Intelligence systems are more acute than ever. On one hand, education, in general, must be that process that ensures the skills that allow the creation of Artificial Intelligence. Algorithms, ...chatbots, learning machines were created as a result of knowledge, skills and abilities acquired through education. They will continue to be the result of the creativity, inventiveness and daring of those who are educated in this spirit, of those who are cultivated with these skills. "Working" with Artificial Intelligence systems also requires knowledge, skills and abilities that the entire educational system must provide. Operating with Artificial Intelligence systems needs not only specific skills, but also their permanent adaptation as Artificial Intelligence systems become more complex and more performant. Academic research is intended not only to identify the challenges that education faces and will face with the development of Artificial Intelligence systems, but also to find solutions, to propose measures to manage the consequences of the penetration of Artificial Intelligence into life of society.
This article investigates the perspectives of Romanian academics on implementing Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Higher Education (HE). The article analyzes the pros and cons of AI in HE, based on ...the views of eighteen academics from five Romanian universities. There is a large and heated debate about the proliferation of AI in many domains, with strong supporters and determined deniers. Studies that research the implications of AI enrich the evidence-based literature on the advantages, disadvantages, threats, or opportunities that AI creates for us, for businesses, or for societies. Though many aspects are still less well known, attitudes toward AI are still under construction. HE is a domain where the implications of AI create passionate discussions. HE is, eventually, the sector that shapes the masterminds of societies’ leaders. There is a quest to find the perspectives of those who will apply AI, who will work with or for AI, and those who are opposed to or in favor of implementing AI in HE. The conclusions revealed by this study are in line with similar studies that exist in the literature. The positive aspects of AI implementation in HE are related, in the view of academics, to gains in the learning–teaching process, improvements in students skills and competences, better inclusion, and greater efficiency in administrative costs. Similarly, the negative aspects revealed by the research are linked to psychosocial effects, data security, ethical aspects, and unemployment threats. However, there are some aspects (mostly negative) related to implementing AI in HE that are less exposed by the interviewed academics, which are mostly related to the costs and efforts of implementing AI in HE. The possible explanation of this situation is related to the lack of strategic vision on what, in fact, the implementation of AI in HE means, what this process involves, and the fact that digitalization in Romanian universities (as well as in the Romanian economy) is in its infancy. The contribution of the results of this research is mainly empirical and practical. These opinions should be used as resources for managers of HE institutions to develop better policies concerning the implementation of AI in HE and for strategic vision toward AI, with the ultimate purpose of achieving progress and prosperity for the entire society.
This Special Issue, Social and Technological Interactions in e-Societies, aims to attract the interest of academics and practitioners alike by identifying, exploring, and investigating the ...interactions inherent in the emergence of new technologies in our societies ...
This paper aims to investigate the challenges facing highly educated Egyptian women, who abandon a high paid job in the private sector to start their own business. This study, based on a qualitative ...research, focuses on demonstrating that educated women, with a good paid job in the formal private sector, encounter the same challenges as the rest of women in starting, running, and maintaining their businesses. The study employs in-depth interviews with 10 women from Cairo, Egypt, highly educated, formerly employed in highly paid jobs in the private sector, that converted to entrepreneurship. Data have been analysed using QDA Miner software. The results reveal the same difficulties women face in starting, running, and maintaining their business, regardless of their level of education, revealing that among major obstacles in women entrepreneurship, in Egypt, are the socio-cultural constrains that define the role of women in the society.
This study aims to investigate to what extent facilitating conditions (those means that users consider necessary to use for a certain technology) and other predictors (perceived risk and lack of ...trust in technology, gender, education, income, technology proficiency and equipment used to access the Internet) influence the use of Artificial Intelligence Products (AIP) in general and for education. Using the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), the data collected, through an online questionnaire from a sample of 450 Romanian business students, were examined using principal component analysis (PCA) and logistic regression. Facilitating conditions indicated a direct effect (positive) on the dependent variables, and the combination between perceived risk and perceived lack of trust in technology displayed an opposite effect (negative) on the dependent variables. Female students showed a greater tendency to use AIPs in general and for education. Undergraduate students were more inclined to use AIPs in general. Students not using smartwatches or personal computers are inclined to use AIPs more in general and for education. This study advances the theory by exploring the actual use of AIPs for educational purposes, developing the UTAUT model by isolating facilitating conditions and using descriptive variables as predictors. At the same time, the present research contributes to enriching the empirical evidence related to UTAUT on the acceptance and use of technology in Romania. The results of the research allow for the formulation of practical recommendations for universities as current and potential providers of AIPs in order to make the educational process more efficient.
