Exploring the role of e-learning in career readiness: experiences of business students in Myanmar

To prepare citizens for the digital era, the Vietnamese government has issued guidance for higher institutions to play a vital role in cultivating digital skills. However, these institutions face challenges due to limited digital technology capacity, resulting in inadequate skill development. To address this, they collaborate with industries through internships to provide students with opportunities to enhance their digital skills in real work settings. Nonetheless, the strategies that higher institutions have implemented in designing internships for the development of students' digital skills are questionable to the public. Hence, this study aimed to explore the educational strategies implemented by higher education institutions in Vietnam to design internships that enhance learners' digital skills. Using a qualitative approach, primary data was collected through interviews with six policymakers from a higher institution in southern Vietnam, and additional data was gathered from documents related to internship and curriculum designs. Thematic analysis of the data revealed several strategies implemented in internship design, including curriculum design, pre-internship preparation, stakeholder regulations during internships, and evaluation actions. These strategies were identified as major themes for effective internship designs and the development of students' digital skills. The study also suggests various applications for multiple stakeholders and highlights the need for further research in this area. Keywords: designing internships, development of digital skills, agricultural students, Vietnam

Citizens of the twenty-first century use specific skills to solve real-life problem situations, propose interdisciplinary solutions, and sustainably solve their communities’ socio-scientific and technological problems, locally and globally. Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education is an integrated and interdisciplinary teaching-learning space. STEM careers are subject to gender gaps in terms of access to higher education, and only a quarter of female students follow a STEM career. Moreover, later in their professional careers, women often obtain lower salaries and income in the STEM professions. STEM education seeks to actively engage students by incorporating technologies into teaching-learning processes since, favoring searching, analysis, solution, and simulation of socio-scientific problems. The latter has become highly visible during the pandemic caused by COVID-19, particularly in emergency remote education measures. Information and communication technologies (ICT) plays a role in online education, either via the knowledge involved in school curricula or an understanding of how the pandemic has evolved. This is a triple task for professors since they must have the right skills to train citizens of the twenty-first century, build new stimulating learning spaces for their highly technologized students, and develop these skills in their students. This article reviews the concepts associated with digital and STEM skills by analyzing a case study, exploring the perception of students in terms of their development of these competencies, and the commitments required in the study plans made by a Professor of Chemistry in a Chilean state university. A mixed investigation was undertaken, considering three phases with different methodologies. The first phase consisted of a bibliographic study, comparing both the digital and STEM skills of several organizations in Chilean education (UNESCO, MINEDUC, and ISTE). ISTE was used as the basis of the applied questionnaire to establish coherence in the dimensions coming from different reference frames. A second phase refers to the analysis of the study plan programs associated with STEM, ICT, and chemistry teaching, through an Analysis Matrix of Aprioristic Categories. In a third phase, the development of digital skills in undergraduate Chemistry students and professors were evaluated through the Digital Competence Questionnaire of Higher Education Students. Based on UNESCO information, the STEM competencies address both the content and its application to problems related to STEM careers in a manner consistent with the training model for science and chemistry teachers. In the case of digital skills, UNESCO integrates international reference frameworks respecting each country’s laws, enabling them to adapt them. In Chile, MINEDUC focuses on teachers’ use of digital tools to improve the teaching-learning processes of students; and ISTE is focused on the skills of higher education. The analysis of the study programs shows that students’ digital skills do not meet the requirements of the Chilean Ministry of Education (MINEDUC). However, the programs enhance more complex cognitive levels when the curricula advance, promoting STEM skills. The digital competence questionnaire for higher education students (CDAES) survey showed a development proportional to the curricular pursuit of the students where, in the first year of the degree, the students declare positive answers in 60.5% of the items consulted. This trend increases in the second and third years (90.7% of positive answers) and the fourth and fifth years (93.0 and 95.4% of positive answers). It remains a challenge to develop skills to design, create or modify technological educational media that promote the use of digital and STEM skills. In conclusion, this research proposes digital and STEM skills for teacher training, discussing the relevance of their integration in STEM teaching and learning. The teacher training curriculum does not have an explicit association with digital and STEM skills, although it addresses the skills required by national and international benchmarks. However, the students indicate positive attitudes toward the digital skills developed progressively during their training as teachers. As future Chemistry teachers, they value the development of digital teaching skills that allow them to address the challenges that arise in the classroom and thus promote the appreciation of STEM careers, which helps form citizens with more sustainable intentions.

