Education and Information Technologies 

About: Education and Information Technologies is an academic journal published by Springer Science+Business Media. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Educational technology & Computer science. It has an ISSN identifier of 1360-2357. Over the lifetime, 3176 publications have been published receiving 50150 citations. The journal is also known as: Education and information technologies (Print).

A review of the use of virtual reality head-mounted displays in education and training

Abstract: In the light of substantial improvements to the quality and availability of virtual reality (VR) hardware seen since 2013, this review seeks to update our knowledge about the use of head-mounted displays (HMDs) in education and training. Following a comprehensive search 21 documents reporting on experimental studies were identified, quality assessed, and analysed. The quality assessment shows that the study quality was below average according to the Medical Education Research Study Quality Instrument, especially for the studies that were designed as user evaluations of educational VR products. The review identified a number of situations where HMDs are useful for skills acquisition. These include cognitive skills related to remembering and understanding spatial and visual information and knowledge; psychomotor skills related to head-movement, such as visual scanning or observational skills; and affective skills related to controlling your emotional response to stressful or difficult situations. Outside of these situations the HMDs had no advantage when compared to less immersive technologies or traditional instruction and in some cases even proved counterproductive because of widespread cybersickness, technological challenges, or because the immersive experience distracted from the learning task.

Exploring the critical challenges and factors influencing the E-learning system usage during COVID-19 pandemic.

Abstract: The provision and usage of online and e-learning system is becoming the main challenge for many universities during COVID-19 pandemic. E-learning system such as Blackboard has several fantastic features that would be valuable for use during this COVID-19 pandemic. However, the successful usage of e-learning system relies on understanding the adoption factors as well as the main challenges that face the current e-learning systems. There is lack of agreement about the critical challenges and factors that shape the successful usage of e-learning system during COVID-19 pandemic; hence, a clear gap has been identified in the knowledge on the critical challenges and factors of e-learning usage during this pandemic. Therefore, this study aims to explore the critical challenges that face the current e-learning systems and investigate the main factors that support the usage of e-learning system during COVID-19 pandemic. This study employed the interview method using thematic analysis through NVivo software. The interview was conducted with 30 students and 31 experts in e-learning systems at six universities from Jordan and Saudi Arabia. The findings of this study offer useful suggestions for policy-makers, designers, developers and researchers, which will enable them to get better acquainted with the key aspects of the e-learning system usage successfully during COVID-19 pandemic.

Pedagogy before Technology: Re-thinking the Relationship between ICT and Teaching

Abstract: This paper addresses a conundrum: despite the ubiquity of technology in the business world, no clear role has emerged in education. After many years of national policies and investment in Information Technologies in the UK and elsewhere, technology is still an imposed and novel ‘outsider’ in the pedagogy of schools. This paper charts a series of experiences and failures in the UK, and highlights the unresolved dichotomy of purpose about why Information and Communication Technology (ICT) should be used in education. Understanding the problematic of using Information Technologies demands a consideration of some more fundamental educational issues. ICT is often perceived as a catalyst for change, change in teaching style, change in learning approaches, and change in access to information. Yet the rhetoric for change has been too associated with the symbolic function of technology in society, which sits uncomfortably with teachers’ professional judgements. So educational computing, it would appear, has yet to find its own voice. This paper explores this notion.

Integrating computational thinking with K-12 science education using agent-based computation: A theoretical framework

Abstract: Computational thinking (CT) draws on concepts and practices that are fundamental to computing and computer science. It includes epistemic and representational practices, such as problem representation, abstraction, decomposition, simulation, verification, and prediction. However, these practices are also central to the development of expertise in scientific and mathematical disciplines. Recently, arguments have been made in favour of integrating CT and programming into the K-12 STEM curricula. In this paper, we first present a theoretical investigation of key issues that need to be considered for integrating CT into K-12 science topics by identifying the synergies between CT and scientific expertise using a particular genre of computation: agent-based computation. We then present a critical review of the literature in educational computing, and propose a set of guidelines for designing learning environments on science topics that can jointly foster the development of computational thinking with scientific expertise. This is followed by the description of a learning environment that supports CT through modeling and simulation to help middle school students learn physics and biology. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our system by discussing the results of a small study conducted in a middle school science classroom. Finally, we discuss the implications of our work for future research on developing CT-based science learning environments.

Computational thinking in compulsory education: Towards an agenda for research and practice

Abstract: Computational Thinking is considered a universal competence, which should be added to every child's analytical ability as a vital ingredient of their school learning. In this article we further elaborate on what Computational Thinking is and present examples of what needs to be taught and how. First we position Computational Thinking in Papert's work with LOGO. We then discuss challenges in defining Computational Thinking and discuss the core and peripheral aspects of a definition. After that we offer examples of how Computational Thinking can be addressed in both formal and informal educational settings. In the conclusion and discussion section an agenda for research and practice is presented.