Virtual Reality–Enhanced Soft and Hard Skills Development Environment for Higher Education

2021 ◽  
pp. 255-267
Author(s):  
Abid Abdelouahab
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Skills Development ◽  
Development Environment ◽  
Hard Skills

scholarly journals Fostering soft and hard skills for innovation among informatics engineering students

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuel Torres ◽  
Nuno Flores ◽  
Raquel Torres
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Active Learning ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Interdisciplinary Cooperation ◽  
Skills Development ◽  
Pedagogical Approach ◽  
Teaching Innovation ◽  
Progressive Development ◽  
Hard Skills

Informatics engineers are currently in the spotlight of innovation. It is, therefore, relevant to analyse and reflect on how higher education can, and should, prepare future engineers to innovate as expected in this ever-changing world. This paper aims to further research and foster scholarly debate regarding the requirements and implications of teaching innovation. For that purpose, we examine an exploratory case study on interdisciplinary cooperation between two higher education courses, designed to promote students’ active learning of innovation through the progressive development of their soft and hard skills. Both courses engaged in an emancipatory pedagogical approach, mostly grounded in project-based work, active learning, and formative assessment. To obtain feedback on this interdisciplinary cooperation, questionnaires were devised to ascertain the students’ perceptions about this pedagogical approach. Individual responses were collected from both courses and data was analysed through simple statistical procedures. Articulating a priori soft skills development with a posteriori hard skills learning process is perceived by students as beneficial in gradually, yet successfully, understanding the subject of innovation. Also, there were even some external success indicators which showed the recognition of successful innovation skills development in informatics engineering students. Thus, according to students’ perceptions of their experience with an emancipatory pedagogy that connected soft with hard skills development, we conclude that such approach encouraged students to create new knowledge and allowed them to develop the necessary skills to innovate.

A review on the prerequisites of Evidence-Based Curriculum as a driver to skills development of the leather value chain in Africa

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Mwinyikione Mwinyihija
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Curriculum Design ◽  
Value Chain ◽  
Theoretical Perspective ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Skills Development ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Wealth Creation ◽  
Urban Rural ◽  
Review Study

The review study closely introspects’ on the prerequisites of evidence-based curriculum within the realms of specialized skills development agenda as pursued through higher education Institutions in Africa. Explicitly, the constraining factors that bedevil the leather sector are identifiable when appropriate research designs tools are applied. As such, in the process of identifying the constraints, renascence themes could, therefore, be beneficial in collecting evidence in support of developing curriculum. Such a developed curriculum stands higher chances of acceptability and aptly mitigates against challenges related to specialized skills development. The review succinctly indicates that in the process of identifying the themes, the scope of collecting evidence becomes attainable, thus, improving curricula that entails a participatory and transformative orientation. Indeed, during the review phase of the study, three main perspectives are depicted to be consequential in attaining a comprehensive, evidence-based curriculum, such as; action research, backward curriculum design perspective and theoretical perspective. Therefore, about this perspective, a reflection based on personal experiences and related to new knowledge with what they already know leads to constructivism. The relevancy of a constructivist strategy is observed to facilitate the observatory and evaluative stance during the development of evidence-based curriculum. Moreover, in consolidating and sustaining the benefit of such a developed curriculum, threshold concept was found during the review that it complements the process and strengthens the collecting evidence for curriculum development. Accordingly, therefore, the result of the review study indicate that Africa would  position itself for initiating transformational changes in aspects of specialized higher education, fruition towards socio-economic benefits (e.g. employment, wealth creation and technology transfer), reversal of urban-rural or inter/intra continental migration flurry.

scholarly journals Opportunities for the Development of Soft Skills in Engineer Education

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ildikó Holik ◽  
István Dániel Sanda
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Soft Skills ◽  
Personality Development ◽  
Practical Training ◽  
Project Method ◽  
Hard Skills ◽  
Development Of Competencies ◽  
Cooperative Methods ◽  
Engineer Education

In today’s higher education, the development of competencies based on the needs of the labour market, the role of practical training and the application of student-centred teaching methods are becoming more and more important. A particularly important question in engineering education is which abilities and skills are important for an engineer in a rapidly changing, information-based society. Therefore, in addition to hard skills, the development of soft skills also plays an important role. Our research was aimed at mapping the competencies of engineering informatics students and determining development opportunities. The Hungarian version of the Big Five Questionnaire (BFQ) was used to examine the students’ personalities. The results of the research showed that the students’ soft skills must be developed – especially in the areas of openness, communication and cooperation. Students’ personality development can be facilitated by courses that focus on self-knowledge and self-esteem, as well as opportunities for cooperation, adaptation, building trust, empathy, and helpfulness. Cooperative methods, collaborative learning, the project method and problem-based learning can also play an important role in higher education.

scholarly journals How can a design-based research methodology that utilises Mixed-Reality (MR) Technologies be utilized to effectively enhance learning for authentic, high-risk situations?

