Abstract: Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs)
are pervasive nowadays, including in education where they are
expected to improve the performance of learners. However, the hope
placed in ICTs to find viable solutions to the problem of poor
academic performance in schools in the developing world has not yet
yielded the expected benefits. This problem serves as a motivation to
this study whose aim is to examine the perceptions of educators on
the advantages and disadvantages of e-learning. This aim will be
subdivided into two types of research objectives. Objectives on the
identification and design of theories and models will be achieved
using content analysis and literature review. However, the objective
on the empirical testing of such theories and models will be achieved
through the survey of educators from different schools in the
Pinetown District of the South African Kwazulu-Natal province.
SPSS is used to quantitatively analyse the data collected by the
questionnaire of this survey using descriptive statistics and Pearson
correlations after assessing the validity and the reliability of the data.
The main hypothesis driving this study is that there is a relationship
between the demographics of educators’ and their adherence to
learning theories on one side, and their perceptions on the advantages
and disadvantages of e-learning on the other side, as argued by
existing research; but this research views these learning theories
under three perspectives: educators’ adherence to self-regulated
learning, to constructivism, and to progressivism. This hypothesis
was fully confirmed by the empirical study except for the
demographic factor where teachers’ level of education was found to
be the only demographic factor affecting the perceptions of educators
on the advantages and disadvantages of e-learning.
Abstract: Historical and ancestral bonds of the countries in the
Middle East have led to similarities in culture and context of their
societies. In addition, economical resources, such as the oil industry,
have generally been an integrative point in the region. Higher
education of a country is influenced by different national and
international factors and, regarding the mentioned bonds, it is inviting
to study the development of the countries of the Middle East in
higher education and draw some practical implications which can be
used in the educational policymaking of the region. This review
includes a data analysis on the population of international students in
the countries of the Middle East. As its second objective, a review
study on the successful countries, that is, those which host the highest
number of international students, and the strategies they have
developed to reach this state among the countries of the region, has
been conducted. Suggestions are made as to the strategies in higher
education systems of these countries which could prove useful and
practical in the development of internationalization of higher
education in the region, specifically with regard to the recruitment of
international students.
Abstract: The main objective of this study was to identify
factors and conditions that motivated and encouraged students
towards the math class and the factors that made this class an
attractive and lovely one. To do this end, questionnaires consisting of
15 questions were distributed among 85 math teachers working in
schools of Zahedan. Having collected and reviewed these
questionnaires, it was shown that doing activity in math class
(activity of students while teaching) and previous math teachers'
behaviors have had much impact on encouraging the students
towards mathematics. Separation of educational classroom of
mathematics from the main classroom (which is decorated with crafts
created by students themselves with regard to math book including
article, wall newspaper, figures and formulas), peers, size and
appearance of math book, first grade teachers in each educational
level, among whom the Elementary first grade teachers had more
importance and impact, were among the most influential and
important factors in this regard. Then, school environment, family,
conducting research related to mathematics, its application in daily
life and other courses and studying the history of mathematics were
categorized as important factors that would increase the students’
interest in mathematics.
Abstract: This paper deals with a simulation programs and
technologies using in the educational process for members of the crisis
management. Risk analysis, simulation, preparation and planning are
among the main activities of workers of crisis management. Made
correctly simulation of emergency defines the extent of the danger. On
this basis, it is possible to effectively prepare and plan measures to
minimize damage. The paper is focused on simulation programs that
are trained at the University of Defence. Implementation of the outputs
from simulation programs in decision-making processes of crisis staffs
is one of the main tasks of the research project.
Abstract: Red River Gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) is a tree
of the genus Eucalyptus widely distributed in Algeria and in the
world. The value of its aromatic secondary metabolites offers new
perspectives in the pharmaceutical industry. This strategy can
contribute to the sustainable development of our country. Preliminary
tests performed on the essential oil of Eucalyptus camendulensis
showed that this oil has antibacterial activity vis-à-vis the bacterial
strains (Enterococcus feacalis, Enterobacter cloaceai, Proteus
microsilis, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia, and Pseudomonas
aeruginosa) and antifungic (Fusarium sporotrichioide and Fusarium
graminearum). The culture medium used was nutrient broth Muller
Hinton. The interaction between the bacteria and the essential oil is
expressed by a zone of inhibition with diameters of MIC indirectly
expression of. And we used the PDA medium to determine the fungal
activity. The extraction of the aromatic fraction (essentially oilhydrolat)
of the fresh aerian part of the Eucalyptus camendulensis
was performed by hydrodistillation. The average essential oil yield is
0.99%. The antimicrobial and fungal study of the essential oil and
hydrosol showed a high inhibitory effect on the growth of pathogens.
