Implementation of Li-Fi Technology in Classrooms

The Covid-19 pandemic turned both private and public life upside down. Teaching and learning at higher education institutions worldwide had to move online on very short notice. This means that all the educational process must be converted into a digital format for the transmission of a large array of information through electronic exchange. Online learning has been an important research topic over the past three decades, but online study programs at the universities are still limited. This article tells about the experience of foreign countries in the successful implementation of information and digital technologies in the educational process of universities. Information technologies in training are used in South Korea (Smart education), Switzerland (Wikis), Norway (Mixed learning model and co-education), Serbia (Video on demand), China (Stem - education, Moodle, Block chain). We continue with some initial thoughts on online teaching and learning in higher education in general, and emergency online teaching and learning more specifically. All of these technologies have advantages within a single state. After an overview of the international research compiled in this Special Issue, we derive a number of general insights on online teaching and learning in higher education, emphasizing, for instance, scaffolding of regulation processes or communication platforms as potential artifacts of an online teaching and learning.KeywordsInternet technologiesE-learningDigitalizationInformation technologiesHigher education

In the second decade of the 21st century, there is an ongoing discussion on the value of online classes in higher education as the implementation of new technologies in the higher education processes is on the rise. The main questions that are emerging are the level of interactions, quality of knowledge transfer, and development of critical thinking. Several previously conducted research concluded that online models of higher education teaching add more value than traditional methods, and some of the research has shown the shortcomings of online higher education programs. The pandemic of Covid-19 disease caused by a Corona Virus (SARS-CoV-2) has forced most of the higher education institutions in Europe to transfer almost the entire educational process to online platforms. In this paper, the satisfaction of the teachers and the students with the online classes’ effectiveness regarding the teacher-student communication, knowledge transfer, and development of critical thinking in the case of the School of Engineering Management in Belgrade, Serbia, is researched through a short survey and interviews. Statistical analysis has shown that there is a statistically significant difference between students' and teachers' satisfaction. Furthermore, in short interviews, it is shown that the students are more receptive to knowledge transfer, teacher-student communication, and the development of critical thinking through online classes than the professors. As the sample is small, further empirical research on the wider sample is needed in order to get more compelling conclusions.

With the support of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and cloud computing, China began learning and teaching online in 2020 to control the spread of the pandemic and implement the "Classes are suspended, but learning continues" policy. Online learning and teaching require modified methods, management, and evaluation compared with traditional instruction. Moreover, teachers' and students' thinking styles and ways of communication have also changed in terms of practice, places of study and tasks. The large-scale online teaching-learning model has ushered in new teaching and learning reform trends in the post-pandemic era. Therefore, this study investigates students' and teachers' readiness for, acceptance of, and satisfaction about comprehensive online teaching and learning and explores the effect online learning has on students. To achieve the research aim, 67 students from one city and one village in China were surveyed.The results revealed that online teaching was met with medium levels of readiness and acceptance and gave little satisfaction. For students, attitudes toward learning, support (or lack thereof) from instructors, effective interactions, motivation to learn, and self-regulation influenced online learning satisfaction. In addition, the students' grade levels and locations.