This paper aims to identify the perspective of multiple stakeholders on the socio-economic burden of cancer in Romania. The Romanian health system is among the poorest in the European Union and ...cancer patients are among the most vulnerable. They do not only face difficulties in accessing diagnosis and treatment, but they encounter obstacles on the labour market due to the lack of support from the authorities and business environment. Using a qualitative approach (focus group) different categories of stakeholders have been investigated: patient associations, practitioners (physicians), academics and labour market representatives. Six recurrent themes occurred from the analysis of these stakeholders' perspectives: lack of data, financial toxicity of cancer caused by the burden of the "out of the pocket money", healthcare insufficient resources (material and human), lack of interest in the patient needs, inconsistent and inefficient legal framework, and systemic deficiencies of the Romanian society. The results are important for policy makers in order to design a proper Cancer Policy in Romania.
This article is exploratory in its essence and aims to analyse the sustainability of universities in the case of three higher education institutions: one university from the Netherlands and two ...universities from Romania. The main focus is on the awareness of the sustainable university concept among students and on the perception students have about their university: do they consider their university as being a sustainable one? Why? Do they consider they are educated to act as future sustainable business persons? There is a growing interest in researching students' perceptions on the sustainability of universities. Students are the key stakeholders; they represent the future business people, employees, managers or entrepreneurs, responsible for sustainable development. Therefore, universities have to build a "sustainable mindset" for their graduates. This research related to students' perception on sustainable university has two phases. The first one involved a secondary data analysis, based on the online information provided by the universities, in order to assess the sustainability of these universities considering the adapted Deming spiral (planning, operating, reporting and innovating). The second phase involved a qualitative research among students from these three universities, based on focus groups, about the awareness of the sustainable university concept, how they perceive their university from the sustainability point of view and how prepared they consider to be to act as future sustainable persons. Comparisons between universities are performed. The conclusions discuss possible solutions for universities to become more sustainable, and good practices that can be shared among universities are identified.
What factors influence students to start their own business? What are the implications at the university level? This paper aims to answer to these questions and investigates, at a micro level ...(university), the motivation for entrepreneurial intentions among students in 10 universities from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). An online inquiry has been conducted among 500 students between April and June 2018, and 157 fully completed questionnaires were retained. Factor Analysis with Varimax (with Kaizer Normalization) rotation and logistic regression were used to identify what factors motivate students to start their own business and, from those factors, which one is determinant in this decision. Also, age and parental self-employment status were used to determine the influence of these factors. Four factors have been identified as determinants for students to start their own business: entrepreneurial confidence, entrepreneurial orientation, university support for entrepreneurship, and cultural support for entrepreneurship. Surprisingly, the only factor significantly correlated with the intention in starting a business is entrepreneurial confidence. This factor becomes even stronger when it is associated with age (20-25 years old) and parents' self-employment status. These conclusions involve specific challenges on the university level, related to the role of entrepreneurial education and on country level, in link with the effectiveness of governmental programs to enhance entrepreneurial endeavours. Further research can explore and test these findings on a representative sample for the UAE, and for other countries
This research investigates the factors influencing student satisfaction with online education (SSOE) in higher education (HE) in Romania during the COVID-19 pandemic. Developing on the extant ...literature on SSOE antecedents, this study used a sample of 446 business students and employed factor analysis to obtain four groups of influencers to be regressed with descriptive variables to assess their impact on SSOE. Lack of intercommunication and lack of self-reliance were the strongest influencers, followed by assistance from academic and nonacademic staff, and online syllabus. Online platform functionality and online class attendance had a significant impact on SSOE. The study expands the literature through the tested model, including as explanatory factors both educational constructs and descriptive variables. Managerial recommendations are provided on staff training and syllabus amending. The model can be expanded by including age and student's Internet accessing equipment type for online education and differentiating between public and private HE institutions.
This study aims to identify factors influencing student transition to online education (STOE) during the COVID19 pandemic in Romania. Although Romania boasts high internet speed, accessibility and ...affordability, online education is in its infancy. Academic experience variables found in the literature were narrowed into five factors through exploratory factor analysis, and regressed together with online platform and demographic variables to measure their impact on STOE. 565 business students from all academic levels were surveyed. The study uncovered direct and inverse relationships between the five groups of factors, platform functionality, enrolment level and place of residence, and STOE. Findings are relevant to academics and university managers for improving online education.
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