Examining the Use of Robots as Teacher Assistants in UAE Classrooms: Teacher and Student Perspectives

Aim/Purpose: This study sought to understand the views of both teachers and students on the usage of humanoid robots as teaching assistants in a specifically Arab context. Background: Social robots have in recent times penetrated the educational space. Although prevalent in Asia and some Western regions, the uptake, perception and acceptance of educational robots in the Arab or Emirati region is not known. Methodology: A total of 20 children and 5 teachers were randomly selected to comprise the sample for this study, which was a qualitative exploration executed using focus groups after an NAO robot (pronounced now) was deployed in their school for a day of revision sessions. Contribution: Where other papers on this topic have largely been based in other countries, this paper, to our knowledge, is the first to examine the potential for the integration of educational robots in the Arab context. Findings: The students were generally appreciative of the incorporation of humanoid robots as co-teachers, whereas the teachers were more circumspect, expressing some concerns and noting a desire to better streamline the process of bringing robots to the classroom. Recommendations for Practitioners: We found that the malleability of the robot’s voice played a pivotal role in the acceptability of the robot, and that generally students did well in smaller groups with the robot; teachers expressed concern that the children would become easily distracted should too many children be privy to one robot. Recommendation for Researchers: Our results provide valuable recommendations for researchers in the area. We believe, there needs to be continued efforts in devising suitable methodological assessment tools to evaluate student and teacher attitudes in the classroom particularly in the Arab world. We also advise researchers to focus on providing adaptive behavior in the context of educational robots. There are different distinct areas that need further clarifications and study based on our review. Impact on Society: On a wider scale, the findings of this paper have a huge implication for the educational technology as the integration of robotics in education is one of the emerging trends in the area, particularly in the UAE. This study allows to answer questions related to attitudes and perceptions of both teachers and students toward educational robots in the UAE. Future Research: Possible avenues of research in the area include focusing on the adaptive and natural behavior of robots in disciplines other than Mathematics as a means of successfully integrating robots in the classroom.

TaBAT: Design and Experimentation of a Learning Analysis Dashboard for Teachers and Learners

Aim/Purpose: Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries have adopted online education as an alternative to face-to-face courses. This has increased awareness of the importance of analyzing learning data left by students to improve and evaluate the learning process. This article presents a new tool, named TaBAT, created to work with different LMSs in the form of dashboards accessible online and allowing teachers to monitor the progress of their learners and at the same time allow learners to visualize their learning process. Background: TaBAT is designed based on the results of our previous research on factors that can influence the success of online learners, where we proposed and statistically validated a model for assessing the success of online learners called e-LSAM (e-Learner Success Assessment Model). Methodology: Two studies are presented in this article. The first one is conducted on a group of students from two classes (each composed of two groups) of a higher institute in Morocco, who participated in courses organized in blended learning on the Moodle platform. For each class, one of the two groups had access to the experiment to use the TaBAT tool (exposed group) to analyze the learning traces, while the second group did not have access to the dashboard (control group). The second study aimed to understand the impact of the usage of the TaBAT tool on the two exposed groups. Contribution: The purpose of this article is to present a new analysis tool as well as to test this tool and to evaluate its impact on self-regulation and the prediction of academic success and, finally, to see how these students evaluate this tool. Findings: The results of the TaBAT usage demonstrate the effectiveness of the success algorithm, based on our theoretical model e-LSAM. The results also prove that this tool was able to increase the performance of the students of both groups exposed. The general evaluations of the participants also confirmed these results. Impact on Society: The article proposes a tool for institutions to facilitate the monitoring and control of students’ learning process. The tool provides visual information for teachers to study and react to in the educational context and gives students visualizations to promote their self-reflection and increase their performance and academic success. Future Research: Generalize the use of the TaBAT tool, incorporating both private and public institutions, in order to confirm the results obtained in this article and at the same time improve the self-regulation and academic success of learners.

