This study aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the XR challenges, opportunities, and future trends that will impact higher educational institutions. The article discusses (using observation, ...participatory observation and as well as document analysis) the potential for augmented reality to be used in higher education, having in mind characteristics of Millennials (Generation Y) and Post-Millennials (Generation Z) and raises issues about responsible innovation, the future of work, and formal education. Additionally, survey research was completed among students in Serbia and Romania (103 respondents) within selected generations regarding their knowledge of extended reality and their attitudes towards opportunities and challenges of extended reality in Higher Education Institutions, and thus this paper also utilises quantitative analysis. A correlation matrix, composite reliability, and regression model were used to code the data and extract knowledge. A thorough review of the existing literature on one hand and primary research as well, using the chosen scientific methods, the planned purpose of the research will be obtained: to gain a better-understanding of the education needs of Generation Y and Generation Z and the potential use of XR as a response to the needs observed. The results of the quantitative analysis confirmed our starting assumptions: XR is an excellent technology facilitating the teaching processes allowing learners to more actively control their learning strategies and supporting the interactivity and connectivity that students and faculties experience. Furthermore, Generation Z students are more applicative for stating XR’s opportunities (instead of challenges) in higher education institutions.
This research investigates blockchain technology, focusing on the influence of motivation on collaborative work, which positively influences learning performance in Higher Education Institutions ...(HEI). In addition, blockchain technology is correlated with decentralisation, security and integrity, and anonymity and encryption. It can also be perceived as a consensus mechanism, rewarding students, professors, and universities as a smart contract. Therefore, this technology has been used to improve higher education. It also allows less informed people to interact with better-informed peers and mentors. Finally, this study aims to enhance the current state of blockchain applications comprehension. The methodology used for this research includes document analysis, literature review, content analysis (blockchain platforms), the case study method, and the survey method. In statistical considerations, aiming to evaluate indicators, this research presents the Composite Reliability Analysis, Cronbach Alpha Coefficients, and the Bootstrapping method (Variance Inflation Factor). All these analyses aimed to present a designed research model. This exploratory research gathered data from 150 students at 3 universities in Serbia, Romania, and Portugal. As demonstrated, using student motivation has a significant and positive impact on the quality of student collaborative work. Student collaborative work also correlates with students’ higher level of engagement in the educational process, and the more engaged students are, the better their learning outcomes will be. As a result, in higher education, student involvement boosted learning outcomes. Researchers found that motivation, teamwork, and student involvement were important factors in improving student learning outcomes, as were blockchain-based tools. The results from the quantitative analysis indicate that Collaborative work, Motivation, Engagement, MOOCs, AR, VR, Gamification, and Online class were associated with learning performance.
The book by Mariusz Soltanifar, Mathew Hughes, and Lutz Göcke entitled “Digital Entrepreneurship Impact on Business and Society” (Soltanifar, M., M. Hughes, and L. Göcke. 2021.
. Charm: Springer ...International Publishing; Springer) published by Springer International Publishing demonstrates the global challenges that companies and economies face related to digital entrepreneurship. The book emphasizes the impact that digital entrepreneurial activities have on business and society in a way that shapes the world business environment in the present time, and will continue to the same in the future. The book provides the reader with an overview of the processes, means, and challenges that are transforming the business world, giving the possible opportunities to companies and citizens, but also threats as well that also shape their everyday life and society as a whole.
In their struggle to offer a sustainable educational system and transversal competencies for market requests, significant transformations characterise the higher education system in Serbia and ...Romania. According to EU policy, these transformations are related to educational reforms and the introduction of new technology and methodologies in teaching and learning. They are expected to answer to the PISA requirements and to increase the DESI (Digital Economy and Society Index). They are also likely to mitigate the inequity of HEIs (higher education institutions), empowered by a structured, goal-oriented strategy towards agile management in HEIs that is also appropriate for new market demands. Our study is based on an exploratory survey applied to 139 Romanian and Serbian teachers from the Information Technology School—ITS, Belgrade, and Spiru Haret University, Romania. The survey let them provide their knowledge of AI or their perceptions of the difficulties and opportunities of these technologies in HEIs. Our study discovered how difficulties and opportunities associated with AI impact HEIs. This study aims to see how AI might assist higher education in Romania and Serbia. We also considered how they might be integrated with the educational system, and if instructors would utilise them. Developing creative and transversal skills is required to anticipate future breakthroughs and technological possibilitiesThe new methods of education focuses on ethics, values, problem-solving, and daily activities. Students’ learning material, how they might achieve critical abilities, and their educational changes must be addressed in the future. In this environment, colleges must create new digital skills in IA, machine learning, IoT, 5G, the cloud, big data, blockchain, data analysis, using MS Office and other applications, MOOCs, simulation applications, VR/AR, and gamification. They must also develop cross-disciplinary skills and a long-term mindset.