A new type of social inequality has arisen in the information society – the digital divide. The current understanding of this phenomenon is not so much connected with the problem of Internet access, but rather with the ability of users to employ digital technologies to improve their lives. Digital inequality creates new “social elevators” – the level of IT skills becomes the most important differentiating factor which sets a new framework for socialization system. A way to overcome the digital divide is to develop and implement a digital inclusion policy. Digital inclusion is a type of social inclusion in a digital society, aimed at overcoming inequality, digital isolation of citizens. It focuses on the social implications of differences in the use of IT by groups or individuals. Ultimately, the digital inclusion policy does not focus on the development of digital infrastructure or skills, but on ensuring the emergence of “visible” social results of online interaction among citizens (increment of economic, cultural and other forms of capital) due to the use of web resources. Based on comparative analysis, the manifestations of the digital divide in foreign countries and Russia are shown, the main types of digital inclusion policies and the agencies for their implementation are identified. The priorities of digital inclusion policy and the structure of its management depend on socio-political realities in each particular country. Overcoming regional and generational aspects of the digital divide is a priority for Russia. The European digital inclusion strategy is to provide digital benefits to all citizens, regardless of gender, age, education, income, geography. Mastering digital skills is shown as a fundamental indicator of digital inclusion in the modern sense. The key agencies of digital inclusion policy are nation-state and education system, however, the role of intersectoral interaction, NGOs, local communities, libraries in the development of digital skills among various population groups is significant. The monitoring system for digital inclusion policies is briefly described.

Under the impact of today’s digitally driven world, digital skills integration into education becomes essential for equipping learners with the competencies mandatory for success in the 21st century. This paper investigates the transformative capability of digitalisation in education and intends to explain its impact on the development of digital literacy and digital skills among Gen Z. The current scientific literature highlights the crucial role of digital skills in fostering employability, promoting innovation, and driving social progress. However, there remains a significant gap in understanding how digitalisation proposals within education affect skill acquisition, educational equity, and broader societal implications. This research paper applies a powerful mixed-method research technique and blends qualitative analysis - through study and analysis of field literature and European-level reports - with quantitative analysis of statistical data. The research question that governs this investigation aims at examining discrepancies in access and use of digital resources across various demographic groups. The main results of this investigation uncover a complicated relationship between digitalisation and skills development across EU-27. While cyber technologies provide many opportunities for customised learning and collaboration, gaps still persist and exacerbate already existing inequalities. Additionally, this paper identifies the need for extensive educational methodologies that ensure a harmonious incorporation of digital tools into educational curricula. Consequently, this paper is instrumental to the field of knowledge because it provides a broad analysis of the digitalisation of education and links theoretical judgements with empirical evidence. Finally, this research is disclosing the challenges and opportunities inherent in the development of digital skills, which present eloquent insights for policymakers, professors, and researchers determined to channel the full potential of digital technologies in education.

Any assumption that PSTs enter their initial teacher education degrees with skills in digital technologies equal to or exceeding their lecturers, or will be able to teach themselves whatever is needed, leaves all levels of education vulnerable to a mythology of practice. Rather than working from assumptions, this chapter focuses on explicit facilitation of PST digital literacy informed by the Digital Skill Development (DSD) framework, itself based on the facets and levels of autonomy of the Research Skill Development (RSD) framework. This chapter uses the DSD framework as a lens to examine PSTs’ understanding of what digital skills encompass. In a dedicated digital technologies unit at Monash University, 190 second year PSTs were encouraged to confront digital skill statistics that question the Digital Native myth, and were surveyed about their own digital competence. Five weeks later, they were asked to explain their understanding of digital skills and after 12 weeks they were surveyed about their digital competence. Findings were used to uncover which digital skill facets PSTs recognised and responded to and which needed more focus in the unit. More broadly, the conclusions will add to our understanding of the implications of explicit digital research skill development for the field of teacher education.

Migrants encounter multiple challenges, such as learning new languages and adapting to a new life. While digital technologies help them learn, limited research has been conducted on their digital skills development. In this article, we report on migrants’ digital skills development while learning language through culture using a web app developed by an EU-funded project that aimed to promote social cohesion through a two-way exchange of knowledge and skills. Forty-six migrant and 43 home community members in Finland, Spain, Türkiye, and the UK participated in intercultural and intergenerational pairs to engage with and co-create interactive digital cultural activities in multiple languages. Participants’ digital, linguistic and cultural gains were measured before and after the workshops. We report on participants’ digital skills, measured by a digital competence self-assessment tool developed based on DigComp, and interviews with the participants. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Qualitative data were analysed deductively using the categories of the DigComp framework. Findings indicate statistically significant improvement in migrants’ self-reported digital skills. Highest gains were in the competency area of digital content creation. Comparison of migrants’ digital skill development with that of home community members did not show any statistically significant differences, supporting our argument against the deficiency perspective towards migrant populations. Interview data suggested overall positive evaluations and highlighted the role of the web app instructions for content creation. We conclude with suggestions for further research and argue for inclusive pedagogies, emphasising how both community members learned from and with each other during the workshops.