Student Participation in Computing Studies to Understand Engagement and Grade Outcome

Aim/Purpose: This paper focuses on understanding undergraduate computing student-learning behaviour through reviewing their online activity in a university online learning management system (LMS), along with their grade outcome, across three subjects. A specific focus is on the activity of students who failed the computing subjects. Background: Between 2008 and 2020 there has been a multiplicative growth and adoption of Learning Analytics (LA) by education institutions across many countries. Insights gained through LA can result in actionable implementations at higher institutions for the benefit of students, including refinement of curriculum and assessment regimes, teacher reflection, and more targeted course offerings. Methodology: To understand student activity, this study utilised a quantitative approach to analyse LMS activity and grade outcome data drawn from three undergraduate computing subjects. Data analysis focused on presenting counts and averages to show an understanding of student activity. Contribution: This paper contributes a practical approach towards LA use in higher education, demonstrating how a review of student activity can impact the learning design of the computing subjects. In addition, this study has provided a focus on poor performing students so that future offerings of the computing subjects can support students who are at risk of failure. Findings: The study found that: • Collecting data relating to student activity and analysing the activity is an important indicator of engagement, with cross referencing the data to grade outcome providing information to support modification to the learning design of the computing subjects. • The computing subjects in this study all had the majority of the as-sessment marks awarded at the later part of the study period. • Students that fail subjects are active within the LMS for the period of the subject even when they submit no assessments • Assessment weight and the time of delivery could influence the out-comes Recommendations for Practitioners: The collection and analysis of student activity in the LMS can enable learning designers and practitioners to better reflect the subject design and delivery to provide more informed ways of delivering the learning material. Recommendation for Researchers: Collecting LA requires a thought-out process, designed well in advance of the teaching period. This study provides useful insight that can impact other researchers in the collection of assessment related analytics. Impact on Society: The cost of education is expensive to those that undertake it. Failing, although expected, potentially can be reduced by examining how education is designed, delivered, and assessed. The study has shown how information on how students are engaging has the potential to impact their outcomes. Future Research: Further work is needed to investigate whether intervention may assist the poor performing students to improve their grade outcomes relative to activity levels, subsequently impacting their retention.

Senior High School Students’ Readiness and Motivation to Learn English Using Synchronous Video Conferences