From the moment the Republic of Serbia declared a state of emergency in the summer semester of 2019/2020, higher education institutions (HEIs) used various teaching models from Distance Learning ...Systems (DLS), online platforms and modern information and communication technologies (ICT), to sending materials via student e-mails and notifications via faculty portals. Using survey research as a method, the paper describes the experiences of teachers and associates at HEIs in Serbia (780 respondents) regarding the efficiency of provided education services. In this article, we used the method of content analysis and participatory observation, as well. We analysed the attitudes of teachers and associates apropos the efficiency of providing educational services through the work from home (WFH) model and distance learning (DL) and other models used in response to COVID-19 epidemiological measures in education. During the WFH setup, we looked for factors that affect educational efficiency. When it comes to the statistical technique, factor analysis was selected. Technology, managerial support, and work–home conflict are all expected to impact process efficiency, so these were the first criteria considered when selecting potential factors. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used as the extraction method, and the Varimax rotation method was also used. We discarded all factors with eigenvalues below one. Four factors caught our attention: School management support, Family–work conflict, Home infrastructure, and Technology choice. The results showed that F1 (School management support) is positively correlated to F2 (Family–work conflict) and efficiency and negatively correlated to F3 (Home infrastructure). Conversely, F2 is negatively correlated to F3 and positively correlated to efficiency. The F4 factor shows no significant correlations to other factors.
Language barriers and the communication difficulties of individuals with developmental disabilities are two major causes of communication problems that societies worldwide encounter. A particularly ...challenging group is hearing-impaired people who have difficulties with communication, reading, writing, learning, and social interactions, which have a substantial impact on their quality of life. This article focuses on detailing a Serbian Sign Language alphabet database and the method for creating it in order to provide a foundation for answering the various societal challenges of persons who use the Serbian language. In front of a computer camera, 41 people performed Serbian Sign Language sign movements that replicated the Serbian alphabet for this study’s aims. Hand and body key points were identified using the recorded video clips, and the numerical values of the identified key points were then stored in a database for further processing. In total, 8.346 video clips of people making recognized hand gestures were gathered, processed, classed, and archived. This paper provides a thorough technique that may be applied to comparable tasks and details the process of constructing a dataset based on Serbian Sign Language alphabet signs. This dataset was created using custom-made Python 3.11 software. Data regarding dynamic video clips that capture entire subject movement were incorporated into this dataset to fill in the gaps in other similar efforts based on static photographs. Thus, the purpose of this investigation is to employ innovative technology to support the community of hearing-impaired people in areas such as general inclusion, education, communication, and empowerment.
The main purpose of the article is to find a solution to secure data transfer. Big data, a mark of Industry 4.0, comes with the risk of transferring knowledge. Data management is becoming harder to ...be administered, and Big Data (BD) can be a good solution for it. Sending data containing information about actions to be taken by the system may expose the values of the system’s parameters. Securing the data will stop any third party from interfering with the communication and sending its commands to the remote system. Thus, the article presents a case study that proves how to secure BD read/write operations using the Gauss function and how to use Secure Shell (SSH), a cryptographic network protocol, to generate key-value pairs for safely operating services over an unsecured network.
The paper aims to develop—based on a particular dual comparative analysis that follows the current European concerns—the concepts of competitiveness and innovation as pillars uprighting companies’ ...resilience, creating ecoinnovative jobs and social inclusion. In their struggle to meet the Circular Economy principles and Green Deal objectives, the countries chosen for analyses—Romania and Serbia—have started implementing added-value blockchain concepts in their societies to thrive in the resilient European market and build empowered societies. According to the World Economic Forum Global Sources of Competitiveness, skills considered in our study refer to businesses’ versatility and societies’ innovation capability. Based on specific data provided by Eurostat, the results showed a correlation between the ecoinnovation index and R&D personnel by sector and helped design a regression model. Hence, we demonstrate that R&D creativity, once stimulated through innovative teaching, blooms, having positive effects at society and market levels as reflected in the ecoinnovation index. Furthermore, cluster analysis within E.U. innovation helped identify strengths and weaknesses, provided new grounds in applying innovation, and led to further recommendations.
The connection with customers is a key task of companies, which can be achieved through diverse communication channels, among which one profitable way includes interactive websites. This paper first ...presents a synthetic review of previous studies on the topic of websites’ interactivity. So far, we observe interactivity through individual models of interactivity. In this paper, four modelling variables are used, which make this paper more complex in the understanding of interactivity. Further, a new research development is exposed, with emphasis on experiment structuring, modelling variables configuration, results achievement, and data analysis and interpretation. It has been ascertained that the model based on four variables creates a broader research framework, enabling an effective analysis of their overall correlations, as well of correlations between each of its components. The applicative part of the research was unrolled with effective participation of a group of 350 students, who were homogeneous in their profiles and activities. Based on the results of an initial test, 240 students were selected and participated in the main test, who all had a particular interest in searching for a job, practice, or training course on the Internet. The research reveals a higher positive impact of interactive websites vs. non-interactive websites, and compares computer use to mobile devices. It also reveals how user perception and behaviour can be positively impacted by making website searches easier, and allowing users to comment on advertisements, share the content on social media, use e-mail marketing, etc.
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