As the 21st century unfolds, researchers in higher education, and especially in networked learning, are attempting to peer into the future to better understand the integration of educational technology in light of current trends and future needs. Although a fair amount of research has shed light on learner needs in networked learning (Hodgson & McConnell, 2016; Jandric & Boras, 2015; Hodgson, de Laat, McConnell, & Ryberg , 2014; Jones, 2015), not so much is known about faculty/professors needs and workload (Bentley & Kyvik, 2013; Jonker & Hicks, 2014). Indeed, reports that do come in often deal more with faculty resistance to online and blended learning (Chapman, 2011) than an exploration of the realities faculty face at a time of increasing needs, increasing enrolments, and, overall, an increasing workload in their research-, teaching- and service- related components. Networking is and has been a given in research pursuits among academics for a very long time. The roving scholar in medieval times is an early example of a slowing expanding network of erudition which, gradually, has come to embrace the entire planet, forming, in fact if not in form, a world university system. Yet teaching networks are rarer, especially e-teaching networks (Donnelly & McSweeney, 2010), despite initiatives such as MOOCs which held the promise of sharing knowledge on large networked learning deployments. So, little is actually known about how faculty are harnessing technology to improve their teaching and make it more manageable as a contending priority to research, about how they integrate technology into this part of their workload and what kind of difficulties they face in trying to do so (Power & Morven-Gould, 2011). More to the point, we wonder if e-teaching-based networks and communities of practice are emerging among academics. In an exploration of these issues, this symposium will provide an overview of how faculty networking can apply to e-teaching, and what problematics are embedded in e-teaching. Furthermore, it will look closely at ICT deployment, and online and blended learning as they affect e-teaching. Finally, it will provide a case study based on a networked program approach, documenting the context and its attendant specificities, the actual program replanning required in light of emerging needs, and the new e-teaching practices implemented by faculty. Of special interest to our group is the e-teaching role of the academic as a catalyst in the networking process. Examining how educational leaders use digital networks, Jones, Ferraday & Hodgson stated (2007): "The posts occupied by such workers are often isolated and the use of digital networks has been suggested as a way of developing forms of cooperation and community". Indeed, in higher education, many faculty experience one form or another of isolation and, were it not for their use of networking technologies, they would be virtually disconnected from their respective, far-flung scientific peers. Yet this potential for isolation present, to a degree, in the research realm, is dwarfed by that which faculty experience when it comes to their teaching. To quote Katz (2008): "In scientific research, however, and increasingly in social science and humanities research, IT’s role has been transformational", whereas, "With respect to higher education’s administrative and teaching activities, IT has perhaps not fulfilled its promise to the extent witnessed in some other sectors of the economy. Here, the handicraft traditions of teaching and learning in the academy have, as Trow suggests, “conditioned and constrained IT use”. Indeed, at some colleges and universities, good instructional technology is viewed as a barrier—or even antithetical—to good instruction. Change is slow" (p. xi). We would venture that it is not only slow, it usually occurs within a vacuum of interest, as research, the primary task for which faculty are generally hired, continues to dominate academic life. E-Teaching in Online Learning has usually meant switching from oral exposition to the written word, and merging traditional teaching techniques and modern technological ways of communication. Yet there are indications, insufficiently documented, that faculty are slowly adapting to the rush online by reasserting their role of knowledge developer rather than simple information purveyor through a more judicious and knowledgeable technology selection. Are we seeing the second generation of online learning appearing on the horizon? Perhaps. The goal of this symposium is thus to explore faculty e-teaching problematics and practices in utilizing the wide range of advanced technological capabilities from both the theoretical to the applied perspectives, and at various levels, from macroscopic to microscopic considerations in order to better understand where we are and where we are headed.

A fundamental assumption in education is that the successful integration of technology in language classrooms can lead to improved teaching and learning. However, researchers often report that the implementation of technology by teaching practitioners remains much more limited than expected due to personal, institutional, and technological factors that influence teachers' decision to integrate technology. This limitation is augmented by the exigencies of a new learning ecology in which ubiquitous learning - accessing content and interaction from anywhere and at any time - is born out due to ubiquitous computing - everyday learning environments supported by mobile devices, embedded computers, and wireless networks. To address these limitations, we report on OLE - an e-tool we have created to offer teachers the opportunity to deliver technologically-infused lessons complete with warmers, formative assessments, and provisions for fun-based homework. Equally, OLE offers learners the chance to access lessons ubiquitously and to interact with teachers and peers synchronously and asynchronously.

OBJECTIVESTo investigate the roles of visual and tactile information in a dyspraxic patient with corticobasal degeneration (CBD) who showed dramatic facilitation in miming the use of a tool or object...

