teaching process of a flipped classroom was developed. Using a questionnaire and interviews, the results of a one-year experiment showed that the flipped teaching model with the integration of modern information technology (functions of interaction, virtual simulation and social networking) in translation teaching could foster greater student engagement and higher levels of motivation and translation competence; and the teachers were excited by the opportunity to enhance their teaching practice and the profession. However, some major challenges were also posed to the students and teachers, viz.: (1) how to make the students transform from knowledge-receivers to knowledge-producers; and (2) how to improve the teacher's TPACK(technology integrated into some curricula) — for example,how to explaina concept in a bite-sized video (the pace, the visual representation, and the aligned assessment practices) and how to extend these activities into the classroom.

Abstract Media use in the teaching process occurs in several forms. Information and communication technologies can be used as work equipment and teaching aids, as well as tools or curriculum units, particularly in higher education. Technological changes and new information technologies, in addition to substantive knowledge of the material, require from teachers creativity, knowledge, and the skills of the didactic design of teaching using modern multimedia tools. In Croatia, there is a lack of research aimed at assessing the initial state of computer literacy within the higher education institutions. The aim of this study was to determine the level of knowledge and digital competence of (non) teachers of higher education institutions in the Republic of Croatia, to determine the frequency of application of modern technologies in teaching, and to explain the necessity of implementation of the programme Multimedia training and e-learning at teaching faculties, which leads to the application of new educational paradigms. The study was conducted on a representative sample (N=1800) of (non) teachers of higher education institutions in the Republic of Croatia among various faculties and departments in Osijek, Split and Zagreb. The results show that (non) teachers of higher education institutions of engineering and information sciences have the best digital competences, and apply modern technology in research and scientific work significantly more than (non) teachers of social sciences and humanities.

The goal of teaching a foreign language in higher educational establishments in the context of the implementation of a competence-based approach is to form students’ communicative competence, which involves not only the development of speech skills and language skills, but also the assimilation of linguistic and cultural and socio-cultural knowledge. With the onset of 2020, people realized the need and relevance of information technology and, in particular, distance learning. This led to a significant change in the education strategy, the most important feature of which is the widespread use of various information technologies. At the moment, everyone uses Internet resources to carry out their activities at a distance. At the moment, due to the current situation in the country and in the world, the relevance of distance learning has become undeniable. The specificity of teaching foreign languages reveals both general problems of distance learning, as well as characteristic only for the discipline «Foreign language». With the decrease in study time, the problem of increasing the effectiveness of teaching arose, the solution of which is being addressed by teachers of foreign languages. Naturally, this entailed analysis and revision of curricula and plans, and, as a result, the search for new approaches and techniques to optimize the learning process in new conditions. Distance learning allows to implement individual study programs for students in the study of foreign languages. The article considers distance learning, analyze its advantages and shortcomings, explore ways of its implementation in the study of foreign languages ​​at universities and to demonstrate the role of computer technologies and Internet resources in the development of foreign language communicative competence and the students’ independent work skills forming. Distance learning is based on modern information and communication technologies of training and advanced training. Distance learning technologies can be seen as a natural stage in the evolution of the traditional education system. Thanks to technological progress, full-time and distance learning were able to integrate, complementing, and in some cases replacing each other. Thanks to the competence of teachers in this area, integration has become possible and does not harm the educational process, but, on the contrary, improves and effectively complements it.

This study aims to shed light on the professional development of the teaching staff members in the Sudanese universities, and the experience of the University of Bahri as a model which is renewable and in line with the spirit and requirements of the modern age as well as the quality of its teaching staff. The Researcher applied the analytical descriptive method and defined the study tool in accordance with the objectives, questions, and methodology of the study, where the researcher chose the closed open questionnaire to collect information from the teaching staff members in the University of Bahri who studied the professional diploma amounting to (60). The diploma was provided by the College of Education in the framework of the professional development of the university’s teaching staff members. The most important findings of the study were that: most of the students after the completion of the professional diploma study are able to practice teaching skills with high professionalism, integrate technology in higher education, apply the scientific principles in designing and developing University curricula, use of modern teaching strategies in teaching undergraduate courses. In the light of these findings, the researcher presented important recommendations and complementary to this aspect, such as the follow-up of the teaching staff performance of those who had completed the professional diploma after returning to their colleges and the impact of that on student academic achievement.

Teaching evaluation is an important issue in the learning process in higher education. In addition to the teaching evaluation on campus, feedback from alumni is also very important to instruction improvement. Undergraduates and graduates in universities are the main labor force in Taiwan; therefore, many higher education institutions pay attention to the feedback of competency. However, the written questionnaire has limitations and lacks sufficient evidence to improve curriculum planning and instruction activities. In the present study, a systematic survey in the ‘University Career and Competency Assessment Network' was applied to analyze the results. Data were collected from 1,080 participants. The results can be summarized as follows: (1) ‘Learn-Practice Fit' was positive to the ‘Satisfaction' at workplaces. (2) ‘Responsibility and discipline' were significantly positive concerning ‘Communication and Expression,' ‘Interpersonal Interaction', and ‘Teamwork.' (3) ‘Service' and ‘Information technology writing' need to be improved in the training of Information Management students.

The current trend of globalization and development in information technology had boosted the new curriculum of Merdeka Belajar, Kampus Merdeka (MBKM), which has become a universal issue in higher education at several universities in Indonesia. In this demanding and challenging information era in which we live, EFL instruction at higher education institutions needs to offer the students more than general proficiency in English. However, it is not an easy task to design a curriculum at the university level to address these issues. The aim of the research to design a communicative language teaching program developed for teaching English as a foreign language (EFL) at X University. It aims to illustrate the rationale and process of designing a flexible curriculum for university students. This study used a Qualitative research design to present the data. The result clearly showed about The curriculum presented in this paper is intended to be a model for teaching EFL or other foreign languages at higher education institutions based on the case of EFL education in Japan related to MBKM, still relevant to adopt Japan Education policy in our Higher educational program most of them need communicative language teaching for their proficiency in English at higher educational level.

This article explores the anatomical characteristics of the Islamic Education Curriculum based on personal and community development in General Higher Education in Indonesia. This research is a qualitative study, words or actions of people observed and interviewed are the main data sources. The primary data sources of this study were elements of faculty leaders, heads of study programs, students, and lecturers of Islamic Religious Education. This study illustrates how the anatomical characteristics of Islamic Higher Education of General Islamic Education curriculum support strengthening personal and community development. The research findings show that the learning achievements of graduates, the content and teaching materials, the learning process or learning experience, and the assessment model illustrated in the curriculum structure, strongly support the development of responsibilities as individuals of Allah's servants and as Khalifah fi al-ardh. The aspect of personal development is the aspect of tathwir al-nafsi in the form of individual monotheism which includes the teaching of Islamic belief, strengthening of mahdhah and others. The aspect of tathwir al-ijetimaiy, illustrated in the strengthening of student social monotheism in the form of al-amr bi al-makruf wa al-nahy an al-mungkar, the human concept as caliph, democracy, science, technology, art, harmony, civil society, welfare, religious people, Islamic culture, Islamic political system, and democracy. The learning process is still dominated by increasing the understanding of the propositions, concepts, and theories with the teaching model of information processing. The internalization process through practice with social and humanistic teaching models still needs to be improved.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to highlight the techniques and applications used to adapt information literacy (IL) modules in such a way that students acquired the IL skills through the use of tablet technology. The focus at higher education institutions has been placed on embracing the ever-changing Web technologies to enhance teaching and learning. This case study reports on a collaborative effort between faculty and librarians in 2014, where tablet technology was integrated into the Information Literacy Certificate Programme of Environmental Management Extended Curriculum Programme (ECP) students. Design/methodology/approach To support teaching with technology at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), a pilot project was conducted in 2014 using tablet technology to train IL to a group of 20 ECP Environmental Management students in the Applied Sciences Faculty. All modules were adapted for this purpose meaning that students used the tablet throughout the training sessions. Findings Good collaboration between librarians and faculty, as well as interaction between students increased. Some of the challenges faced were unstable internet connection; many Web applications identified by the trainers to use during the training were not compatible with the Nexus 7 Tablet. Overall, the training went well. In the end, the librarians were successful in achieving learning to take place among students. Originality/value Currently CPUT Libraries promotes the Information Literacy (IL) Certificate Programme to first year students, integrating IL into the curriculum of faculty. It is hoped that this paper will give insight for academic librarians wishing to incorporate mobile technologies into their IL training programmes.

