A Smart University for a Smart City

Author(s):  
Antonella Nuzzaci ◽  
Loredana La Vecchia

The use of technological devices has changed the way individuals interact with their university environment. This paper examines the use of a smart context as a link between individuals and their university environment through an exemplification of the urgent problems deriving from different domains and technological systems, as well as of information and communication devices employed in university teaching-learning contexts, to improve the quality of higher education and individuals’ cultural life. When does the university become “smart”? It is not sufficient that universities define themselves as smart places to underline the main challenges they must face in their efforts to become and remain smart. The article recognizes a university as a “smart” institution when it has its roots in the understanding and critical awareness of the basic knowledge, in the identification of the more realistic competencies and the search for the meanings of a “smart university community” that pursues high quality. The paper concludes with an account of the experience of the ICT Centre of the University of Ferrara, who try to achieve these goals, implies the adoption of innovative perspectives, and discusses the building of a new culture putting in the middle a “smart university” and its cultural principles.

Author(s):  
Rodrigo Otávio Moretti-Pires ◽  
Dalvan Antônio de Campos ◽  
Zeno Carlos Tesser Junior ◽  
João Batista de Oliveira Junior ◽  
Bárbara de Oliveira Turatti ◽  
...  

Abstract: Introduction: The challenges brought by the continuity of the university teaching-learning process in the face of the measures to combat the pandemic of COVID-19 made the debate on the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in medical education more important. Several strategies were used by teachers worldwide to continue their teaching activities. Objective: to investigate the strategies and uses of ICT in medical education in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: Five databases were systematically assessed, using the terms “COVID-19”, “medical education”, “higher education” and “students”, in Portuguese, English and Spanish, resulting in 321 initial citations, with 18 final references after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Result: Four key topics were identified in the literature: (1) Challenges for Medical Education prior to COVID-19; (2) Challenges in migrating to remote education; (3) Strategies to overcome challenges related to the learning environment; and (4) Strategies to overcome challenges related to assessments and exams. Conclusion: The use of ICT in medical education in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic showed to be especially important, with considerations regarding the improvement in areas that were already used, the migration of some more articulated areas and experiences in clinical and procedural disciplines. There was also concern about the impacts of using ICT to replace the in-person presence of students in medical learning environments.


Author(s):  
Suzana Marković Krstić ◽  
Lela Milošević Radulović

Starting from the fact that higher education is an activity of special social interest and the initiator of the development and improvement of society, in theory and teaching practice questions are often asked regarding the quality of higher education and the possibility of its improvement. The quality of higher education in terms of the increase in its effectiveness is one of the shared aims of the Bologna convention, that is, the current reform process in European countries. It is determined by the quality of the study programs and the quality of the teaching process, which requires a competent teacher, prepared for the process of innovating teaching plans and programs, and the realization and improvement of the teaching practice. Considering the social importance of education and teaching, research into the social group which performs work-related tasks in the educational process, as well as into the quality of the teaching itself, is of special importance. The paper presents the results of research regarding student perceptions of the characteristics of teachers manifested during the course of educational practice in higher education institutions, which were based on the following: the human, professional and pedagogical qualities of teachers, the quality of the university education/teaching process and learning outcomes/learning achievements (the prevalence of theoretical knowledge, practical application of knowledge, etc.). The aim of the paper is to, on the basis of three empirical studies, from a sociological standpoint evaluate the perception of the social role and competencies of teachers and the quality of university education from the viewpoint of the student youth(in 2009, 985 students from 30 colleges in Serbia were surveyed, in 2012, 2208 students of the University of Niš (818), University of Bitolj (804) and the University of Veliko Trnovo (586), and in 2019, 374 students from 13 faculties of the University of Niš). The empirical findings indicate that teachers are qualified professionals who lecture clearly, comprehensively and are able to emphasize the most important points, but that their lectures are still insufficiently interesting, and that they are often unjust and biased. Considering the noted differences between the competencies of teachers working in higher education settings, and the quality and outcomes of the teaching/learning, “models” of teaching/learning have been proposed in this paper for each of the countries included in the study (Serbia, Macedonia, Bulgaria). Based on noted disparity between theory and teaching practice, the paper points to the need for new scientific research in the context of reform processes in higher education, with the continued redefinition of its goals and tasks with the aim of improving the quality of the teaching process and teaching practice.


