Digital Information And Communication Technologies Research Articles

The role of digital social practices and technologies in the Swiss energy transition towards net-zero carbon dioxide emissions in 2050

Digitalization can be an enabler of new and less energy-intensive lifestyles. However, it can be associated with rebound effects in energy consumption. For example, home office can reduce the mobility demand but increase residential energy consumption. Here, we analyze the role of households' social practices induced by information and communication technologies (ICTs) in Switzerland's transition to net-zero carbon dioxide emissions in 2050. We couple the Swiss TIMES Energy Systems Model with a socio-technical-economic agent-based model (SEED) to perform long-term pathway analysis by accounting for the socio-economic and technical aspects of technology adoption. We find an overall net-positive contribution of digitalization to the Swiss energy transition. A society adopting more digital practices and ICTs requires 10–20% less energy in 2050 than a society with a digitalization rate frozen at 2020 levels. We show that any rebound effects in energy consumption that digital practices can induce are counterbalanced by more efficient technologies and optimized processes enabled by ICTs. While digitalization helps to meet the Swiss energy and climate targets for 2050 and reduces the energy transition costs for society, policy support is necessary to develop the population's digital skills, services' digitalization, and network infrastructures.

Preference for internet at home in a disadvantaged neighbourhood

Although most households are equipped with digital information and communication technologies (DICT), a significant digital divide remains in internet access at home along income and digital native/immigrant status. Previous research has mainly investigated whether this digital inequality is attributable to constraints such as technological availability or financial resources. This article examines the extent to which digital inequality of internet access at home is preference-driven by comparing internet preference with other housing preferences and investigating the effect heterogeneity of social status on internet preference. We analyse a dataset comprising 131 residents of a disadvantaged neighbourhood in Bochum, Germany. This neighbourhood provides a suitable setting, as internet access is available throughout the area but varies between individual households. Using a factorial survey with housing vignettes, we assess the importance of internet preference. This research design circumvents many of the difficulties in measuring housing preferences, such as unrealistic wishful thinking, and facilitates the investigation of effect heterogeneity in terms of social status characteristics. The results show that the preference for internet access at home is comparable to that of other housing amenities and does not vary according to age, income or the presence of children. The findings reinforce the importance of the financial constraint-driven causes of the digital divide.

METHODS, DATA AND TOOLS FOR FACILITATING A 3D CULTURAL HERITAGE SPACE

Abstract. In recent years, the cultural heritage (CH) sector has experienced a rapid evolution due to the introduction of increasingly powerful digital technologies and ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) solutions. As for many other domains, digital data, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Extended Reality (XR) are opening up extraordinary opportunities for expanding heritage knowledge capabilities while boosting the research on innovative solutions for its valorisation and preservation. Being aware of the fundamental and strategic role of CH in the history and identity of the European countries, the European Commission has assumed a central role in fuelling the policy debate and putting together stakeholders to take a step forward in CH digitization and use, primarily through initiatives, programs, and recommendations. Within this framework, the ongoing European 5DCulture project (https://www.5dculture.eu/) has been funded to enrich the offer of 3D CH digital assets in the common European Data Space for Cultural Heritage by creating high-quality 3D contents and to foster their re-use in several sectors, from tourism to education. Through 8 re-use scenarios around historic buildings and cityscapes, archaeology, and fashion, the project aims to deliver a set of digital tools and increase the capacity of CH institutions to more effectively re-use their 3D digital assets.

The teaching electromagnetism using digital technologies

The Physics of Electromagnetism began in ancient Greece and after centuries the studies of Electricity and Magnetism became unified. Although Electromagnetism is present in the curricular components of Brazilian education and in the daily lives of students, the difficulties that students have in assimilating the basic concepts related to this topic are notable. In this context, a didactic and practical mini-course was proposed where Digital Information and Communication Technologies (DICT) were used, conveniently to teach students some concepts of Electromagnetism. During the activity, two questionnaires were administered, one before the mini-course and the other after it. The first composed of seven questions (objective and discursive) aimed to obtain students' prior knowledge in relation to Electromagnetism. The second questionnaire consisted of four questions, three of which were paired with questions from the first questionnaire. It was applied with the aim of evaluating whether the mini-course carried out favored student learning, thus revealing possible signs of significant learning. The post-questionnaire also presented a discursive question that asked students' opinions about the mini-course developed based on DICT. This research can be characterized as qualitative and quantitative and from the data analysis, it was noticed that the activities developed with high school students favored their learning as observed in the best results revealed in the post-questionnaire. It is concluded that the use of DICT should be encouraged in schools, as they constitute tools that alleviate difficulties and help students learn.

