ICT Equipment Research Articles

Perceptions of Students on Environmental Impacts of Online Shopping: A Preliminary Study at a Public Malaysian University

The environmental impacts of online shopping are multifaceted as many factors are contributing to the impacts. This study was conducted to determine a public university undergraduate students' perceptions of the environmental impacts of online shopping and their intentions to reduce the impacts by using a questionnaire survey. One hundred twenty-six respondents were engaged through convenient sampling in this study. Results found that the majority of respondents perceived online shopping as environmentally friendly. They perceived that it does not contribute to climate change and will not be a major environmental risk in the future. Type of packaging (77.8%), transport mode of freight (71.5%) and amount of packaging (69.9%) were the top three factors perceived to contribute to environmental impacts. However, a small number of the respondents perceived ICT equipment (32.5%), express delivery (28.5%) and time spent in searching online products (24.6%) were the factors that contribute to environmental impacts. The majority of respondents (74.6%) perceived that packaging waste generation was the major environmental impact of online shopping. In contrast, carbon footprint, energy consumption and greenhouse gas emission made up of 56.4%, 53.3% and 44.4% of the total respondents. Most of the respondents intended to plan first before making any purchase to prevent wastage, reuse the packaging material and maximise the number of items of each purchase to reduce the environmental impacts. This preliminary study can provide the necessary background information on the level of awareness of university undergraduate students on this issue for future environmental education programs on online shopping.

Conditions to utilize video feedback using a tablet device in physical education classes

The use of ICT equipment in schools has not reached its full potential due to a number of limitations. Video feedback in physical education classes is one way that computer equipment is used and, according to Dr Saburo Nishimura, Heisei International University, this has proven to be effective and beneficial. However, there remains room for improvement and Nishimura and his team want to maximise its impact. The researchers are seeking to fulfil research gaps concerning the process of acquiring skill proficiency with the use of video feedback and how ICT equipment can be effectively used in physical education classes. As such, the team is working on a project that is seeking to elucidate the learning time that students require in order to grasp areas for improvement regarding physical movement by watching videos of their movements and also videos of the same movements being expertly performed. In addition, the researchers want to clarify the minimum number of trials (number of exercises) required to improve their skills. This work will involve the participation of high school students and Nishimura has already obtained consent for this from a number of high schools. It will also involve the use of tablets. The effect of video feedback will be analysed from two perspectives: eye movement analysis and motion analysis.

The Use of ICT by Local General Administrative Authorities during COVID-19 for a Sustainable Future: Comparing Five European Countries

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly reshaped administrative relations and put emphasis on the digital transformation of public administration that is urgently needed to support a sustainable recovery from the pandemic crisis and future sustainable development in the post-pandemic era. This paper presents a comparative study on the ways the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic impacted general administrative authorities on the local level with respect to various aspects of their functioning and digitalization in five European countries. With a sample of 926 respondents from the Czech Republic, Germany, Poland, Romania, and Slovenia, the study shows that the pandemic-imposed changes are very similar in these countries. The results reveal that, except for Germany, the biggest problems of pandemic-related regulations are their obscurity. For all countries under study, parties to the procedures are shown to be the main driver of digitalization and not the public administration itself, generally lagging behind in this sense. Nevertheless, the pandemic has also created several potential opportunities, whereby public managers, especially in Germany, have acknowledged the importance of digitalization right after the protection of health, as confirmed by the wider use of ICT equipment, particularly in Germany and the Czech Republic. Moreover, Germany and Romania exhibit the greatest potential to accelerate digitalization. Finally, the critical factors influencing accelerated digitalization after the pandemic are also identified. The paper’s evidence-based findings could prove useful while formulating recommendations for the sustainable practices of public administrations during this and any future pandemic crisis.