Aim/Purpose: This study aimed at exploring students’ online-learning exposures involving their readiness and motivation to learn English using synchronous video conferences, as well as investigating the possible relationship between the readiness and motivation. To fulfill these objectives, three research questions were formed: (1) What is students’ readiness to learn English using synchronous video conferences? (2) What is students’ motivation to learn English using synchronous video conferences? (3) Is there any correlation between students’ readiness and their motivation to learn English using synchronous video conferences? Background: Due to the urgency of Covid-19 pandemic in the educational field, the Indonesian Minister of Education requested that all schooling activities must be conducted online as announced in the Learning from Home Policy starting on March 24, 2020. In this case, students are forced to struggle with the unfamiliar and challenging learning situations that their readiness and motivation to learn are worth questioning. Methodology: The participants in this descriptive research, combining both a survey and correlation study, were 116 Indonesian high schoolers. They came from two different private schools as the particular adaptive curriculum has been reshaped and implemented in each school during this pandemic. In order to collect the data of students’ readiness and motivation while they were learning English using synchronous video conferences, an online Likert-Scale questionnaire was distributed to all participants. Furthermore, a semi-structured interview was conducted to dig deeper into students’ online-learning exposures. Contribution: The results of this study can become reference to create the effective and successful online learning environment. This study offers fresh and genuine insights coming from students on how ready and motivated they were within the unfamiliar learning situations. Besides, the obstacles faced by students are also presented. Three pillars were used to construct the questionnaire and to analyze the findings: 1) Four Online Readiness Factors, 2) ARCS Model of Motivation, and 3) the Community of Inquiry (CoI) Framework. Hence, the findings of this research can also expand educators’ and researchers’ knowledge whether the readiness and motivation can be improved through the three frameworks. Findings: This study shows how students’ readiness and motivation are influenced by unfamiliar situations of synchronous online learning. Firstly, students are already confident with their technical skills and their familiarity with the use of technology. However, their readiness in terms of self-discipline is the lowest. Secondly, students’ motivation cannot be consistently high because of two drawbacks that demotivated them within their online learning. Furthermore, this study also found that there is significant positive correlation between readiness and motivation. Hence, the readiness and motivation factors cannot be simply ignored within the online learning progress. Recommendations for Practitioners: As our findings reveal, Teacher Presence is important as it enhances Cognitive Presence and supports students to experience Social Presence. Therefore, the roles of teachers that cover designing and providing meaningful learning activities, acting as a model to engage students in online discussion, employing effective strategies to deliver direct instruction and managing class, should be completely fulfilled. Instead of consistently sustaining the teacher-centered style, teachers may sharpen their technical skills along with their pedagogical knowledge. Online learning can be effective as teachers could design and implement the student-centered learning style in synchronous virtual meetings. Recommendation for Researchers: Learning from Home is a new policy that was published because of the Covid-19 pandemic urgency. The learning process happening in a synchronous virtual environment is new for both Indonesian teachers and students. Accordingly, more researchers in this topic involving a wider level of students coming from rural and urban areas are still needed. Impact on Society: By showing how students’ readiness and motivation are influenced in the online learning process, this study offers a reference that students can have better opportunities of an effective and successful online-learning environment. This study also discusses the obstacles mostly faced by students. Following the frameworks used, this study also gives an opportunity for educators to expand their knowledge to take part in solving any problems related to the investigated issues. Future Research: As technology must still be developing and online learning is possibly sustained closely after the pandemic, its development must be continuing. As the idea of online learning through synchronous meetings is new, issues related to this learning situation can still be investigated so that Indonesian teachers can gradually create more effective and successful online learning.

Online Learning Management in the Era of Covid-19 Pandemic at Junior High Schools in Indonesia

Aim/Purpose: The purposes of this research are to analyze online learning management activities conducted by the principals of junior high schools in Indonesia in facing COVID-19 as well as to discuss their perspective and expectations towards online learning activities when facing COVID-19 and after COVID-19 has passed. Background: Due to the rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Indonesian Minister of Education and Culture instructed that teaching and learning activities for all levels of education in Indonesia must be carried out online from home. There have been comprehensive reports about the various forms of online learning, its effects on students, the challenges, the learning transition from offline to online, and teachers’ views on this new approach. Very few, if any, focus on how principals act upon the transition during this COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, this research focuses on how principals overcome various problems that arise in the implementation of online learning activities. Methodology: As many as 309 principals of junior high school from twelve districts in Indonesia were asked to give their responses to a set of questionnaires. The reliability of the questionnaire was analyzed using Cronbach’s Alpha with the help of SmartPLS 3.0 software. The percentage was mainly used in the descriptive analysis. To obtain the influence among variables, the statistical inferential analysis was used. Contribution: Although the sample size of this research is limited, the results may contribute to the existing theory and practice related to the implementation of online learning in Indonesia. The findings of this research could be a guide for principals to manage online learning in the future. Findings: The data analysis showed that the constructs of organizing and monitoring-evaluation were found to play an important role as a mediator between the variables of planning with implementation of principal management in online learning. Path analysis demonstrated that the implementation variable was significantly influenced by the variables of planning, organizing and monitoring-evaluation, with a contribution value of 78.20%. Thus, it indicated that the planning, organizing and monitoring-evaluation variables contributed directly or indirectly to the implementation of principal management in online learning. Generally, the online learning management activities conducted by the principals of junior high schools in Indonesia have been carried out well, especially in the Implementing aspect. However, the aspects of Planning, as well as Monitoring and Evaluation, still need to be improved. Recommendations for Practitioners: The government is recommended to provide adequate online learning supporting facilities as well as to facilitate teachers to increase insight and knowledge in terms of technology use, especially in designing, implementing, and providing assessments of online learning. So far, the government has provided some facilities and conveniences to principals and teachers. However, some information and ICT related trainings from the government during the COVID-19 pandemic is not widely known by the principals and the teachers. Socialization about these is needed. Recommendation for Researchers: This work offers a theoretical understanding of the problems faced by school principals in facing COVID-19. Further research on how principals and teachers manage online learning activities needs to be carried out to solve various problems which might arise during the process of implementation. Impact on Society: This research suggests that the principals in Indonesia have good online learning management. However, to reach the stated learning objectives efficiently and effectively, the principals need to collaborate with the teachers as the main facilitators of the teaching and learning process. Cooperation with parents is also highly recommended. Future Research: Further research should focus on how the application of online learning can improve students’ achievement through good management and collaboration with teachers, other administration staff at schools, and parents.

