Education And Training articles list

The COVID-19 pandemic and related lock downs have accelerated the need for online and remote teaching within university settings. However, due to the abrupt nature of the pandemic, many academic staff were not prepared for this forced transition. This study aimed to understand how the pandemic affected academics at a New Zealand university, with regards to their transition to emergency remote teaching. Specifically, it explores the challenges as well as benefits academics experienced during this transition. Recommendations for future online learning are also made. Academic staff (N 67) at a New Zealand University completed an anonymous online survey. Quantitative data were analyzed statistically using descriptive and inferential statistics, while qualitative data were analyzed thematically. Major challenges experienced included miscommunication from the university, concerns about student access to technology, finding a quiet space to work, lack of digital competence skills, too much screen-time, managing work hours, and work/ life balance. Benefits included enhanced flexibility, enhanced teacher creativity, increasing autonomy of learners, and reduced commute time. Looking forward, academic staff desired future teaching to include blended learning and virtual immersion. New strategies of working remotely are being explored to facilitate teaching and learning while catering to the preferences and skills of both educators and students. Our findings honor the considerable agility of academic staff who sought to sustain and enhance excellence in remote education. At an institutional level our findings point to the need for staff to be supported by their institutions as they further refine their work within new-found spaces

Gwen Erlam

This study examined the level of physical access of pupils to lower basic schools in Rivers State. One research question guided the study. The descriptive research design was used. The population for the study was the 942 public lower basic schools in Rivers State. A sample of 289 schools was used for the study. Stratified random sampling was used to draw the sample. Document analysis was the instrument used for the study. The instrument was validated by five experts. Mean statistics was used to answer the research question. Findings revealed that the radius per child for pupils in Rivers State lower basic schools is unsatisfactory high. It was therefore recommended among others that the Ministry of Education in collaboration with the Universal Basic Education should ensure that schools are properly sited in such a way that it will adhere to the 2-kilometre standard distance for developing countries. The Ministry of Education should ensure strict compliance with the policy provision on the maximum distance a child could cover to access the nearest school by re-mapping the current school network.

FXintegrity Publishing

This study investigated the management of teachers’ soft skills development and flexible learning environment as a correlate of teachers’ effectiveness in Unity schools in South- Eastern states of Nigeria. The correlational research design was adopted for the study. Two research questions were answered while two hypotheses were tested. The population of the study comprised all the 901 teachers of the 14 Unity schools in the 5 South-Eastern states of Nigeria. Stratified and disproportionate sampling techniques were used to select 399 sample size that was determined from the population using the Taro Yamane formula. Two sets of instruments titled; “Management of Seamless Technology Integration Questionnaire” and “Teachers’ Effectiveness Questionnaire” were used for data collection. Face and content validity was ensured by five experts including the researcher’s supervisors. The reliability coefficients of the two instruments were calculated to be 0.79 and 0.81 using Cronbach Alpha method. Multiple and simple regressions were used to answer the research questions. Analysis of variance associated with multiple regression and t-test associated with simple regression was used to test the null hypotheses at 0.05 alpha level. It was found that management of teachers’ soft skills development and flexible learning environment positively correlate (0.92 and 0.86 respectively) to teachers’ effectiveness in Unity schools in the South-Eastern states of Nigeria. Based on the findings, it was concluded that the management of seamless technology integration is positively and highly significant to teachers’ effectiveness in Unity schools in the South-Eastern states of Nigeria. It was therefore recommended among others that school administrators in the 14 Unity schools in the South-Eastern states should immediately embark on self-development in the management of seamless technology integration

FXintegrity Publishing

Improving the agricultural productivity is an imminent need to meet the food requirement of constantly growing population rate. It can be gracefully satisfied if the farming process is integrated through technologies such as big data and IoT. The integration of agricultural processes with modern technologies has emerged as the smart agriculture technology. This research work is focused on proving the suitability of the big data analytics for smart agricultural processes in terms of increasing production and quality of yields with less resources and overhead. This research paper expounds the extensive review carried out on the related works in smart agricultural farming, challenges in implementing the smart farming technologies at large scale, followed by the conceptual framework model for the effective implementation of big data together with IoT devices in smart farming.