The era of globalization, growth and development of information and communication technology (ICT) and its application to learning and teaching has influence on our modern generation students, making the teaching traditional methods are useless. Changing familiar instructing methods can be a challenge available for instructors as a way to ignite our students’ curiosity and make our teaching materials more engaging and effective. Recently, the flipped learning model has been recognized by educators as an effective instructional approach (Hwang, - Wang 2015), it is a pedagogical approach in which the typical lecture and activities elements of a course are reversed, where students individually watch online lectures prior to class and then engage in classroom learning activities interacting with peers and instructors. Flipped learning model helps instructor to focus more on student-centered learning, which includes any use of the technology to take advantage of learning in the classroom, so that the instructor can spend more time interacting with the students instead of lecturing. The purpose of this study is to suggest instructional design (ID) model for teaching undergraduate courses applying the flipped learning model. Research on ID models may be classified into three different types: model development, model validation, and model use. This study concerned the first one of these, and it is based on the ADDIE, Dick and Carey model. The process begins with planning, followed by programming, then Coaching. Assessing and evaluating occur continually throughout the process and act as valuable mechanisms for monitoring progress and identifying achievement. At each stage of the process, instructors base their decisions on the requirements of the course curriculum, and, equally importantly, on their students’ needs.

The importance of information regarding the learning process is to be able to identify the main problems and provide the right solutions according to the predetermined graduate competency standards. This study aims to provide solutions to learning problems in the form of appropriate teaching materials in terms of users and the curriculum. The research method used is descriptive quantitative research through a survey with a research sample of 32.5% of the population or 26 students. The instruments used were questionnaires and interview transcripts. Data analysis was carried out with a student questionnaire, the percentage was calculated and will be explained while the interview transcripts were analyzed descriptively, 57.1% of students need teaching materials, 52.4% need teaching materials with specific learning approaches and models. The results showed that it is necessary to make improvements in the aspects of the learning model, mastery of 21st-century knowledge and skills, and the learning media used. Therefore, teaching materials are needed that include learning activities characterized by learning approaches or models, conceptual descriptions according to content standards, and evaluations that can develop higher-order thinking skills.Keywords: Higher education, human anatomy physiology, multimedia learning, SETS

New introductory level 1 curriculum has been developed for the open-entry Computing and information technology (IT) degree programme in the School of Computing and Communications in the Open University (OU UK). Three key issues in Computing and IT teaching had been identified, namely: student retention, declining participation by women in Computing and IT modules, and the teaching of introductory programming at level 1. Dealing with these issues formed part of the rationale for developing the new curriculum. Computing and IT students at the OU are part-time distance learners and there is a diverse student population with a range of learning needs. Two-thirds of students are in employment, so it is important their work-life balance is considered in the design of new curriculum.Retention of students is an important issue in distance education (Simpson, 2012) as drop-out rates are high. Students study the new level 1 course “TM111 Introduction to Computing and Information Technology 1” first followed by “TM112 Introduction to Computing and Information Technology 2”. Both module production teams engaged in a learning design process to assist with the management of student workload and to ensure coherence and consistency across both modules. The declining rate of participation by women in Computing and IT is a source of concern across both the employment and the higher education sectors (BCS, 2016). In developing TM111 care was taken in the selection of examples and images to ensure that female Computer Scientists were adequately represented so as to provide suitable role models for female students (Frieze Quesenberry, 2019). Students often struggle with computer programming but easing “cognitive load” (Sweller, 1988) may be helpful, especially in a distance learning context. TM111 uses its own customised version of Scratch, called OUBuild, to assist students in acquiring foundational programming skills. TM111 is presented using a blend of traditional print materials plus online learning and also specialised software. The module is designed to appeal to a wide range of students with a variety of study intentions and learning needs, many of whom have few formal qualifications (or none at all).TM111 has proven to be very attractive to students and participation by female students has increased to 24%, at least four percentage points over the previous module. Student responses to the module as a whole and the teaching on programming has been positive overall. More work is needed to evaluate the impact of the new modules in equipping students with the necessary programming skills to succeed with programming at level 2.

This work studies the problems of teaching foreign languages in modern education, namely in technical universities, are studied. The article highlights the features of modeling the system of teaching foreign languages. The purpose of the article is to study models of teaching in pedagogy and didactics, using examples proposed by various scientists on the methodology of teaching foreign languages in technical universities. Some methodological principles and features of teaching a foreign language at a technical university are considered, based on the criterion for the development of professional competence. The current technologies of teaching a foreign language to students in higher technical school are highlighted, the final result of which is the transition from mastering language means to the formation of speech skills in students and the development of speech skills. The specificity of the contingent of students of a technical university is that the curriculum includes mastering a foreign language as a means of further self-education and self-development, and modern youth are well aware of the advantages of knowing a foreign language. The paper analyzes modern foreign language teaching in a technical university within the framework of a personality-oriented educational approach, on the basis of different methodological approaches, discloses the concepts of the educational process as a system consisting of the proposed structural components - the hierarchy of learning goals, information technology support of the educational process, student, teacher. The characteristic features of the system of teaching foreign languages in technical universities, which takes into account the peculiarities of the educational space of a modern university, are highlighted and described. The introduction of this system will bring the teaching of foreign languages to a new level that meets the modern requirements for training specialists.

This paper examines the features of organizing a case study when teaching General English to non-linguistic students. A case study is widely used in modern higher professional education for teaching a variety of disciplines. Its popularity is associated with the high requirements of employers to graduates and the wide possibilities which this technology suggests in terms of general professional competencies formation. The use of the case study allows the teacher to transform a student from a passive recipient of information into an active subject. A case study has also proven itself efficient in teaching foreign languages. The author clarifies the concept of a case in relation to General English teaching, describes situations and problems that can be used to construct cases. Also, the place of this type of educational work in the curriculum is determined, and the rationale for the use of a case study at the concluding lessons of a lexical theme is given. The paper offers recommendations for choosing the volume and structure of such cases. Special attention is given to the selection of the media for the case material presentation. The experience of the practical application of the case study with students doing the course of General English allows the author to formulate methodological recommendations for case development and modeling. Such stages as formulating a problem, selecting a situation, processing and formatting the text, planning a procedure for conducting the case, evaluating students’ contribution, and reflecting on the results are suggested. The paper outlines a general scheme for a case study class where three main stages are distinguished (pre-text, text, and post-text), and a description of various types of student activities for each of them is given. In conclusion, the author confirms the supposition that a case study might be effectively applied in General English teaching.

NOTE: THIS ARTICLE WAS PUBLISHED WITH THE INFORMING SCIENCE INSTITUTE. Aim/Purpose................................................................................................................................................................................................. The main aim of the study is to critically examine the forces that can impede or support students to use e-learning in higher education teaching and learning environment which require not only pre-technological literacy’s but easy access to the e-learning platform and ICT devices. Background................................................................................................................................................................................................. The concept of e-learning has grown considerably in the past three or four decades, which according to Pollock and Cornford, (2003) has prompted a great deal of interest in using and integration of technology into teaching and learning environment thereby transforming the very nature of the traditional higher education system. Murphy et al (2001) have highlighted that not only does the new technologies supplement the conventional course delivery in institutions of higher learning, but they have also become a catalyst for change in higher education. South Africa as a developing nation has adopted the introduction of ICTs in the education system with the hope that it may offer some solutions to the challenges of education in South Africa. The South African Department of Education believes that developments in ICTs and its introduction to the education system creates access to learning opportunities, redresses inequalities, improve the quality of learning and teaching, and deliver lifelong learning (Department of Education, 2004). Even though internet access and ICT devices are becoming more common in South Africa, the use of them for teaching and learning purposes are limited. According to the White Paper on E-education in South Africa (SA, 2004), the Province of Eastern Cape has ranked lowest in terms of number of schools with computers for teaching and learning and as a result many students from Eastern Cape Province who enter higher education do not have adequate technological literacy levels to cope with the demands of higher education teaching and learning environment. Methodology................................................................................................................................................................................................. The design of the study was a case study and it utilized quantitative method. The number of sample units in the study was 65 students from Walter Sisulu University, University of South Africa, Pearson Institute of Higher Education (formerly called CTI) and University of Fort Hare campuses based in East London Eastern Cape Province South Africa. The data were analyzed using MS Excel spreadsheet database for conversion into percentages for the descriptive statistics. Contribution................................................................................................................................................................................................. It is essential to understand the forces that can impede or support e-learning. Possible solutions can be suggested for successfully integrating e-learning into higher education teaching and learning environment to meet 21st century students’ needs. The South Africa case study identified that a number of respondents indicated that the resources are available for e-learning on their university campuses. But these available resources are not efficiently used by most respondents to support their studies. Findings......................................................................................................................................................................................................... The results indicated that in the area of infrastructure required for e-learning, the majority of respondents indicated that the resources are available for e-learning on the campuses of the sampled universities. But these available re-sources are not efficiently utilized by respondents to support their studies. Recommendations for Practitioners............................................................................................................................................................... While universities and other institutions of higher education are encouraging integration of e-learning into the curriculum, it is also imperative that their teaching and learning strategies and policies take into account that some students are unevenly challenged in terms of technological skills and still require additional support. Recommendation for Researchers................................................................................................................................................................ There is the need to explore in depth the aspects that lead to the successful integration of e-learning into conventional lecture method of courses delivery. Impact on Society........................................................................................................................................................................................... With the dawn of 21st century digital and knowledge-based economies evolution where the integration of computers and other ICTs tools in higher education teaching and learning environments have been found to be very beneficial to students, hence not only pre-technological literacy’s of students but easy access to the e-learning platform and ICT devices are critical to higher education learning environment. Assessing students technological skills and access to e-learning platforms to which this study contributes will assist in improving quality education which has a greater impact on society. Future Research............................................................................................................................................................................................... In the context in which this study was conducted further examination of the technological skills of academic staff of the successful integration of e-learning into curriculum would be advisable.