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jin Hong
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Educational Technology ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Research Methodology ◽  
Mixed Reality ◽  
Design Principles ◽  
Design Based Research

Even experienced mountain climbers underestimate key dangers and make poor decisions in stressful, high-risk situations when climbing, leading to injury and death. My own experience indicates that effective education can play a key role in managing these risks and improving experienced climber’s decision making. Current educational approaches for climbers, however, are generally limited to textbooks and ‘on the mountain’ learning. It is vital, therefore, that new approaches and methods are developed to improve learning.    My own experience and emergent case studies indicate that AR (Augmented), VR (Virtual Reality) and MR (Mixed Reality), have affordances (possibilities offered by the technology) to underpin new forms of learning and therefore have the potential to enhance education for high-risk environments. Emergent use of MR immersive technologies includes classroom learning, firefighting and military training. An initial review of literature has indicated though that there are very limited examples of rigorous research on the design and application of MR technologies in authentic education, especially for extreme situations such as mountaineering i.e., no one has rigorously designed for these technologies for learning in extreme environments, evaluated learning outcomes and theorised about how learning can be enhanced.    In response to this gap/opportunity, this research explores the potential of MR technologies to effectively enhance learning for authentic, high-risk situations. The research will use a Design-based research methodology (DBR) to develop design principles informed by key learning theories as they offer recognised and critical approaches for a new way of learning in an extreme environment.  Underpinned by a Constructivist paradigm, initial theoretical frameworks identified include Authentic Learning and Heutagogy (student-determined learning).Herrington and co-authors (2009) recommended 11 design principles for the incorporation of mobile learning into a higher education learning environment, and Blaschke and Hase (2015)’s 10 principles of designing learning for heutagogy. Other theories and frameworks include Constructivist Learning and the ZPD (the Zone of Proximal Development), design for mobile MR learning and user-centred design. Activity Theory will also be utilised in the data analysis.   Initial design principles will be developed by the DBR methodology. These design principles will be tested through the implementation and evaluation of an MR ‘prototype’ app design solution.’ The prototype solution will be iteratively redesigned using further evaluation and feedback from sample cohorts of end-users. Data will be collected from key participant interviews, researcher observation/reflections and biometric feedback. Methodological triangulation (multimodal data approach) will be used to evaluate learning outcomes. The iterative development will lead to transferable design principles and further theorising that can be transferred to other learning situations involving preparation and decision-making as well as knowledge in high-risk contexts.    Reference   Amiel, T., & Reeves, T. (2008). Design-Based Research and Educational Technology:   Rethinking Technology and the Research Agenda. Educational Technology                & Society, 11(4), 29-40.    Blaschke, L., & Hase, S. (2015). Heutagogy, Technology, and Lifelong Learning for Professional   and Part-Time Learners. In A. Dailey-Hebert & K. S. Dennis (Eds.), Transformative Perspectives   and Processes in Higher Education (Vol. 6, pp. 75-94). Switzerland: Springer                   International Publishing.   Cochrane, T., et al., (2017) ‘A DBR framework for designing mobile virtual reality learning  environments’, Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, vol. 33,  6, pp. 27–40. doi: 10.14742/ajet.3613    Engeström, Y. (2015). Learning by expanding: An activity-theoretical approach      to developmental research (2nd ed.). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.   Hase, S & Kenyon, C. (2001). Moving from andragogy to heutagogy: implications for VET',  Proceedings of Research to Reality: Putting VET Research to Work: Australian  Vocational Education and Training Research Association (AVETRA), Adelaide,  SA, 28-30 March, AVETRA, Crows Nest, NSW.   Kesim, M & Ozarslan (2012), Y. Augmented Reality in Education: Current                 Technologies and the Potential for Education, Procedia - Social and            Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological  processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.     Behavioral Sciences volume 47, 2012, 297-302.  

scholarly journals Using a Low Code Development Environment to Teach the Agile Methodology

