Expanding Accessibility to Mathematics in Costa Rica Using Digital Technology

Strategic priorities of social production digitalization: world experience

Digital technologies have become more important in the health care sector in the past decades. This transition from conventional to digital health care has been accelerated by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which poses the risk of creating a "digital divide," inadvertently placing those who are older, economically disadvantaged, and have a lower level of education at a disadvantage. This study focuses on the influence of socioeconomic factors on the adoption of digital health technology in the Frisian population and how this relation is affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2019 and 2020, a panel study was conducted on digital health in the Frisian population in the Netherlands. In the survey, the use of digital health technology was operationalized in a broad sense, going beyond the care context by also including preventative health-promoting solutions generally available on the consumer market, such as wearables and lifestyle apps. First, to assess the influence of socioeconomic factors on the total use of digital health apps, a generalized linear model was fitted with use of digital health app as the dependent variable and socioeconomic factors as between-subject factors on the 2019 data. Second, to analyze whether the use of separate health apps increased from 2019 to 2020, we conducted chi-square tests on different digital health app types. Third, to examine the influence of COVID-19 on the use of digital health apps, a generalized linear mixed model was fitted with the use of digital health apps as the dependent variable, COVID-19 as the within-subject variable, and socioeconomic factors as between-subject factors. The results indicated that prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, digital health technology use was higher in women, younger people, and those who are well educated and economically more privileged. Moreover, the percentage of people who reported using digital health technology rose from 70% (1580/2258) to 82.5% (1812/2197) due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This increase was significant for all separate types of digital health technology (all P<.001). In addition, we found the interaction effects of COVID-19 with age and education attainment, indicating that the lower total use among older people and people with lower education attainment became slightly less apparent from 2019 to 2020. These findings on the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the digital divide indicated that the use of all types of digital health apps increased and that older individuals and people with a lower level of education caught up a little during COVID-19. Future research should gain more insight into this effect and examine whether it persists beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, future endeavors should focus on vulnerable groups, ensuring they receive adequate attention to guarantee access to health care, preventative health-promoting solutions, and social services.

The times of the last pandemic that plagued humanity challenged educators to find alternatives to face-to-face teaching, which arose through technological applications. Based on the symbiosis between face-to-face teaching and distance learning, this study seeks to gain insight into the perceptions of Mathematics and Biomedical Sciences students at a Portuguese public university regarding the b-learning methodology, as well as to identify the underlying factors that determine these perceptions, through their responses to an online survey. Adopting a quantitative approach, this study describes the students’ perceptions of the two courses, identifying characteristics related to their role in this learning modality. An exploratory factor analysis revealed four factors: learner receptivity towards the distance component, learner-learner interaction, learner-instructor interaction and transactional distance. The present findings revealed significant differences between the two courses, particularly in relation to the first factor. Mathematics students had lower factor scores compared to Biomedical Sciences students. Spearman correlation analysis identified effective time management as a crucial work habit associated with all four factors. Regarding the availability of resources, successful adaptation to distance teaching and learning platforms emerged as the primary characteristic correlated to the four factors. Additionally, learner receptivity towards the distance component, learner-instructor interaction and transactional distance were identified as the main factors associated with student motivation towards b-learning. This study suggests that while the b-learning approach proves to be suitable in terms of facilitating dialogue, the distance component has revealed its weakness, especially posing greater challenges for Mathematics students.

This article critically examines the promise of Internet-based digital technology to open up the world to people with disabilities, and the parallel danger that the social construction of disability in the digital environment will simply come to mirror pre-existing analogue discrimination. This paper explores how technologies and innovations designed to improve access by the disabled actually enhance access for all users. The first part of the paper focuses on ‘Web 2.0’ and digital access for people with disability, particularly those with vision impairment. The online software that drives the iPod and iPhone and exclusively delivers content to these devices is iTunes. While iTunes seems on the surface to provide enormous opportunity for the vision impaired to access a broad selection of audio content, its design actually works to inhibit access to the platform for this group. Apple promotes the use of iTunes in educational settings through the iTunes U channel, and this potentially excludes those who have difficulty with access to the technology. Critically, it is these excluded people who, potentially, could benefit the most from the new technology. We consider the difficulty experienced by users of screen readers and braille tablets in relation to iTunes and highlight the potential problems for universities who seek to utilise iTunes U. In the second part of the paper we reframe disability accessibility as a principle of universal access and design and outline how changes made to assist users with disability can enhance the learning experience of all students using the Lectopia lecture recording and distribution system as an example. The third section of the paper situates these digital developments within the continuum of disability theory deploying Finkelstein’s three stages of disability development. The focus then shifts to the potential of online virtual worlds such as Second Life to act as a place where the promise of technology to mediate for disability might be realised. Goggin and Newell suggest that the Internet will not be fully accessible until disability is considered a cultural identity in the same way that class, gender and sexuality are. This article argues that accessibility must be addressed through the context of design and shared open standards for digital platforms.