Author(s):  
Rodrigo Otávio Moretti-Pires ◽  
Dalvan Antônio de Campos ◽  
Zeno Carlos Tesser Junior ◽  
João Batista de Oliveira Junior ◽  
Bárbara de Oliveira Turatti ◽  
...  

Abstract: Introduction: The challenges brought by the continuity of the university teaching-learning process in the face of the measures to combat the pandemic of COVID-19 made the debate on the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in medical education more important. Several strategies were used by teachers worldwide to continue their teaching activities. Objective: to investigate the strategies and uses of ICT in medical education in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: Five databases were systematically assessed, using the terms “COVID-19”, “medical education”, “higher education” and “students”, in Portuguese, English and Spanish, resulting in 321 initial citations, with 18 final references after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Result: Four key topics were identified in the literature: (1) Challenges for Medical Education prior to COVID-19; (2) Challenges in migrating to remote education; (3) Strategies to overcome challenges related to the learning environment; and (4) Strategies to overcome challenges related to assessments and exams. Conclusion: The use of ICT in medical education in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic showed to be especially important, with considerations regarding the improvement in areas that were already used, the migration of some more articulated areas and experiences in clinical and procedural disciplines. There was also concern about the impacts of using ICT to replace the in-person presence of students in medical learning environments.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nabila BEDJAOUI

The use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) gives another vision of language learning and provides learners a certain pleasure to deal with these languages. The current work aims at shedding light on the existing link between the use of ICT and the improvement of the quality of teaching languages at the university. We will articulate our research around the following questions: what are the implications of using ICT in the process of teaching/learning foreign languages? Does ICT provide more independence for the learner? As a hypothesis, we propose the following: ICT sharpens learners' willingness and desire to learn while facilitating their access to language and culture. It installs them in a report of independence thus favoring the acquisition of the skills. To report on this problem, we will rely on a survey conducted within the Center of Intensive Language Teaching of the University of Biskra, Algeria. We used a questionnaire, as a mean of investigation. We subjected our corpus to a quantitative analysis followed by a qualitative interpretative analysis.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 188
Author(s):  
Kadek Riyan Putra Richadinata ◽  
Ni Luh Putu Surya Astitiani

Revolution 4.0 is the first milestone in the birth of globalization in the world economy. The current movement of business progress is accompanied by developments in the field of information and communication technology. Social media is a social interaction between individuals in sharing and exchanging information. Social media can encompass various ideas, opinions, ideas and content in virtual communities and be able to present and translate new ways of communicating with technology that is completely different from traditional media. Advertising with social media even offers long-term value. This research was conducted to determine the effect of social media advertising (attention, understanding, acceptance, and storage) on purchasing decisions at the University of Bali International. The sample in this study were 96 students at the University of Bali International where the results of data collection were processed using multiple regression analysis techniques. The results of the study prove that attention, understanding, acceptance, and storage of social media advertisements have a positive and significant effect on consumer purchasing decisions at the University of Bali International. This shows that purchasing decisions can increase not only influenced by conventional advertising but the existence of Instagram social media ads can increase consumer purchasing decisions perceptions of students can also improve the quality of higher education itself. Keywords: attention, understanding, acceptance, storage


Author(s):  
Jorge Daher Nader ◽  
Amelia Patricia Panunzio ◽  
Marlene Hernández Navarro

Research is considered a function aimed at obtaining new knowledge and its application for the solution to problems or questions of a scientific nature, The universities framed in the fulfillment of their social function have a complex task given by training a competent professional who assumes research as part of their training and who learns to ask questions that they are able to solve through scientific research.  Scientific research is an indicator of the quality of processes in the university environment, so it must be increased by virtue of the results of the work carried out by research teachers and students the objective of this work is to know the perception of the teachers of the Faculty of Medical Sciences of the University of Guayaquil about the scientific activity. Objective: to know the perception of the teachers of the Faculty of Medical Sciences of the University of Guayaquil about the scientific activity. Methods: theoretical and empirical level were used, a questionnaire with closed questions aimed at knowing the opinions on the research activity in this institution was applied. Result: that of the sample analyzed 309 (39.3%) said they agreed with the training for the writing of scientific articles. 38.6% said they agree with the training on research projects. Conclusion: that teacher’s research should be enhanced to ensure the formation and development of research skills in students.


