bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on SMEs in Singapore
Authors: Mohamed Yusoff Abdul Karim , Webb Heather , Seery Sean
Published: February 2022

It was reported that almost 3,800 companies closed during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore. Sometime between April 2020 to August 2020, the pandemic became the litmus test that shattered the fragile small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) into dissolution. This chapter discusses the impact of the pandemic on Singaporean SMEs and the challenges ahead post recovery. It also discusses possible strategies for SMEs as well as possible governmental strategies.
Digital Learning Design Framework for Social Learning Spaces
Authors: Minasi Riccardo
Published: February 2022

The social idea of present-day instructive frameworks and the mixing of formal and casual learning empower more arranged and customized learning encounters. Additionally, the immense measure of information about learning exercises can be used in a proactive way to empower information-educated educational mediations and fulfillment regarding learning results. Be that as it may, the present educational and learning configuration approaches don't consider the possibilities of advanced information and examination. In this chapter, the authors present the digital learning design structure, which empowers the improvement obviously learning plans in a way that fuses the proof-driven nature of current scientific frameworks with the sound academic underpinnings of learning configuration research.
Creating a Framework for Remote and Hybrid Learning Amid COVID 19
Authors: Khare Vandana , Shrivastava Archana
Published: February 2022

Before COVID-19, schools in India were based on the traditional methods of education (i.e., they followed the traditional set up of face-to-face lectures in a classroom). Although many schools had started blended learning, a lot of them were stuck with old procedures. The outbreak of a deadly disease called COVID-19 caused by a corona virus shook the entire world. The situation challenged the education system across India and forced schools to shift to an online mode of teaching. This chapter outlines the pedagogical approaches adopted for the integration of e-learning/virtual learning in schools across India. With e-learning, children can access information without being restricted to knowledge of distance, time, and space. The chapter also analyses the opportunities and challenges of virtual learning in a time of crisis.
Minecraft for Remote Learning of Computational Thinking in Pandemic Times
Authors: Pereira da Rosa Lucas , Teixeira Luis
Published: February 2022

The chapter seeks to share the game design and development process for creating the game “The 4 Suspects,” a serious game for teaching computational thinking, using Minecraft. The intention is to provide information to serve as a starting point for teachers who want to create games for their classes but need an easy-to-use alternative to complex tools such as Unity and Unreal Engine. The game creation process consisted in a literature review about serious games, Minecraft and its educational benefits, and computational thinking. This chapter presents those concepts as well as the evaluation method used to validate the game. For nine days, teachers and researchers could play the game and evaluate it. The results were positive, and the experience could help other teachers in their game design process. That could allow a richer experience for remote learning given the benefits of use games with educational purposes.
The Shifting Paradigm of Early Childhood Education and Hurdles of Remote Learning in Bangladesh
Authors: Parvin Mayeena , Alam Md Jahangir
Published: February 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted a thinkable paradigm shift in educational settings for children enrolled in Early Childhood Education. The ECE is regarded as the foundation for children's lifetime learning. Bangladesh has challenges aiding children and families. With the swift change in learning approaches from the classroom to remote learning, many children are not learning. Due to parental socioeconomic status, they seldom assist children in remote learning. This chapter demonstrates the present situation of ECE facilities in Bangladesh and remote learning opportunities in light of the pandemic. The case study approach is utilized to examine the phenomena of supply- and demand-side interventions to comprehend the unique paradigm shift occurring in ECE settings in Bangladesh. Most schools, particularly in rural regions, are unwilling to offer remote learning facilities, considering the socio-economic conditions of locality, and many children are not fetching in remote education due to a deficiency of technical equipment.
Strategies to Combat the COVID-19 Pandemic in the UAE
Authors: Koppalakrishnan Premila , Muuka Gerry N.
Published: February 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the playing field and overall operations for organizations in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the world at large. In this chapter, the authors explore the biggest human resource (HR)-related challenges that firms in the UAE have faced as a result of COVID-19. The chapter outlines the skills and competencies required by professionals to overcome the challenges they have experienced. This groundbreaking chapter also undertakes an analysis of the extent to which COVID-19 and the lockdown have influenced the ability of human resource departments to achieve their key strategic objectives. It has been found that skills are among the most important competencies that professionals must possess today to keep pace with recent developments and in order to navigate the “new normal.” The chapter concludes with a review of the competitive survival strategies that UAE organizations are applying in order to remain sustainable during and post COVID-19.
Customer Perceptions of the Banking System Through Customer Relationship Management in Pakistan
Authors: Rehman Tansif Ur , Bukhari Syed Adeel Ali , Dastgir Ghulam , Usmani Mehmood Ahmed
Published: February 2022

