As technology becomes increasingly integrated into daily life, the importance of digital security has become a pressing concern. Children in primary and secondary school are especially vulnerable to digital security threats, as they frequently use digital devices for learning and leisure. Although cybercrime-related crimes have risen in the past decade, while it is not known which threats are most relevant to children and teenagers. To address this issue, this paper reports on a study that aims to identify relevant digital security competencies among young people and prioritize known threats by gathering teacher data. The study classified and prioritized digital security threats and documented the frequency of personal experiences with such threats to establish a basis for future improvements. This yielded a structured approach to addressing digital security concerns for pupils. With this knowledge, teachers can understand potential threats children and teenagers have to cope with in their environment and know about missing skills that need to be acquired through further training. An interesting finding of this study is that a noticeable number of teachers have already experienced incidents of digital threats among pupils, which emphasizes the urgency of addressing this topic.
IFIP working group WG3.4 – Professional, Higher and Vocational Education in ICT was established in 1971. This paper describes the group’s contribution to achieving digitally transformed education in higher, vocational, and lifelong learning over the last 40 years. WG3.4 is focused on education leading towards careers or professional development in some form of computing. Although IFIP runs several different types of conferences relevant to the goals of WG3.4, this paper deals primarily with papers presented at WG3.4 working conferences. We list the important topics covered at each conference and provide a grouping of papers on specific topics. We then investigate how these topics have changed over the years. To do this, we use Historical Research methodology to identify important article topics and trends. We conclude that although early WG3.4 Working Conferences involved courses for learning a tool or methodology by organizational users, today ICT education is a necessary part of business strategy and organizational development.
In the field of information systems, the primary theme has been on understanding the “information systems that include human activities” and designing information systems that harmonize with human activities. This paper introduces an educational method that utilizes a business game, developed to nurture the analytical and design competencies integral to information systems education, especially those involving human activities. Students engage in designing and developing information systems that support the management of the virtual companies they manage within the business game. The aim of this educational environment is to give students a deep understanding based on experiential learning by creating a context where analyzing and describing human activities has value in designing information systems. A pilot class was conducted targeting undergraduate students in non-CS, social informatics department. A qualitative analysis of student reports, aligned with the IS2020 curriculum standards, suggested potential deep insights into competencies in both the “Systems Analysis and Design” and “Business Process Management” areas.
Assistive Technologies are designed to increase, maintain or improve the functioning of people with disabilities. These products can consider hardware, software or mechanical devices, such as wheelchairs. People with disabilities can have varying levels of ability and there cannot be a single technology solution to suit everyone. This paper presents EduAbility, an Android application that provides assistive technology recommendations and training. The application has two functions; (1) providing recommendations based on the physical and cognitive abilities of users and (2) delivering assistive technology training for teachers, support staff, parents and carers. The application is connected to a database currently with 50 assistive technologies that are used for recommendations. The qualitative findings from the preliminary evaluations, consisting of a usability questionnaire and focus group are discussed, including suggested improvements. An outline of future work and subsequent usability evaluations is provided. It is anticipated that EduAbility will maximize the awareness and uptake of assistive technology to improve inclusion and quality of life for people with disabilities.
Tables are one of the key approaches to organising, presenting, and analysing data, making them valuable for the development of computational thinking and mathematical thinking. Despite their significance, tables have not received adequate attention in research literature. Therefore, in our broader exploration, we are focusing on the role of tables in programming at the lower primary level. Our aim is to better understand how pupils approach the creation and interpretation of tables, and how this process enhances their understanding of data structures and processes. To contextualise our research and substantiate our ideas regarding the importance of tables, we also conducted a study to investigate how other specialists perceive the potential of tables in fostering computational and mathematical thinking. In this paper, we present the findings from this specific part of our research, in which we approached a group of experts in mathematics and informatics education, as well as experienced primary informatics teachers and future informatics teachers, through a series of open-ended questions. By conducting qualitative analysis of their responses we obtained a complex perspective on tables and their role in developing computational and mathematical thinking. Our findings also confirm that modern school informatics and its programming can effectively align some of its learning objectives with those of other subjects, particularly mathematics, in primary education.
Collaborative learning is a pedagogical approach for teaching and learning in which individual and group success are interdependent, requiring both personal preparation and teamwork. As an exploratory study, the implementation of active learning approaches to promote collaborative learning was explored through a virtual software engineering course. Results are based on data collected by questionnaires to evaluate collaborative learning from the students’ perspective. Participants were of two different groups of students during two semesters. The main findings are: (1) students can be involved in collaborative learning through a learning management system (MLS), and (2) active learning strategies are ways to implement collaborative learning in a virtual learning environment.