Sustainability of the Spanish university system during the pandemic caused by COVID-19

ABSTRACT During the home confinement caused by COVID-19, universities closed and all teaching became virtual, testing the sustainability of the education system. A total of 3080 Spanish university students participated in a survey to analyse how they have adapted to this situation, whether there has been a digital divide and how they have followed training activities. The results reveal that households have had to invest in ICT equipment and universities have offered support to vulnerable students. Students were not prepared for this change, found it difficult to follow the course online, spent more hours per day studying and achieved lower academic performance. Higher education institutions must ensure inclusive, equitable and quality education that reduces the digital divide, promoting sustainable activities.

RFID 카지노 칩스 인식 시스템이 직원의 업무성과에 미치는 영향

Using the Technology Acceptance Model, this study explored the impact of casino staffs’ recognition of the Casino RFID chips on their job performance. In this study, the external variables of casino ICT equipment adoption is divided into three factors: system factor, environment factor and management factor. We sought to identify the impact of aforementioned three factors, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, the impact of perceived usefulness, and perceived ease of use on user's job performance. Data were collected from the employers of a casino company in South Korea in 2018 and a total of 186 sample was used for the data analysis. The findings show that the RFID adoption's system factor and management factor have positive impact on both perceived usefulness and ease of use, but environment factor has no impact on the constructs. Moreover, both perceived usefulness and ease of use have positive impact on users' job performance. The results revealed that casino industry should consider new equipment' system and management factor when they are considering adopting new technologies. Results also suggest that unlike other industry, environmental factor of ICT equipment has not much things to do with staffs' job performance in the casino industry. From a practical point of view, this study could contribute to the casino industry's human resource development in relation to the introduction of ICT equipment.

Perception of Educational Stakeholders on Utilization of E-learning Technology for Quality Instructional Delivery in Universities in Rivers State, Nigeria

The study was conducted in Rivers State, South-South, Nigeria. Descriptive survey design was adopted for the study, which comprised 168 subjects (44 lecturers and 124 students). Two research questions were posed by the researchers to guide the study. The study used questionnaires to elicit information from respondents. Mean and standard deviation were descriptive statistical tools used to answer the research questions. The findings of the study revealed, amongst others, that many universities in Nigeria lacked digital facilities for quality e-teaching and learning and, again, university lecturers and students required core digital skills for effective e-learning. Based on these findings, it was recommended, amongst others, that the Nigerian government, in collaboration with university authorities, should ensure adequate provision of ICT equipment and facilities in universities for quality e-teaching and learning. Furthermore, adequate ICT training programmes should be set up for the training of lecturers and students in digital technology in order to realise effective e-learning in the Nigerian university system.

Female Farmers’ Agricultural Information Needs and Food Production: A Case Study of Imbulpe ds Division in Sri Lanka

The study was conducted to find out female farmers’ agricultural information needs and their impact on food production, in the Imbulpe DS Division in Sri Lanka. Of the female farmers in the area, 238 were taken as the sample for the study from seven selected Grama Niladhari (GN) divisions in the area. Female farmers were selected by using a simple random sampling method from these purposively selected GN divisions. A pre-tested, interviewer-administered questionnaire survey was used as the primary data collection method from March to July 2019. Data analysis was done by using descriptive statistics and chi-square analysis. The result revealed that the majority (62.6%) of respondents were middle aged (40-59 years), married, and belonged to families with 4-5 members. Most respondents (64.3 %) had studied up to junior secondary education level. Their average farm land size is 0.84 acres and they have farming experience of about 15 years. Most of the respondents mentioned that they had obtained higher levels of information needs about improved crop varieties. In addition, female farmers reported that they moderately need information on application of agrochemicals, improved market systems and modern farming technologies. Extension agents and other female farmers act as their major sources of agricultural information and ICT equipment acts as the least important agricultural information source in this area. Moreover, there is a significant positive association between the agricultural information needs and food production. Therefore, providing necessary agricultural information and enhanced utilization of ICT tools for agricultural information sources, and encouraging female farmers to participate in farming societies will lead to enhanced food production in this area.

