Vision impairment and the transition to university education: The role of ICTs

<p>The transition to university is a crucial process in the lives of young people who pursue tertiary education. It can be a stressful experience for all students in general but it is especially challenging for those with disabilities. In recent years the number of students with disabilities enrolled in tertiary institutions has grown steadily. Also, the transition to university has become a topic of interest for policy makers and scholars around the world. However, there is still limited research about the transition to university for students with disabilities and the issues they face when they start their university journey. Additionally, very little research has examined the role of Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) in supporting their transition experience. This research focuses on students with vision impairments, one of the disability groups who have been less studied in academia, and seeks to answer two research questions. First, what are the factors that influence students with vision impairments’experiences of the transition process to university education? Second, how are ICTs used to support this process? The research participants, aged 18 to 24 years old, were all undergraduate students enrolled at Victoria University of Wellington. Data was collected over a year and a half through observations, a researcher diary, individual interviews, social media and focus group meetings. Action research (AR) was the research method used in this qualitative and inductive study. The AR intervention included organising informal face-to-face support group discussions with the participants at different periods of their first trimester at university and setting up a website and a social media group page. The research findings have significant contributions for knowledge and practice. It was found that students with vision impairments are able to develop self-determination skills as they are using and adapting ICTs creatively and innovatively in order to make sense of their transition. This group of students not only use these tools in compensating for their vision impairment but also to interact and collaborate with their peers. This research has also identified five overlapping transition stages: Exploring, Discovering, Coping with, Readjusting and Settling in. Similarly, it includes a description of different transition issues (e.g. academic system, social connections, and financial matters) that have a positive and/or negative impact on the transition experience. Likewise, the findings show that ICTs play a role in the transition to university and that this role varies depending on the transition stage, the transition issues the students with vision impairments deal with and their personal needs. To a large extent, ICTs are embedded in the everyday activities of the students with vision impairments. In addition to using adaptive technologies, they have already incorporated other tools, such as Web 2.0 (e.g. Facebook), and portable devices (e.g. smartphones), and use them for their university activities and transition experience. In this respect, this research suggests rethinking transition in terms of the idea of Transition 2.0, a concept that describes the current escenario of transition to university for students with vision impairments. This study represents a significant contribution from the field of information systems (IS) to research areas such as disability and tertiary education.</p>

Vision impairment and the transition to university education: The role of ICTs

<p>The transition to university is a crucial process in the lives of young people who pursue tertiary education. It can be a stressful experience for all students in general but it is especially challenging for those with disabilities. In recent years the number of students with disabilities enrolled in tertiary institutions has grown steadily. Also, the transition to university has become a topic of interest for policy makers and scholars around the world. However, there is still limited research about the transition to university for students with disabilities and the issues they face when they start their university journey. Additionally, very little research has examined the role of Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) in supporting their transition experience. This research focuses on students with vision impairments, one of the disability groups who have been less studied in academia, and seeks to answer two research questions. First, what are the factors that influence students with vision impairments’experiences of the transition process to university education? Second, how are ICTs used to support this process? The research participants, aged 18 to 24 years old, were all undergraduate students enrolled at Victoria University of Wellington. Data was collected over a year and a half through observations, a researcher diary, individual interviews, social media and focus group meetings. Action research (AR) was the research method used in this qualitative and inductive study. The AR intervention included organising informal face-to-face support group discussions with the participants at different periods of their first trimester at university and setting up a website and a social media group page. The research findings have significant contributions for knowledge and practice. It was found that students with vision impairments are able to develop self-determination skills as they are using and adapting ICTs creatively and innovatively in order to make sense of their transition. This group of students not only use these tools in compensating for their vision impairment but also to interact and collaborate with their peers. This research has also identified five overlapping transition stages: Exploring, Discovering, Coping with, Readjusting and Settling in. Similarly, it includes a description of different transition issues (e.g. academic system, social connections, and financial matters) that have a positive and/or negative impact on the transition experience. Likewise, the findings show that ICTs play a role in the transition to university and that this role varies depending on the transition stage, the transition issues the students with vision impairments deal with and their personal needs. To a large extent, ICTs are embedded in the everyday activities of the students with vision impairments. In addition to using adaptive technologies, they have already incorporated other tools, such as Web 2.0 (e.g. Facebook), and portable devices (e.g. smartphones), and use them for their university activities and transition experience. In this respect, this research suggests rethinking transition in terms of the idea of Transition 2.0, a concept that describes the current escenario of transition to university for students with vision impairments. This study represents a significant contribution from the field of information systems (IS) to research areas such as disability and tertiary education.</p>

From Supply Chain 4.0 to Supply Chain 5.0: Findings from a Systematic Literature Review and Research Directions

The main purpose of this paper is to present what the Industry 5.0 phenomenon means in the supply chain context. A systematic literature review method was used to get evidence from the current knowledge linked to this theme. The results have evidenced a strong gap related to Industry 5.0 approaches for the supply chain field. Forty-one (41) publications, including conference and journal papers, have been found in the literature. Nineteen (19) words, which were grouped in four (4) clusters, have been identified in the data analysis. This was the basis to form the four (4) constructs of Industry 5.0: Industry Strategy, Innovation and Technologies, Society and Sustainability, and Transition Issues. Then, an alignment with the supply chain context was proposed, being the basis for the incipient Supply Chain 5.0 framework and its research agenda. Industry 5.0 is still in an embryonic and ideal stage. The literature is scarce and many other concepts and discoveries are going to emerge. Although this literature review is based on few available sources, it provides insightful and novel concepts related to Industry 5.0 in the supply chain context. Moreover, it presents a clear set of constructs and a structured research agenda to encourage researchers in deploying further conceptual and empirical works linked to the subject herein explored. Organizations’ leadership, policymakers, and other practitioners involved in supply chains, and mainly those currently working with Industry 4.0 initiatives, can benefit from this research by having clear guidance regarding the dimensions needed to structurally design and implement an Industry 5.0 strategy. This article adds valuable insights to researchers and practitioners, by approaching the newest and revolutionary concept of the Industry 5.0 phenomenon in the supply chain context, which is still an unexplored theme.