Teacher-Student Interaction in Distance Learning in Emergency Situations

Aim/Purpose: The goal of this study was to examine which of the types of teacher-student interactions found in previous studies by Kang (2009) and Kang and Im (2013) during distance learning in routine situations, were also found in times of emergency, specifically during the COVID-19 pandemic, and whether these interactions differed between students with regard to the extent and nature of each type of interaction. Background: Teacher-student interactions during learning in general and particularly in distance learning has an impact on students’ satisfaction, motivation, and ability to contend with learning assignments. As learning in times of emergency poses additional, unique challenges, teacher-student interactions may be affected as well. Methodology: The participants in the study were 591 undergraduate students from different departments in a teaching college, who answered an opinion survey after completing a semester of distance learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Qualitative textual content analysis was performed on students’ answers to open-ended questions about the nature of their interaction with their teachers. The students’ answers were divided and analyzed according to the answers they gave on a separate questionnaire on self-regulation in learning. Contribution: The findings of this study can offer a theoretical contribution to understanding the different types of teacher-student interactions in distance learning in emergency situations, their frequency, and how they are connected to students’ self-regulation. From the practical perspective, the study highlights the importance of this interaction, especially in times of emergency, and offers practical insights for teachers in academia and in general. Findings: The study’s findings reflect students’ critical need for interaction with their teachers in emergency distance learning. The students reported different types of interaction with their teachers during the COVID-19 period. The most common form of interaction was instructional communication (Q&A), which mainly took place via email, though students would have preferred WhatsApp. The least common form of interaction was social intimacy. Students with a high level of self-regulation were more likely to report on interaction with the teacher, and to take more responsibility for whether or not interaction occurred. Recommendations for Practitioners: Considering the findings of this study, colleges and universities should invest in training and encouraging teachers to engage in different types of interaction with their students. It is important for teachers to be aware of the need for these types of interaction. Encouraging teacher-student interaction in teachers’ training colleges (where this study was carried out) is also important, as it may affect the teaching methods used by the students when they become teachers in the future and, consequently, influence the entire education system. Recommendation for Researchers: Research of teacher-student interaction in distance learning should take into account the unique characteristics and challenges posed by this type of learn-ing in times of emergency, as found in this study. Additional technological and pedagogic tools should be developed to improve teacher-student interaction so that it meets the students’ expectations during routine and emergency times alike. Impact on Society: Studies have found that teacher-student interaction is one of the greatest contributors to students’ motivation and satisfaction and to their ability to cope with learning assignments. As distance learning has become widespread and inevitable in times of emergency or crisis, which may occur again in the future, improving interaction during distance learning in an emergency is very important. This may improve the learners’ ability to maintain their regular learning routine despite the emergency situation. Future Research: It is recommended to expand the research method and examine the data using in-depth interviews and questionnaires. It is also worth comparing the findings of this study with findings of similar studies among students in colleges and universities other than teachers’ training colleges, graduate students, and students of different ages.