The right of persons with disabilities for equal access to education and educational resources is enshrined by international and country-specific anti-discrimination laws. Taking the Ethiopian context as an example, this paper sought to identify barriers of access to educational resources and explored ways for removing them. Seventeen students with visual impairments studying at Hawassa University were selected for semi-structured interviews. Moreover, five individuals working at the disability centre and the university library were interviewed. The results of the interviews were analysed thematically using the International Classification of Functioning, Disabilities and Health (ICF) as a framework. Access and accessibility problems that emanate from the learners’ diverse background, lack of educational resources in alternative formats, lack of institutional tools (policy, procedure, guidelines, etc.) to bridge the gap between law and practice, and the digital divide were among the problems identified and discussed. At the end, the paper showed how libraries, revitalised as learning and information commons, could help to ensure the accessibility of educational resources and help learners with disabilities to acquire skills that may help them in their studies and their future undertakings.

A culture of coexistence

Digital technology has offered a completely different way of learning compared to previous times. Until now, the problem of equitable internet access and various limitations of digital resources have become obstacles in transforming technology-based learning.It's already been experienced. Some educators have successfully implemented online learning by involving students in a different learning management system (LMS), they have used LMS as part of non-traditional learning even before the pandemic started, e-learning for example, distance learning or blended learning.From the ongoing global pandemic, educational organizations are expected to be able to create learning methods based on the use of technology with all aspects and technological developments, it's just that currently educational organizations to realize it are much faster than previous expectations because the gaps in learning that need to be anticipated and researched are based on digital technology which also practically breaks the pandemic cycle. © 2021 Karadeniz Technical University. All rights reserved.

This research explores the relationship between digital technology and human resource practices, analyzing contemporary research conducted between 2016 and December 31, 2023. The systematic literature review adheres to fundamental review principles and identifies various studies conducted across various nations on the conceptual application of digital technology in human resource practices. This paper emphasizes the importance of understanding digital technology and human resource practices for all organizational levels, aiming to help professionals build and implement these practices for stronger competitive advantages in the digital technological era. Many methodological (exclusive search) constraints exist in this review, which may limit how well it can be used with additional case studies. Digital technology and human resource practices are essential parts of developing digital and advanced technologies relevant to human resource practices in many aspects. This systematic literature review analysed the relationship between digital technology and human resource practices, demonstrating their interconnectedness through a comprehensive review of research in this field. Both concepts of digital technology and human resource practices linkage was not more focused before. A full understanding of the current state of digital technology and research conceptualization for human resource practices on a single platform through developing a thorough technological concept in human resource practices.

In the context of the digitalization of the economy, fundamentally new approaches are required in the training of engineers based on the capabilities of both modern digital technologies and the digital environment. The modern volume and quality of digital technologies create conditions for the development of new ways of their use in education, as well as the application of world experience in innovative solutions in the field of digitalization of education. One of the key peculiarities of open education is the widespread use of modern digital technologies in the learning process, open educational resources (OER), massive open online courses (MOOCs). There are two trends in the implementation of the concept of open education. The first trend is to use the advantages of OER and MOOCs to maximize access to the world’s highest quality educational services. To solve this problem, it is necessary to develop methods for the use of OER materials in education. The second trend is to create conditions for the design and constant updating of the personal educational environment of teachers and students based on modern digital tools. The use of OER and online learning technologies in the educational process have not become widespread yet. In fact, there is not enough attention which is paid to methodological support for the integration of both educational and digital technologies. These problems can be solved using blended learning technology, which allows combining the advantages of digital and pedagogical technologies, overcoming their disadvantages. Thus depending on the tools used in the digital educational environment, the nature of their application in the educational process, as well as on the degree of restructuring of the educational process, various options for the design and organization of blended learning can be developed. The obtained results of the study allowed us to propose the following recommendations: conducting an information campaign to reveal the prospects, advantages, strategies in the use of OER and MOOCs in higher education; creation of conditions for the development of innovative approaches to the use of digital technologies, the creation of methodological support for blended learning models, the processes of integrating both educational and digital technologies; for the continuous development and renewal of the competencies of teachers and students in the field of using digital resources.KeywordsIntegration of digital and pedagogical technologiesBlended learningOnline trainingMassive open online-courses