CRM refers to a set of business tactics, tools, and procedures that aid in developing long-term connections between businesses and their customers. The purpose of this study is to give the initial findings of customer relationship management. Little research exists in this sphere concerning the banking sector. The sample size is 30 customers of a local privatized bank in Karachi, as it is the hub of financial activities in Pakistan. The survey is adopted from Lu and Shang's work with few changes. This study will analyze whether the instrument is reliable or not. Cronbach's alpha value has been found to evaluate the reliability and internal consistency of the instrument. In this study, the levels of agreements and disagreements have been used to conclude the respective instrument's validity.
COVID-19
Authors: Ahmad Shoeb
Published: February 2022

The COVID pandemic has a major impact on the business world and workplaces. The effect is visible across all the industries, businesses, and job positions. Bringing about drastic changes in our means of communication, the way we work, transportation, and other daily activities, COVID-19 has generated changes in the basic values and practices of recruitment of the personnel. It has placed us in the position of adapting and compromising with the situation in all aspects. Whatever the situation, the world and its business have to keep running. Today companies are busy finding ingenious ways of recruitment, keeping the social distancing rules in mind, to meet the recruitment goals of their organizations and run business as usual. In this chapter, the author is going to discuss the steps taken by organizations to continue their recruitment process across the pandemic and how they are different from recruitment in normal days.
How Closing the Digital Divide Can Improve Women's Employability
Authors: Faulkner Paula E. , Cobb, Jr. Robert , Kipkurgat Thomas Korir , Alinat-Abed Salwa Omar
Published: February 2022

The authors of this chapter provide a lens of the challenge women face with being successful in the labor force. Readers will learn about the importance of addressing gender inequity for women who seek education, training, and governmental resources for employment just as their male counterparts. The authors also detail how women of different countries and cultures such as Bangladesh, Israel, Kenya, and the United States of America face the challenges for closing the digital divide. When women's employability increases, societies improve. Women with technological skills bring new skills to the workplace, reduce economic needs, boost welfare and growth, and better provide for their homes and families. Readers will gain a better understanding of how governmental agencies and policies, educational institutions, and employers can work toward the same goal, and that is closing the gender digital divide.
Digital Financial Inclusion Through FinTech
Authors: Bala Shashi , Singhal Puja
Published: February 2022

For the economic growth of a nation, it is imperative that the financial condition of a country should be strong. Digital financial inclusion can play a very strong role in achieving inclusive growth of a nation as it can provide suitable financial services at a reasonable cost on a timely basis to marginalized groups such as women and girls of rural areas. This chapter is an attempt to explore new digital financial technologies including FinTech which shall transform the lives of women. G20 financial inclusion indicators have been used to explore the prevailing gender dimensions and issues pertaining to digital financial accessibility. This chapter also focuses on how the initiatives taken by the Indian government and banks, and FinTech start-ups are bridging the financial gender gap and attaining the goal of sustainable growth in India.
Mental Health Detection Using Transformer BERT
Authors: Patel Kuldeep Kumar , Pal Anikesh , Saurav Kumar , Jain Pooja
Published: February 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the daily life of each individual drastically at global level. The adverse effects of the pandemic on an individual and people around them have created an anxious and depressive environment. The virus has changed the way of living for most people and increased the distance between individuals. As the COVID-19 spread, people have been constantly in bad mental health which includes fear, boredom, sadness, and stress. Based on this situation, in this chapter the authors have analysed the mental health of people affected due to COVID-19 by analyzing two parameters of mental health, boredom and stress, from social media posts by detecting different emotions and feelings expressed in the form of text. The authors have utilized the BERT pre-trained model on preprocessed data to create classification models of boredom, stress, and consequently, determining the emotion of the person. These models are used to determine the emotions (i.e., stress and boredom) during different stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cancer Precision Drug Discovery Using Big Data and Artificial Intelligence Technologies
Authors: Jayaram Pratima Bichandarkoil , Namasivayam Nalini
Published: February 2022

Improved cancer treatments are widely cited as a significant unmet medical need. Recent technological developments and the increasing availability of biological “big data” provide an unprecedented opportunity to systematically classify the primary genes and pathways involved in tumorigenesis. Artificial intelligence (AI) has shown great promise in many healthcare fields, including science and chemical discovery. The AI will explore and learn more using vast volumes of aggregated data, converting this data into “usable” information. The aim is to use current computational biology and machine learning systems to predict molecular behaviour and the probability of receiving a helpful medication, thus saving time and money on unnecessary tests. Clinical trials, electronic medical records, high-resolution medical images, and genomic profiles can all be used to help with drug growth. The discoveries made with these emerging technologies have the potential to lead to innovative therapeutic approaches.
Robot Therapy
Authors: Devaraj Uthirakumar , Elumalai Balamurugan
Published: February 2022