Purpose Integration and use of technology in teaching and learning in the education sector from pre-primary education (PPE) to the higher levels of education, is a policy issue. In developed countries, including Tanzania, information and communication technology (ICT), especially in PPE, is inadequately researched for laying evidence on its applicability in instruction and learning. Therefore, this paper aims to determine pre-primary teachers’ preparedness in integrating ICT in classroom instruction and challenges teachers face in integrating it for child’s meaningful learning. Design/methodology/approach Methods and instruments: a qualitative transcendental phenomenological approach was used in determining teachers’ preparedness in integrating ICT in PPE in Tanzania. It was further used to collect data that describe the teaching and learning through the integration of ICT in every session as their lived experience for pre-primary teachers. Its selection was appropriate as it allowed researchers to systematically analyse for description the commonalities and differences existing among the involved teachers in integrating ICT in teaching and learning as their lived experiences (Moerer-Urdahl and Creswell, 2004). To appropriately analyse teachers’ understanding and experiences regarding ICT and its integration in teaching and learning in pre-primary classes, semi-structured interviews and open-ended questionnaires were used for in-depth understanding of the study problem. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data through open-ended questions where researchers took an average of 40 min per session with participants’ (teachers) using notebooks to take note of their thoughts, feelings and beliefs about ICT integration in PPE. Use of the semi-structured interview was based on the reality that it provides in-depth information pertaining to participants’ experiences and viewpoints of a particular topic (Turner, 2010). Once the interview session was complete, each teacher was given a questionnaire to fill in for triangulating their experiences. Description of participants: a total of 14 schools constituting 28 teachers were purposively sampled and engaged in this study. Analysis of participants’ demographic characteristics indicates that all of the involved teachers had certificate in teacher education that qualified them as primary school teachers. Meanwhile, 18 (66.7 per cent) of the pre-primary school teachers who were involved in this study were female with only 10 (33.3 per cent) had working experience at and above five years of teaching in early grade classes. Study participants (teachers) from Itilima and Meatu Districts were purposively involved in the study as their experiences in young children’s learning and contextual influences (educational and training policy of 2014, the ICT policy of 2007, and foreign studies) are potential in improving the quality of learning. Study area: the current study was conducted in two districts (Itilima and Meatu) all found in Simiyu region. The two districts were selected and considered appropriate by the study as they constituted the 17 most disadvantaged rural areas in Tanzania (Mosha et al., 2015). Authors describe the two districts as having poor educational outcomes mainly relatively low pass rates in the primary school leaving examination results. In Itilima, one ward out of 22 was studied in which its six schools [with a total of 12 teachers] among 87 schools in the district were involved. While in Meatu district, eight of 121 schools [with a total of 16 teachers] in one ward of 29 wards were studied. This implies that a total of 14 schools and 28 teachers were involved in this study. Data analysis: the data collected through the interviews and open-ended questionnaires were subjected to content analysis procedures (reading and re-reading notes and transcripts followed by a three-steps-coding process consisting of open, axial and selective coding procedures). The analysis process was informed by the Vagle’s (2014) six steps for phenomenological research data analysis procedure (holistic reading of the entire text, first line-by-line reading, follow up questions, second line-by-line reading, third line-by-line reading, and subsequent readings). Practically, the researchers read and re-read the texts and transcribed data from the language used during data collection that is Kiswahili, into the reporting language that is English. Following transcription, data were coded for developing categories of data through axial and elective coding processes. Findings The data analysis was conducted and results and its discussion are presented in three sub-sections: preparedness of teachers in using ICT in teaching and learning; teachers’ views about the integration of ICT in teaching and learning; and challenges faced by teachers in integrating ICT in teaching and learning. Teacher’s preparedness in the use of ICT in teaching: exploration of teachers’ preparedness in integrating ICT in teaching and learning was preceded by exploration of teachers’ understanding of ICT in teaching and learning. Analysis revealed that majority of teachers were aware about ICT in teaching and learning and they understood it as the implementation of curriculum at school level that involves use of ICT-based facilities such as television, mobile phones, computer and radio. Teacher elaborated that appropriate use of ICT-based facilities that would later develop children to potentially improve their understanding and practical application in daily life. Other teachers understood ICT in teaching and learning as use of printed materials [newspapers and magazines] in facilitating pupil’s learning of planned lessons. While other teachers were aware of what ICT means the second category of teachers as noted in their responses, had limited understanding, as to them, ICT in education meant use of printed materials. Difference in teachers’ understanding of the ICT in teaching and learning also indicate some teachers viewing it as use of ICT facilities in developing children’s competencies in the specific subject. In the teachers’ views, ICT is considered as subject content and they delimited their understanding into that perspective ignoring it as technological use for facilitating meaningful learning in all subjects. Their views are based on the development of children with competencies useful in facilitating further learning in the subject known as Teknolojia ya Habari na Mawasiliano. Following the question based on exploring teachers’ understanding of ICT in teaching and learning, researchers explored teachers’ preparedness in using ICT in teaching and learning. Table 1.0 illustrates teachers’ multiple responses regarding their preparation. Table I: teacher’s preparedness in using ICT in teaching and learning. S/N; preparedness; freq; and per cent. Enhancing child’s understanding on the use of ICT-based facilities-20, 71.4; using remedial sessions teaching ICT-12, 42.8; using ICT-based facilities for teaching other classes-8, 28.5. Table 1.0 illustrates that teachers are prepared to enable children use ICT to access information and more knowledge related to their school subjects and general life. They were of the view that ICT could serve well in areas where text and supplementary books are scares or torn-out by pupils because were poorly bound or due to poor quality of papers used. Therefore, availability of ICT facilities in schools would become important resource-materials for pupils, as well as teachers. For instance, a teacher said that; Availability of ICT facilities, such as computers in schools will help us in preparing notes or content for supplementing their learning. Different from the paper-based notes, computers will keep our notes properly compared to the papers that get easily displaced and hard to retrieve notes when lost (Interview, 20 April 2016). In addition to the use of ICT facilities in serving as resource material, their use in schools would aid pupils and teachers to use them beyond teaching and learning. Teachers narrated that children may find games and puzzles that all help in stimulating their thinking, hence interest in schooling and further learning. Teachers also said they are prepared to use even extra hours that are beyond school timetable to ensure children learn well to meet the uncovered periods once facilities are placed in school. Use of extra hours beyond the normal school timetable comm. Research limitations/implications The study was limited to the accessed and involved schools as some schools were found to have no specific teachers teaching a pre-primary class on reasons the responsible teacher for the class had retired. As a result, researchers spend extended time to travel and reach schools that were located far from one school to the other. Again, some teachers were reluctant in participation on reasons that researchers are evaluating their competency for reporting to the higher authorities. Practical implications Differences in teachers’ understanding of the ICT in teaching and learning also indicate some teachers viewing it as the use of ICT facilities in developing pupils’ competencies in the specific subject. In the teachers’ views, ICT is considered as subject content and they delimited their understanding into that perspective ignoring it as technological use for facilitating meaningful learning in all subjects. Effective integration of ICT for efficiency in instruction depends on the teacher’s preparedness especially competency in using the equipments and infrastructures especially electric power. Social implications Integration of Information and Communication Technology in teaching and learning in PPE is socially important in the view that all children regardless of their background (urban or rural, affluent or poor) benefits in learning through use of technology. The children’s access to education integrating ICT would ensure equal opportunities for quality learning outcomes. In contrast, lack of exposing young children early in using ICT facilities for interaction and learning would adversely impact their participation in knowledge sharing in later years of schooling and employability opportunities. Originality/value There is limited empirical evidence about teachers' engagement in research particularly in PPE in Tanzania. Together with limited research in the level of education, this study is the original contribution to state of teachers at the school level about their engagement in integrating information and communication technology for informing education decision makers and administrators on matters of focus to improve educational instruction and implementation of Tanzania education and training policy, as well as the implementation of the ICT policy of 2016.