Integrating Information Technology in Precollege Education in Kuwait: Teachers’ Perspectives on a Botched Initiative

Aim/Purpose: This study collects empirical evidence to investigate the extent to which high school teachers adopted the tablet computer in their instruction within the context of the Tablet Project in Kuwait and explores what drove their adoption behavior. Background: The role of information technology in education is prominent and takes different forms depending on the purpose of information technology adoption and the adopted information technology systems. To utilize emerging technology in education in Kuwait, the government launched an initiative to integrate the tablet computer into high school education during the 2015–2016 academic year. Three years later, some evidence doubting the project’s value had had been circulated, which motivated undertaking a thorough investigation to assess the project’s effectiveness, particularly from the teachers’ perspectives and its influential factors. Methodology: We adapted an expanded Technology Acceptance Model to assess the extent of high school teachers’ use of the system in their teaching practice and to examine the effects of teaching efficacy, perceived ease of use, and perceived usefulness on that use behavior. To test the research hypotheses, a data set was collected from 206 teachers and analyzed using the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) method. Contribution: Our empirically derived results confirm the scanty information that was in circulation at the time of this study and that claimed that the Tablet Project was not progressing sufficiently or achieving its objectives. These results could guide future efforts aimed at effectively integrating information technology into high school education in Kuwait and at enhancing the ongoing online education necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. They also advise that effective integration of information technology into teaching and learning mandates a comprehensive redesign and digitization of the targeted educational system. Findings: Although teachers report minimal use of the system in teaching, teaching efficacy emerges as the strongest determinant of that use behavior, followed by perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness. The fitted model also has satisfactory explanatory power as it explains 43% of the variance in use behavior. Recommendations for Practitioners: The results of this study suggest that, in the public schools of Kuwait, teaching efficacy is a more important determinant of the use behavior of information technology in teaching than perceived ease of use or perceived usefulness. In addition, it is difficult to adopt information technology into teaching where there is inadequate awareness of the role of technology in e-learning, a lack of content modules fit for information technology-assisted teaching, poor Internet connections, a lack of technical support, and a lack of adequate professional and technical training. Recommendation for Researchers: This study offers significant empirical results from the Arabian milieu on the utility of the Technology Acceptance Model in elucidating public high school teachers’ adoption of the tablet computer in teaching practice. Our results also enhance the growing global body of knowledge on the integration of hedonic systems as well as their individual and contextual determinants in education, in general, and in teaching practice, in particular. Furthermore, teaching efficacy is an important determinant of teachers’ adoption of information technology in teaching. Impact on Society: Information technology augments traditional, face-to-face teaching and learning in societies by incorporating rich, online learning experiences and creating a motivating and efficient learning environment. Yet, the value of information technology-enabled education depends significantly on the successful integration of the systems into the educational process, and the results of this study could serve as a foundation for policies and plans aimed at successfully integrating information technology into the educational systems in Kuwait and similar societies. Future Research: The results and limitations of this study suggest several future research topics. Future research should explore the extent of students’ adoption of the tablet computer in learning activities and its important determinants to gain a better understanding of the Kuwaiti Tablet Project initiative. In addition, future research should employ other research methods (e.g., qualitative analysis), use samples from private schools’ teachers, and incorporate and test other possible determinants of teachers’ adoption of information technology in teaching to verify the validity and generalizability of the reported results.