This chapter discusses the current and potential use of robot technology in mental healthcare. Robots use the transition using effectors, which may shift the robot itself (locomotion) or move objects in the background (manipulation), making judgments based on sensor input. Robotics has long been defined as the science that examines the intelligent links between perception and action, but in recent years, this definition has shifted outward, with a greater emphasis on challenges connected to connecting with real people in the virtual environment. This transformation has been referred to in the literature as human-centered robotics, and a developing area in the last decade focusing on problems in this arena is known as human-robot interaction (HRI). Robotics technology is still in its early phases in mental healthcare, but it represents a potentially powerful tool in the professional's toolkit. Socially assistive robotics (SAR) is an up-and-coming field that has spawned a slew of fascinating mental health applications.
Self-Maintained Health Surveillance Artificial Intelligence Assistant
Authors: Raval Helly Yogeshkumar , Parikh Satyen M. , Patel Hiral R.
Published: February 2022

Artificial intelligence assistant is a program and software that can interact with the user in natural language or with voice or in picture format. After the pandemic situation, people are highly worried about their health. People are not usually aware of all medications or symptoms of diseases. Undernutrition can lower immunity, increase the risk of illness, affect physical and mental growth, and decrease productivity. Issues of this kind may be resolved by providing suitable advice on healthy living with medical chatbots. Chatbots may be used to calorie count, check the quantity of water a person has taken, monitor the schedule of sleep, and maintain training records. They might offer various healthy meal recipes, remind individuals of taking medication, or advise a doctor. Finally, chatbots are able to provide inspiring and motivating phrases to increase self-esteem and attitude.
The Prevalence and Predominance of Artificial Intelligence in YouTube Advertisements in Shaping the Lifestyle of the Budding Generation
Authors: Kasinathan Aruna , Kasthurirangan Deepa , Bhagavathy Sunandha
Published: February 2022

The prevalence of AI in marketing and promotion has taken the role of the personal relations personnel of an ad promotion organization. This chapter attempts to study the cognitive manipulation done by YouTube advertisements with the presence of artificial intelligence. This is where artificial intelligence, which keeps track of the preferences of the user, intervenes, reads the mind of the viewer, and tries to convert the viewer into a potential customer. With the emergence of the pandemic and the enhanced usage of gadgets and the internet, YouTube advertisements are rulers of the minds of the budding generation. This has explained that with the increase in educational qualification, the likelihood to gain information from YouTube advertisements increases. Further, the study reveals that attention towards advertisement and the resulting desire to purchase the product leads to conversion of viewer into consumer. The study has led to the development of a model that highlights the presence of AI in YT ads.
Beyond the Pandemic
Authors: Gupta Chabi , Pramila S.
Published: February 2022

Scientists predicted many years ago that a contemporary society would develop that would be more organised around and influenced by new characteristics of heinous danger. The global economy is recovering; multinational, big, and small companies are rebounding; workspaces are revitalising; and governments and society all over the globe are waking up. With reduced oil prices and low financing rates across the globe, India has a lot of possibilities to connect to global markets and achieve rising development. There are many opportunities to attain self-sufficiency via the careful application of a culture of make in India, as well as dependable innovation, continuous economic, infrastructural, and technological upgrades. A post-pandemic world offers a once-in-a-lifetime chance to review policies, refocus objectives, and reimagine institutions.
Virtual Human Services Delivery
Authors: Hauer Josephine U.
Published: February 2022

COVID-19 impacted how families live, learn, work, and connect, especially for those living at the margins, coping with poverty and other stressors. The rapid shutdown across the country disrupted human services and in-person operations for public benefit programs. State and federal leaders had to pivot to virtual human service delivery (VHSD) to meet the rapidly increasing need for food, housing, health, and economic supports. This shift revealed existing gaps in systems yet drove opportunities to address eligibility and access challenges quickly. Virtual human services worked well for many individuals and families but not all. This chapter highlights the importance of an equity lens in determining who does and does not benefit from VHSD. Insights and lessons learned from virtual operations for policy and practice are discussed as emerging technologies continue to impact workforce and client experience into the future.
The Provision of Psychosocial Support and Education of Vulnerable Children
Authors: Hove Netsai
Published: February 2022