Introduction The NHS Long Term Plan envisions a health and social care system that is patient-centred, equitable and safe, with staff who feel supported and enabled to do their work. Digitalisation is seen as essential to successful delivery of this, and its use to support medicines related activity continues to grow. Pharmacy staff need the necessary knowledge and skills to feel confident, competent and capable to use digital systems for patient benefit (1). However, development of Pharmacy workforce digital skills, and innovation with technology, continues to be a challenge (2). Aim This project aimed to, • define the barriers and facilitators faced by pharmacy staff, across an Integrated Care Provider, when developing digital skills. • create recommendations to enable pharmacy staff to develop the digital skills required to work with, and fully realise the potential of, digital systems in healthcare. Methods Senior pharmacy leadership staff from primary care, community pharmacy, mental health and secondary care, and front-line pharmacy staff from mental health and secondary care, participated in online focus groups and semi-structured interviews. Front-line pharmacy staff from Community Pharmacy and Primary Care did not participate in the focus groups and interviews. Their input was gathered through completion of a questionnaire. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Results Pharmacists, Pharmacy Technicians and Pharmacy Assistants/Support Workers were recruited to the study. Seven themes were identified from the combined data set. These were, 1) Digital Knowledge and Skill Development, 2) Supporting staff with change, 3) Enabling Innovation, 4) Risks of poor digital skill development, 5) Technology as a barrier, 6) Leadership, and 7) Across the health care system. The themes informed a set of recommendations. One of the stronger themes identified by nearly all participants related to ‘supporting staff with change’. Participants described the scale and pace, resistance to and fear of change, and having to learn new skills and processes as a consequence of digital system implementation. Some participants observed variation in practice and changes in professional identity as they adapted and adopted digital systems. Some participants described themselves, and members of staff they managed, as having a fixed ‘can’t do’ mindset when faced with technology. Some participants recognised the potential with digital yet felt constrained by their roles and the restrictions set by digital system configuration. Discussion/Conclusion The changes that occur in response to digital systems affect staff in multiple ways. Some effort is made in response to this through creation of a standard process for system use in clinical practice, but this is often months after digital system implementation. It is suggested that implementation is no longer considered and managed as a single moment in time, but is an iterative change process that incorporates alternative change models and tools to those currently used. This may improve staff adaptability, system use, digital skill development, innovation and realisation of health technology benefits. A weakness of the study is limited participantion from front-line Community and Primary Care pharmacy staff.

Today's children, and later students, are different from their predecessors' generations. Most of them already have a daily habit of using the Internet, email, sms, or social networks such as Facebook®, Instagram®, or Tik Tok®. This way of communication is found, more and more frequently, in their way of learning. Even if the teacher uses the new technologies in the classroom or not, or refers to various online learning communities, the students will certainly use these modern means of information at home, as support for the organization of teamwork in order to complete projects and other assignments. In this context, with valences somewhat similar to computer-assisted training, we propose to make an analysis of the discipline entitled "economic informatics". Through our research, we want to bring to the fore not only the organizational policy specific to the discipline in question but also to expose a series of benchmarks in relation to the course and laboratory activities. Equally, we strive to explain the students' way of reporting (implicit feedback) the effects targeted by economic informatics, especially those related to the training and development of digital skills.

The essential acquisition and development of digital skills in students and teachers is of vital importance for the teaching-learning process. That is why teaching strategies provide a support resource for developing skills that enable effective performance in the digital environment within the educational sphere. The objective of this study was to design a teaching strategy for developing skills in upper elementary students at the San Jacinto Educational Unit, located in a rural area. This study employs a descriptive design with a cross-sectional, non-experimental approach, incorporating both qualitative and quantitative methods. Using the empirical method, a survey was administered to students based on the ECODIES -40 v.2 questionnaire and another to teachers based on the “DigCompEdu Check-In” v.2021 instrument, both validated and based on the European Digital Competence Framework DigComp and DigCompEdu. The results revealed the heterogeneity of digital competencies among the student population in the five areas of digital competency. Among the main findings, the deficiencies presented by students could be a clear indication that educational institutions and other actors in the education system are not assuming their respective roles in the acquisition, development, and strengthening of digital competency skills.