Technologies for Learning Writing in L1 and L2 for the 21st Century: Effects on Writing Metacognition, Self-Efficacy and Argumentative Structuring

Aim/Purpose: Quality in higher education assumes the challenge of developing in all citizens of the 21st century the cognitive, motivational, and socio-cultural dimensions that provide them with communication competences including the use of information and communication technologies, for the dissemination of sustainable scientific knowledge in different languages. Hence this paper evaluates a didactic-technological process called “Ensayo Científico Multilingüe” or ECM (“Multilingual Scientific Essay”), which guides the construction of argumentative texts in a shared didactic space in the native language (L1) and in the first foreign language (L2). Background: Although the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in educational contexts stands out as an index of quality, some studies indicate that these technologies, by themselves, do not produce changes in learning. The possibility that ICTs can contribute to a university-quality education is by providing measures that allow verification of the effects on the real improvement of the learning of communication competences of students and, especially, in the learning of written communication for the purpose of scientific dissemination. In order to do so, this research is based on the Metasociocognitive Written Composition (MWC) model that explains university writing as a complex process in which, metacognitively, cognitive-linguistic competences and socio-cultural experiences interact with motivational factors to achieve outreach objectives within a disciplinary field. This interaction always takes place by applying a specific textual genre. Methodology: For this research, a mixed quasi-experimental research design was proposed, with a control and an experimental group with 50 university students in each group. This design included two repeated measures (pre-test, post-test) for three dependent variables: (i) metacognition of writing; (ii) self-efficacy of argumentative writing; and (iii) structuring of the argumentative essay, in both L1 and L2. Validated instruments were selected and the correlations between the variables described both before and after the application of the ECM, in L1 and L2, as well as their correlations with the didactic-technological procedures integrated in the ECM: written activities, their extension, languages used, Lesson and Forums. Contribution: This article analyses the didactic-technological procedures that may be influencing the improvement in the learning of argumentative writing, both in L1 and L2, with validity and reliability. This enables the establishment of technological strategies for teaching shared in L1 and L2, both real and contrasted. Findings: It can be stated that the ECM creates a shared didactic-technological space in different languages, producing similar effects in L1 and L2, both on writing metacognition and on self-efficacy and argumentative structuring. The ECM enhances the association of writing metacognition with argumentative self-efficacy in L1 and L2. However, these dimensions are not associated with the structuring of argumentative essays, either in L1 or in L2. Furthermore, it is verified that the described variables are associated with the didactic-technological procedures integrated in the ECM in the following ways: (i) the procedure to promote writing metacognition (through the Lesson tool) is associated with argumentative structuring in L2; (ii) the extent of writing activities is associated, only, with argumentative self-efficacy in L1; and (iii) participation in the Forums presents a very low association with all the variables measured. Recommendations for Practitioners: The present study promotes the application of the ECM by introducing changes in the procedures to improve its effectiveness in argumentative writing learning of a scientific nature, in L1 and L2. In this sense, it is proposed: (i) to adapt and implement the genre-based writing instructions methodology to the technological context; (ii) incorporate more collaborative technologies in the construction of the text; and (iii) reduce the number of forums and replace the extensive activities with micro activities. Recommendation for Researchers: Present the ECM in an open mode that allows access to international students and, thus, to be able to validate the instruments in different languages, checking its effects with a diversity of groups. Impact on Society: The results of this research show that it is possible to promote the learning of argumentative writing in L1 and L2 from the first year of university, sharing didactic-technological learning spaces. The potential of ICT to help students manage and acquire better scientific writing skills in different languages and its positive results to meet the needs of students, both in L1 and L2, is especially demonstrated. In short, the procedures, resources, applications, and tools integrated in a didactic process are described, demonstrating their effectiveness, for the development of communicative competences of scientific dissemination. Undoubtedly, this contributes to a quality higher education, so demanded internationally, for the creation of a culture of peace and cooperation that enables sustainable global development. Future Research: Another line of research that is being developed in the future is the adaptation of ECM to the teaching of other genres and educational levels, as well as for the integration of people with functional diversity and immigrants.