All children require psychosocial services that are provided by several caregivers. Provision of equal educational opportunities for children remains a global challenge despite concerted efforts from organisations such as the United Nations. However, these efforts are continuously undermined by numerous factors such as natural disasters, political instability, civil wars, among others. Admittedly, adverse effects of these factors are mainly felt in underdeveloped or developing countries which are mainly found in Africa. This chapter therefore seeks to show that all children regardless of their social background require a safety net especially under the new era of COVID-19 pandemic. The ecological systems theory will be discussed. Factors that cause vulnerability in Africa, Asia, and other continents will be explored as well. To add more, the South African context on vulnerable children will be explained in detail taking into account factors that place children in vulnerable positions. The last segment of the chapter focuses on solutions and recommendations.
Development of Digital Skills Oriented to Kids in the Post-Pandemic Vulnerability Situation
Authors: Barrutia Barreto Israel , Seminario Córdova Renzo A.
Published: February 2022

The objective of the present study was to reflect on psychosocial intervention programs for the development of digital skills aimed at kids between the seventh and tenth grade of schooling in situations of post-pandemic vulnerability. The research methodology was non-experimental, documentary, descriptive, and reflective. The information was collected from multinational organisms and scientific articles from indexed magazines and web platforms. Obtained results indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic aggravated the vulnerability conditions in children living in multidimensional poverty conditions. For this reason, international organisms—UN, World Bank, ILO—have proposed the creation of programs that promote resilience among the vulnerable population, based on the use of virtual platforms. In this context, this investigation proposes the implementation of psychosocial intervention programs for the development of digital skills aimed at kids in situations of post-pandemic vulnerability.
COVID-19 Digital Technology Response in Sub-Saharan African Countries
Authors: Alao Abiodun , Brink Roelien
Published: February 2022

This chapter investigated the use of digital technologies as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Sub-Saharan African countries. The study explored possible ways towards building an open, inclusive, and secure digital ecosystem using digital technologies to create awareness of the coronavirus pandemic. The qualitative approach and critical discourse analysis were adopted to critically analyze the effects of digital technologies in the healthcare sector of the Sub-Saharan African region, while the technology determinism theory was used as the theoretical lens of the study. This study advocated the use of digital technologies as an effective tool to disseminate information about infectious diseases to the citizens of the Sub-Saharan African region.
Reliability of Performance Factors for Evaluating Electronic Health Information Systems
Authors: Nagwovuma Margaret , Maiga Gilbert , Nakakawa Agnes , Eilu Emmanuel
Published: February 2022

This chapter investigates the reliability of performance factors for evaluating electronic health information systems. The chapter posits that assessing information system functions performance like electronic health information systems (EHIS) has been an issue for information systems executives who continue to seek evidence for returns on information technology investments. Apparently, there is no fit-it-all standard performance evaluation approach designed for evaluating EHIS because choosing between indicators is dependent on values and objectives that informed the evaluation. In this chapter, different approaches for information systems performance evaluation and EHIS evaluation were assessed to establish factors that should be incorporated in performance evaluation. Findings reveal that net benefits, quality of system, quality of information, system use, quality of service, organisational factors, personnel factors, user satisfaction can be used as the measurements of the resilience of EHIS.
Adoption of Blockchain to Support the National Health Insurance Implementation in South Africa
Authors: Girdhari Shaivar , Ndayizigamiye Patrick
Published: February 2022

The National Department of Health aims to provide good quality healthcare to all citizens and especially those who cannot afford proper healthcare through the implementation of the National Health Insurance (NHI). This will be done by pooling funds to establish a social solidarity fund for all citizens in need of healthcare regardless of their socio-economic status. The South African healthcare sector currently makes use of skewed healthcare financing systems, which makes it difficult to have a convergent healthcare scheme such as the NHI. Therefore, it is proposed that for the implementation of the NHI in South Africa, a new healthcare financing system, is developed based on artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain algorithms with embedded deep learning capabilities. It is anticipated that the proposed healthcare financing system will help build resilience in South Africa's healthcare financing system.
Deep Learning
Authors: Al Afandy Khalid A. , Omara Hicham , Lazaar Mohamed , Al Achhab Mohammed
Published: February 2022

This chapter provides a comprehensive explanation of deep learning including an introduction to ANNs, improving the deep NNs, CNNs, classic networks, and some technical tricks for image classification using deep learning. ANNs, mathematical models for one node ANN, and multi-layers/multi-nodes ANNs are explained followed by the ANNs training algorithm followed by the loss function, the cost function, the activation function with its derivatives, and the back-propagation algorithm. This chapter also outlines the most common training problems with the most common solutions and ANNs improvements. CNNs are explained in this chapter with the convolution filters, pooling filters, stride, padding, and the CNNs mathematical models. This chapter explains the four most commonly used classic networks and ends with some technical tricks that can be used in CNNs model training.
The “Standard Model” of CALL Learning Design
Authors: Marek Michael W. , Wu Wen-Chi Vivian
Published: February 2022