Information-communications Competencies of Teachers as a Requirement of Contemporary Teaching and the Lifelong Learning Concept

This article aimed to make a theoretical review of the importance of ICT education of teachers in service of preparation for more efficient performances required by their profession in the context of general globalization changes they are exposed to. In that sense, a review of the advantages of ICT utilization and the requirements of lifelong learning which sets informatical skills as an imperative had been presented, emphasizing the role of teachers, since it requires working on self-improvement, as well as directing others towards competent, critically observed and purposeful usage of modern technological achievements. Some of the priorities for the development of higher education in B&H have been presented, where in the context of scientific research work for the 2016-2026 period, providing all of the public higher education institutions with ICT equipment is planned, which indicates that the teachers working in these institutions must possess the competencies for their utilization, especially because institutions of higher education should play the role of one of the main promoters of lifelong learning.

Challenges of Integrating GeoGebra in the Teaching of Mathematics in South African High Schools

Technology is embraced as an integral part of modern society, and hence it is also important for education to integrate various aspects of technology into teaching and learning. The South African National Development Plan (NDP) also prescribes the inclusion of quality technology to enhance the classroom experiences of both teachers and learners. GeoGebra is one of the preferred mathematics software in South African high schools. This qualitative study explores the challenges of teachers in the integration of GeoGebra in the teaching of mathematics in South African high schools. Using interpretivism as a research paradigm, we listened to and recorded the views of teachers about challenges they experienced in the integration of GeoGebra. The data was elicited from four purposively selected teachers from the Bojanala District in the North West Province of South Africa by using unstructured interviews which were transcribed, coded and categorised into relevant themes. The selected teachers signed the consent forms as part of their willingness to participate voluntarily in the study. The study supports the view that teachers are pivotal factors in the integration of GeoGebra and hence the need to understand their challenges. The key finding revealed was that South African high schools were being robbed and vandalised of ICT equipment because of security issues. Further, each school owned only one data projector which stifles efforts to strengthen teachers' knowledge and skills in implementing the integration of GeoGebra into mathematics lessons. Consequently, this loss of equipment disadvantages teachers and learners concerning the integration of GeoGebra into mathematics lessons because learners did not have computers for exploring and experimenting, and teachers are becoming demotivated due to insufficient resources and a lack of modern skills to make mathematics lessons interesting and productive.

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY USE ON EFFECTIVE ADMINISTRATION OF PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS, LAGOS STATE, NIGERIA

This study investigated information and communication technology use on effective administration of senior secondary schools. It evaluated the extent of use of the various ICT devices and their influence on the administration of secondary schools. To guide the study, one research question and one hypothesis were tested. The design used for the study was survey design and the population comprised the school administrators involved in the running of the schools on a daily basis and these were the principals, vice- principals and heads of the various subjects’ departments in the public senior schools in Lagos State, Nigeria. The instrument for data collection was a 19-item questionnaire while means and t-test statistics were used for data analysis. Findings from the study showed ICT use has a significant positive influence on the effective administrations of public senior secondary schools in Lagos state. Additionally, the study found that the level of ICT use for administrative purposes in public senior secondary schools in Lagos State was moderate. The ICT devices highly utilized were photocopiers and mobile telephones. While printer, computer systems, social media, e-mails services, internet, and scanners were moderately utilized. However, ICT devices like projectors and smart boards were rarely utilized. The study recommends the provision of the necessary ICT equipment and infrastructure in an enabling physical and psychological technological environment for effective public secondary school administration.

PERCEPTIONS ON ONLINE LANGUAGE TEACHING PEDAGOGY

The following research is intended to find out how lecturers deal with English teaching during the full-online learning program. However based on the online teaching pedagogy, teachers who are expert in the field are those who can make use of ICT tools and equipment to make the learning progress is accessible and also interactive. Based on Compton (2009). Additionally, he also mentions does not mean that a good teacher in face-to-face interaction can also be a good one in virtual classroom. To meet the criteria, the research will ask the questions on what are the perceptions and activites used by the English lecturers once they adopted the online teaching method. Participants were gathered from 15 lecturers who are currently teaching Business English for the first semester students. The LMS used is provided by Bunda Mulia University where the lecturers and students interacting through forum discussion. Hopefully the result could evaluate how far the teachers make use the online teaching platform and whether they also used other sources to support their online classroom.