Special issue Innovation development and digital technologies for sustainable healthcare ecosystems

The use of information and communication technologies (ICT) is a twenty-first-century approach that is patient-centered and protects patients, physicians, and others. Where key actors are more interested in social value creation than in value capture (Santos, 2012), health services ecosystems can generate strongly positive externalities and be sustainable. Digital ICT technologies spanning robotics, artificial intelligence, remote patient monitoring, and telemedicine have improved equitable access to care and participated in the sustainable agenda, nurturing an ecosystem of caregiving interaction. Therefore, framing research on information systems in healthcare related to the SDGs can be helpful in the innovation of healthcare organizations in dealing with the pandemic and the post-pandemic. The primary purpose of this special issue is to identify the role and relevance of ICT in healthcare ecosystems while promoting sustainability. Various topics emerge within this special issue, such as Governance models, institutional relations, and social capital; the role of ICT in the healthcare system changes and finally, the use of digital innovations and ICT in pandemics and post-pandemics. In this special issue, we build on this knowledge base and expand the research direction on developing innovation and digital technologies for sustainable health ecosystems.

Building competitiveness and business resilience in the environment of digital economy: A research in a chain of Serbian pharmacies

Background: Digital healthcare encompasses the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) to improve processes related to health, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases. Aim: The goal of this research is to explore the transformation of conventional pharmaceutical profession into digital roles. Materials and Methods: The research was conducted in 2022 within a chain of five pharmacies named "Hygia Pharmacy" in Arandjelovac, Serbia, employing 23 individuals. The primary focus was to assess the impact of digitization on the company's performance, competitiveness, and business resilience. An internet-based survey was conducted among the employees at three different time points: initially, three months later, and six months later. Results: The business resilience plan of the company was confirmed by 91% of respondents. Most respondents stated that they attend professional webinars (81%) and Zoom meetings (57%) to improve their competitiveness. All respondents rated online sales as positively impacting consumers in terms of shopping convenience and mentioned that internal shipping and receiving documents facilitate work in the pharmacy. Most respondents (78%) gather professional information from digital sources (e-Pharmacy) compared to the paper form of the journal Pharmacy Practice. The survey revealed a downward trend in traditional working techniques compared to digital techniques, which showed an upward trend throughout all three testing cycles.

Digital Information and Communication Technologies (DICT) in Brazilian Higher Education: Notes on its Inclusion, Possibilities and Challenges

Digital Information and Communication Technologies (DICT) in Brazilian Higher Education: Notes on its Inclusion, Possibilities and Challenges

Information and communication technologies in physical education: Exploring the association between role modeling and digital literacy

Teacher educators should serve as role models in terms of information and communication technologies (ICTs) use to promote digital literacy of future teachers. To analyze the association between role modeling by teacher educators and preservice teachers’ digital literacy and ICT integration intention in their classrooms, 185 physical education (PE) preservice teachers in the German federal state of Baden-Württemberg completed an online questionnaire of self-assessed technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge (TPACK) and ICT integration. The results of regression models revealed a positive association between content knowledge and pedagogical knowledge (PK) and overall intent to integrate ICT into teaching. The results further indicated that the impact of role modeling on preservice teachers varies depending on the chosen ICT. In this paper, we discuss the implications of these findings for higher education in general and for PE in particular.

Self-reflection proposal on digital competence for regular primary education teachers: the Selfie For Teachers model

Expansion of Digital Information and Communication Technologies (DICT) applied to education requires increasingly prepared educators to interact and produce knowledge, thus avoiding the mere transposition of analogue information to digital. Accordingly, analysis of the digital competence of teachers through self-reflection is a necessity in the face of the contradictions that the 21st century experiences, primarily with the Covid-19 challenges. The purpose of this study is to analyze the importance of the Selfie for Teachers model in the construction/improvement processes of digital competences of educators in primary education, providing them with a self-reflection on their level of digital skills. To this end, we opted for the methodological strategy of an exploratory and descriptive study, using bibliographic research on the subject as data source. The article concludes that the theoretical Selfie for Teachers model encourages teachers and suggests, through real-time returns, possibilities to constantly build on and improve their digital competence.