This chapter defines a standard model of CALL (i.e., a compilation of fundamental theories and practices that should always be considered when creating a learning design for computer-assisted language learning [CALL]). The “Standard Model of Physics,” which is the widely accepted understanding of how the universe's fundamental particles and forces operate, inspired the CALL model. The authors recommend that the following concepts be considered the foundational components of the “Standard Model of CALL,” which should shape the CALL environment: (1) reverse engineering of learning requirements from outcome goals, (2) affordance-based learning design, (3) constructivism embodied in student-centered active learning, (4) communicative language theory (CLT), (5) authentic learning materials and experiences, (6) incremental learning, (7) task-based learning, (8) gamification, and (9) long-term use via curriculum integration. They collectively form a foundation and framework for common elements that all CALL design should consider.
Strengths and Challenges of Digital Tools in EAP Remote Learning Settings
Authors: Seoudi Shereen , Carter Alanna
Published: February 2022

The recent and significant increase in online and virtual learning has had major impacts on all learning environments, including EAP classrooms and programs. As more courses are offered in virtual and online formats, students can participate in EAP courses across time zones and locations. Digital tools are essential to these learning environments in order to share materials and host lessons. Digital tools can be difficult to incorporate in courses and lessons due to instructor and student lack of familiarity with tools and associated costs. However, when implemented with purpose and care and in conjunction with guiding pedagogical frameworks, digital tools can engage and motivate learners, contribute to a sense of community, support varied learning needs and preferences, and ensure EAP programs remain relevant in an increasingly digital world.
From the Classroom to the Breakout Room
Authors: Young Alyssa H.
Published: February 2022

Librarians embed themselves virtually and physically into courses to provide information literacy instruction. The COVID-19 pandemic had librarians swiftly shift their instruction practices and outreach to patrons, learning and using new technologies and teaching techniques. The goals of this chapter are to understand what embedded librarianship is and how it affects information literacy instruction, explore what instructional services an embedded librarian provided before the COVID-19 pandemic, describe adjustments to information literacy instruction as the classroom shifted to remote/hybrid format, and outline strategies to successfully deliver embedded information literacy instruction in the future.
Intelligent Business Analytics
Authors: A. D. N. Sarma
Published: February 2022

This chapter begins with a brief introduction to the evolution of the data analytics ecosystem and its role. The terms such as data, insight, and action are defined in the context of business analytics. The authors explain briefly about analytics, business analytics (BA), business intelligence, and intelligent BA. They mention the need for intelligent analytics for the organizations in a digital world. The latest innovations in AI, big data, and analytics together result in a new branch known as intelligent big data analytics, in short, intelligent BA. Further, intelligent BA becomes an important tool for the organizations for intelligent decision making. The key components of intelligent BA are presented and explained. Additionally, various applications of intelligent BA are presented, and a few challenges for implementing the system are mentioned. Finally, possible future directions of research for the development of intelligent BA are discussed.
Weibo Analysis on Chinese Cultural Knowledge for Gaming
Authors: He Zhixuan , Chiu Dickson K. W. , Ho Kevin K. W.
Published: February 2022

This chapter analyzes the current situation of video games with Chinese cultural knowledge in China's game market by analyzing Weibo messages of five selected video games developed based on Chinese culture to explore their relationships with Chinese culture. The authors then summarize the results from comments, likes, word cloud, and clustering analysis to provide practical suggestions. As a new industry, video games and e-sports are gaining popularity worldwide. However, scant research has focused on video games developed based on Chinese culture in the current market, mainly because they started much later than their Western counterparts. Therefore, the findings of this research can help game developers better understand these markets and customer preferences while protecting and spreading Chinese culture through gaming and e-sports activities in this digital era.
Big Data Analytics and the Discovery of the Hidden Data Treasure From Savings Banks in Germany
Authors: Giebe Carsten
Published: February 2022