The use of digital technologies is a fundamental part of being a university student. Hence, there is a growing interest in equipping students with the skills they need to thrive in a world that is full of technology and constantly changing. Moreover, the need to provide university students with the skills they need to succeed in a rapidly changing, technologically advanced society is also growing. It has become more common for students to learn mathematics using digital technologies and conventional techniques as a result of recent advancements in both the world and technology. To ensure the future of mathematics students and society for sustainability, technology, and education should collaborate. The study investigated how students felt about using digital technology to teach mathematics. This study employed a case study design and was qualitative in nature. The technology Acceptance Model was employed as the theoretical framework which explains how to encourage users to accept and utilise new digital technologies. Twenty second-year mathematics students who were specifically chosen to be information-rich participants made up the study's participant pool. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews. The collected data was analysed using thematic analysis. The findings revealed that students had a positive attitude towards embracing digital tools to learn mathematics. However, they encountered some difficulties as they were learning mathematics using digital tools.

This study aims to identify both the level and frequency of digital technology use and perceived self-efficacy levels of pre-service teachers (n = 341). We collected data in Costa Rica through a survey during the 2016–2017 academic year; the survey includes closed-ended items on the use and frequency of digital technologies along with open-ended questions. Findings suggest that a majority of pre-service teachers frequently use digital technologies for both professional and private use and specifically the mobile phone and social media. Results further suggest they find themselves self-efficacious in the use of “traditional” digital technologies that are also used in teacher training by professors/teacher trainers such as laptop, email and video. They are less confident in using mobile phones and social media for teaching even though they use them extensively for their professional development.

Introduction. The development of computerization and digital technologies in the world leads to their widespread use in the educational process of higher education, at the same time, the modern digital society poses new challenges for national education in terms of training students, who will flexibly adapt to real-life practical situations, think creatively, generate ideas, freely navigate information flows, and be able to search, process, create and use digital information through technical, software, hardware, network and other means of digital technologies. The use of such technologies is extremely relevant today, as there is an urgent need for new approaches to the training of physical therapy specialists due to a number of social factors associated with the deterioration of the health of different age groups, an increase in injuries and disabilities among civilians and military personnel caused by military operations in our country. The purpose of the publication is to substantiate the use of digital technologies in the training of future specialists in the specialty 227 Therapy and Rehabilitation of the educational program "Physical Therapy". Methods. Theoretical analysis of scientific sources, generalization, systematization and comparison of the collected material, modeling. Results. The concepts of pedagogical technology, innovative technology, digitalization of education, digital technology, medical information system have been clarified. The specifics of training specialists in the speciality "Physical Therapy" and functional responsibilities in the future profession are clarified. The article outlines the positions of domestic scholars on the interpretation of the term "digital technology". Some consider this concept as digital resources (platforms, applications, messengers, programmes), others as teaching methods, technical (computer) learning tools. In most scientific sources, the definition of digital technology is presented in terms of various options for combining elements of existing other technologies (interactive, project-based, person-centered) with computer-based learning tools. It has been found that digital technologies are actively used not only in the educational process of higher education institutions, including medical ones, but also in the practical activities of health care institutions. Attention was focused on the practical use of educational simulations, telemedicine, teleexamination, online consultation, electronic health care system (eHealth), medical information systems (Health 24, Doctor Eleks, Helsi), and artificial intelligence in the work of physical therapists. The article presents variants of combining elements of digital and other teaching technologies in practical classes in the discipline "Pedagogy and the Art of Teaching" for students of the second (master's) level of the educational programme "Physical Therapy", speciality "Therapy and Rehabilitation". Conclusion. The use of digital technologies in combination with elements of other innovative technologies ensures effective training of future physical therapists and enriches the process of communicative interaction between the teacher and students in practical classes in the discipline "Pedagogy and the Art of Teaching" for second (master's) level students. Further research needs to highlight the problem of distinguishing between methods and means of teaching that encompass digital technologies. Further research needs to highlight the problem of distinguishing between methods and means of teaching that encompass digital technologies.

We examined the prevalence of access problems among public clinic patients after participating in trials of automated telephone disease management with nurse follow-up. Randomized trial. General medicine clinics of a county health care system and a Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system. Five hundred seventy adults with diabetes using hypoglycemic medication were enrolled and randomized; 520 (91%) provided outcome data at 12 months. Biweekly automated telephone assessments with telephone follow-up by diabetes nurse educators. At follow-up, patients reported whether in the prior 6 months they had failed to obtain each of six types of health services because of a financial or nonfinancial access problem. Patients receiving the intervention were significantly less likely than patients receiving usual care to report access problems (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 0.61; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.43 to 0.97). The risk of reporting access problems was greater among county clinic patients than VA patients even when adjusting for their experimental condition, and socioeconomic and clinical risk factors (AOR, 1.61; 95% CI, 1.02 to 2.53). County patients were especially more likely to avoid seeking care because of a worry about the cost (AOR, 2.82; 95% CI, 1.48 to 5.37). Many of these public sector patients with diabetes reported that they failed to obtain health services because they perceived financial and nonfinancial access problems. Automated telephone disease management calls with telephone nurse follow-up improved patients' access to care. Despite the impact of the intervention, county clinic patients were more likely than VA patients to report access problems in several areas.