Dr H Shaheen

In Libya, pharmacy education and practice have a similar pattern to medical education and practice. Both sectors of public and private pharmacy education and pharmacy practice still significantly unchanged for more than forty years. It is a traditional pharmacy style of education and practice with a limited change of education and practice. Now, there are more than ten public pharmacy colleges and more than five private colleges established in Libya for a population of seven millions. In addition, there are several intermediate pharmacy institutes which provide a middle degree in pharmacy practice with a very limited knowledge in pharmaceutical sciences and training. Practice of pharmacy in Libya is still a classical mode with only dispensing medicines directly in almost a nonprofessional way and an old fashion way. However, the situation is old and complicated that needs a great deal of attention from different health policymakers and authorities such as Ministry of High Education and Ministry of Health, National Pharmaceutical Union and Libyan Association for Pharmacists.

Mediterranean Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

The motto behind the keenness of urban areas has become unmistakable in current cities because of the rise of installed and associated shrewd gadgets, frameworks, and innovations. It is possible to connect every object to the Internet. As a result, in the impending Internet of Things era, the “Internet of Vehicles-IoV” will play a critical role in newly developed dazzling urban communities. The IoV can possibly address different traffic and street wellbeing issues successfully to forestall deadly crashes. In any case, a specific test of IoV, particularly in “Vehicle-to-Vehicle” as well as “Vehicle-to-Infrastructure” communications, guarantees quick, in order to transmit securely and exact performance of the information. The above effort is modifying Blockchain innovation for continuous application called RTA to meet “Vehicle-to-Every thing-V2x” communications problems in order to overcome these challenges. As a result, the main goal of the study is to develop a Blockchain-based IoT framework for establishing communication security and creating a completely decentralized computing platform. Research methodology used here is divided into two major sections. In the part 1 presented below, authors discuss the traceability and optimization over Merkle trees. The second section deals with implementing an actual blockchain with our optimized Merkle tree as the underlying technology to represent a distributed trust based ledger.

Dr H Shaheen

Climate variability also has the potential to worsen existing vulnerabilities such as Malaria, HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis. This study examined the effects of poverty diseases and adaptive capacities to climate change on farm income along river Niger in Edo and Kogi States, Nigeria. Questionnaires were collected from 358 respondents using multistage sampling techniques from Edo and Kogi States. Descriptive statistics and different functional forms of ordinary least squares (OLS) were used as analytical tools. The results revealed that increase in farm size and age will lead to 1.27% and 1.83% increase in farmers’ income respectively. The major constraints identified by the respondents were lack of funds and credit challenge (94.40%), distance to health centres (93.90%) and access to freshwater supplies (82.70%). It was concluded that the majority 83.80% of respondents had malaria diseases. The study recommends that to reduce the effect of poverty disease, there is a need for policy makers to engage communities when making decisions relating to their health.

Sylvester Ekemhonye

Increasing presence of women in economic pursuits like entrepreneurship activities is believed to be the result of development policies. This belief ignores the role of socioeconomic factors in the growth and development of women entrepreneurship. Many women entered the world of business and they have become successful entrepreneurs in various business activities. Women entrepreneurs in Dakshina Kannada district have set up business ventures in a range of industries. The study has been conducted to know the extent of problems faced in managing work and life by women entrepreneurs. Majority of the respondents started their business or service to become independent and to meet the financial needs of their family. From the study it has to be found that majority of the women find it difficult to manage their work and family and they are trying to overcome these difficulties by time management and with the help of their family members.

Thara S Shetty

The Banking sector influences the economic growth and development of the country both in terms of quality and quantity, there by adopting the various strategies for economic growth. Technological advancements and new initiatives of government have helped banks to provide efficient services to its customers all over the country. The study has been conducted to know the extent of problems faced by the bank customers, and their level of satisfaction towards the banking services provided by the Corporation Bank, Kodialbail Branch, Mangalore. 100 customers of the bank, who are the employees of Besant Institutions, are contacted and data was collected through questionnaire. Study revealed that 66% of respondents have faced problems in operating their bank accounts. 63% of the respondents have availed net banking facilities. Only 18% of the respondents are satisfied and 32% of respondents are neutral about the services of the bank. Some of the respondents provided valuable suggestions to improve the banking services.