Purpose: The objective of the study was to assess the self-assessment of information literacy among newly enrolled Japanese female college student in what concerns to the ability to operate office applications; namely, word processors, spreadsheets and presentation software. In addition, researchers also investigated the time period when they started using them. Methodology: A survey was performed on 272 junior college female students of humanities courses and 41 college students of nutrition science course in April 2018, right after their entrance ceremonies. Statistical free software R was used to process the data, which consisted of chi-square test of independence for a contingency table, and correspondence analysis. The parameters assessed were (1) self-evaluation of the ability to use office applications, and (2) the period of time the students started using time. Main Findings: ‘Upper intermediate’ level students in word processors were correlated with the period around ‘Class in elementary school’ or ‘Class in junior high school’. By contrast, ‘Upper intermediate’ level students in spreadsheeting were associated with the first contact in a ‘Class in junior high school’ or ‘Class in high school’. Presentation software has been used frequently since elementary school up to high school and its club activities. Finally, the results suggest that ‘Advanced’ level students were taught how to use all these applications from family members. Implications: These findings may help teachers to improve their academic curriculum in order to fill the gap between those who are skilled and those who are not. They also can give useful hints to explore new teaching methods on information literacy subjects in higher education. Novelty: The results suggest that that the period of time that students had their first contact with the applications affects the awareness of their importance and the motivation to learn them.

Methodological approaches of studying the distance learning process of students in higher education institutions are evolving alongside changes that occur in the educational system and in the global space. Therefore, the systematisation of theoretical, methodological and practical factors on which the modern methodology of distance learning is based makes it possible to form new opportunities for the education system in the direction of its modernisation. One of the components is communicative competence, that is, the ability to perceive and (re)produce the information in a foreign language in accordance with the conditions of speech communication. The purpose of the study is to characterise modern interactive methods of distance learning for the organisation and management of students’ educational activities. To achieve this goal, theoretical research methods were used: analysis, systematisation, substantiation of the conceptual apparatus of the study; the formulation of its conceptual provisions and conclusions; analysis of pedagogical documentation, content analysis of curricula and methodological support of the educational process to determine the possibilities of using educational IT-technologies in distance learning. The peculiarities of the innovative technologies usage while studying foreign languages and the theoretical and methodological foundations of Physical Culture and Sports are characterised. Distance learning of different disciplines should be included in the curricula. Several innovative forms of language “warm-up” are proposed. Modern educational WEB-technologies are studied, which allows us to expand the methodological components of distance learning in higher education institutions. The most effective distance learning means in higher education institutions has been established. The application of the Case method, the interactive «science brain storm» technology, the online versions of AWWAPP and RealtimeBoard, the use of the PRES formula and the Flipped classroom methodology has been analysed. For blended learning, it is proposed to use a traditional textbook in combination with interactive online tasks – Blended Learning – using the online tool MyEnglishLab. An important aspect is that during practical classes, the Zoom software is used for fine differentiation and accurate identification of textual material. The applied innovative teaching methods, combining new and effective methods of the educational process (knowledge generation, transfer and accumulation), will contribute to the intensification and modernization of education, as a result of which the synthesis of students’ certain competencies is achieved.

AbstractEducational data mining is an emerging exquisite field that has been successfully implemented in higher education. One of the best ways to increase the efficiency of this emerging phenomenon is to select efficient professors and effective teaching methods. This study is intended to show academic success factors to have better management in student curriculum, contextualizing the progress and to prevent unfavorable conditions for students. In this research, students of Shahrood University of Technology were studied. Initially, 3,765 samples of students' educational background were considered. Then, pre-processing was performed to make the data normalized. Next, several predictive models were developed using a supervised data mining approach. Next, five algorithms by the best result were selected. Comparing the results of algorithms applied to data, the two algorithms, radial basis function network and the Naïve Bayes with respectively value F-measure 0.929 and 0.942 showed more accurate results. Finally, the most effective feature was selected, the attributes ‘maximum semester’ and ‘the total number of units dropped’ were ranked an the most important, and the three attributes of ‘the basic courses average’, ‘the number of units of main courses’ and ‘the total average’, were placed in the next ranks.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to report on the development of a flexible and robust academic library structure that meets the demands of an ever changing user community and remains relevant and fit for purpose in a technology-driven age. The new structure makes provision for the delivery of new and innovative services responding to the need for a paradigm shift in twenty-first century academic librarianship. The move away from subject librarianship, which has been the bastion of South African academic librarianship, is significant. Design/methodology/approach This paper used the exploratory method to gain new insights into library structures that have restructured for the twenty-first century. The exploratory study was used to gain new insights into functional librarianship. Despite the short comings of the exploratory method, the method was deemed most appropriate as UCT Libraries was not seeking definitive answers but a process that would provide opportunities to explore possibilities for subsequent processes. Findings The move from subject librarianship to functional librarianship has given the library the opportunity to restructure. The restructured library can now offer new and/or radically expanded services to meet the demands of a twenty-first century academic library. Practical implications The development of new and future roles and responsibilities commensurate with a robust and “future-driven” structure will consolidate the library’s role as a collaborator in the teaching and learning, and research agendas of a higher education institution. Originality/value This paper will be of interest and value to library managers and staff wanting to develop a library structure that responds positively to the redefinition of the professional roles and functions of the library and to strategically position the academic library for the future. It will also be of interest to library and information science academics who may want to re-examine their curricula for the incorporation of new trends.

Background An electronic health record (EHR) is the state-of-the-art method for ensuring all data concerning a given patient are up to date for use by multidisciplinary hospital teams. Therefore, medical students need to be trained to use health information technologies within this environment from the early stages of their education. Objective As little is known about the effects of specific training within the medical curriculum, this study aimed to develop a course module and evaluate it to offer best practice teaching for today’s students. Moreover, we looked at the acceptance of new technologies such as EHRs. Methods Fifth-year medical students (N=104) at the University of Tübingen took part in a standardized two-day training procedure about the advantages and risks of EHR use. After the training, students performed their own EHR entries on hypothetical patient cases in a safe practice environment. In addition, questionnaires—standardized and with open-ended questions—were administered to assess students’ experiences with a new teaching module, a newly developed EHR simulator, the acceptance of the health technology, and their attitudes toward it before and after training. Results After the teaching, students rated the benefit of EHR training for medical knowledge significantly higher than before the session (mean 3.74, SD 1.05). However, they also had doubts about the long-term benefit of EHRs for multidisciplinary coworking after training (mean 1.96, SD 0.65). The special training with simulation software was rated as helpful for preparing students (88/102, 86.2%), but they still did not feel safe in all aspects of EHR. Conclusions A specific simulated training on using EHRs helped students improve their knowledge and become more aware of the risks and challenges of such a system. Overall, students welcomed the new training module and supported the integration of EHR teaching into the medical curriculum. Further studies are needed to optimize training modules and make use of long-term feedback opportunities a simulated system offers.

AbstractThe article deals with the study of foreign experience in training engineering educators for modeling technological processes. It has been stated that engineering education is a field that is being dramatically developed taking into account the occurring changes in educational paradigms, global higher education space, national higher education systems, economics, society, etc. It has been indicated that the abundance of the latest information and communication technologies alter the approaches to training various specialists, and, in particular, engineering educators. It has been mentioned that engineering teacher education is undergoing significant development. The activities of the International Society for Engineering Education – IGIP have been justified. It has been found out that there is the vital need for those specialists able to combine the techniques of traditional teaching and innovative scientific achievements, design technical structures, be leader and facilitator of the education process. It has been defined that the activity of the society is aimed at providing engineering educators with relevant training that involves their obtaining the qualification that is accorded with European education standards. US experience in training engineering educators for professional activity has been analyzed. It has been specified that engineering education has become more integrated into the curricula of elementary, middle and high school because of the increasing focus on STEM subjects; the demand for engineering educators is dramatically growing at all the levels of the education system. The peculiarities of engineering educators’ training have been demonstrated on the example of the Purdue Polytechnic Institute. It has been concluded that Bachelor of Science in Engineering Technology Teacher Education is a rather interdisciplinary degree program and trains future engineering educators for a wide range of fields. The organization of the program is considerate and well-planned. It has been stated that in Great Britain future engineering educators should be able to apply innovative and less conventional teaching methodology, namely, via problem-based learning, virtual learning environment, etc. According to the mentioned above, the author has outlined the recommendations to improve engineering teacher education in Ukraine.