Abstract: The paper discusses economic policy of Georgia
aiming to increase national competitiveness as well as the tools and
means which will help to improve the competitiveness of the country.
The sectors of the economy, in which the country can achieve the
competitive advantage, are studied. It is noted that the country’s
economic policy plays an important role in obtaining and maintaining
the competitive advantage - authority should take measures to ensure
high level of education; scientific and research activities should be
funded by the state; foreign direct investments should be attracted
mainly in science-intensive industries; adaptation with the latest
scientific achievements of the modern world and deepening of
scientific and technical cooperation. Stable business environment and
export oriented strategy is the basis for the country’s economic
growth.
As the outcome of the research, the paper suggests the strategy for
improving competitiveness in Georgia; recommendations are
provided based on relevant conclusions.
Abstract: In Egypt, girls have traditionally been educationally
disadvantaged. This disadvantage, however, has been focused on the
failure to enter school. Increasingly it is recognized that girls who
ever-enroll are at least as likely to complete primary and secondary
education as boys. Still the belief persists that girls, especially those
from poor families, will be disadvantaged in terms of school
expenditures and the transitions to secondary and higher education.
We examine expenditures on tutoring during the final year of
preparatory school, and the transition to specific tracks of secondary
education. Tests during the last year of preparatory largely determine
a student’s educational future. Results show that girls, even girls from
poor families, are not disadvantaged in terms of expenditures,
whether for tutoring, fees or general expenses. Moreover, girls are
more likely than boys to advance to general secondary education, the
track that leads to higher education.
Abstract: This article deals with the perceived quality of regional products in the Moravian-Silesian region in the Czech Republic. Research was focused on finding out what do consumers perceive as a quality product and what characteristics make a quality product. The data were obtained by questionnaire survey andanalysed by IBM SPSS. From the thousands of respondents the representative sample of 719 for MS region was created based on demographic factors of gender, age, education and income. The research analysis disclosed that consumers in MS region are still price oriented and that the preference of quality over price does not depend on regional brand knowledge.
Abstract: In the present study we evaluated the nutritional status of 214 institutionalized elderly residents of both genders, aged 65 years and older of 11 care homes located in the district of Viseu (center of Portugal). The evaluation was based on anthropometric measurements and the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) score.
The mean age of the subjects was 82.3 ± 6.1 years-old. Most of the elderly residents were female (72.0%). The majority had 4 years of formal education (51.9%) and was widowed (74.3%) or married (14.0%).
Men presented a mean age of 81.2±8.5 years-old, weight 69.3±14.5 kg and BMI 25.33±6.5 kg/m2. In women, the mean age was 84.5±8.2 years-old, weight 61.2±14.7 kg and BMI 27.43±5.6 kg/m2.
The evaluation of the nutritional status using the MNA score showed that 24.0% of the residents show a risk of undernutrition and 76.0% of them were well nourished.
There was a high prevalence of obese (24.8%) and overweight residents (33.2%) according to the BMI. 7.5% were considered underweight.
We also found that according to their waist circumference measurements 88.3% of the residents were at risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and 64.0% of them presented very high risk for CVD (WC≥88 cm for women and WC ≥102 cm for men).
The present study revealed the coexistence of a dual form of malnutrition (undernourished and overweight) among the institutionalized Portuguese concomitantly with an excess of abdominal adiposity. The high prevalence of residents at high risk for CVD should not be overlooked.
Given the vulnerability of the group of institutionalized elderly, our study highlights the importance of the classification of nutritional status based on both instruments: the BMI and the MNA.
Abstract: The classroom of the 21st century is an ever changing forum for new and innovative thoughts and ideas. With increasing technology and opportunity, students have rapid access to information that only decades ago would have taken weeks to obtain. Unfortunately, new techniques and technology is not a cure for the fundamental problems that have plagued the classroom ever since education was established. Class size has been an issue long debated in academia. While it is difficult to pin point an exact number, it is clear that in this case more does not mean better. By looking into the success and pitfalls of classroom size the true advantages of smaller classes will become clear. Previously, one class was comprised of 50 students. Being seventeen and eighteen-year-old students, sometimes it was quite difficult for them to stay focused. To help them understand and gain much knowledge, a researcher introduced “The Theory of Multiple Intelligence” and this, in fact, enabled students to learn according to their own learning preferences no matter how they were being taught. In this lesson, the researcher designed a cycle of learning activities involving all intelligences so that everyone had equal opportunities to learn.