There is an increasingly strong demand for in-service teacher training, especially in computer science and digitalisation-related fields. However, such post-qualification programmes face significant challenges for both lecturers and participants: Heterogeneity regarding prior knowledge, differing individual timetables, workload of the primary job, and a wide geographic distribution of the participants require programmes that serve a high degree of flexibility. Since 2018, we have addressed these challenges with a blended learning, Bologna-compliant programme, which trains around 200 participants annually. Despite its high workload and comprehensive scope of content, it has a dropout rate of less than 2
This paper introduces a Privacy-by-Design (PbD) approach to enhance data protection, transparency, trust, explicit consent, and adherence to privacy regulations in school admission web forms. At its core is the prototype Privacy Notice Generator (PNG) tool, which generates tailored and concise privacy notices for each web form data field. Feedback from two participant groups; web form designers and end users, informs the design of the proto-type tool. The tool and the generated privacy notices are evaluated through user testing, with feedback analysis guiding further refinements. Beyond just school admissions, this study offers insights that could enhance data privacy and transparency in web forms across various sectors.
This paper draws on a range of empirical studies conducted to date into the uses of virtual haptic simulators (VHS) in higher education and training informed by well-established educational models of the impact of new technologies on pedagogies and integration into practice. The rapidly growing number of new technologies being produced in the health sciences and those already embedded into higher education courses provide new opportunities but also many challenges for educators, trainers and practitioners. The extensive research evidence to date has mostly been gathered in dental and medical education but the evidence from these studies provides a robust foundation and framework to identify what challenges and opportunities we currently face for digitally enhancing higher education (TEL) at the same time as identifying the limitations to transforming teaching and learning. Using Entwistle and Peterson’s framework of factors influencing students’ learning, this research evidence to-date, reveals several challenges identified here for the successful uptake and integration of VHS which include:- the need to engage all teaching staff in the innovation process; the frequent reluctance of educators to take up new technologies because of the anticipated changes and likeliness of obsoleteness; resistance to change in one’s teaching; insufficient time to learn new technologies and unwillingness to adopt innovations imposed from ‘above’ by their learning leaders.
Educators worldwide searched for references and best practice recommendations to tackle the difficulties of the abrupt mass implementation of online training during the recent global health emergency. Academic journals that focus on digital technologies in education proved to be a useful means of communication to address this demand. The objective of this research is to outline the role of the Education and Information Technologies (EAIT) journal towards this aim. The study methodology utilised international scientific databases to evaluate publication impact. The findings indicate that EAIT has published numerous articles on the implementation of digital technologies in online learning which have earned a considerable number of citations by other scientific publications. EAIT's significant contribution in imparting current, pertinent and valuable information to the global research and practitioner community is confirmed.
This study delves into the collaborative design and evaluation of learning games. Initially, the paper offers an overview of the challenges commonly faced in this endeavor. Subsequently, it introduces a specially developed web platform dedicated to assist a multi-disciplinary team in both designing and evaluating a learning game. An evaluation of this platform was undertaken with 15 Master's degree students specializing in instructional design, all coming from varied backgrounds. Usability testing of the platform's prototype revealed its strengths and areas needing enhancement. Further insights from a focus group conducted with the students underscored the platform's benefits and potential.
There is a recognized shortage of girls choosing computer science or related disciplines. This study aims to examine which attributes contribute to the construction of children’s gender image in programming. A questionnaire survey was conducted at five schools and two out-of-school workshops, ranging from primary schools to a university in Japan. In total, 249 responses were collected. The binary logistic regression analysis suggested that the gender image of programming teachers was independent of the subject teachers’ gender, the gender of the respondents, and the school levels of the respondents. Furthermore, a detailed analysis of the respondents who had gendered images of programming learners suggested that male respondents believe there should be more males studying programming compared to females. Based on our results, one possible solution to address the gender bias challenge in programming is to develop interventions that focus on transforming male students’ perceptions concerning the relevance of female students studying programming.
This paper presents an investigation of teachers’ perceptions and understanding of computing-related concepts within digital games popular among secondary school students, namely FIFA, Fortnite, and Minecraft. The study is grounded in the framework of educational reconstruction for computer science (CS) education. The educators’ perspectives on specific game scenarios are explored through an open-ended questionnaire. By examining how teachers conceptualize computing concepts in these games, it is possible to evaluate the extent to which popular games can be used in the CS classroom. The findings reveal varying degrees of awareness among educators who connect the game scenarios to many CS topics. Most of the surveyed teachers link the game scenarios to concepts of programming, such as algorithms and loops, and object orientation, such as abstraction and objects.