"I Didn't Know How All This Works": A Case Study Examining The Transition Experiences of Student-Athletes from High School to a Mid-Major DI Program

The transition period from high school to college includes a myriad of issues specific to student-athletes (Bernhard & Bell, 2015; Bjornsen & Dinkel, 2017; Comeaux, 2015). The present study sought to illuminate the specific transition issues faced by mid-major, DI student-athletes by providing them the platform to describe them in their own words, and provide their own recommendations for improvement. Utilizing a semi-structured interview guide which addressed transition issues, the qualitative study included 23 student-athletes in focus group settings. Analysis of interview data led to the emergence of two themes, with accompanying subthemes: 1) Encounters with academic support, with subthemes of transitioning to campus and perceived responsibilities of athletic academic advisors; and 2) Skewed perceptions and expectations of student-athlete life, with subthemes of expectations regarding the coach-athlete relationship, lifestyle modifications, and high stress practice environments. The findings suggest a notable trend – student-athletes lack the support they need to successfully deal with the transition. The transition process itself also appears to involve three specific periods: 1) Prior to arrival on campus; 2) Initial arrival on campus; and 3) Following the initial transition to campus. The findings will help to better design standards for helping student-athletes navigate the transition process.

Transition Issues in Higher Education and Digital Technologies: The Experiences of Students with Disabilities in New Zealand

Research on transition to higher education and young people with disabilities has increased in recent years. However, there is still limited understanding of transition issues and how digital technologies, such as social media and mobile devices, are used by this group of students to manage these issues. This article presents the findings of an empirical study that addressed this matter based on young people’s views and experiences. The qualitative study was conducted in the context of a group of students with vision impairments transitioning to a New Zealand university. The findings draw from observations, a researcher diary, focus groups, individual interviews, and data from social media. The study shows that, like their non-disabled peers, the students actively engaged with interactive and collaborative digital technologies to make sense, individually and collectively, of different transition issues before, during and after the first academic trimester of their university journey.Research on transition to higher education and young people with disabilities has increased in recent years. However, there is still limited understanding of transition issues and how digital technologies, such as social media and mobile devices, are used by this group of students to manage these issues. This article presents the findings of an empirical study that addressed this matter based on young people’s views and experiences. The qualitative study was conducted in the context of a group of students with vision impairments transitioning to a New Zealand university. The findings draw from observations, a researcher diary, focus groups, individual interviews, and data from social media. The study shows that, like their non-disabled peers, the students actively engaged with interactive and collaborative digital technologies to make sense, individually and collectively, of different transition issues before, during and after the first academic trimester of their university journey.

Digital technologies in the context of university transition and disability: Theoretical and empirical advances

Since transition to higher education emerged as a research topic in the early 1970s, scholarly inquiry has focused on students without impairments and, what is more, little attention has been paid to the role of digital technologies. This article seeks to address this knowledge gap by looking at the university experiences of a group of first-year students with vision impairments from New Zealand, and the way they use digital tools, such as social media and mobile devices, to manage their transition-related challenges. The article summarises the findings from a longitudinal qualitative project which was methodologically informed by action research (AR). The article explores and discusses scholarly inquiry of transition to university and introduces a conceptual framework which includes five overlapping stages, the transition issues faced by the students and the roles played by digital technologies. The article updates and expands the theoretical understanding of transition to higher education and provides empirical evidence for practitioners to support the needs, inclusion, and participation of young people with disabilities in the tertiary setting.

Mapping the Dutch Energy Transition Hyperlink Network

The Internet facilitates connections between a range of Dutch actors with a stake in the energy transition, including governments, environmental organizations, media outlets and corporations. These connections tease a hyperlink network affecting public access to information on energy transition issues. Despite its societal relevance, however, the characteristics of this network remain understudied. The main goals of this study are to shed some light on the topological characteristics of the Dutch energy transition hyperlink network and reveal the main topics discussed in the network. To do so, we longitudinally collected data from the interactions between key Dutch actors with a stake in the energy transition. Then, these data were analyzed by employing a mixed-method approach, social network analysis and topic modeling. The results of the social network analyses reveal the existence of a sparse network in which few private companies and associations emerge as the most authoritative actors and brokers. Furthermore, our analyses show substantial differences among the communication agendas of the organizations of the Dutch energy transition hyperlink network; while public institutions focus on global, national and local policy issues, private companies, associations and NGOs pay much more attention to employment issues.

Structural Changes in Japanese Firms

The COVID-19 pandemic has posed a serious threat to the survival of Japanese firms, highlighting the importance of understanding how and why firms exit. In this paper, we use a rich firm-level dataset of Japanese firms to document how firm exit patterns have evolved between 2007 and 2017. Firm exit patterns have been heavily influenced by Japan’s demographic trends, as a majority of exits in recent years were voluntary exits of firms (business closures) owned by CEOs aged 65 years or older without business successors. In contrast to this increase in voluntary exits, other “traditional” firm exits (such as bankruptcies), have declined. These findings underscore the importance of addressing business transition issues in a rapidly aging society.