Purpose Academic libraries have long housed multimedia centers filled with digital media production equipment and software. All too frequently faculty members and students alike have assumed that this technology is the key to effective digital media. It is assumed that because our “digital native” students are constantly immersed in media, they can create effective media instinctively. But, being a prolific consumer of media does not necessarily intuit the capacity to be an effective producer of media, and informed communication skills are of greater importance than a student’s software knowledge. This paper aims to describe partnering with faculty on media assignment design, providing a media instruction and consultation program, and providing spaces and technologies specifically designed to support multimedia literacy. Design/methodology/approach This paper outlines programmatic and pedagogical strategies demonstrated to improve students’ acquisition of multimedia literacy skills. These strategies are based on the authors’ years of experience teaching and supporting multimedia literacy in the university curriculum and beyond. It concludes with a case study detailing a new program that leverages a library’s services in support of student creativity. Findings The paper outlines an eight-step workflow for media projects that is core to our multimedia literacy instruction program. Originality/value With digital literacy garnering renewed attention in higher education, academic libraries are ramping up their services in support of these goals. This paper focuses on strategies for deepening students’ media production competencies, rather than just teaching them software skills.

NOTE: THIS ARTICLE WAS PUBLISHED WITH THE INFORMING SCIENCE INSTITUTE. Aim/Purpose................................................................................................................................................................................................. This paper seeks to show how University of South Africa (UNISA) is using technology to connect lecturers, tutors and students of [UNISA] in an underdeveloped region in South Africa (SA) to reduce cost and time of travelling to access information, tutorials and help [available] in designated centers, hence making quality and higher education more accessible and less costly. Background................................................................................................................................................................................................. This empirical study gives evidence to back the effectiveness, helpfulness and cost reduction of using technology as a medium of making quality and higher education accessible to under developed regions. Methodology................................................................................................................................................................................................. Quantitative and purposeful sampling was deemed appropriate for the study, whereby 200 questionnaires was developed and specifically distributed to UNISA students from former Ciskei towns at East London Tutorial Center. Contribution................................................................................................................................................................................................. The paper is about the usage of mobile technology for knowledge creation and dissemination, instruction and learning, The data generated and presented add to the knowledge base about underdeveloped countries. This data and the conclusions reached based the analysis could be of interest to researchers, university administrators, politicians, planners and policy makers in underdeveloped countries. Findings......................................................................................................................................................................................................... Evaluation of the overall effectiveness, helpfulness and cost reduction of e-tutorials show a slight advantage over the face-face tutorials. Recommendations for Practitioners............................................................................................................................................................. In the quest for ways and means of making quality and higher education accessible to underdeveloped regions, no matter which medium is chosen, the periodic measurement of success in terms of effectiveness, helpfulness, and cost implication in relation to the learner cannot be over looked. Recommendation for Researchers.................................................................................................................................................................. More work needs to be done to check the effectiveness of technology as an efficient medium to provide access to quality and higher education to underdeveloped regional economies. Impact on Society.............................................................................................................................................................................................. The results could have significant implications for raising the level of education and advancing employment equity by improving the delivery and accessibility to quality and higher education to underdeveloped regional economies. Future Research................................................................................................................................................................................................. The analysis of cost efficiency and effectiveness done in this work is just representative of one point of view: the student one of accessibility and cost. There is, however, need in future work to research the implications for the institutions of higher education (in terms teaching design, curriculum design, knowledge of individual learning types, need for change in and rate of change in knowledge view, learning philosophies), individual stakeholders, and the competitive re-positioning of society.

In the context of the reformation of the higher education in Ukraine the preparation of translators and interpreters requires new approaches to the process of teaching and learning. It presupposes the implementation of ways and forms aimed at active rather than passive learning, an increased sense of academic autonomy, development of motivation, responsibility and accountability in acquiring profession-specific knowledge, skills, communicative abilities and attitudes as well as interdependence and mutual respect between the academic teacher and the student. The authors of the article argue that the language tuition to students majoring in translation studies contributing to the overall development of their professional competence of intercultural mediators can be carried out in the form of extra-curricular activities via information and communication technology tools. With respect to the results of the grounded study of current tendencies, achievements and problems, valuable experience and outcomes related to the issue under consideration, the paper reflects on two extra-curricular activities, their stages, aims, objectives and tasks performed; analyses their importance and efficiency in promoting students’ autonomy and responsibility; outlines the role and the functions of information and communication technology tools used. The English Speaking Club involves specially arranged meetings intended to provide practising English autonomously outside the classroom context. Participating in conversations with a native speaker students have the opportunity to improve their vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation skills, enrich their background knowledge of traditions and culture of the English-speaking countries as well as overcome psychological barriers while expressing personal views and ideas. Translation and Voice Over Recording Studio is organised as a project activity tailored to initiate student translators and interpreters to the real workflow of a project team specialising in translation of different types of audio and video texts in the English language into Ukrainian and their further voice over recording. Performing roles of translators, proofreaders, editors, voice-over artists and sound directors, the participants have the opportunity to practically implement knowledge, skills and communicative abilities obtained while learning profession-specific subjects at the university, developing and improving translation and interpretation skills in particular. Specially selected information and communication technology tools provide the efficient organisation of the Club’s and Studio’s work.

The purpose of the study was to reveal the essence of the concept of «innovative didactic potential», its formulation and defining the component composition; substantiation of the diagnostic program for determining the quantitative value of the index of innovative diagnostic potential and selection of conditions for its formation. We understand under the innovative didactic potential an integrated indicator of innovative abilities of an individual, which is revealed in the educational environment in the process of didactic interaction and is displayed in the system of attitudes to the innovative field of activity. To achieve the goal, the following research methods were applied: analysis, synthesis, generalization, systematization − to determine the conceptual apparatus of research, namely, innovative didactic potential, potential index. Methods of comparative analysis, deduction, induction, modeling were applied in the development of a diagnostic program for defining the index of innovative didactic potential. In modern conditions, higher education focuses on the requirements for research and teaching staff in the parameters of innovative educational activities. This implies the ability of research and teaching staff to master and implement innovative methods of teaching and learning. With this aim the curriculum for the training of the third educational and scientific level students provides the course «Innovation in pedagogy, organization and provision of modern classes». Generalization of the results of theoretical developments and empirical findings in the study of the problem of determining and evaluating the index of innovative didactic potential allowed to identify the conditions necessary for its formation: didactic, psychological, organizational, information technology.

Preparing students for work in the field of education contributes to the development of school education. The basis for teaching students is made up of techniques, methods, and forms of learning by practical activity and the implementation of professional actions. The use of information and communication technology (ICT) in higher education contributes to the disclosure, preservation, and development of individual interests; the motivation; the desire for self-improvement and self-realization of students; ensuring the complexity of studying the phenomena of reality, the inextricability of the relationship between science, technology, the humanities, and art; a constant dynamic update of the content, means, forms, and methods of training and education. This study aimed to identify the level of future chemistry teachers through ICT competence development. A survey was conducted among 24 teachers of general professional and subject-vocational training, who taught “Chemical Technology” to their students. The questionnaire was targeted; the questionnaires were used both in electronic format (Google form) and in print. The article shows how information competence for future chemistry teachers is developed. The practical significance of the study is determined by the need to match the level of school education with modern technological trends. It is shown that there is a necessity for the motivation of students in scientific activity. It was established that the acquisition of competencies and the experience in open training systems, according to all respondents, is a prerequisite for the implementation of further effective educational, cognitive, and professional activities. The ascertaining stage of the pedagogical experiment established the need to choose and introduce the disciplines of mobile, computer, and cloud technologies into the curriculum for solving professionally-oriented problems. The novelty of the study is determined by the necessity to increase the competence of the pedagogical university students in training how to teach chemical disciplines.

This study examines the socio-economic status and employers' perception of work quality of Diploma Public Administration (DPA) graduates' of UiTM Sarawak Branch who graduated over the yearsfrom /997 to 2000. In addition, the study also examines the graduates 'perception ofDPA programs relevance to employability. Our sample consisted of 436 graduates. The response rate for graduates was 36 percent and the employers' response is /7 percent. The study shows that the profile of a typical DPA graduate is below 30 years old, earning less than RM1,500 per month, has Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 2.80 and is employed in the Government sector. Our findings indicate that 70 percent of DPA graduates are employed and /4 percent are pursuing higher education. Regarding the DPA curriculum structure, majority of respondents are of the opinion that it is relevant to the job market however more emphasis needto be given to improving the standard of English language amongst DPA graduates. Addition comments request extended industrial attachment, teaching communication skills and Information Communication Technology (ICT) skills. Employers are of the opinion that UiTM DPA graduates exhibit comparable work quality to other local university graduates. DPA graduates also scored well in the generic skills required by employers.