The aim of this work was to identify the existing types of massive open online courses integration into the educational process with the help of assessing the practices adopted by foreign and Russian universities. Besides, the authors identified conditions necessary for successful integration of online courses into academic programs of Russian universities and marked basic advantages and limitation of using MOOC in the educational process. Analysis used the data from academic publications, university regulatory documents, university official sites and 5 expert interviews with executives and administrators of online learning centers from leading Russian universities – m embers of «National open learning platform» (NOLP) Association. The analysis of MOOC integration into educational process allowed for identifying three main types of online courses inclusion into academic programs: 1) MOOC integration into blended format of learning; 2) replacement of several full-time courses by online disciplines; 3) creating a program of an online master course with all courses taught in online format. Foreign universities have made this technology an essential part of training, therefore creating new environment for education. At the same time, Russian universities do not use this method on a wide-scale basis. Yet there is a legislative basis for MOOC integration into the educational process. This might be related first of all with low awareness of both universities and students of the opportunity of using online courses within the framework of the educational process. Despite the advantages of using online courses, this practice has its risks: 1) researchers have not identified a single unified standard for organizing blended courses; 2) there is no standard for evaluating MOOC quality; 3) we do not know economic and educational effects of integrating online courses into the educational process as well as business – model of online education; 4) courses on certain topics cannot be transferred into online format; 5) there are lecturers’ opposing MOOCs integration into the educational process, and they demonstrate low level of interest in using such courses in the academic program; 6) there are many questions concerning the choice of MOOCs, forming a curriculum with a convenient period of teaching and correct calculation of the results of passing an online course. In order to ensure successful integration of MOOCs into the educational process within Russian universities, the article presents three groups of conditions necessary for implementing two types of mixed models, model with replacing traditional courses by online ones and online maser course model based solely on MOOCs: 1) staff; 2) integration process administration, and 3) functional characteristics of the online platform. The results obtained can be of interest for university executives, as there are practical recommendations for implementing MOOCs into teaching activities. The conditions suggested allow for successful implementation of this teaching technology at both selective and non-selective universities, opening new opportunities for using innovational teaching methods in practice.

The universal expansion of digital technologies had an impact on the educational system, too. Schools and higher education institutions have a vital need to reorganize themselves and apply new technologies efficiently. At the same time, this process entails a number of challenges. This paper is devoted to studying the influence of digital technologies on the educational process. It dwells on two main issues: 1) what the features of educational process changes under the influence of technologies and the main stages of its evolution are; 2) what opportunities and problems are generated by active implementation of digital technologies in education. The methodology foundation of the research is comprised of a series of methods (analysis, synthesis and more) and approaches (systemic, conceptual and discursive). Three periods of technological integration are identified: 1) pre-digital, 2) implementation of personal computers, 3) Internet era; their specific features are analyzed. It is established that inflated social expectations were not always met with the implementation of each new technology. Actual use of devices was low, while teachers did not fully master the new tools. Technological changes outlined in the paper led to generation gaps and a change of philosophical and pedagogical approaches, whereas connectivism is gaining popularity nowadays. It is established that despite a number of opportunities provided by digital technologies in education (flexibility, inclusion and personalization), a series of problems emerges (inequality, confidentiality, safety), as well as some technical and socio-psychological challenges. A conclusion is made that the teacher’s figure cannot yet become a thing of the past and digital technologies are best used as a supplement to regular learning, not its replacement.

This qualitative phenomenological study was designed to gain an in-depth understanding of the perceptions and lived experiences of information and communications technology teaching faculty and engineering teaching faculty in higher education institutions (all participant and institutional names herein are pseudonyms) who adopt and implement Mobile Technology Enhanced Learning. The theoretical framework was based upon innovation research and informed by applying Rogers’s Diffusion of Innovation and Wenger’s Communities of Practice theories. Purposeful sampling was used to target twelve information and communications technology and engineering teachers in Ireland and the United Kingdom who utilised a variety of mobile devices across multiple platforms to enhance teaching and learning. Using phenomenological reduction to analyse data gathered through in-depth, semi-structured interviews, observations, and an online focus group, the study revealed several overarching lessons. Participants experienced feelings of frustration, anxiety and uncertainty due to inadequate and obsolete mobile tools, issues with unreliable technical infrastructure and wireless networking connectivity, and time constraints arising from a sharp learning curve. Participants felt many higher education institute executives need to consult teachers when formulating and implementing an adoption strategy as they perceived a lack of appreciation by many higher education institute executives of their needs for successful adoption and implementation. Participants clearly required significantly more mobile Technology Enhanced Learning focused pedagogies. Learning about mobile Technology Enhanced Learning was mostly personal, predominantly through informal discussions but also professional learning communities of practice. Participants also required more collaboration and networked learning and practically focused continuing professional development and the associated time to acquire it. Participants perceived increased learner collaboration, global communication, motivation, engagement and achievement, and larger number of resources and improved teaching. Most significantly, teachers recognised the superior ability of mobile Technology Enhanced Learning to convey information and communications technology and engineering concepts to learners and consequently improved attrition rates. Keywords: Communities of Practice, CPD, Diffusion of Innovations, learner, mobile learning, mobile technologies, mobile TEL, PLC, teacher, technology adoption, technology enhanced learning, technology implementation, TEL.