Pedagogy, ICT Skills, and Online Teaching Readiness as Factors on Digital Competency Practices among Secondary School Teachers in Malaysia

COVID-19 has impacted the globe in the most disastrous ways. The widespread COVID-19 has affected the education system from kindergarten to the university level. Most nations responded with alacrity with numerous alternatives to teaching and learning (T&L) strategies. Home-based T&L took place although this belligerent strategy did not fully benefit all students due to their inaccessibility to technology. However, as far as the matter is concerned, home-based T&L was the only option that the ministry could execute. Even if the technology is accessible and usable, the concern is the teachers' abilities and knowledge to integrate ICT in their T&L. Teacher digital competency becomes the forefront issue in this study since risks to students' learning process are disdain. This research explained the relationship between the pedagogical method, the information, and communication technologies (ICT) skills, and online teaching readiness among secondary school teachers in Malaysia. A descriptive and correlational study was employed to determine the level of teacher competency in three aspects: digital pedagogy, ICT skill, and online teaching readiness and the relationship among the aforementioned variables. One hundred and twenty-two teachers from selected high schools in Klang Valley were invited voluntarily to participate in the study. The validated questionnaire was uploaded in the google form and the link was distributed to teachers via email invitation. The results indicated the teacher's digital competency based on pedagogical approaches, ICT, and online teaching was ranked at a high level. It is important to note that there was a strong and positive relationship among the studied variables. The findings projected salient integration of the variables to inspire digital competency practices among teachers successfully.

Los retos de las nuevas emprendedoras de negocios por internet en un mundo pospandémico

The covid-19 pandemic pushed many women into microentrepreneurship supported by social networks, digital tools and information and communication technologies (ICT), which has generated economic benefits and greater empowerment. With data from the National Survey on Availability of Information Technologies in Households (ENDUTIH) for the years 2018, 2019 and 2020, and using descriptive statistics tools and correlation analysis, we study the evolution in the management of digital social networks and ICT of women entrepreneurs in Mexico, with special attention to the so-called "new internet business entrepreneurs" (nenis, in Spanish) in the environment of the beginning of the pandemic. The objective is to know if the dynamism observed in this commercial practice is guaranteed once the pandemic is under control or if the formula will require adjustments to maintain its validity. Among the results, it is found that the level of technological inclusion is significantly higher in the nenis in relation to the rest of the entrepreneurs, but it will be necessary a greater training and formality in their activities to achieve a technological advantage and the development of a differentiation strategy in accordance with consumers who will be more and more demanding.

ICT Usage in Enterprises in the Years 2010–2019 – Poland in Comparison with Other European Union Countries

As Eurostat’s glossary explains, the term Information and Communication Technologies (ICT): ‘covers all technical means used to handle information and aid communication. This includes both computer and network hardware, as well as their software.’ In both local and global perspective, the ICT impact on modern economies and societies is undeniable. Moreover, it is growing, as the usability and technical capabilities are expanding. The researchers recognised that the ICT expansion in enterprises is a stimulant for economic development, as it strengthens competitiveness and innovation. Its impact on labour markets is significant, and constantly increasing demand for digital competences and ICT specialists can be observed. In both global and local perspective, the ICT sector is growing dynamically along with its value share in GDP. Monitoring the development of ICT usage as well as analysing how it stimulates socio‑economic transformations and growth are crucial for global leaders, governments and local authorities all over the world in order to formulate policy at all levels. Also, it plays a significant role in modern businesses expansion, as it strengthens innovativeness and competitiveness. The main objective of the paper is to study the ICT usage development in Poland against other EU countries from the enterprises’ perspective in the years 2010–2019 (before the COVID–19 pandemic and Brexit). The research presented was based on Eurostat data. The variables were selected on the basis of the literature review on ICT usage, as well as the criterion of data availability and comprehensiveness. The exploratory data analysis methods dealing with three‑way data structures, i.e. the between and within‑class principal component analysis, were used, and the presentation of the results was supported by factorial maps (scatterplots and biplots). In the analysed period, enterprises in all the European Union Member States intensified their ICT usage. Despite the positive trend from 2010 to 2019, Poland remained far behind the leading countries, and more precisely, was in the group of the least developed ones.

Cyberbullying e Motivação para Aprender com as Tecnologias Digitais: Identificação e Correlação

Abstract This article investigates the relationship of cyberbullying to motivation to learn and the use of digital information and communication technologies (DTIC). The survey included 529 high school and 293 higher education students who answered the Motivation to Learn Scale with the use of DITC Scale and the Cyberbullying Assessment Scale. Statistically significant correlations were identified between the constructs, especially in high school. The relationships had a positive direction, weak and high magnitude. Cyberbullying and educational levels predicted controlled (28%) and autonomous (5%) motivation. Motivation and cyberbullying levels stood out in high school. This research contributes to pedagogical practices and the conduct of further studies on this theme.