Thara S Shetty

This study investigated the effect of health education on posture practices in reducing low back pain among patients in Rivers state, Nigeria. To achieve this, pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design was employed, and the study targeted 170 patients at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital in Nigeria. Two objectives having corresponding research questions and hypotheses guided the study, while convenience and stratified sampling techniques were used to select 50 participants, comprising 35 patients from the general outpatient clinic department and 15 patients from the spine physiotherapy unit, with 20 male and 30 female participants. Data collection was done by administering a self-structured, self-administered questionnaire, titled health education effect on ergonomic practices and low back pain, which had a reliability coefficient of 0.75. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to answer the research questions and test the hypotheses. The research found that educating patients on various methods of preventing low back pain, including healthy weight maintenance, warm-up exercises, and proper postural habits while sitting and standing, had a noteworthy impact on reducing pain. Moreover, the study also revealed that health education programmes were successful in therapeutic posture practices and reducing low back pain in patients residing in Rivers state. Therefore, the study concluded and recommended that health education interventions for functional and therapeutic posture practices are effective strategies for reducing low back pain among patients in Rivers state, and healthcare providers should incorporate these interventions into their treatment plans for patients suffering from low back pain.

FXintegrity Publishing

Teaching and learning computer programming is challenging for many undergraduate first-year computer science students. During introductory programming courses, novice programmers need to learn some basic algorithms, gain algorithmic thinking, improve their logical and problem-solving thinking skills, and learn data types, data structures, and the syntax of the chosen programming language. In literature, we can find various methods of teaching programming that can motivate students and reduce students’ cognitive load during the learning process of computer programming, e.g., using robotic kits, microcontrollers, microworld environments, virtual worlds, serious games, interactive animations, and visualizations. In this paper, we focus mainly on algorithm visualizations, especially on the different models of data structures that can be effectively used in educational visualizations. First, we show how a vector (one-dimensional array), a matrix (two-dimensional array), a singly linked list, and a graph can be represented by various models. Next, we also demonstrate some examples of interactive educational algorithm animations for teaching and learning elementary algorithms and some sorting algorithms, e.g., swapping two variables, summing elements of the array, mirroring the array, searching the minimum or maximum of the array, searching the index of minimum or maximum of the array, sorting elements of the array using simple exchange sort, bubblesort, insertion sort, minsort, maxsort, quicksort, or mergesort. Finally, in the last part of the paper, we summarize our experiences in teaching algorithmization and computer programming using algorithm animations and visualizations and draw some conclusions.

Ladislav Végh

To acquire algorithmic thinking is a long process that has a few steps. The most basic level of algorithmic thinking is when students recognize the algorithms and various problems that can be solved with algorithms. At the second level, students can execute the given algorithms. At the third level of algorithmic thinking, students can analyze the algorithms, they recognize which steps are executed in sequences, conditions or loops. At the fourth level, students can create their algorithms. The last three levels of algorithmic thinking are: the implementation of the algorithms in a programming language, modifying and improving the algorithms, and creating complex algorithms. In preliminary research related to algorithmic thinking, we investigated how first-year undergraduate computer science students of J. Selye University can solve problems associated with the second, third and fourth level of algorithmic thinking. We chose these levels because these levels do not require to know any programming language. The tasks that students had to solve were for example: what will be the route of a robot when it executes the given instructions, how many times we need to cross a river to carry everyone to another river-bank. To solve these types of tasks requires only good algorithmic thinking. The results showed that students reached 81.4% average score on tasks related to the execution of given algorithms, 72.3% average score on tasks where they needed to analyze algorithms, and 66.2% average score on tasks where students needed to create algorithms. The latter type of tasks were mostly various river-crossing problems. Even though, that students reached a 66.2% average score on these tasks, if we had accepted only solutions with the optimal algorithms (minimal number of river crossing), they would have reached only a 21.3% average score, which is very low. To help students find the optimal algorithms of river crossing puzzles, we developed several interactive web-based animations. In the last part of this paper, we describe these animations, we summarize how they were created and how they can be used in education. Finally, we conclude and briefly mention our plans related to our future research.