The implementation of technology has provided the significant opportunities for language teachers to adopt online application and instruments to enhance learners’ proficiency in complicated conditions such as Coronavirus pandemic. Subsequently, with the improvement of learning technologies, EFL teachers face various challenges in language teaching. This study investigates the challenges that EFL teachers face toward the implementation of online teaching during Coronavirus pandemic conditions particularly in Iran. In achieving the goals of this study, 30 EFL teachers who worked in English language institutes in Iran participated in the study. These institutes have been closed to prevent the side-effects of the virus. This research is an exploratory mixed method research whereby questionnaire and interviews were used to explore the teachers’ challenges in online teaching and the efficiency of online classrooms. This research focused on two research questions; Are the technology integration and online classes helpful during Coronavirus pandemic situation? and What are the most important challenges of teaching in integration of technology during Coronavirus pandemic situation? The findings indicated that, although Iranian EFL teachers could perform the applications and platforms efficiently, there are many challenges such as lack of appropriate materials, learners’ lack of attention and demotivation towards online classes, lack of funding and support for language institutions. In contrary to these problems, the results of the questionnaire which evaluate the technology efficiency in Iran, many teachers have positive beliefs about the adaptation of technology in Iran and mentioned that technologies can be fruitful for these situations to decrease the distance between learners and teachers. Moreover, EFL teachers, stockholders, policy makers, and institutions can benefit from the results of the study and analyze their performance during pandemic circumstances.

In the article, the authors are guided by the prevailing conditions for organising and constructively building the learning environment of an educational institution capable of providing online learning at the appropriate level, which is due to the objective conditions of martial law in Ukraine and the need for mandatory provision of education to citizens in accordance with the law. The purpose of the article is to identify the features of distance learning and ways of communication and interaction between teachers and students in the online format, which is ensured by appropriate methods of scientific and pedagogical research (systematic and analytical (study, analysis and systematisation of the data, ideas and facts obtained about the organisation of online learning in synchronous and asynchronous mode), contextual (identification of the features of communication and interaction between teachers and students in online learning). The result of the study is highlighting the peculiarities of communication and interaction between teachers and students in online learning, among which the authors have identified the appropriate level of educational communication, taking into account the personal and emotional interests and preferences of each participant in the educational process; personal connection and presence of participants in the educational process in both synchronous and asynchronous modes of learning; methodological and technical readiness of the teacher to organise distance learning; adherence to the ethics of conducting a remote dialogue in all forms and types of training sessions, which involves establishing mutual communication, dialogue with a virtual audience, exchange of opinions, feedback and visual contact; mutual trust between participants in the educational process; establishing open cooperation between the teacher and the student; objectivity of knowledge assessment; the ability of the student to self-organise; mutual planning of training schedules. Particular attention is focused on the fact that the highlighted features of communication and interaction between teachers and students in online learning provide a proper learning environment of the educational institution, promote socio-emotional learning, and adherence to the principles of academic integrity.