The banking sector in Germany is undergoing a massive change. The reasons are digitalization, changing customer behaviour, and low interest rates. The focus of this research is on the savings banks in Germany. Savings banks could miss the boat in the age of digital transformation. On the one hand, savings banks are demonstrably forced to take drastic measures, such as mergers, branch closures, and staff reductions. On the other hand, savings banks possess more data about their customers than other industries. Savings banks can order a big data analytics solution called “Sparkassen-DataAnalytics” (aka savings banks data analytics). Sparkassen-DataAnalytics could be used to offer customers tailormade banking products from the information obtained. It is an open secret that costs can be reduced through a higher degree of automation. The main purpose of this research is to discuss to what extent big data analytics could be a lifeline for German savings banks. Research methods are a literature review and subsequent discussion on the use of big data analytics in the German banking market.
Institutional Effectiveness
Authors: Rodriguez Tiffany , Abell Tracey
Published: February 2022

Private online institutions have bridged the gap between contemporary student needs and the offerings of traditional institutions. These institutions are attuned to student needs and focus on alignment with current and future trends for employer and societal needs through innovation, entrepreneurship, and commitment to continuous improvement. This focus on improvement begins with an integrative approach to institutional effectiveness. This chapter provides practical examples and evidence for participatory engagement models for institutional effectiveness that empower distance education institutions to deliver adaptive, innovative, engaging, and supportive education for today's diverse learners. The integrative model presented encompasses five primary pillars of institutional effectiveness: strategic planning, assessment and program review, institutional research, external feedback, and accreditation and regulatory requirements. The authors provide sample methodologies that can be implemented at various institutions to avoid silos and foster continuous input and innovation.
Reflections on Management and Connection at a Distance
Authors: Glazer Hilda R.
Published: February 2022

The experience of one individual as an administrator in virtual for-profits universities is presented. The chapter shares experiences over 25 years, which parallels the changes in technology and the growth of the virtual for-profit universities. Particular emphasis is placed on the administrative positions. The impact of being and managing faculty at a distance is discussed. Particular attention is paid to faculty development, course and faulty evaluation, and connecting with faculty at a distance, as well as how being at a distance impacts connection to the university and engagement with other faculty and learners.
The Experiences of a Learner Support Person in the Online Education Environment
Authors: Mastorakis Chrisanna
Published: February 2022

This chapter presents the perspective of a learner support person from the online learning environment. Online learning issues, like feedback, at-risk behaviors, ethical issues, and more, are outlined in the chapter, and personal experiences are included to provide an insider's input. Characteristics of an effective instructor are discussed, as well as the overall structure of the online learning environment (the learning management system and course design), specifically through the lens of asynchronous online learning. Future research recommendations and solutions are addressed as they relate to online learning and from the perspective of teaching personnel, explicitly from an online graduate teaching assistant acting as a learner support person.
Coastal Hazards Management
Authors: van Onselen Viola Marcia , Lin Tsung-Yi , Vo Phu Le , Nguyen Thao Danh
Published: February 2022

Both natural and anthropogenic forces could play significant roles in coastal erosion in Western Taiwan and Central Vietnam's coastlines. Intensive socio-economic development, sea level rise, more frequent and strong intensity of disasters are predicted to occur in a future of global climate change, which poses an urgent need for coastal hazard management strategies. This chapter describes main causes and discusses the applied engineering interventions to reduce coastal erosion at these sites. Hard engineering structures are often constructed in these areas, but they seem to be merely short-term costly solutions and have a negative impact on the coastal environment and its residents. Nature-based solutions and soft engineering approaches are proposed, which seem to be sustainable and less expensive than hard engineering options. These possible future solutions can be applied in coastal settings to meet the principles of sustainable and humanitarian engineering with multiple benefits to reduce the risk and negative impacts on both humans and the environment.
Community-Based Waste Management Model in Optimizing Waste Reduction
Authors: Meidiana Christia , Kurniawan Tonni Agustiono , Yudono Adipandang , Surjono Surjono
Published: February 2022

The concept of collect-transport-and-dump of waste in Indonesia has changed into reduce, reuse, and recycle (3R) since it causes environmental consequences that the Government of Indonesia (GoI) has banned including the open dumping practices since 2013. GoI targets 30% waste reduction by 2030, and some policies are introduced to achieve the target including promoting waste bank. Waste bank is an implementation of 3R involving community. The number of waste banks are increasing since waste banks offer many benefits. Currently, there are 7600 waste banks nationwide. Through waste banks, the community learns to sort the waste. It also raises public awareness about waste issues and the importance of 3R. It becomes an innovation program at the grassroots level to increase income and support the local governments to improve the performance of waste management. In this chapter, some cases presenting waste bank implementation and their related aspects, such as waste bank performance, public acceptance, and participation, as well as determinants of public participation, are discussed.
Rohingya Refugee Crisis in Cox's Bazar
Authors: Shoeb Mohammad , Mumu Mithila Farzana
Published: February 2022