Abstract: Developing a reliable and sustainable software products is today a big challenge among up–coming software developers in Nigeria. The inability to develop a comprehensive problem statement needed to execute proper requirements engineering process is missing. The need to describe the ‘what’ of a system in one document, written in a natural language is a major step in the overall process of Software Engineering. Requirements Engineering is a process use to discover, analyze and validate system requirements. This process is needed in reducing software errors at the early stage of the development of software. The importance of each of the steps in Requirements Engineering is clearly explained in the context of using detailed problem statement from client/customer to get an overview of an existing system along with expectations from the new system. This paper elicits inadequate Requirements Engineering principle as the major cause of poor software development in developing nations using a case study of final year computer science students of a tertiary-education institution in Nigeria.
Abstract: Obesity, stunting and wasting problems among Thai school-aged children are increasing due to inappropriate food consumption behavior and poor environments for desirable nutritional behavior. Because of a low school lunch budget of only 0.40 USD per person per day, food quality is not up to nutritional standards. Therefore, the Health Department with the Education Ministry and the Thai Health Promotion Foundation have developed a quality school lunch project during 2009–2013. The program objectives were development and management of public policy to increase school lunch budget. The methods used a healthy public policy motivation process and movement in 241 local administrative organizations and 538 schools. The problem and solution research was organized to study school food and nutrition management, create a best practice policy mobilization model and hold a public hearing to motivate an increase of school meal funding. The results showed that local public policy has been motivated during 2009-2011 to increase school meal budget using local budgets. School children with best food consumption behavior and exercise increased from 13.2% in 2009 to 51.6% in 2013 and stunting decreased from 6.0% in 2009 to 4.7% in 2013. As the result of national policy motivation (2012-2013), the cabinet meeting on October 22, 2013 has approved an increase of school lunch budget from 0.40 USD to 0.62 USD per person per day. Thus, 5,800,469 school children nationwide have benefited from the budget increase.
Abstract: This research analyzes factors affecting the success of Bitcoin Value within Thailand and develops a guideline for self-reliance for effective business implementation. Samples in this study included 121 people through surveys. The results revealed four main factors affecting the success as follows: 1) A great majority didn't know what Bitcoin was. 2) Didn't grasp the concept of a digital currency or see the benefit of a digital currency. 3) There is a great need to educate the next generation of learners on the benefits of Bitcoin within the community. 4) Future Career training should be pursued in applied Bitcoin development.
The guideline for self-reliance planning consisted of 4 aspects: 1) Local communities need to develop awareness of the usefulness of Bitcoin and share the value of Bitcoin among friends and family. 2) Computer Science and Business Management staff should develop skills to expand on the benefits of Bitcoin within their departments. 3) Further research should be pursued on how Bitcoin Value can improve business and tourism within Thailand. Local communities should focus on developing Bitcoin awareness by encouraging street vendors to accept Bitcoin as another form of payment for services rendered. 4) Development planning: by arranging meet up groups to conduct further education on Bitcoin and share solutions on adoption into every day usage.
Abstract: Information technology is changing rapidly and the users’ expectations are also growing. Dealing with these changes in information technology, while satisfying the users’ needs and expectations is a big challenge. IT managers need to explore new mechanisms/strategies to enable them to cope with such challenges.
The objectives of this research are to identify the significant challenges that might face IT managers in higher education institutes in the face of the high and ever growing customer expectations and to propose possible solutions to cope with such high-speed changes in information technology.
To achieve these objectives, interviews with the IT professionals from different higher education institutes in Oman were conducted. In addition, documentation (printed and online) related to these institutions were studied and an intensive literature review of published work was examined.
The findings of this research are expected to give a better understanding of the challenges that might face the IT managers at higher education institutes. This acquired understanding is expected to highlight the importance of being adaptable and fast in keeping up with the ever-growing technological changes. Moreover, adopting different tools and technologies could assist IT managers in developing their organisations’ IT policies and strategies.
Abstract: Recently there has been a dramatic proliferation in
the number of social networking sites (SNSs) users; however, little
is published about what motivates college students to use SNSs in
education. The main goal of this research is to explore the college
students’ motives for using SNSs in education. A conceptual
framework has therefore been developed to identify the main
factors that influence/motivate students to use social networking
sites for learning purposes. To achieve the research objectives a
quantitative method was used to collect data. A questionnaire has
been distributed amongst college students. The results reveal that
social influence, perceived enjoyment, institute regulation,
perceived usefulness, ranking up-lift, attractiveness,
communication tools, free of charge, sharing material and course
nature all play an important role in the motivation of college
students to use SNSs for learning purposes.
Abstract: In this study, too, an attempt was made to reveal the
place and effects of information technologies on the lives and
education of gifted children based on the views of gifted. To this end,
the effects of information technologies on gifted are general skills,
technology use, academic and social skills, and cooperative and
personal skills were investigated. These skills were explored
depending on whether or not gifted had their own computers, had
internet connection at home, or how often they use the internet,
average time period they spent at the computer, how often they
played computer games and their use of social media.
