MOOCs in Higher Education

Online education has gained a lot of acceptance among the learners in the recent past. The advances in technology and changing demand from students and business as well as the possibility for reducing costs and generating income has led to a MOOC explosion. Over the last years, massive open online courses (MOOCs) have received a great deal of attention from the academic community, business, and the media, especially after the World Health Organization (WHO) officially declared COVID-19 as a pandemic in March 2020. The pandemic has caused educational disruption across the globe. Educational institutes faced with the challenge of maintaining the continuity of learning and were almost forced to switch to the online mode. The seemingly simple and immediate solution is to conduct school remotely using online resources. The aim of this study is to investigate the current trends and prediction with respect to the adoption of MOOCs in the Indian higher education system and identify various influencing factors facilitating this adoption.

Framework of E-Governance at the Grass Roots Level

E-government theories are prevailing in a variety of formats and concepts around the globe, nations, and institutions, but there are not many examples to emulate in terms of developing a comprehensive framework of e-governance system at the outer periphery of the government tiers. This research would like to carry out a comprehensive analysis on various theories built around the e-governance perception, but the prime focus will be devoted to the penetration of e-government system, particularly at the grassroots. To narrow down further, the study will conduct analytical observations in a few developed, developing, and transitional economies. Furthermore, to be more concise, the research will specifically focus on various e-government implementations at the grass roots that penetrated the lowest tier of the governance system for community empowerment and knowledge enhancement. Before conclusion, it will try to put forward prospective research agenda, including the framework of a future e-government system at the local government level.

Innovation, Ethics, and Consumer Protection

In recent years, firms that rely on fintech to develop and deliver financial products and services have become increasingly important in the banking and financial sector. Nevertheless, fintech products raise various ethical and legal issues, particularly relating to consumer rights. These issues can be analyzed in the light of behavioral law and economics which suggest that prevalent cognitive biases systematically affect the judgment of individuals. To mitigate this bounded rationality, it is possible to guide the decision-making processes through the use of nudges and configured sets of choices. A good example is fintech gamification, defined as the use of game-related mechanisms in other areas, particularly websites or social networks. However, the use of nudges for commercial purposes is often associated with some form of manipulative tactics explicitly aimed at exploiting individuals' biases without their consent. In this context, recourse to the law is useful as it provides for the minimum requirements needed to regulate the relationship between a firm and its customers.

A Strategy Towards Cost-Effective Content Delivery in the Higher Learning Institutions of Tanzania

The recent development of ubiquitous technologies such as mobile computing facilities in developing countries promises a cost-effective approach for learning in higher learning institutions (HLIs). For instance, in Tanzania, new technologies in HLIs are being blended through eLearning and m-learning. However, HLIs are facing challenges in the delivery of eLearning contents due to the distributed nature of learning environments, the advancement of a large amount of data, shortage in ICT resources, and bandwidth. This study presents the state-of-the-art challenges and opportunities on eLearning in Tanzania. The survey results show that above 75% of students own multiple mobile devices that can support access to M-learning. Then, a cost-effective strategy for content delivery supported by mobile edge computing and cloud computing is proposed. Moreover, it is recommended that HLIs in developing countries should enact ICT policy that integrates issues associated with how to effectively utilize the emerging ubiquitous technologies applicable in their learning environments.

Knowledge Management Portals for Empowering General Public and Societies

With the advent of the web technologies, portals are providing a wide range of comprehensive support for information processing and management focusing on content management with specific foundation for knowledge development. Knowledge management portals are emerging as web tools that can assist facilitate knowledge management in the aspect of learning, social awareness, policy implementation, and empowering the common citizen of the community. Knowledge management portals can be a rigid platform for providing integrated access to relevant content and resources in one location, for sharing and distributing information, and for bringing the community people together for knowledge interchange. This chapter focuses on the aspects of knowledge management portals through a horizontal literature review and put forwards a few cases that are being utilized in various aspects of the society for the knowledge attainment of the general public of the society.

The Effect of Learning Expectations and Internet Speed on University Student Moodle Usage

Several higher education institutions have combined Moodle and face-to-face instruction to support and assist student learning. However, the purpose of using Moodle will be appreciated if factors influencing the use of this learning platform are known. Therefore, this chapter investigated the effect of learning expectation and internet speed on university student Moodle usage and further examined the mediating role of perceived fun features of the Moodle. This present study employed a cross-sectional survey design with 327 selected university students. Data collected were analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM). The results revealed that internet speed, fun features, and learning expectation have a significant impact on university student Moodle usage. Furthermore, the findings from the analysis of mediation showed that Moodle perceived fun features mediate the relationship between learning expectation and Moodle usage in higher education. The implication of the results and further study avenues are discussed.

Family Dynamics and ICT

The use of information and communication technologies is increasing in the present scenario to a great extent for various purposes such as education, entertainment, business, e-governance, and so on. When ICT use expanded its origin, it has also predominantly taken a huge place in domestic activities. In the recent decade, the domestication of technologies in home has been expanding and its influence in family activities and family members must be a considerable area to study. Though many scholars from various countries attempted to understand the ICT influence in family life, this chapter adds a contribution to the field by analysing how the different activities in domestic life influences the family dynamics. This research collected the data from two different generation family members such as parents and children. This will help to understand how the ICT use influences the intergeneration family members. It is found that ICT has a desirable influence in family activities. Young adults are highly influenced by parents, and the regular monitoring is expected to avoid harmful effects.

Electronic Information Resources

The study gives an empirical view about the advent of electronic information resources (EIRs) with respect to their impact on the overall academic and research development. The chapter is the outcome of a survey conducted across seven agricultural universities of North India while using a questionnaire as a data collection tool. It is understood that the e-resources have really proved to be a boon for academic fraternities comprising of the students, teachers, and the researchers. The majority of them are now feeling much more comfortable and competent to search the information of their own. The electronic availability of the information has enabled them to generate new and diversified research ideas and as such the research output has improved both in quantity and quality. So, it is understood that at an average, the advent of e-resources has laid a positive impact on the core academic affairs (i.e., the study, teaching, and research).

HRIS Readiness Among Faculties in B Schools for Human Development

Human resource departments implementing ICTs is becoming a common phenomenon in corporations and it's referred to as human resource information system (HRIS). In the digital era, people are shifting from human involvement to digital involvement. HRIS transforms the HR service delivery using web-based technology. HR departments are able to provide effective services when they utilize HRIS. This chapter focuses on the digital technology used for human resource management in b-schools. It is understood that there are plenty of HRIS tools that are available to be used in the educational institutions. For the current study, the researchers focused the study toward the b-schools in India. The respondents were employees of various b-schools in Bangalore. This study considered 120 employees (low, middle, and upper level) from various b-schools. This led to the understanding that there is a very high rate of effectiveness in the usage of HRIS tool in any institution, which is proved using the technology acceptance model (TAM).

Community Radio as a Tool for the Development of the Rural Population of the Northwest Region of Cameroon

Community radio as a tool for the development of the rural population of the north west region of Cameroon is aimed at evaluating the contribution of community radios to the development of the region. The focus here is on the conflict-stricken region of the north west region of Cameroon rocked by crises since 2017. Qualitative and quantitative research designs were adopted for this study. The data derived was coded and analyzed to come out with the findings that community radios have significantly contributed to the local development of the region though in crisis in the following ways: improving agricultural activities of the local population, advancing peace and culture, and general sensitization of the population, providing a forum for small and medium-sized enterprises to reach out to the population through advertisements at affordable rates and finally sensitizing the public on health issues focusing on HIV/AIDS prevention, COVID-19, vaccination, and family planning.