The study aimed to identify the effectiveness of integrating technology in the development of digital photography skills among students of the Faculty of Basic Education in Kuwait. The researcher used the survey descriptive method. The researcher prepared a questionnaire of (26) paragraphs. The sample consisted of (288) members and faculty members of the Faculty of Basic Education, and the sample included (169) males and (119) females, who were randomly selected. The results showed the effectiveness of integrating technology in the development of digital photography skills among students of the Faculty of Basic Education in the Kuwait Department of Learning Technology, and the result was high. The average calculation of the development of digital photography skills among students ranged from (3.84-4.02) to a high degree, the overall score (of 3.98) was high. The results showed that there were no statistically significant differences (8.05) attributable to the effect of gender in the effectiveness of technology integration in the development of digital photography skills in students.

The new realities associated with the entry of digitalization into all spheres of life require its active application in the provision of social services. Digitalization in the provision of social services is extremely important from the point of view of the specifics of the people using such services. It is related to their needs, the need for facilitation, shortening the time for their service, expanding access to services and providing greater opportunities for inclusion of people who need and use these services. In the provision of social services, the organization and management of logistics are extremely important, both from the point of view of the delivery of the necessary products and services to the individuals in need, and on the basis of the logistics toolkit, which provides opportunities to optimize logistics costs, which is fundamental in the conditions of resource deficit. Social logistics (in the public sector) is a multifaceted concept that includes the application of the logistics concept, based on the integration and optimization of material and human flows and their accompanying information flows, through logistics tools, to the provision of public spheres and activities that directly or indirectly are related to people's health, their quality of life and their security and safety (Banabakova, 2023, p. 145, author's definition). The logistics of serving the unemployed, disabled and disadvantaged, which ensures the provision of social services to these users, is one of the main elements of social logistics. Digitalization and the development of digital skills in the provision of social services is directly related to the digitalization of logistics in serving the unemployed, disabled and disadvantaged. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown the important role of logistics in all areas of life, including the provision of social services and healthcare. In the conditions of the pandemic, the role of logistics was life-saving. The purpose of the present study is to highlight the specifics of social services and, on this basis, to identify the need, benefits and opportunities for digitization and the development of digital skills in the provision of social services and the logistics for their implementation in order to ensure better service and respectively – a higher quality of life for people with specific needs. In the development of this article, scientific methods were used, such as critical analysis, comparative analysis, an overview of the leading authors in the researched fields, methods of collecting secondary information and methods of collecting primary information - survey methods (survey and semi-structured in-depth interview with focal groups of experts in the researched fields) and method of observation, analysis of secondary and primary information and others. The main results of the research are in the following directions: identification of the specifics and problem areas in the provision of social services in Bulgaria; substantiating the need, benefits and opportunities for digitization and the development of digital skills in the provision of social services; bringing out the main possible tools for digitalization and development of digital skills in logistics in serving the unemployed, disabled and disadvantaged people in order to improve the quality of social services provided.

The article explores the use of digital models of hemodynamics to improve the health-saving competence of Physical Education teachers in postgraduate education through the integrative development of critical thinking and digital skills. The digital skills and critical thinking of a Physical Education teacher are relevant components of the 21st century skills system and are components of the health competence of a Physical Education teacher whose improvement is an important educational condition for the implementation of the sustainable development concept. The use of digital hemodynamic models, together with dialogical maieutics, reflexive and interactive educational practices, is an effective innovative educational technology that promotes the integrative development of digital skills, critical thinking, and the formation of fundamental and practically oriented morphology-based knowledge of cardiovascular system. Formed digital skills, critical thinking and knowledge of cardiovascular morphophysiology in Physical Education teacher is presented as a personal and intellectual condition for the prevention of sudden cardiac death of children and other cardiac pathology in the educational process during physical activity. The results of the study confirm the effectiveness of the use of digital models of hemodynamics to improve the healthsaving competence of Physical Education teachers in postgraduate education through the integrative development of critical thinking and digital skills.