AN EVALUATION OF THE FACTORS INFLUENCING VEGETABLE COMMERCIALIZATION IN KENYA

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to establish factors that influence vegetable commercialization among smallholder farmers of fresh vegetables in Kenya. The present study defined commercialization against farmer characteristics including portion of land committed to vegetable farming, share of household income generated from it, and the producers’ perception that the vegetables they consumed at the farm were produced or procured without any substantial cost.
 Methodology: The researcher adopted a cross-sectional survey design to randomly recruit a sample of crop farmers (n=118) from Kirinyaga and Kiambu counties in Kenya. Data on agrochemical use, crop diversity and scale as well as logistical issues regarding proximity to markets and social status of the crop farmers were collected using a researcher-administered questionnaire in a one-on-one interview. These data were initially entered on MS Excel spread sheets for cleaning and later transferred to Minitab (Ver 12) for statistical analyses. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to isolate crucial commercialization factors responsible for varying agrochemical use behaviours among crop farmers and later presented in scree plots.
 Results/Findings: The study revealed that commercialization of tomatoes and kale was real in different areas of study which was influenced by structural and socio-demographic factors. From the study findings, structural policies to promote horticulture and high value crop production had a positive impact on production of vegetables while wildlife conservation and livestock development resulted to human-wildlife conflicts due to agrochemical abuse. Various socio-demographic factors that influence commercialization of vegetables included: household size, farm size, proportion of land used for vegetable production and household income. It emerged that household size (Eigen value EV=3.63), income (EV=2.61) and farm size (EV=1.27) accounted for 68.4% of variability in agrochemical abuse. This finding also explains their marginalization from county government extension services and high costs of market access.
 Unique contribution to theories, practice and policy: The study finds that vegetable farmers’ perception of commercialization leaned more towards increasing production in response to consumer demand and not necessarily to raise household food supplies. Famers dedicated over two thirds (66.67%) of their land to vegetable farming to support their livelihood (97.1%, SE= 1.30). Commercialization of vegetable farming was influenced by the level of education (SE=3.68). The study found out that that access to ICT equipment, particularly mobile phones, were the prime means via which farming techniques and agribusiness practices were learnt or improved (V= 0.196 Pearson, p=0.11).

Effects of Instructional Materials used at the Community Learning Resource Centers on Adult Learners’ Participation in Community Development Activities in Nyamira North Sub-county Kenya

This research sought to investigate the effects of instructional materials used at community resource centers on adult literacy learners in community development activities with a specific focus on Nyamira North Sub–County, Kenya. The study was guided by the constructivism theory of learning. It employed the descriptive survey design where a sample of 254 learners was drawn from a population of 492 adult learners in the study area using the stratified random sampling method. Questionnaires were administered to elicit information from the respondents. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistical methods. From the findings, there was a clear indication that textbooks and sewing machines were more available and adequately utilized. Other resources like computers, projectors, ovens, banana ripening chambers, and videos were least available and inadequate. Results further showed that most of the adult learners were involved in small-scale farming as their main economic activity with most of their products was selling them to the market in raw form. Some learners were also involved in natural resource management activities with the majority of them planting trees, water resources management, bridges, and path construction. The study recommended that to diversify the livelihoods of the communities in the study area, the Directorate of Adult Education should provide diverse instructional materials such as ICT facilities and equipment that which will impart value addition skills to the learners.

Dye sensitised solar power generating window: towards environmentally sustainable energy efficiency in ICT

ICT equipment generates significant amount of green house gases. Presently, the ICT produces more than 830 million tons of CO2, that is about 2% of global CO2 emissions, and it is expected to double by 2020 (Chan et al., 2012; Pothitou et al., 2017; Park, 2018). There is a need for ICT to standardise, energy consumption and emissions and investigate means to reduce energy consumption. The electricity consumption which dominates direct carbon footprint of the ICT sector can be reduced by using renewable energy sources. The dye-sensitised-solar-cell (DSC) is a renewable energy device that works well inside a built-environment. The transparent characteristic of DSCs makes it suitable for building-integrated-photovoltaic (BIPV) applications such as windows. In this study, we successfully fabricated and assembled a transparent DSC which was used to power ICT products. Such building-integrated DSC systems can potentially power ICT devices in homes and offices.