Ladislav Végh

The aim of the present study was to explore the nature of visual representations in biology textbooks across five educational boards across Asia through quantitative and qualitative content analysis. Descriptive statistics was used during the quantitative analysis. Qualitative content analysis involved a deductive approach where visuals in these textbooks were examined and categorized into different categories based on a newly developed typology and taxonomy of visual representation (coding scheme). Under this newly developed typology and taxonomy (coding scheme), visuals in biology textbooks can be categorized into 19 different categories. The findings of the study summarized the characteristics of visual representation usage in these textbooks in terms of their prevalence, distributional differences and trends. Through this study, a new perspective on the taxonomy and classification of visual representations, especially for biology textbooks, has been proposed. Biology teachers and textbook authors can gain insights through the findings of the study. Subjects: General Science; Biology; Secondary Education

Dr T Premalatha

This brief inspects the situation with research in Indian advanced education and offers an outline of the idea of undergrad (UG) research as a method for change. The article endeavors a short survey of the public authority endeavors to further develop advanced education examination, and underlines the restrictions of their degree just as their ramifications. Through a sweeping audit of existing experimental and subjective investigations, this concise shows the advantages and effects of UG research on improvement of insightful characteristics in understudies also its impact on foundations. At last, it suggests methods of drafting this idea in the current arrangement of undergrad schooling in India, in view of remedies by the Chamber on Undergrad Exploration

Dr Gedam Kamalakar

The cross line movement according to the two labor and products is the thing to take care of in the present worldwide economy. Worldwide exchange labor and products has for some time been a standard, for different advantages that gather from it. There have been numerous respective and multilateral arrangements comparable to cross line exchange dealings. The development of administrations area that decidedly influences the everyday daily routine and guidelines of experiencing or personal satisfaction. The World Trade Organization (WTO), of which in excess of 156 nations are individuals, has an understanding according to global administrations exchange. The General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) is the WTO's arrangement that administers exchange 12 sorts of administrations, including 'instruction administrations'. One of the basic inquiries or issues in such manner would be corresponding to the sort of college to be permitted to set up its grounds or branch or in any case offer training administrations. This paper would endeavor to give some potential experiences into this issue. Internationalization and globalization are the two Global ideas terms conversely utilized as far as higher education. Most impressively, the test to set up colleges will come from the worldwide monsters of the interchanges, data innovation and mixed media ventures worldwide suppliers, packed with capital, ready to get to remarkable global researchers and educators, talented in giving in situ understudy support at the same time in numerous nations, and equipped for expediting proficient accreditation and acknowledgment all throughout the planet. Quality in the subsequent 'worldwide virtual colleges' will be high, normalization will make cost structures that are powerfully serious, brand acknowledgment will be acquired, maybe by accepting one of the incomparable Ivy League organizations as an accomplice, or on the other hand by moving into advanced education a prevailing brand from the correspondences or processing ventures.

Dr Gedam Kamalakar

The latest phase of capitalist expansion is called “globalisation”. That no state is an autarky but enjoys comparative advantage over others with certain resources and that free trade among these states would work for mutual benefit is the essence of it. Consequently, it advocates the minimization of the governmental intervention in economic affairs and encourages free play of market forces to foster economic development. The argument that this rationale is also applicable to higher education is increasingly gaining currency. But this paper attempts to problematise such a proposition and in contrary argues that this may prove inimical to national development. Education and especially higher education is considered to be one of the factors that help state to promoting national development. However, apologists of globalisation call for its commercialization and argue for the “withdrawal of the state” from this realm. This has only resulted in mystifying profound class inequalities within and without state. Higher education in India is not immune to this ideology in the guise of good economics. It is being structured in such a fashion since 1991 that it has been primarily coupled with the process of economic liberalization and privatization. International financial institutions like World Bank, IMF, GATT, GATS, etc are its votaries. Education was acknowledged as one of the key sectors to be traded. As a result, higher education as a “social good” is fast shifting to being a commodity in the market.