PurposeAs part of the EFOP-3.3.3-VEKOP-16–2016-00001 “Museum and Library Development for All” project, a national representative digital literacy survey was conducted in Hungary's public libraries at the end of 2019. The aim of the present study is to provide a deeper analysis of the data collected during the survey to answer the question of the role of gender and age in the development of digital skills amongst librarians working in public libraries. This study was designed to answer the following four research questions: Are there levels of proficiency defined by DigComp 2.1 that are more specific to men or more specific to women? Are there areas of competence and competences that are clearly perceived as stronger or weaker for men or women? Are there areas of competence that are clearly influenced by age and others that are not or only moderately influenced by age? Which competences are clearly age-related, and which are not or only slightly affected by age?Design/methodology/approachThe main target group of the study were library professionals working in county libraries. The survey, based on the DigComp 2.1 (Gomez et al., 2017) framework, was conducted using an online questionnaire in the form of a self-assessment and explored four levels of digital literacy. A 30-question questionnaire was completed by 1,868 respondents. The sampling procedure was essentially stratified sampling. The large number of respondents and the sampling procedure combined with the representativeness of the sample meant that the results of the survey can be considered as generalisable to the whole Hungarian public library sector.FindingsOf the five competency areas assessed by the DigComp framework, librarians were found to be most competent in information and data literacy, and least competent in content development, according to the proportion of those with basic skills. 32 percent of women and 22 percent of men working in libraries rated their digital skills as basic, and both groups were weak or less weak in the same skills, with a few exceptions. At the intermediate level, there is a predominance of women. In the information and communication competency areas and in the content development and integrating and re-elaborating digital content in the content creation area, a high proportion of women consider their digital skills to be medium. Relatively few men rate their own competence in these areas as average. They are most likely to have advanced and highly specialised skills. The advanced level in DigComp2.1 implies, in addition to strong digital skills, the willingness and ability to help others, while the highly specialised level requires innovative and creative use of digital technology and knowledge transfer. These top two skill levels are more common amongst men. 34 per cent of men and 27 per cent of women have advanced skills, while 13 per cent of men and 6 per cent of women have highly specialised’s level. The age of librarians has only a minimal influence in certain areas of competence and for certain competences. Skills in the information and data literacy competency area are less age sensitive. For the data management competency, which requires more technological skills, a stronger correlation between age and skill levels is observed, especially for basic and highly specialised skills. In the communication competence area, the youngest age group of librarians has the highest percentage of advanced and the lowest percentage of basic level. The proportion of advanced learners decreases steadily as age groups progress and the proportion of basic learners increases at a similar steady rate. The effect of age on the content creation is much more modest than expected. Age clearly has an impact on the safety competence area. As age increases, the proportion of those at advanced level decreases and the proportion at basic level increases. Age also has a significant effect on the problem-solving competence area. One in two librarians in the 50 and 60s have only basic level skills, compared to one in four in the youngest age group and one in three in the 40s.Originality/valueUsing the DigComp 2.1 framework, a digital competence survey of a whole professional group of library professionals working in public libraries in Hungary was carried out. The study provides new insights into the impact of gender and age as variables on digital competence.

This article aims to disseminate some of the main results of the research: Development of digital skills in teaching students in Salto. Comparative study between Teaching students of the first generation of Plan Ceibal and Teaching students who did not participate in it. The research's problem question that arises is: What are the differences in the development of digital skills between Teacher Preparation students from the first generation of the implementation of Plan Ceibal and students who did not participate in it in Salto in 2017? The objective is to compare the development of digital competences between Teaching students from the first generation of the implementation of Plan Ceibal and students who did not participate in it. This research was carried out in 2017 with students who were in their second year of Teaching due to the growing importance of Digital Technologies in Education. Regarding the type of design this research presents, it is an exploratory type of investigation since, at the time the work was carried out, there was no access to antecedents in relation to the specific research problem. It is a mixed-study located at a descriptive-comparative level with two samples of cases selected for convenience. This article will address some of the twenty-one competencies analyzed in the research based on the Marco Común de Competencia Digital Docente of INTEF (2017). The area of ​​competencies analyzed is information and informational communication: it includes digital competences that aim to identify, locate, obtain, store, organize and analyze digital information, evaluating its purpose and relevance. Among the contributions generated by the research, it is stated that in this analyzed area that there has been a slight improvement in the development of digital skills in the con Ceibal sample.

The digital skills nowadays are very important and necessary in many fields of the activity. The Digital skills required in the workplace is one of the method to drive innovation and stay competitive. Developing digital skills is an objective key of the members of EU countries. The Digital Skills Indicator is a tool that monitors Member States' performance in achieving competence targets. This paper analyzes the degree of attainment of basic digital skills in the EU Member States ("low", "narrow" and "limited" digital skills level). The influence of demographic factors on the levels of digital skills is analyzed and the gap between rural and urban areas regarding the population’s digital skills is presented. The importance of digital skills is emphasized both for increasing competitiveness in the labor market and for adopting digital solutions in business.