2021 ◽  
pp. 191-199
Author(s):  
Mary Lebens ◽  
Roger Finnegan
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Digital Transformation ◽  
Comfort Level ◽  
Agile Development ◽  
Development Environment ◽  
Business World ◽  
Development Platform ◽  
Agile Methodology ◽  
Development Methodology ◽  
Code Development

AbstractThe Agile development methodology is soaring in popularity in the business world. Companies are turning to Agile to develop products quickly and to achieve digital transformation of their organization. Because of this push, companies need employees who understand Agile. Therefore, higher education is obligated to provide an understanding of Agile to students as they enter the workplace. Providing Agile experience to students who are new to programming is difficult because they are so worried about the coding aspects of the assignment, they cannot take time to think about the methodology they are using. The coding crowds out the time needed to get an understanding of how Agile actually works. One remedy for this is to use a low or no-code development platform. With this type of platform students spend less time learning to create apps, freeing them to experience the rituals and roles of Agile. This study examines using the Agile methodology along with the Microsoft Power Apps platform to provide an Agile experience to students. Two course sections were surveyed to learn if students perceived that they acquired a better understanding of Agile and to learn their perceptions of a no-code platform experience. The students completed surveys to ascertain their comfort with the Agile methodology and whether the no-code environment increased their comfort level. The results showed students perceived the no-code platform increased their comfort with using the Agile methodology. The implication is that no-code platforms can be used broadly to help students to gain experience with Agile.

scholarly journals Developing generic skills for students via extra-curricular activities in Vietnamese universities: Practices and influential factors

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tran Le Huu Nghia
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Influential Factors ◽  
Skills Development ◽  
Development Programs ◽  
University Leadership ◽  
Generic Skills ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
Extra Curricular Activities ◽  
External Stakeholders ◽  
University Leaders

Developing generic skills (GS) for students has become central in many higher education curricula lately. However, there is still a lack of studies regarding how these skills are developed for students, especially those in developing countries. Drawing from a PhD study, this article reports the contribution of extra-curricular activities in developing GS for students in Vietnamese universities and analyses factors influencing the effectiveness of developing GS for students via these activities. A content analysis of relevant documents and 69 interviews with university leaders, academics and organisers of the Youth union and its associates (YUA) showed that extra-curricular activities were involved as an integral component of a university’s strategy for training students in GS. This was due to a lack of curriculum autonomy, which restricted most Vietnamese universities from adding skills subjects into the curriculum, and the YUA also had a long-standing tradition of developing non-discipline-specific skills for students. The YUA were found to successfully develop GS for students via extra-curricular activities; however, their operation was influenced by university leadership, student participation, external stakeholders’ support, and the leadership of the YUA. The article argues that extra-curricular activities were conducive to developing GS for students; therefore, they should be included in student skills development programs in higher education. 

Skills development in higher education in Vietnam

2009 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 565-586 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tran Quang Trung ◽  
Fredric William Swierczek
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Skills Development

Socio-Economic Aspects of Digital Transformation of Higher Education

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (11) ◽  
pp. 1258-1262
Author(s):  
V. Ya. Dmitriev
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Systems Approach ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
Economic Aspects ◽  
New Paradigm ◽  
Digital Inequality ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
Theoretical Generalization ◽  
Higher Education Transformation

Aim. The presented study aims to assess the socio-economic aspects of higher education transformation based on the widespread use of digital technologies.Tasks. The author describes the essence of digital inequality (digital divide), determines the place and role of teachers and students in the transformation of education driven by digital technologies, and highlights the specific features of virtual reality.Methods. This study uses the methods of the systems approach, comparative and structural analysis, analytical and theoretical generalization.Results. The author outlines the concept of a new paradigm of education based on the widespread use of digital technologies and transformed roles of teachers and students.Conclusions. Digitalization of education has made it possible to form an individual educational trajectory based on different forms of presentation of educational content and its communication from the teacher to the student, including using such technologies as virtual reality and artificial intelligence.

TPACK INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN MODEL IN VIRTUAL REALITY FOR DEEPER LEARNING IN SCIENCE AND HIGHER EDUCATION: FROM “APATHY” TO “EMPATHY”

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Fragkaki ◽  
Stylianos Mystakidis ◽  
Ioannis Hatzilygeroudis ◽  
Konstantinos Kovas ◽  
Zuzana Palkova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Instructional Design ◽  
Instructional Design Model ◽  
Design Model
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