Dr Gedam Kamalakar

The cross line movement according to the two labor and products is the thing to take care of in the present worldwide economy. Worldwide exchange labor and products has for some time been a standard, for different advantages that gather from it. There have been numerous respective and multilateral arrangements comparable to cross line exchange dealings. The development of administrations area that decidedly influences the everyday daily routine and guidelines of experiencing or personal satisfaction. The World Trade Organization (WTO), of which in excess of 156 nations are individuals, has an understanding according to global administrations exchange. The General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) is the WTO's arrangement that administers exchange 12 sorts of administrations, including 'instruction administrations.Each WTO part that proposes to change its 'advanced education administrations' area to outline the 'responsibilities' by specifying certain conditions or restrictions with respect to its strategy on such progression. Contingent upon certain public or provincial targets and the states of interest and supply of advanced education, every part would set down various types of conditions while changing the area to unfamiliar instructive foundations. One of the basic inquiries or issues in such manner would be corresponding to the sort of college to be permitted to set up its grounds or branch or in any case offer training administrations. The inquiry raised here is should WTO individuals from Pro training Services Liberalization permit Foreign Private Universities or Foreign Public Universities?

Dr Gedam Kamalakar

Over the past 20 years, universities have been faced with sustained change, driven by external factors. This has led to the evolution of the teaching and research mission and the creation and rise of the third mission. Such mission extension has led to the emergence of entrepreneurial universities which has seen a move from traditional research and teaching business models, to business models which incorporate a much wider range of activities, to meet stakeholder demands as well as sustaining and growing universities in the era of intense national and international competition. This special issue extends knowledge by providing novel insights into the multidimensional antecedent contextual influences, consequences and implications of university mission expansion. We also provide a foundational research agenda which will help guide future research exploring the changing and expanding university missions and business models. Higher education system plays an important role for the country’s overall development which includes industrial, social, economic etc. Indian higher education system is third largest in the world. The role of Indian higher educational institutes such as colleges and universities in the present time is to provide quality based education in the field of education, research etc to empower youth for self sustainability. This paper includes the key challenges that India is currently facing in higher education and also includes some initiatives taken by the government to meet those challenges.

Dr Gedam Kamalakar

Higher Education has an important role in the task of rebuilding a nation and it pavCes the way for overall development of a nation. The twentieth century has witnessed several revolutions like Green revolution, White revolution, I.T revolution, so on and so forth, taking human civilization to new heights. At the start of 21st century, we gave a lot of importance given to higher education. Every country realized the value of higher education and the benefits that accrue from it. “The social demands for higher education continue to increase. The inabilities of the state to support this growing demand result in new financing arrangements for higher education. The recent reforms in this area could be broadly divided into two categories: the privatization of public institutions and the establishment of private institutions of higher education. Privatization implies the application of market principles in the operation of public institutions, while ownership rests within the public domain. Promotion of the private sector implies the growth and expansion of the non-state sector in higher education, and very often this sector does not rely on state funding for its growth and expansion. Both of these measures have paved the way for market operations in higher education

Dr Gedam Kamalakar

This study investigated utilization of information communication technology for the improvement of personnel economics in the administration of public secondary schools in Rivers state. The study had two objectives, with corresponding research questions and hypotheses. A descriptive survey design was employed, and the population consisted of 11,258 secondary school teachers from 258 public senior secondary schools in Rivers state, with 4,127 males and 7,131 females. A sample of 383 teachers (163 males and 220 females) was drawn from 15 public senior secondary schools using the Taro Yamane Formula and a two-stage sampling technique of stratified and simple random sampling. Data was collected using a self-structured questionnaire titled "Utilization of Information and Communication Technology and Personnel Economics in Secondary School Administration." The questionnaire underwent face and content validation by three experts and demonstrated good reliability with a Cronbach Alpha coefficient of 0.82. Research questions were answered using mean and standard deviation, while inferential statistics utilized the z-test. The findings indicated a significant difference between male and female teachers in their perceptions of ICT utilization for teachers' supervision and evaluation, highlighting the potential for ICT to improve personnel economics in the administration of public secondary schools in Rivers state. Based on these findings, it can be concluded that implementing various ICT-based strategies such as developmental supervision, contextual supervision, clinical supervision, and collaborative forms of developmental supervision could enhance the effectiveness of teaching staff and overall school productivity in public secondary schools in Rivers state.

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