БРИКС в глобальном режиме ИКТ-безопасности

The ubiquitous implementation of information and communication technologies (ICTs) is giving rise to cross-border security threats that require joint international responses. Fragmentation and growing conflict in the global information space complicates international cooperation within the UN to form a comprehensive global information security regime. Western countries actively support the formation of a cyber security regime based on Western values and promoted as a general initiative of the international community without taking into account the position of developing countries. An alternative approach focused on securing digital sovereignty is being promoted by many non-Western negotiating platforms, among which the BRICS occupies an important place. This article aims to assess the potential of BRICS influence in the framework of the international ICT security regime and the main directions of the BRICS activities in this area. In this paper, the BRICS agenda in the field of ICT security is studied on the basis of official documents of the annual summits and the main commitment made by the BRICS. The discourse analysis of the strategic planning documents of the BRICS countries allows to identify their priorities in the area under consideration, and to assess the potential for the implementation of the achieved obligations at the BRICS level. All the BRICS countries focus on ensuring sovereignty in the field of ICT. However, Russia, India and China consider digital development and ICT security as the most important direction of state policy and international cooperation; at the same time, they are more advanced in the field of digital technologies compared to other countries of the five and, as a result, are more vulnerable. In turn, Brazil and South Africa do not consider this area as a priority, placing more emphasis on ICT development and being more interested in access to technology and bridging the digital divide. However, all five countries are interested in solving the problem of extremism and terrorism in the digital sphere, which is also a promising area for the BRICS multilateral cooperation. A study of the voting of the BRICS countries in the UN and an analysis of their participation in alternative initiatives in the field of forming a cyber security regime promoted by Western countries showed the high efficiency of BRICS as a negotiating platform - the main contribution is made by developing a common position on the norms and principles of the international information security regime and their support at the UN level. Thus, BRICS can make a constructive contribution to the formation of the norms and principles of the international ICT security regime based on the principles of respect for state sovereignty, internationalization of the Internet governance, and counteraction to the criminal use of ICTs. An important advantage of BRICS in this area is the possibility of aggregating the interests and positions of developing countries.

Digital Information and Communication Technologies: analysis of students´perceptions of a public school

This article presents an excerpt from a Master's research which had as general objective investigating the perceptions of students from a public school about the use of Digital Information and Communication Technologies (DICT) inside and outside the school context. The research had a qualitative approach with an explanatory descriptive design, using a questionnaire with opened and closed questions for data collection. Seventy students from the 9th year of Elementary School, from morning and afternoon periods, of a public school, participated in the research. The frequencies and percentages resulting from closed questions and the categories of opened questions were analyzed using a theoretical reference on the advances of DICT, cyberspace and cyberculture, the characterization of generations and their relationship with technologies, the Common National Curriculum Base (CNCB), the DICT and the school. The results reveal that the research participants, young people of Generation Z, who have been living with technologies since they were born, present characteristics of information consumers, using the technologies as reproduction tools, contrary to what CNCB´s fifth competence indicates, namely, that students use and create DTIC to communicate, access and disseminate information, produce knowledge and solve problems. Understanding young people´s perceptions about the use of DICT may contribute to school actions that may favour the development of this competence.

Didactic Model Aiming at the Use of Digital Information and Communication Technologies in Science Education

The scope of academic processes in which Information and Communication Technologies are incorporated (ICT) has increased in recent decades, same as the number of concerns about its contributions to learning itself. A predominantly instrumental sense of these technologies becomes evident as far as scientific education in Colombia is concerned. This work seeks the construction of a teaching model that may guide natural science teachers around the design of proposals for implementing Digital Information and Communication Technologies (DICT), based on science education challenges (Hodson, 2003; 2010) and the Critical Meaningful Learning Theory (Moreira, 2005; 2010). Thus, Design-Based Research (DBR) is regarded as a methodological standpoint, which, based in turn on a systemic and iterative process, allows the development of a model and validate the potential these technologies have to meet the challenges science teaching entails when their foray into the classroom is based on didactic, pedagogical and epistemological foundations.