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY AS A TOOL TO SUBSTITUTE IN-PERSON VISITS IN THE SERBIAN PRISON SYSTEM DURING THE COVID-19 RESTRICTIVE MEASURES

In an attempt to properly address one of the greatest challenges for prison administrations around the world facing Covid-19, namely, to ensure regular communication between the inmates and their families, the Serbian Penal Administration, supported by German NGO Help e.V, procured the ICT equipment aimed at substituting the in-person visits. The author decided to assess the impact of this pilot project on the right of inmates to communicate with their family members, exploring their attitudes and the attitudes of professionals/prison staff that work with them, to get both perspectives. The results of the research showed that the online communication ensured through the pilot project has significantly contributed to preserving contacts and family relations in the changing environment of the Covid-19 restrictive measures, although it cannot completely replace family visits based on, in-person contact. However, the research also led to some of the remaining obstacles to a wider application of this, substitutive approach, among others, concerning the lack of IT literacy and the both of inmates and their family members, and to the life in poverty and/or in remote country areas. Additionally, this research identified a remaining need for further financial investment in the IT equipment to ensure adequate frequency and duration of communication, but also the need to revise/upgrade an existing treatment approach to integrating modern technologies/IT literacy as tools to contribute to the effectiveness of inmates’ reintegration.

СИСТЕМА СЕРТИФІКАЦІЇ КІБЕРБЕЗПЕКИ ІНФОРМАЦІЙНИХ ТА КОМУНІКАЦІЙНИХ ТЕХНОЛОГІЙ

Cybersecurity of information and communication technologies (hereinafter - ICT) is a key issue for maintaining the functioning and security of the digital economy and public administration in the soon. An important role in the field of cybersecurity is played by the conformity assessment (certification) of cybersecurity. This may apply to the cybersecurity of ICT components, products, equipment, services and processes, to the cybersecurity of cloud services, to the cybersecurity of technological processes, to personal competence in the field of cybersecurity, and so on. Cybersecurity certification rules, procedures, and management establish a certification scheme, and a set of rules and procedures for managing similar or related conformity assessment schemes form a certification system. Creating cybersecurity certification schemes is a priority and relevant today. There are now a number of systems and assessment standards that can be applied to cybersecurity certification, but they do not ensure mutual recognition of test laboratory test and evaluation procedures and results, and the pursuit of harmonized and comparable cybersecurity assessment and implementation procedures. This situation is a global problem. Accordingly, the current legislation of Ukraine in the field of cybersecurity sets tasks for the application of the best international and European principles of conformity assessment of information and cybersecurity. The creation of cybersecurity certification systems and schemes based on international and European principles of conformity assessment requires appropriate scientific and methodological support. The article proposes a hierarchical model of assessment standards for the cybersecurity certification system and a hierarchical model of agreements on mutual recognition of cybersecurity certificates. Also, in the article, based on these models, the basics of the Cyber Security Certification System and Cyber Security Certification Schemes for ICT products and cloud services are proposed, with an emphasis on such elements as: assessment standards; accreditation of certification bodies; mutual recognition of certification results

Employees’ Job Satisfaction and Performance through working from Home during the Pandemic Lockdown

The pandemic lockdown provided the impetus for working from home or telework. The survey objective was to gauge the employees' job satisfaction and performance while working from home. Responses from 503 (80.9%) administrative staff from Universiti Teknologi MARA Cawangan Selangor, Malaysia, were analyzed. The findings indicated that 87.1% were satisfied with working from home; however, the work performance, measured through the availability of ICT peripherals, showed a dismaying 53.7%. The implications from the findings require university administrators to reassess the policy for working from home; that is, only employees with adequate ICT equipment can be allowed to telework. Keywords: work from home, telework, job satisfaction, work performance eISSN: 2398-4287© 2020. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v5i15.2515.