As countries around the world share a similar view of ensuring a future workforce skilled in the thinking skills required to support and sustain the changing technological and innovation landscape, it is likely that this mantra will persist for the foreseeable future. Of the STEM disciplines, the Technologies curriculum should be considered fundamental to addressing the perceived shortage of specialists to solve the world’s most complex problems. However, student enrolment numbers in Digital Technologies subjects in particular, remain stubbornly low compared to other subject areas such as Science and Mathematics. Adding to the perceived lack of interest in Digital Technologies subjects is the continued issue of gender disparity. Sadly, gender disparity is not a problem that is unique to Australia, but one that is often reported across many other international educational jurisdictions. This paper presents an analysis undertaken of the Australian senior secondary school Digital Technologies curriculum, focusing on the final year of secondary school education, with insights gained from the learning areas of Biology (where girls dominate) and Physics (where boys dominate), in relation to student enrolment numbers. This analysis was complemented with a review of the literature, which includes input from findings from other educational jurisdictions around the world. The findings of this investigation lend credence to the authors’ views that the Digital Technologies curriculum needs to eliminate the hidden bias, where it is principally seen as a business-focused subject and aligned to the interests of boys.
As a result of the advancing digital transformation in education, teachers are encountering informatics systems in more and more areas of their professional contexts. Thus, they are faced with decision-making situations and related questions about informatics systems that require basic informatics competencies. In Germany, a number of projects have emerged in recent years aiming at informatics competency development of all students in teacher education, regardless of their school type or subject, either in teacher degree study programmes at universities or in in-service teacher training workshops. In these projects, courses were developed and piloted for a basic informatics education of non-informatics teachers. Starting from these projects, a nationwide working group of the German Informatics society dedicated itself to the task of compiling recommendations for a basic informatics education of all current and future teachers in a framework. Typical teacher activities related to digitization were elaborated using the persona method to illustrate competent teacher behaviour also from an informatics perspective and afterwards subjected to an informatics competency analysis. The resulting set of competencies was then compiled into a framework and published as official recommendations by the German Informatics society. This paper describes the development process of the recommendations for teacher education and suggests concrete actions for their implementation.
In programming examinations for beginners, skills are often assessed by requiring examinees to write code. However, the issue of language choice arises when the programming languages examinees are familiar with vary. It is impractical to allow answers in all possible programming languages. Conversely, limiting the examination to a specified number of programming languages places an undue burden on examinees accustomed to other languages, necessitating that they learn a new language solely for the examination. To address this issue, this study proposes an examination system that utilizes a block-based programming environment and a prototype has been developed. Preliminary experiments have confirmed that examinees can quickly become accustomed to using the system. Furthermore, it has been observed that the performance of examinees in this system is comparable to that in their native programming languages.
This paper develops a research framework addressing the educational dimensions of digital empowerment in marginalized rural communities based on Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum's Capability Approach (CA). Despite the increasing importance of digital education in reducing disparities, a specific framework for its implementation in the context of digital empowerment has been notably absent. By utilizing the KJ method, this study constructs a Capability-Driven Digital Education Framework (CDDEF) that prioritizes the educational empowerment of these communities through enhanced digital access and competencies. This framework offers a systematic understanding of the role of education in promoting digital empowerment and outlines its potential to bridge the digital divide. The proposed framework is suitable for researchers and practitioners aiming to foster empowerment through digital education, ensuring that it is a useful resource in the field of educational research.
Social network media (social media), represented by Facebook and X (Twitter), have become popular. However, opportunities to learn about social media are limited, and people are often only informed about the risks of its use. Teenagers, in particular, are thought to be overconfident and naïve in their trust of social media. The aim of this study is to change and reconstruct learners’ attitudes towards social media by educating them through using our social media simulator. Our social media simulator—a serious game—provides learners with an objective view of how their own interpretation and representation of information in social media differs from that of others. We use this simulator to teach media literacy to university students. Our study analysed whether learners’ attitudes towards social media changed based on (i) pre- and post-learning confidence questionnaires and (ii) changes in judgements and behaviour in the simulator. The simulator has been shown to be particularly effective in shaping attitudes of those learners who were overconfident and naïve in their social media use.
In today's digital age, it is crucial for higher education educators to embrace technology and overcome any challenges. This mixed-methods study explores technophobia among academic staff (N = 60) at the University of Latvia, aiming to identify the challenges that deter technology adoption and propose practical solutions. The primary form of technophobia observed among respondents stems from anxiety rather than an outright avoidance of technology. This research used an online survey and a virtual focus group discussion to gather insights. Common barriers to technology use identified include lack of motivation, the perception of high effort required, inadequate training, and time constraints. The study also highlights specific reasons for technophobia, such as the perceived complexity of technology and setup challenges. Based on these findings, recommendations include allocating extra workload for self-learning, making technology use mandatory with adequate support, and encouraging independent learning and peer support. These suggestions aim to improve technology integration in academic settings, benefiting academic staff and students.