Digital Skills, ICTs and Students’ Needs: A Case Study in Social Work Degree, University of Zaragoza (Aragón-Spain)

Technological innovations are related to information and communication technologies (ICTs), which in turn have become a fundamental pillar in the field of education. Social work professionals require new approaches to take on the new type of work demanded by the digital society, specializing in research into the innovation of these new forms of action through technology. This article analyses whether university training is in tune with the new skills and abilities required for professional interventions in the twenty-first century. A total of 288 surveys were carried out on 309 students. Each survey consisted of 25 questions on the five digital skills areas. The results indicate that training in digital skills must gain space in university training plans, just as the pandemic became a starting point for the massive use of ICTs. The conclusions point to the importance of improving training in digital competences and skills for future generations of social workers, who, although they are digital natives, will need to know how to use ICTs in their social work.

Interactive interfaces applied to education: (re)creating a virtual learning scenario

Digital information and communication technologies (DICT), in an accelerated process of evolution, have been reconfiguring the way people live in society, improving communication, modifying culture and enhancing educational training processes. Constantly, new interfaces have emerged, promoting network interaction and, when used pedagogically, they can be combined to the educational process by allowing the creation of virtual learning scenarios. This study aims to present a proposal of learning scenario linked to the aspects of virtuality present in interfaces, considering its applicability in online contexts. This is a bibliographic research, which has used as theoretical contribution the studies of Dias (2012), Matos (2014), Barros, Romero and Moreira (2014), Perdigão and Santos (2018), Barros (2018), Piedade, Pedro and Matos (2018), Santos, Ferrete and Alves (2020), Santos and Ferrete (2021), Santos (2021), Santos, Ferrete and Alves (2021) to support the theme of Virtual Learning Scenarios, with a focus on the elements of interactivity, collaboration and information sharing. As a result, this study presents a scenario proposal that may be adapted to both online and offline contexts, through the devices and interfaces available in each educational reality.

Analysis of the Digital Readiness and the Level of the ICT Development in Kazakhstan’s Regions

The level of digital readiness and the application of information and communication technologies (ICT) are key factors of any innovation policy. This research has highlighted the development of analysis of the degree of digital readiness and assessment methods of digital transformations, which can be used at various levels of business management to formulate digital transformation strategies. The present study investigates the theoretical framework in the field of innovation and spatial development considering the impact of the level of ICT. The research was conducted using index and economic-statistical methods based on a systematic approach. We developed a methodological tool adapted to the regional management level. The ICT development index, Krugman localisation index and Herfindahl-Hirschman index were modified to analyse digital readiness and ICT development at the regional level. The algorithm includes the following steps: assessment of the internet usage level; analysis of the degree of costs for the production of ICT; evaluation of the digital literacy rate of the population; evaluation of the degree of regional industry specialisation in the field of ICT. It was revealed that Kazakhstan’s regions have varying levels of ICT development, which is why they have different prerequisites and prospects for digitalising their economy. The agglomerations that could become “growth poles” of Kazakhstan’s knowledge-based economy were identified, such as Almaty city, Nur-Sultan city, Karaganda, and Aktobe regions. Government bodies can use the research findings for Kazakhstani territories’ digital modernisation.

POR QUE EU ENSINO COMO ENSINO? CRENÇAS DE PROFESSORES DE LE EM FORMAÇÃO SOBRE O USO DAS TDIC E SUAS PRÁTICAS EM SALA DE AULA / Why do I teach the way I teach? Beliefs of pre-service teachers of Spanish as a foreign language about the use of digital information and communication technologies (DICT) in their classroom practices

Este artigo se propõe a identificar, descrever e analisar as crenças de professores em formação de Língua Espanhola (LE) em relação ao uso das Tecnologias Digitais de Informação e Comunicação (TDIC) no processo de ensino e aprendizagem e a relação entre suas crenças e suas práticas como professores de LE de um curso de extensão universitário, idealizado e mantido pela universidade em que estudam. Isto é, analisar o que o professor diz fazer e o que ele realmente faz em suas aulas e tentar entender os motivos que o levam a tal prática. Além disso, buscamos também identificar os usos que eles fazem das TDIC e com quais objetivos eles as usam para sua autoaprendizagem da LE. Como instrumento de geração de dados foram utilizados questionários semiabertos, narrativa, entrevistas e observação de 8 aulas. Os resultados sugerem que as crenças adquiridas ao longo da vida escolar exercem fortes influências nas escolhas dos participantes enquanto professores em formação de LE. Apontam também para a necessidade de formar professores para o uso didático das TDIC e para a importância de discutir às crenças sobre o processo de ensino e aprendizagem de línguas, adquiridas ao longo da vida escolar.