The study was conducted using the screening model with a
quantitative approach. The sample of the study consisted of 129
gifted attending 5-12th classes in 12 provinces in different regions of
Turkey. 64 of the participants were female while 65 were male. The
research data were collected using the using computer of gifted and
information technologies (UCIT) questionnaire which was developed
by the researchers and given its final form after receiving expert
view.
As a result of the study, it was found that UCIT use improved
foreign language speaking skills of gifted, enabled them to get to
know and understand different cultures, and made use of computer
and information technologies while they study. At the end of the
study these result were obtained: Gifted have positive idea using
computer and communication technology. There are differences
whether using the internet about the ideas UCIT. But there are not
differences whether having computer, inhabited city, grade level,
having internet at home, daily and weekly internet usage durations,
playing the computer and internet game, having Facebook and
Twitter account about the UCIT.
UCIT contribute to the development of gifted vocabulary, allows
knowing and understand different cultures, developing foreign
language speaking skills, gifted do not give up computer when they
do their homework, improve their reading, listening, understanding
and writing skills in a foreign language.
Gifted children want to have transition to the use of tablets in
education. They think UCIT facilitates doing their homework,
contributes learning more information in a shorter time. They'd like
to use computer-assisted instruction programs at courses. They think
they will be more successful in the future if their computer skills are
good. But gifted students prefer teacher instead of teaching with
computers and they said that learning can be run from home without
going to school.
Abstract: Today, the means of following the developments in
the area of science and technology is to keep up with the pace of the
advancements in this area. As is in every profession, apart from their
personal efforts, the training of teachers in the period after they start
their careers is only possible through in-service training. The aim of
the present study is to determine the views of Information
Technologies (IT) teachers regarding the in-service training courses
organized by the Ministry of National Education. In this study, in
which quantitative research methods and techniques were employed,
the views of 196 IT teachers were collected by using the “Views on
In-service Training” questionnaire developed by the authors of the
paper. Independent groups t-test was used to determine whether the
views of IT teachers regarding in-service training differed depending
on gender, age and professional seniority. One-way analysis of
variance (ANOVA) was used to investigate whether the views of IT
teachers regarding in-service training differed depending on the
number of in-service training courses they joined and the type of inservice
training course they wanted to take. According to the findings
obtained in the study, the views of IT teachers on in-service training
did not show a significant difference depending on gender and age,
whereas those views differed depending on professional seniority, the
number of in-service training courses they joined and the type of inservice
training course they wanted to take.
Abstract: Children today use computer based application in
various activities especially for learning and education. Many of
these tools and application such as the Computer Aided
Pronunciation Training (CAPT) systems enable children to explore
and experience them with little supervision from the adults. In order
for these tools and application to have maximum effect on the
children’s learning and education, it must be attractive to the children
to use them. This could be achieved with the proper user interface
(UI) design. As children grow, so do their ability, taste and
preferences. They interact differently with these applications as they
grow older. This study reviews several articles on how age factors
influence the UI design. The review focuses on age related abilities
such as cognitive, literacy, concentration and feedback requirement.
We have also evaluated few of existing CAPT systems and determine
the influence of age-based factors on the interface design.
Abstract: Entrepreneurship has captured the attention of policy-makers, educators and researchers in the last few decades. It has been regarded as a main driver for economic growth, development and employment generation in many countries worldwide. However, scholars have not agreed on the key factors that impact entrepreneurial intention. This study attempts, through an extensive literature review, to provide a holistic view and a more comprehensive understanding of the key factors that lead university undergraduate students to become entrepreneurs. A systematic literature review is conducted and several scientific articles and reports have been examined. The results of this study indicate that there are four main sets of factors: the personality-traits factors, contextual factors, motivational factors, and personal background factors. This research will serve as a base for future studies and will have valuable implications for policy makers and educators.
Abstract: Many organizations are opting to adopt Open Source Software (OSS) as it is the current trend to rely on each other rather than on companies (Software vendors). It is a clear shift from organizations to individuals, the concept being to rely on collective participation rather than companies/vendors.
The main objectives of this research are 1) to identify the current level of OSS usage in Sultan Qaboos University; 2) to identify the potential benefits of using OSS in educational institutes; 3) to identify the OSS applications that are most likely to be used within an educational institute; 4) to identify the existing and potential barriers to the successful adoption of OSS in education.
To achieve these objectives a two-stage research method was conducted. First a rigorous literature review of previously published material was performed (interpretive/descriptive approach), and then a set of interviews were conducted with the IT professionals at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman in order to explore the extent and nature of their usage of OSS.