About one million Rohingya Muslim minority people fled from their home on 25 August 2017 due to the recent violence in the Rakhine State of Myanmar and entered Bangladesh, a neighboring country. Many of them were the vulnerable people with 58% refugees under 18 children, 67% female, and 9% infants below one year. This was a great humanitarian challenge for the Government of Bangladesh and the local community. The mass influx of refugees caused a major humanitarian emergency, and the majority were reliant on humanitarian assistance including shelter, food, healthcare, clean water, sanitation, education, nutrition, safety, and security. They were given accommodation, food, emergency aids, etc. upon arrival, and finally, 890,276 Rohingya refugees settled in 34 refugee camps in Cox's Bazar and Teknaf area. Many houses, schools, shops, hospitals, and other service centers were built day by day in the camp area. Children are getting vaccines for different diseases and are going to learning centers for education. Still, there are several challenges for better management.
The Past, Present, and Future of Intelligent Transportation Systems
Authors: Gungor Hatice Canan
Published: February 2022

Transportation is important for all and sundry. But it's bedeviled with some problems for the environment such as pollution. Intelligent transportation systems (ITS), which emerged to solve this problem, focus on important issues such as increasing safety in traffic. ITS across the world has come to the fore in recent years. In this study, ITS was researched including how it is used in Konya. It serves the public in almost all types of transportation used with the developed IPTS (intelligent public transportation system). The user can instantly access the station and vehicle information of the transportation system to be used through the menu. The system, which is integrated with road, rail, and air transportation, serves the user to avoid any problems from the beginning to the end. All information about online card filling, lost property status, and transportation fees can be accessed through the system. Undoubtedly, Konya has introduced the IPTS to provide a more practical public transportation service.
Professional Development for Educators in Singapore, South Africa, and Zimbabwe
Authors: Chinengundu Tawanda , Hondonga Jerald , Chakamba John , Masina Rumbidzayi , Mawonedzo Abigirl
Published: February 2022

Teacher professional learning is an integral component to support the increasingly complex skills learners need in order to succeed in the 21st century. The purpose of this chapter is to compare teacher professional development in Singapore, South Africa, and Zimbabwe and identify gaps and share good practices between the countries to help teachers learn and refine instructional strategies. Continuous professional teacher development, which is managed by the South African Council of Educators, is a system that encourages educators to grow professionally. Zimbabwe has mainly relied on cascaded professional development workshops. However, critics of this model of professional development argue that this model often has no meaningful impact on classroom practice. In Singapore, most professional development is subject specific and provides teachers with opportunities for networked learning, collegial sharing, and collaboration. From the findings, the recommendation is that there is need for cooperation between countries to strengthen teacher professional development systems.
Using ICT and Digital Tools in Teacher Professional Development in the UAE
Authors: Al Murshidi Ghadah Hassan , Wright Elaine
Published: February 2022

The teaching profession is a constantly changing, diverse environment, striving to meet the needs of the youth of today. One aspect which has transformed teaching is information and communications technology. However, one area which has been slower to embrace this digital era is professional development. Even though continuous teacher professional development is seen as an important aspect of equipping teachers to be effective in the classroom leading to best practice, time constraints, budgets and timetabling difficulties can hinder teachers' access to high quality professional development programs. This chapter will aim to highlight ways the online learning environment has been maximized in order to enhance the professional practice of teachers within the country. The chapter will give a brief outline of other ways in which the UAE has sought to enhance education via online methods; how the visions and goals of the nation's leaders depend upon effective, efficient, and high-quality teachers; and an outline of various forms of online professional development.
Moroccan University Student Mental and Psychological Health in the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Nadri Youssef , Haoucha Malika
Published: February 2022

This review provides new insights to direct policymakers in the fields of higher education, especially with regard to students' mental health. Despite the current scarcity of published original researches about the COVID-19 impacts on mental health, lessons can be learned. Hopefully findings would help students to embrace the pandemic new experience so that they could engage more in learning and be safer. Specifically, the bottom line is how to balance between prioritizing student safety, managing mental health conditions, and long-term academic success of our students.
Institutionalized Policies and Student Attitudes and Mental Health Challenges During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: El Kirat El Allame Yamina , Elghazali Oumaima
Published: February 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic stormed the world and introduced new ways of approaching life, including abrupt decisions by policymakers imposing new educational practices to ensure a safe and healthy environment for learning. Some learners welcomed these imposed policies and expressed their contentment with online learning, while others opposed it. This study aims to present the experience of a group of 54 students at Mohammed V University with a course adopting a blended approach. The objectives of the study are to investigate the students' attitudes towards the imposed policies of learning in a virtual classroom and find out about their level of anxiety and stress in these contexts. The study tried to answer questions related to 1) Moroccan Public Speaking students' views about their public speaking development in a virtual setting; 2) the students' perceptions of stress and anxiety, as a reaction to the unprecedented shift to online education, while presenting a public speaking speech in a virtual setting; and 3) the strengths and weaknesses of virtual and face-to-face learning.
Enhancing the Online Learning Environment for Medical Education
Authors: Komalasari Rita , Nurhayati Nurhayati , Mustafa Cecep
Published: February 2022