Introduction. In higher education, the issue of using digital technologies that have already proved their value in other areas of social life (big data, digital libraries, the Internet of Things, etc.), and those that have recently become publicly available and still are rarely used in the education system (but are sure to be used in the future) is gaining relevance nowadays. The latter include the artificial intelligence, with ChatGPT 4.0 neural network being one of its types. In Russia, the need to implement the artificial intelligence (AI) is directly stated in the Executive Order of the President of the Russian Federation No. 490 of October 10, 2019, where the National AI Development Strategy for the period until 2030 has been approved. The Russian Federation Government Directive No. 3759-r “On Approval of the Strategic Direction in the Field of Science and Higher Education Digital Transformation” of December 21, 2021 emphasizes that the goal of digital transformation is to achieve a high level of “digital maturity” in higher education organizations, scientific organizations and the responsible sectoral body of federal executive power. The above regulatory requirements induce the research on the prospects of AI technology implementation in educational institutions of all types, including law faculties. The objective of the research is to analyse the organisational, legal and ethical aspects of using the artificial intelligence and justify (on an example of ChatGPT) the advantages and threats of integrating the neural networks in the study process at law faculties of Russian universities.Materials and Methods. In the research, the commonly accepted in Russia methods of scientific cognition were used: the dialectical method, analysis, synthesis, historical case-specific method, logical, comparative legal, systemic methods, and others.Results. In the frame of the research, the theory and practice of using the artificial intelligence in educational process at law faculties have been analysed on an example of ChatGPT neural network. The need of embedding into the curriculum (e.g., at Master's level) the special academic courses that present the features of using the artificial intelligence in juridical practices has been justified. The advantages and threats of using the artificial intelligence, possible regulations for its use in the study process have been identified. Ethical issues of using the artificial intelligence have been investigated, and the experience of various Russian and foreign universities that accept its usage has been summarised.Discussion and Conclusion. Humanity is on the threshold of a new industrial revolution, therefore it is impossible to hinder the development of artificial intelligence any longer. Under the influence of ChatGPT, not only the concept of higher education and a list of teacher and student competencies will change in the nearest future, but also the very understanding of ethics, acceptability and parameters of using the artificial intelligence and other digital technologies. The ideology and philosophy of higher education will change, which will entail legal, methodological, technical and other consequences resulting in adoption of the new digital-reality-related amendments to the Russian Law on Education. The countries where a conservative approach to the new digital educational technologies prevails, will be lagging behind the advanced countries of the world. Formation of a new digital model of graduate’s competencies will happen against the background of other social life changes, including the use of the Internet of Things, unmanned aerial vehicles, robots, artificial intelligence, big data, nanotechnology and many other things. Although the majority of these innovations are not directly related to law, their use will require a legal framework, and lawyers competent in resolving digital disputes will be needed. This is precisely why digital technologies should be integrated into education and taught to students of law faculties.

The paper studies issues of accessibility of massive open online courses (MOOCs) for persons with disabilities. By browsing the catalogues of five leading MOOC-platforms with Russian-language content, 56 MOOCs on undergraduate mathematical disciplines were found. As a result of expert analysis according to 70 criteria, MOOCs’ accessibility for people with disabilities was estimated. Any mistakes related to hyperlinks interpretation, audio playback quality, visualization in graphic browsers, adaptation to mobile devices, color contrast and keyboard controls were not revealed. At the same time, the analysis showed that 100% MOOCs offer no features for customizing a user interface, do not provide access to the content through a text browser; 98% of digital documents, 82% of math content and 91% of tests are incorrectly interpreted by screen readers; 64%, 66% and 52% of the courses, respectively, have no subtitles, shorthand transcripts and outlines to video lessons; no courses provide video interpretation using sign language; in all MOOCs the audio track is not enough for adequate perception of video lessons. The results indicate low accessibility of Russian-language mathematical MOOCs for people with disabilities, especially with severe visual impairments. The accessibility problems are related to technological limitations of the MOOC platforms and to developer errors. The results suggest the need for revising the MOOCs in accordance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG2.1); guaranteeing strict adherence to the guidelines by platforms’ administrators before posting new courses; training MOOCs’ authors and developers in creating accessible learning content; involving persons with disabilities in beta testing of MOOCs.