Author(s):  
Howell A. Lloyd

Bodin arrived in Toulouse c.1550, a brief account of the economy, social composition, and governmental institutions of which opens the chapter. There follow comments on its cultural life and identification of its leading citizenry, with remarks on the treatment of alleged religious dissidents by the city itself, and especially on discordant intellectual influences at work in the University, most notably the Law Faculty and the modes of teaching there. The chapter’s second part reviews Bodin’s translation and edition of the Greek poem Cynegetica by Oppian ‘of Cilicia’, assessing the quality of his editorial work, the extent to which allegations of plagiarism levelled against him were valid, and the nature and merits of his translation. The third section recounts contemporary wrangling over educational provision in Toulouse and examines the Oratio in which Bodin argued the case for humanist-style educational provision by means of a reconstituted college there.


Author(s):  
Marialuz Arántzazu García-González ◽  
Fermín Torrano ◽  
Guillermo García-González

The aim of this paper is to analyze the primary stress factors female professors at online universities are exposed to. The technique used for the prospective and exploratory analysis was the Delphi method. Two rounds of consultations were done with fourteen judges with broad experience in health and safety at work and university teaching who reached a consensus of opinion regarding a list of nine psychosocial risk factors. Among the most important risk factors, mental overload, time pressure, the lack of a schedule, and emotional exhaustion were highlighted. These risk factors are related to the usage and expansion of information and communication technology (ICT) and to the university system itself, which requires initiating more research in the future in order to develop the intervention programs needed to fortify the health of the affected teachers and protect them from stress and other psychosocial risks.


2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 21-26
Author(s):  
Zamzam Amhimmid Mare

This study aims to show the importance of evaluating the teaching performance level of the University teaching members. It also aims to provide the suggested mechanisms for evaluating the teaching performance of the teaching staff members of Sebha University. This study was based mainly on documents and analytic description to collect information about the importance and ways of evaluating teachers with reference to some of the international experiences on teaching performance development. This study concluded that the absence of an experienced entity that would develop the teaching performance of faculty members is one of the main reasons for the weak teaching performance at Sebha University. Based on the results of the study, it is recommended that there should be a planned system based on measured standards and criteria for evaluating staff members to improve the quality of teaching in the higher education domain. 


2021 ◽  
pp. 5-19
Author(s):  
Yurii Skyba ◽  
Hanna Lebedynets

Ensuring and improving the quality of teaching and learning, in particular the academics’ potential development, is reflected in strategic European and domestic documents, namely in the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the European Union, the Paris Communiqué, the Strategy for Higher Education in Ukraine for 2021-2031 and others. The expediency for academics’ potential development is confirmed by the results of a national survey on the needs for the development of Ukrainian universities in the process of reforming higher education in the context of European integration. The article highlights the problems of academics’ potential development. Based on foreign and domestic experience, the theoretical bases for academics’ potential development, in particular the conceptual and terminological apparatus and structural components of teaching metacompetence are substantiated. The concept «potential of an academic» is defined as a set of intellectual, intangible resources, conditions and opportunities created for the production and accumulation of new knowledge, ideas, technologies, competencies and other productive properties at the university, which combines two levels of connections functioning in unity. The first level of connections are resources that are the result of past and present, and the second – opportunities, i.e. those abilities and connections that are future-oriented, constantly changing, evolving, forming new abilities, characteristics, including elements of the future development. The following components are distinguished in the structure of teaching metacompetence: prognostic; design; objective; innovative; pedagogical partnership; organizational; information and digital; reflexive; linguistic and communicative; inclusive; motivational; health-preserving; emotional-ethical and evaluative-analytical. The development of the above components of teaching metacompetence will help ensure the quality of higher education and increase the competitiveness of the university in the educational services market.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document