This chapter reports the events and actions taken by the authors, new faculty lecturers at the DM, to achieve the ministry's health programs and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic within Indonesia's leading university of higher learning. This chapter presents the government's health administrations to respond to COVID-19 safely and effectively. For the first time, colleges and university hastened to convert conventional in-person courses to an online learning environment in line with the ministry's health programs. In around 10 days, the university completed this task. The transformation was challenging, time-consuming, and caused faculty willingness to innovate and embrace change.
Digital Media Use of Preschool-Aged Children During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Kaya Idris , Mutlu-Bayraktar Duygu , Inan-Kaya Gamze
Published: February 2022

Digital media technologies have been widely accessible in the modern household for almost a decade. Coronavirus pandemic has also shown that these technologies have become indispensable in daily lives. During the pandemic lockdown, many parents have worked remotely and children have been attending distance education. Thus, these technologies are commonly used by all family members in this period. This study aimed to investigate preschoolers' screen use, and parental views, and approaches related to their children's digital media use during the pandemic. It was asked to parents the questions on screen time, content, and type of devices children use in digital media. Additionally, they answered some questions on their views, concerns, and approaches to digital risks and opportunities for their children. The findings show that screen time was over the recommended limit for most preschoolers, whereas content remained similar to times before the pandemic. Maternal work status was related to how parents approached some risks or learning opportunities in regulating their children's digital media use.
Quality Assessment of TV-Based Arabic Lessons During COVID-19
Authors: Fdilat Youssef , Bouziane Abdelmajid , Oukada Larbi
Published: February 2022

This chapter investigates video lessons recorded by teachers of Arabic in elementary, middle, and high public schools following the Moroccan Ministry of Education directive to move from in-person instruction into distance learning due to the COVID-19 lockdown. Fifteen (15) Arabic video lessons (5 for each pre-tertiary level), broadcasted on the Moroccan public educational TV channel, have randomly been collected for analysis. The pedagogical quality of these 15 video lessons is assessed using the quality matters control standards K-12 rubric framework. The assessment has revealed that these video lessons are too long, have poor audio quality production, and teach too much grammar at the expense of other skills.
Examining Online and In-Person Educator Preparation Program Learning Outcomes
Authors: Heafner Tina Lane
Published: February 2022

The effectiveness of technology to support learning and the value of technology-mediated instruction are critical factors in determining the quality of educator preparation programs. A widely utilized, national measure of teacher readiness and preparation in the USA, edTPA, reports program completers' knowledge and skills in content-specific instructional planning and learner asset differentiation; pedagogical delivery and student engagement; and measures of learning and evaluative feedback to support individual student educational growth. This study leverages these performance scores to measure the equivalency of online teacher candidates' learning outcomes as compared to candidates completing traditional in-person [face-to-face (F2F)] programs. Results suggest candidates who completed the online pathway to teacher licensure were more classroom-ready. Findings challenge notions that traditional methods of teacher preparation are more effective pathways to becoming a teacher and suggest attributes of online learning may be linked to differences in candidate knowledge and skill preparation when equitable curricular opportunities are provided. In light of the global pandemic, the outcomes of this study offer support for the rising need for educators to adapt to the new reality of teaching and learning through technology.
Distance Education and Teacher Training
Authors: Cruz Luciana Santo da , Vieira Márcia de Freitas
Published: February 2022

Contemporary society increasingly demands the use of digital tools in different areas of life, including in the teaching and learning process. The virtuality generated by cyberspace was even more evident in the current pandemic context, which caused the interruption of classroom classes and imposed a new educational model based on online education methodologies. Teachers had to adapt and reinvent their pedagogical practices and teaching methodologies in a virtual learning environment, often without guidance and without essential digital skills to promote quality learning. In this context, this chapter presents an excerpt from a bibliographical study that aimed to understand how distance education can contribute to promote the development of digital skills. Here, the results regarding the development of digital teaching skills are portrayed, with the indication of references and models that can be used to enable training proposals in this regard in addition to contributing to a reflection on the lack of institutional policies and programs for training teachers for online teaching.