PurposeThis paper seeks to describe and analyse an approach to course design as part of a strategic, technology‐inspired, cross‐university intervention to widen participation. A curriculum framework was developed for students who wished to make their work the focus of their study and could not readily access current university provision. A deliberate assumption was made that this would require a technologically inspired response to teaching, learning and assessment.Design/methodology/approachThe approach taken was one of action research, by planning the curriculum framework, validating a course, delivery and review through interviews. Cybernetics was applied post‐hoc to analyse the data generated.FindingsStaff found the framework a useful source of inspiration and critique for current practices, although established practice and preconceptions could render the framework meaningless. The ideas in the framework are not enough to change the institution – authoritative sanction may be needed. The cybernetic concepts of variety and its absorption proved useful in analysing the framework, and highlighted weaknesses in the design of the framework regarding the organisation of teaching.Research limitations/implicationsClarity about strategic purpose when making a change intervention is vital – in this instance raising the level of critical debate was more successful than recruitment. The establishment of an independent unit may be a more successful strategy than embedding university‐wide. Further work is required to understand how to market novel approaches. The action research shows that the university has the capability to develop curriculum designs that offer new groups of students access to higher education while improving their work practice.Originality/valueThe findings from interview confirm the value that peers attach to this development. Although the pedagogical design in this action research is based on previous work, the cybernetic analysis and conclusions are new.

Advancement of Information and communication technology (ICT) rapidly transform many sectors and it does give and impact also to the educational field. Ministry of Education Malaysia starts to plan the curriculum to include ICT and teacher starts exploring different method and teaching style to develop students higher order thinking skills. Teacher plays an important role in designing lesson to integrate ICT as it will give effect to students’ attitude in learning. The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of ICT towards students’ attitude. The methodology of study utilized a systematic document analysis technique where issues related to effect ICT towards student attitude which have given impact to the teachers’ and students’ behavior in the form of any reference are analyzed. SAMR model will show that there is different level of degree of ICT integration that teacher can use and implement in class. Results shows that when ICT is use in class it will give an advantage in terms of student performances, motivation and efficiency. The student and classroom environment itself will be dynamic, active listening, collaborative learning, interactivity and communication will take place. Maximizing ICT potential can create and enhance learning to take place more effectively and transforming from teacher-centered to student-centered learning which are in line with the 21st century goals.

Purpose Rudimentary programming is an essential, transferrable, problem solving skill in many higher education (HE) programmes in academic institutions including Software Engineering, Business Information Technology, Computer Games Development, Design and Technology. The purpose of this paper is to address some of the problematic issues associated with teaching programming by the utilisation of a new novel teaching approach called games-based construction learning (GBCL) to attempt to increase motivation, engagement and learning effectiveness. An international and national trend is to introduce coding at earlier education levels resulting in upper primary education (PE) being the focus of this paper to ascertain if GBCL using Scratch to teach programming concepts is more effective at different levels of upper PE. Design/methodology/approach A large-scale empirical study introducing GBCL to teach programming concepts into 16 classes between levels 4 and 7 in PE utilising 384 children. A detailed implementation framework for GBCL using Scratch in PE was utilised to address all incorporation issues and the games constructed by the children scored utilising a game codification scheme specifically designed to address programming and design as a quantification rubric. The experiment utilised eight 1- h lessons on GBCL using Scratch. Findings The resulted in 178 games of varying levels of complexity developed. The results indicated that GBCL was an effective mechanism to teach programming concepts using Scratch at all levels of upper PE. Primary seven students scored higher in relation to the design metric of the quantification codification rubric. Research limitations/implications Under the Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) in Scotland non-traditional teaching approaches are encouraged and development of digital literacy skill is highly advocated. This has resulted in a new approach, novel approach called GBCL where children create their own games utilising an engine such as Scratch is gaining significant attention in terms of being a novel approach. Despite a plethora of similar studies associated with GBCL, it is still not as developed as games-based learning and requires further empirical studies to support the validity of the approach and resolve identified issues. Practical implications Computer programming itself can lead to a highly rewarding career in a number of sectors from games development to banking, such as cybersecurity and systems development. In the last decade, in particular due to the ubiquitous nature of technology there is an increasing international and national trend associated with teaching rudimentary programming concepts at a far younger age including secondary education and the upper PE level. Introducing programming at an earlier level is now being considered essential as the path to transfer from novice to expert programmer level in time is considered nearly a decade approximately. The introduction of GBCL interventions may yield positive results in a supplementary learning capacity in accordance with the CfE and increase the educational effectiveness of programming education in later levels of education. Originality/value This study presents a large-scale empirical evaluation of GBCL in upper PE utilising a compiled implementation framework for incorporation and a detailed game codification scheme to quantify the games produced highlighting coding constructs and design.

Aim/Purpose: Teachers usually educate students’ cyberethics using debate, case-based discussion, and role-playing instructional methods in a face-to-face setting. With the presence of teacher and peers, students may not be willing to share their true attitudes, and it may affect the effectiveness of the teaching methods. To tackle the challenge, the author applied a teaching method with a core component of a pressure-free self-assessment approach to improving adolescents’ cyberethics education. This study aimed to explore the impact of the self-assessment method on students’ self-knowledge and self-awareness of cyberethics. Background: Since people usually use their own devices in an individual environment to participate in online activities, going online can be regarded as a private act. The behaviours of youngsters in the online environment may be different from that in the classroom when they are engaged in a face-to-face discussion, especially as they are not required to use their real names to go online. Research has suggested that youngsters have a higher inclination to misbehave online. Together with the fact that they are regular Internet users, and they are overrepresented online, there is an urgent need to foster ethical online behaviour in adolescents. Methodology: A group of 28 students of age about 14 participated in this study. They were studying in secondary level 3 of a government-subsidised secondary school. All of them were required to take an information technology course in their formal curriculum. The researcher applied a framework of adolescents’ cyberethics education to nurture the students with appropriate cyberethics. It includes four dimensions, namely information security, privacy, intellectual property and netiquette. In the first phase of the teaching method, the students received a lecture on cyberethics to obtain related knowledge. In the second phase, the students were engaged in a self-assessment exercise on cyberethics. Data were collected using a knowledge test, a questionnaire, and the self-assessment exercise. Contribution: This paper highlights the challenge arisen from the face-to-face setting of commonly used instructional methods of cyberethics education, such as role-playing and debate. This study suggested a self-assessment teaching method with the rationales underpinned by theories in the area of social psychology. This paper provides detailed elaboration on the instructional method. The author also suggested a framework of adolescents’ cyberethics education. Findings: The students considered the self-assessment exercise allowed them to reflect on their attitudes on cyberethics. It thereby enhanced their self-knowledge on cyberethics. They also expressed that the method was more effective for self-reflection compared with commonly used instructional methods. Moreover, importantly, they stated that they would be more aware of cyberethics in their future online activities. Recommendations for Practitioners: Teachers are advised to use a self-assessment exercise together with commonly used instructional methods, such as case-based discussion, debate, and role-playing, in their future practices of cyberethics education. Recommendation for Researchers: Researchers could consider youngsters’ cognitive and psychological development, and social and emotional factors to improve adolescents’ cyberethics education. Impact on Society: It is anticipated that youngsters would have a higher level of awareness to uphold information security, protect privacy, respect intellectual property and maintain appropriate netiquette. They could then demonstrate more appropriate behaviours when they go online after receiving cyberethics education using the approach elaborated in this paper. Future Research: It is valuable to explore how different factors in cognitive, psychological, social, and emotional domains affect youngsters’ online behaviours. Future research may also design effective instructional methods to improve adolescents’ cyberethics education.

Higher-education curriculum is contained in Semester Learning Plan (RPS) as stated in Permenristekdikti No. 44 of 2015. RPS should bind lecturers and students into the contract of study/ college so that it needs to be supervised and examination of the quality of RPS made by lecturers. The purpose of this study is to conduct surveys and observations within the Fakultas Ilmu Pendidikan, Universitas Negeri Jakarta to obtain complete and accurate data and information. Referring to its purpose, this research includes descriptive evaluative research using qualitative and quantitative data. Data collection techniques used questionnaires, interviews, and document studies. Data is processed and analyzed using simple and descriptive statistics. The research was conducted in the Fakultas Ilmu Pendidikan, Universitas Negeri Jakarta in 2017. The results from the research are the percentage of lecturers to make RPS, student involvement in refining RPS, RPS utilization for students, students' knowledge on the subject and learning objectives during the course, and the references used. Further recommendations can be evaluated on the content of RPS made by lecturers in accordance with Permenristekdikti No. 44 of 2015. References Boak, G. (1998). A complete guide to learning contract. Aldershot: Gower. Evans, T. & Nation, D. (2000). Changing university teaching: Reflection on creating educational technology. London: Kogan Page. Harvey, L. & Knight, P.T. (1996). Transforming higher education. Buckingham: SRHE and University Press. Hussey, T. & Smith, P. (2010). The trouble with higher education: A critical examination of our universities. New York: Routledge. McNeil, J.D. (1996). Curriculum: A comprehensive in-troduction. New York: HarperCollins College Publishers. Reigeluth, M. C. (1983). Instructional-design theories and models, An overview of their current status. New jersey: London. Sanjaya, W. (2009). Strategi pembelajaran berorientasi standar proses pendidikan. Jakarta: Prenada Shattock, M. (2004). Managing successful universities. Berkshire: SRHE and University Press. Suciati. (2001). Kontrak perkuliahan. Jakarta: PAUPPAI-UT. Tyler, R.W. (1949). Basic principles of curriculum and instruction. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. Permendikbud No 49 Tahun 2014 Permenristekdikti No 13 Tahun 2015 Permenristekdikti No 44 Tahun 2015 Peraturan pemerintah No 19 Tahun 2005