Examining Gender Differences in Student Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Model from the Switching Costs and Quality-Related Perspectives

Aim/Purpose: The aim of this study is to address the research questions on: (1) what factors can significantly influence student learning in remote classes during the COVID-19 pandemic? and (2) what are the gender differences, if any, in this context? To do this, the authors developed a research model from the switching costs (defined as the time and effort students have been put to change from one learning platform to another) and quality-related perspectives. In addition, gender differences are examined and identified by testing the proposed research model on male and female students, respectively. Background: The recent worldwide outbreak of COVID-19 has changed many aspects of people’s lives, including higher education. To better protect students and faculty, many universities have moved most of their classes online. Such a sudden change could make significant impacts on student learning. Thus, this study aims to empirically examine factors that can influence student learning in remote classes during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to investigate potential gender differences in such a context. Methodology: The survey method is used in this study. The survey invitation was sent to students in multiple classes that had switched from in-person learning to remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey was distributed in the online format. In total, 428 students completed the survey, with 202 being males and 226 being females. Contribution: This study contributes to the current literature on student learning during emergency situations such as COVID-19 by developing a research model to systematically investigate potential factors that could influence their perceptions of academic performance and learning enjoyment. A second contribution is the integration of theoretical perspectives of switching costs and three types of quality-related constructs in the proposed research model. In addition, the authors also investigate gender differences based on the proposed research model, and some interesting differences have been found and reported in this study. Findings: Data analysis indicates that perceived value has a significant impact on perceived academic performance for female but not male students. In addition, male students find information quality to be a significant factor in perceived academic performance, but not perceived learning enjoyment; on the contrary, their female counterparts find it to be significant in influencing perceived learning enjoyment, but not perceived academic performance. Also, female students perceive system quality to be influential on their learning enjoyment and support service quality to be influential on their academic performance, but no such significant perceptions are found among male students. Recommendations for Practitioners: The results of this study could help bring some insights to educators on teaching remote classes during the COVID-19 pandemic (or potentially in other similar emergency situations). For example, when moving classes to the remote platform because of an emergency situation, in order to make sure a smooth transition and achieve a higher rate of student learning success, educators, as well as the institution, need to focus on reducing the costs and, in the meanwhile, increasing the benefits associated with such a change from the students’ perspective. In addition, educators may need to keep in mind the gender differences identified in this study, which may help them better understand the learning needs of different gender groups. Recommendation for Researchers: Researchers could validate and apply the proposed research model on students from different types of institutions (such as public universities vs. private universities) and students at different levels (such as undergraduate vs. graduate students). It could also be valuable to apply and extend the current model on students from other nations who have different cultural backgrounds. Impact on Society: Understanding influential factors on student learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as gender differences in this context, could help educators better adjust their teaching of remote classes in such an emergency situation, thus meeting the learning needs of students in both gender groups. Future Research: Future research could further validate the research model proposed in this study by applying it to students in other institutions and other nations. Also, in addition to perceived academic performance and learning enjoyment, future research may expand the current model or create new models on other student learning-related dependent variables.

Lifelong Learning: Principles for Designing University Education

Aim/Purpose: Due to the rapid development of digital technology, create knowledge to support the development of education for lifelong learning. Background: There is a lack of normative and prescriptive support that can guide the development of education concerning lifelong learning. Methodology: Design science research, interviews, grounded theory and root-cause analysis. Contribution: Contribution to practice: A master program in Information Systems that supports lifelong learning. Contribution to theory: Advancements on design knowledge that can guide the development of education programs concerning rapid advancements in digital technology. Findings: Five design principles: consider rapid development of digital technology, balance time-consuming bureaucratic procedures with companies’ demands for speedy access to modern courses, simplify procedures for students applying with work experience qualifications, implement plans for competence development of teachers, and base courses on rigour and relevance. Recommendations for Practitioners: Companies could enter the whole education program or select interesting courses or course modules. Recommendation for Researchers: The design principles should be considered when research on guidance concerning lifelong learning for adult learners is conducted. Impact on Society: Lifelong learning enhances social inclusion, active citizenship and personal development, as well as competitiveness and employability. Future Research: Further validation of the design principles in order to create knowledge that can support the development of education for lifelong learning.