DEVELOPMENT OF AN INTEGRATED SUSTAINABLE ELECTRONIC WASTE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR HIGHER INSTITUTIONS IN RIVERS STATE

High obsolescence rate and end-of-life of electronic equipment resulting in high generation of electronic waste remains the biggest challenge with use of ICT in higher institutions. This study evaluated and developed an environmentally sound E-waste management system for higher institutions in Rivers State. The study employed research surveys in data acquisition through questionnaires, interviews and observation. Hypotheses were postulated to test areas of interest. Study indicated that institutions generate a reasonably amount of electronic/ICT wastes that are poorly managed. Desktop computers, printers, laptops, UPSs, old CRT monitors, and printer cartridges are the majority generated and available E-waste in storage in these institutions. Results revealed that the level of awareness on hazardous nature of E-waste among the sampled population was significant. The level awareness on E-waste recycling among sampled population was also significant. There are no accurate records or inventory of ICT equipment procurement and E-waste generation and disposal in the institutions. Policies and programs on source reduction E-waste segregation and handling, facilities for E-waste recovery, recycling and reuse are practically not available in the institutions. The study concluded that there is no proper management and disposal of electronic/ICT waste in higher institutions in Rivers State. Significant numbers of respondents expressed the need for the institutions to establish an integrated electronic/ICT waste recycling center. An Integrated E-waste management system that will not only address the current poor E-waste management practices in the institutions but also achieve environmentally sound management of E-wastes in the institutions has been developed in the study.

Online Education in Promoting Continued Education during Coronavirus Outbreak in Zimbabwe: ‘Challenges and Solutions’

The education system has been affected by 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic. In order to curb the widespread of coronavirus pandemic, people were recommended to exercise social-distancing and self-isolation. The idea of social-distancing and self-isolation has resulted in the closures of schools, universities and colleges as Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education try to control the spread of the contagious disease among learners in Zimbabwe. The effects and perceptions of Zimbabwean parents, teachers, learners and stakeholders on education and Covid19 are a cause for concern. The closure of educational institutions in response to the pandemic has risen to alarming levels. In this article, the issue of online learning has been seen as the impending solution to the challenges posed to the teaching and learning process during the coronavirus pandemic outbreak in Zimbabwe. What is very disturbing is that the mitigating measures proposed by stakeholders and government seem to favour the have and the have-not are severely impacted. At the end of the day, all the strides Zimbabwe has been making in terms of bringing education to the door step and improvement of standards of life is just going down the drain due to lack of ICT equipment and technical expertise. The study was carried out through qualitative method through a phenomenological approach. Snowballing, interviews, observations and document reviews were made use of in gathering the data for this article. Presentation is mainly descriptive since the type of data gathered depended much on the experiences and feelings of the people in the society about the impact of Covid19 on education. A number of recommendations were put forward that include the government putting in place laws that restrict mobile operators to hike their charges and all educational stakeholders should be heard when they air their concern.

Revitalizing Home Economics Education in Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria Through ICT Use for Skill Acquisition for Global Relevance

The study examined how to revitalize Home Economics education in tertiary institutions through ICT use for skill acquisition and global relevance. Three research questions and one hypothesis guided the study. A descriptive survey was adopted for this study. 233 Lecturers and students constituted the population and 134 subjects were selected through simple random sampling method. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data and was analysed using mean, standard deviation and t-test analysis. Findings showed 30 skills that can be acquired through ICT use in Home Economics teaching and learning, such as; scaling of foods, meal planning, budgeting, selection, purchasing of foodstuffs and preparation. Factors affecting teaching and learning Home Economics include; insufficient personnel to teach practical, teaching more of theory than practical in the course. 10 ways proffered on how to revitalize Home Economics education include; equipping laboratory with adequate ICT facilities, teachers and students being ICT proficient, Carrying out assignment online, among others. It was concluded that since much skills can be learnt in Home Economics that enables learners to be relevant to self and the world, training and provision of ICT equipment is important in tertiary institutions.