As the chief executive officer, the superintendent must demonstrate high quality performance at every level in order to impact student achievement. In order to be an effective superintendent, the individual must have knowledge and skills in educational leadership and be able to articulate information clearly and precisely about the school district, state and federal accountability systems, policy related to student achievement and personnel practices. The American Association of School Administrators states that the superintendent must know policy for collective bargaining processes for the state/local schools, school district policy and administrative regulations, district finances and budget matters, model the use of technology for instruction and management and should know the role of the Board of Education (AASA, 2011). Superintendents do not work alone, but work in collaboration with school personnel, leadership teams, broader communities and the Board of Education to ensure a productive school system. The responsibilities of the superintendent are many. The superintendent has the task to supervise the general conduct of district schools, instructional curriculum, handle school district management affairs, hiring appropriate personnel and dismissal of personnel based on state policy through the human resources management office. For the local schools, the superintendent should seek ways to encourage the practices of learning communities within the school district for the purpose of working together to improve teaching instructional skills based on the needs of students and if effective will promote higher student learning (Stoll, 2006). This study will focus on skills and knowledge needed for superintendents, what parents want, value of data, strategic planning, effective communication, learning community practices of ethics and morals, technology as a resource, and the characteristics of high performing schools.

Computerized information technologies are gradually instead of the traditional methods as primary sites of knowledge and information since 1980s and has been widely used in higher education recent years, but from the current condition of speaking, most of these efforts still stay at the surface level. Determining how to actively promote the integration of information technology and curricula and the construction of an interactive teaching system in normal university is discussed in this paper.

Curriculum material is generally considered the subject matter of information, talents, dispositions, understandings, and principles that make up research programs in the field. At a more complex level, the curricula need to contain historical and socio-political strengths, traditions, cultural views, and goals with wide differences in sovereignty, adaptation, and local understanding that encompass a diversity of cultures, laws, metaphysics, and political discourse This study aims to develop a curriculum with local content as a new approach in early childhood science learning. The Local Content Curriculum (LCC) is compiled and developed to preserve the uniqueness of local culture, natural environment, and community crafts for early childhood teachers so that they can introduce local content to early childhood. Research and model development combines the design of the Dick-Carey and Dabbagh models with qualitative and quantitative descriptive analysis. The results showed that local content curriculum products can be supplemented into early childhood curricula in institutions according to local conditions. Curricula with local content can be used as a reinforcement for the introduction of science in early childhood. The research implication demands the concern of all stakeholders to see that the introduction of local content is very important to be given from an early age, so that children know, get used to, like, maintain, and love local wealth from an early age. Keywords: Early Childhood, Scientific Learning, Local Content Curriculum Model References: Agustin, R. S., & Puro, S. (2015). Strategy Of Curriculum Development Based On Project Based Learning (Case Study: SMAN 1 Tanta Tanjung Tabalong South Of Kalimantan ) Halaman : Prosiding Ictte Fkip Uns, 1, 202–206. Agustina, N. Q., & Mukhtaruddin, F. (2019). The Cipp Model-Based Evaluation on Integrated English Learning (IEL) Program at Language Center. 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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to report the training of college librarians, academic and management staff, IT managers and students on how to organise, manage and use a user-friendly library. In Uganda, as in many countries, the problem is that school and/or college libraries are managed by librarians who may have good cataloguing and management skills, but who do not have the pedagogic skills and knowledge of the school curricula that are necessary for librarians to be able to guide and mentor both teachers and students or organise curriculum-related activities or facilitate research. The development of user-friendly libraries contributes in improving education quality through nurturing the interest of students and teachers in literacy activities and active search for knowledge. Under the stewardship of the Belgium Technical Cooperation and the Ministry of Education in Uganda, library stakeholders were trained on how to put users – rather than themselves – in the centre of the library’s operations and introduced to active teaching and learning methodologies and activities with emphasis on getting engaged in transforming spaces, services, outreach to users and collections. Several measures, short and long term were taken to address the gaps limiting the performance of the librarians. Given the disparities in the trainees’ education level and work experience, the training was delivered in seven modules divided into three units for over eight months in 2015. By the end of the training, trainees developed unique library strategic plan, library policies and procedures, capacity to use library systems, physical design and maintenance systems, partnerships, library structure and staff job descriptions. Design/methodology/approach To effectively engage the participants each topic was conducted using active teaching and learning (ATL) methodologies, including: lecture with slides and hands-on practice – each topic was introduced in a lecture form with slides and hands-on exercises. The main goal was to introduce the participants to the concepts discussed, offer opportunities to explore alternative approaches, as well define boundaries for discussion through brainstorming. The question-answer approach kept the participants alert and to start thinking critically on the topic discussed – brainstorming sessions allowed thinking beyond the presentation room, drawing from personal experiences to provide alternatives to anticipated challenges. The goal here was for the participants to provide individual choices and approaches for real life problems; group discussions: case study/ scenario and participant presentations – participants were provided with a scenario and asked to provide alternative approaches that could solve the problem based on their personal experience at their colleges. By the end of the group discussion, participants presented a draft of the deliverable as per the topic under discussion. More so, group discussions were an excellent approach to test participant’s teamwork skills and ability to compromise, as well as respecting team decisions. It was an opportunity to see how librarians will work with the library committees. Group discussions further initiated and cemented the much-needed librarian–academic staff – college management relationship. During the group discussion, librarians, teaching staff, ICT staff and college management staff, specifically the Principals and Deputy Principals interacted freely thus starting and cultivating a new era of work relationship between them. Individual presentation: prior to the workshop, participants were sent instructions to prepare a presentation on a topic. For example, participants were asked to provide their views of what a “user-friendly library” would look like or what would constitute a “user-friendly library”; the college library of HTC-Mulago was asked to talk about their experience working with book reserves, challenges faced and plans they have to address the challenges, while the college librarian from NTC-Kaliro was asked to describe a situation where they were able to assist a patron, the limitations they faced and how they addressed them. Doing so did not only assist to emotionally prepare the participants for the training but also helped to make them start thinking about the training in relation to their libraries and work. Take-home assignment: at the end of each session, participants were given home assignments to not only revise the training material but also prepare for the next day training. Further the take-home assignments provided time for the participants to discuss with their colleagues outside of the training room so as to have a common ground/ understanding on some of the very sensitive issues. Most interesting assignment was when participants were asked to review an article and to make a presentation in relation to their library experiences. Participant reports: participant reports resulted from the take-home assignments and participants were asked to make submission on a given topic. For example, participants were asked to review IFLA section on library management and write a two-page report on how such information provided supported their own work, as well as a participant report came from their own observation after a library visit. Invited talks with library expert: two invited talks by library experts from Consortium of Uganda University Libraries and Uganda Library and Information Science Association with the goal to share their experience, motivate the participants to strive higher and achieve great things for their libraries. Library visitation: there were two library visits conducted on three separate days – International Hospital Kampala (IHK) Library, Makerere University Library and Aga Khan University Hospital Library. Each of these library visits provided unique opportunities for the participants to explore best practices and implement similar practices in their libraries. Visual aids – videos, building plans and still photos: these were visual learning aids to supplement text during the lectures because they carried lot of information while initiating different thoughts best on the participants’ past experience and expertise. The training advocated for the use of ATL methodologies and likewise similar methodologies were used to encourage participants do so in their classrooms. Findings Addressing Key Concerns: Several measures, both long and short term, were taken to address the gaps limiting the performance of the librarians. The measures taken included: selected representative sample of participants including all college stakeholders as discussed above; active teaching and learning methodologies applied in the training and blended in the content of the training materials; initiated and formulated approaches to collaborations, networks and partnerships; visited different libraries to benchmark library practices and encourage future job shadowing opportunities; and encouraged participants to relate freely, understand and value each other’s work to change their mindsets. College librarians were encouraged to ensure library priorities remain on the agenda through advocacy campaigns. Short-term measures: The UFL training was designed as a practical and hands-on training blended with individual and group tasks, discussions, take-home assignments and presentations by participants. This allowed participates to engage with the material and take responsibility for their own work. Further, the training material was prepared with a view that librarians support the academic life of teaching staff and students. Participants were tasked to develop and later fine-tune materials designed to support their work. For example, developing a subject bibliography and posting it on the library website designed using open source tools such as Google website, Wikis, blogs. The developed library manual includes user-friendly policies and procedures referred to as “dos and don’ts in the library” that promote equitable open access to information; drafting book selection memos; new book arrivals lists; subscribing to open access journals; current awareness services and selective dissemination of information service displays and electronic bulletins. Based on their library needs and semester calendar, participants developed action points and timelines to implement tasks in their libraries at the end of each unit training. Librarians were encouraged to share their experiences through library websites, Facebook page, group e-mail/listserv and Instagram; however, they were challenged with intimate internet access. College libraries were rewarded for their extraordinary job. Given their pivotal role in the management and administration of financial and material resources, on top of librarians, the participants in this training were college administrators/ management, teaching and ICT staff, researchers and student leadership. Participants were selected to address the current and future needs of the college library. These are individuals that are perceived to have a great impact towards furthering the college library agenda. The practical nature of this training warranted conducting the workshops from developed but similar library spaces, for example, Aga Khan University Library and Kampala Capital City, Makerere University Library, International Hospital Kampala Library and Uganda Christian University Library. Participants observed orientation sessions, reference desk management and interviews, collection management practices, preservation and conservation, secretarial bureau management, etc. Long-term measures: Changing the mindset of librarians, college administrators and teaching staff is a long-term commitment which continues to demand for innovative interventions. For example: job shadowing allowed college librarian short-term attachments to Makerere University Library, Uganda Christian University Library, Aga Khan Hospital University Library and International Hospital Kampala Library – these libraries were selected because of their comparable practices and size. The mentorship programme lasted between two-three weeks; on-spot supervision and follow-up visits to assess progress with the action plan by the librarians and college administration and college library committee; ensuring that all library documents – library strategic plan, library manual, library organogram, etc are approved by the College Governing Council and are part of the college wide governing documents; and establishing the library committee with a job description for each member – this has strengthened the library most especially as an advocacy tool, planning and budgeting mechanism, awareness channel for library practices, while bringing the library to the agenda – reemphasizing the library’s agenda. To bridge the widened gap between librarians and the rest of the stakeholders, i.e. teaching staff, ICT staff, college administration and students, a college library committee structure and its mandate were established comprising: Library Committee Chairperson – member of the teaching staff; Library Committee Secretary – College Librarian; Student Representative – must be a member of the student Guild with library work experience; and Representative from each college academic department. A library consortium was formed involving all the four project supported colleges to participate in resource sharing practices, shared work practices like shared cataloguing, information literacy training, reference interview and referral services as well a platform for sharing experiences. A library consortium further demanded for automating library functions to facilitate collaboration and shared work. Plans are in place to install Koha integrated library system that will cultivate a strong working relationship between librarians and students, academic staff, college administration and IT managers. This was achieved by ensuring that librarians innovatively implement library practices and skills acquired from the workshop as well as show their relevance to the academic life of the academic staff. Cultivating relationships takes a great deal of time, thus college librarians were coached on: creating inclusive library committees, timely response to user needs, design library programmes that address user needs, keeping with changing technology to suite changing user needs, seeking customer feedback and collecting user statistics to support their requests, strengthening the library’s financial based by starting a secretarial bureau and conducting user surveys to understand users’ information-seeking behaviour. To improve the awareness of new developments in the library world, college librarians were introduced to library networks at national, regional and international levels, as a result they participated in conferences, workshops, seminars at local, regional and international level. For example, for the first time and with funding from Belgium Technical Cooperation, college librarians attended 81st IFLA World Library and Information Congress in South African in 2015. College libraries are now members of the Consortium of Uganda University Libraries and Uganda Library and Information Science Association and have attended meetings of these two very important library organisations in Uganda’s LIS profession. The college librarians have attended meetings and workshops organized by these two organisations. Originality/value At the end of the three units training, participants were able to develop: a strategic plan for their libraries; an organogram with staffing needs and job description matching staff functions; a Library Committee for each library and with a structure unifying all the four project-support Colleges; a library action plan with due dates including deliverables and responsibilities for implementation; workflow plan and organisation of key sections of the library such as reserved and public spaces; furniture and equipment inventory (assets); a library manual and collection development policy; partnerships with KCCA Library and Consortium of Uganda University Libraries; skills to use Koha ILMS for performing library functions including: cataloguing, circulation, acquisitions, serials management, reporting and statistics; skills in searching library databases and information literacy skills; skills in designing simple and intuitive websites using Google Sites tools; and improved working relationship between the stakeholders was visible. To further the user-friendly libraries principle of putting users in the centre of the library’s operations, support ATL methodologies and activities with emphasis on getting engaged in transforming spaces, services, outreach to users and collections the following initiatives are currently implemented in the colleges: getting approval of all library policy documents by College Governing Council, initiating job shadowing opportunities, conducting on-spot supervision, guide libraries to set up college library committees and their job description, design library websites, develop dissemination sessions for all library policies, incorporate user-friendly language in all library documents, initiate income generation activities for libraries, set terms of reference for library staff and staffing as per college organogram, procurement of library tools like DDC and library of congress subject headings (LCSH), encourage attendance to webinars and space planning for the new libraries.