AIM This article presents a model developed to assist teachers in selecting, implementing, and assessing student response system (SRS) use in the classroom. BACKGROUND Research indicates that SRS technology is effective in achieving desired outcomes in higher education settings. Studies indicate that effective SRS use promotes greater achievement of learning outcomes, increased student attention, improved class participation, and active engagement. METHOD The model offered in this article is based on best practices described in the literature and several years of SRS use in a traditional higher education classroom setting. RESULTS Student feedback indicates increased class participation and engagement with SRS technology. Teacher feedback indicates opportunities for contingent teaching. CONCLUSIONS The model described in this article provides a process to assist teachers in the successful selection, implementation, and assessment of SRS technology in the classroom.

Multimodal Large Language Models (MLLMs) have achieved remarkable progress in multimodal reasoning. However, they often excessively rely on textual information during the later stages of inference, neglecting the crucial integration of visual input. Current methods typically address this by explicitly injecting visual information to guide the reasoning process. In this work, through an analysis of MLLM attention patterns, we made an intriguing observation: with appropriate guidance, MLLMs can spontaneously re-focus their attention on visual inputs during the later stages of reasoning, even without explicit visual injection. This spontaneous shift in focus suggests that MLLMs are intrinsically capable of performing visual fusion reasoning. Building on this insight, we introduce Look-Back, an implicit approach designed to guide MLLMs to look back at visual information in a self-directed manner during reasoning. Look-Back empowers the model to autonomously determine when, where, and how to re-focus on visual inputs, eliminating the need for explicit model-structure constraints or additional input. We demonstrate that Look-Back significantly enhances the model's reasoning and perception capabilities, as evidenced by extensive empirical evaluations on multiple multimodal benchmarks.

The article examines the essence of the concept of "digital competence" and establishes that it is an important component of the general professional competence of a modern teacher. Its components and content are outlined, it is stated that digital competence includes interaction with digital devices and modern technologies for learning, work and social activities. Particular attention is paid to the conditions for future elementary school teachers to acquire digital competence in the modern digital informational educational environment. The main advantages of the modern digital information educational environment are: ensuring wide access to learning at a convenient time and, accordingly, increasing the speed of passing the educational program by individual students; creation of conditions for implementation of differentiated and complex training; changing the main role of designing educational tasks from the role of the teacher; transformation of the organization, management and evaluation of education, presentation of educational materials and management of the educational process. It has been proven that digital competence requires constant development for effective professional activity in today's changing environment. Acquiring digital competence contributes to the general development of the competencies of the future primary school teacher, increases his professional skills, ensures competitiveness in the labor market, promotes personal development, continuous education, develops the ability to apply acquired knowledge and integrate it into existing knowledge, actively use digital technologies in the educational process, increases the quality of education. The formation and development of digital competence is considered as a process of acquiring stable, integrated and systematized knowledge in pedagogy, psychology, informatics, computer technologies, teaching methods, the ability to apply them in new situations, personal qualities and the ability to achieve significant results in professional activities. It can be concluded that the implementation of digital technologies in education is not only the use of new digital tools, but above all the creation of an environment that offers innovative learning opportunities, designing individual educational routes and creating unique educational electronic/digital products.

This study investigated the social and cultural issues related to the implementation of biometric technology at the College of Human Resources and Education at West Virginia University. The study employed both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies. The researcher verbally interviewed five instructors and five graduate students. The quantitative research methods employed two surveys. The research population involved 30 instructors and 189 graduate students. The researcher utilized independent-sample t-tests to compare different groups. The results obtained from this research support the following: (1) there is a real privacy concern among instructors and students regarding the implementation of biometric technology, (2) religious concerns were not an issue for the research participants and (3) health risk was not a concern for instructors and but it was for students. Health concerns, however, were stronger within the students' group compared with the instructors' group; t-tests confirmed this result. The independent-samples t-test did not find a significant difference between students' and instructors' groups in their responses to the privacy and religious issues, but it showed significant differences between the two groups in their responses to the health issues questions. This research suggests that a public awareness campaign precede consideration of biometric technology implementation. The adoption of hybrid information collection, using both biometric and traditional systems, is supported. When institutions choose to adopt biometric technology, it is essential to put in place very specific and clear policies.