Since more than a decade, all kinds of businesses and organisations are intensively exploring enterprise-level information systems to better integrate their business processes, information flows and people. Consequently, the industry demands for technically skilled, but also “business-savvy” IT professionals are permanently growing. To meet this need, more and more computing education programs try to incorporate enterprise-level information systems into their curricula. While there is some computing education research done to investigate the need for this new type of IT-business professional and to analyse general implications for higher education, only very few research works or practice papers exist which report on concrete attempts to design and deliver higher education computing courses which intensively use enterprise-level systems. In this paper, the author reports on a series of experiences made within the Bachelor of Science (Information Systems Management) degree program offered by the School of Information Systems (SIS) at the Singapore Management University (SMU). The primary focus of this paper is put on establishing a working set of best practices for the design of an effective structure of the face-to-face teaching sessions for courses which use enterprise-level systems and applications in their curricula. While this paper is principally based on education experiences made within the frame of an Information Systems program, the best practices presented in this paper are equally applicable to any other computing education field or even to the engineering education in general.

Cloud computing and virtualization are new but indispensable components of computer engineering and information systems curricula for universities and higher education institutions. Learning about these topics is important for students preparing to work in the IT industry. In many companies, information technology operates under tight financial constraints. Virtualization, (for example storage, desktop, and server virtualization), reduces overall IT costs through the consolidation of systems. It also results in reduced loads and energy savings in terms of the power and cooling infrastructure. Therefore it is important to investigate the practical aspects of this topic both for industry practice and for teaching purposes. This paper demonstrates some activities undertaken recently by students at the Eastern Institute of Technology New Zealand and concludes with general recommendations for IT educators, software developers, and other IT professionals.

The purpose of this study was to find the needs of Iranian undergraduate Information Technology (IT) engineering students for their ESP course. To this end, a needs analysis questionnaire was administered to 30 undergraduate IT students to elicit information about their needs in English language at Islamic Azad University, Tabriz Branch. The results of data analysis revealed that among four skills reading was the highly needed skill followed by writing. It was also found that a majority of participants were dissatisfied with the current ESP courses for undergraduate students. This, in fact, indicated that ESP curricula have not yet been successfully developed in satisfying the students’ professional needs in target situations. Findings point to the fact that ESP and its teaching in Iran has to undergo serious rethinking not only in the content of the course but also the whole process of teaching the language. The findings can help course designers to both put much more credit for ESP courses, and consider appropriate and suitable materials which can give useful information to the students. It can also help ESP teachers to meet the language needs of their students.

Online teaching is a major concern in today's teaching process, and it is necessary to determine the impact of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) on online teaching. Currently, online teaching plays a vital role in guiding educators; students must be updated about the use innovation in the right way. Teachers must teach students about the correct use of technology. The purpose of the research were to study the on line experience of faculty with ICT to overcome the challenges in teaching learning process. The research was quantitative in nature whereas survey methods and quantitative questionnaire were utilized in current research. The random sampling technique was used to target the sample. The target population were the teachers who had experienced online courses and sample size (n=100) teachers. Descriptive analysis were utilized by the researchers to analyze the collected data. The results of the research depicted that there is major role played in online teaching with Information and Communication Technology. Moreover online teaching, increase the use ICT for online courses, which relieved the teacher. The advantage of online teaching in this way is that students were not bound to place and time. COVID-19 stipulates that all instruction frameworks must be converted to online mode. It is recommended that appropriate training for teachers is mandatory, which will help them to implement ICT.

New information technology-based teaching methods are essential to bring the issues faced by a project manager to the classrooms electronically. This paper describes implementation of a method to achieve this objective and compares its learning effectiveness with lectures and written case study methods. The major findings were that the information technology-based method was more effective compared to written case studies and lectures in developing higher-level cognitive skills and triggering interest in learning about project management. This research shows that information technology-based methods need to be deployed in order to impart higher-level cognitive skills to potential project managers.