Information And Communication Technologies Techniques Research Articles

EFL Teachers' Use of ICT and Learner-centered Teaching Strategies to Improve English Listening Instruction - A Bibliometric Analysis

The ability to listen attentively is of utmost importance for individuals who are learning a language, as it serves as the bedrock for effective communication and mastery of the language. Nonetheless, conventional methods employed in teaching listening tend to concentrate on passive listening exercises, resulting in limited engagement and insufficient development of this skill. To overcome these constraints, the integration of information and communication technology (ICT) tools alongside learner-centric teaching strategies has proven to be highly beneficial. This review will look at the current level of research and innovations in the use of ICT and learner-centered teaching techniques to improve EFL teachers' listening instruction from 2012 to 2023. On March 15th, 2023, 232 papers were collected from the Scopus database and a bibliometric analysis was performed to examine the publishing trend and geographic distribution, the contribution and collaboration of various nations, the most influential authors and publications, the most frequently used author keywords, and under-explored issues. From 2012 to 2023, the data revealed a rising trend in overall publication production, with 51 countries contributing to the research on EFL instructors' use of ICT and learner-centered teaching practices to improve listening instruction. The United States, Australia, and Iran were the top three contributors among these countries. The most commonly used author keywords were EFL, ICT, learner-centered teaching strategies, listening instruction, and teaching methods, indicating that these were the major themes of study in this area over the preceding decade.

RPER Software - A Social Management Tool for Rapid Participatory Emancipatory Research: Planning, Design and Implementation

Theoretical framework: This study is grounded in Social Management, a paradigm that focuses on society's deliberative process for public decisions. It also employs the Rapid Participatory and Emancipatory Research (RPER) method, an adaptation of rapid and participatory appraisals, to apply social management in rural contexts. Research objectives: Identify the requirements, plan, design, assess the complexity, and implement a system to support the RPER application. Methodology: The waterfall model for software development lifecycle was used to carry out the system's planning. The discipline of Business Process Management (BPM) was necessary for the requirements mapping and the Function Point Analysis (FPA) technique to measure the software complexity from a user perspective. Results: The RPER application process was fully mapped, and several features that could be implemented for the software were uncovered. These functionalities address practically all the steps involved in the method’s application. In addition, the software measurement was completed, and 542 function points were found. After this, the design for the graphical user interface was then created. Finally, the software was developed using technologies such as Express for building the back-end RESTful API with Node.js, React library to create the front-end’s componentized user interface, TypeScript as the main programming language and PostgreSQL as the relational database. Originality: It is notable that some software has already been used to try and promote social participation in public matters. However, studies specific to the use of information and communication technology (ICT) to resolve social issues, and, at the same time, dealing specifically with participatory techniques are non-existent. There is an overflow of software tools designed to support quantitative research in the agriculture field, yet there remains a notable deficiency in software tailored to assist qualitative research and practices. Theoretical and practical contributions: The use of a web system on participatory approaches can bring advantages. In the theoretical side, this research might provide insights into these methods’ evolution. It will also provide a foundational framework for understanding the intersection of ICT and participatory techniques, paving the way for future research in this area. Some other more practical benefits include the wider distribution and dissemination of results, data transparency, the unification or centralization of the research made using the methods, the organization of data, the possibility of automation on report generation, better communication and collaboration between team members, and data safety with periodic backups. Nonetheless, the software could serve as a platform for preparing new researchers with help and tips section for each of the methods’ techniques.

A systematic review and knowledge mapping on ICT-based remote and automatic COVID-19 patient monitoring and care

Backgrounde-Health has played a crucial role during the COVID-19 pandemic in primary health care. e-Health is the cost-effective and secure use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to support health and health-related fields. Various stakeholders worldwide use ICTs, including individuals, non-profit organizations, health practitioners, and governments. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, ICT has improved the quality of healthcare, the exchange of information, training of healthcare professionals and patients, and facilitated the relationship between patients and healthcare providers. This study systematically reviews the literature on ICT-based automatic and remote monitoring methods, as well as different ICT techniques used in the care of COVID-19-infected patients.ObjectiveThe purpose of this systematic literature review is to identify the e-Health methods, associated ICTs, method implementation strategies, information collection techniques, advantages, and disadvantages of remote and automatic patient monitoring and care in COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsThe search included primary studies that were published between January 2020 and June 2022 in scientific and electronic databases, such as EBSCOhost, Scopus, ACM, Nature, SpringerLink, IEEE Xplore, MEDLINE, Google Scholar, JMIR, Web of Science, Science Direct, and PubMed. In this review, the findings from the included publications are presented and elaborated according to the identified research questions. Evidence-based systematic reviews and meta-analyses were conducted using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) framework. Additionally, we improved the review process using the Rayyan tool and the Scale for the Assessment of Narrative Review Articles (SANRA). Among the eligibility criteria were methodological rigor, conceptual clarity, and useful implementation of ICTs in e-Health for remote and automatic monitoring of COVID-19 patients.ResultsOur initial search identified 664 potential studies; 102 were assessed for eligibility in the pre-final stage and 65 articles were used in the final review with the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The review identified the following eHealth methods—Telemedicine, Mobile Health (mHealth), and Telehealth. The associated ICTs are Wearable Body Sensors, Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms, Internet-of-Things, or Internet-of-Medical-Things (IoT or IoMT), Biometric Monitoring Technologies (BioMeTs), and Bluetooth-enabled (BLE) home health monitoring devices. Spatial or positional data, personal and individual health, and wellness data, including vital signs, symptoms, biomedical images and signals, and lifestyle data are examples of information that is managed by ICTs. Different AI and IoT methods have opened new possibilities for automatic and remote patient monitoring with associated advantages and weaknesses. Our findings were represented in a structured manner using a semantic knowledge graph (e.g., ontology model).ConclusionsVarious e-Health methods, related remote monitoring technologies, different approaches, information categories, the adoption of ICT tools for an automatic remote patient monitoring (RPM), advantages and limitations of RMTs in the COVID-19 case are discussed in this review. The use of e-Health during the COVID-19 pandemic illustrates the constraints and possibilities of using ICTs. ICTs are not merely an external tool to achieve definite remote and automatic health monitoring goals; instead, they are embedded in contexts. Therefore, the importance of the mutual design process between ICT and society during the global health crisis has been observed from a social informatics perspective. A global health crisis can be observed as an information crisis (e.g., insufficient information, unreliable information, and inaccessible information); however, this review shows the influence of ICTs on COVID-19 patients' health monitoring and related information collection techniques.

The Use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the Implementation of Instructional Supervision and Its Effect on Teachers’ Instructional Process Quality

This study aimed to explore communication techniques based on the information and communication technology (ICT) used in the implementation of instructional supervision to determine their effect on the teacher’s learning process and find effective techniques to improve the quality of the teacher’s learning process. This research was conducted in Blitar City with a sample of 60 teachers through a random sampling technique. The data collection technique used a rating scale, checklist, and open-form questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the data, while the Pearson product-moment correlation techniques and multiple regression were used to test the research hypotheses. The results show that the most widely used ICT-based communication techniques are WhatsApp, Google Meet, Zoom, Skype, and Google Forms. These are followed by email, video-recording, and audio-recording techniques. The use of ICT is still rare. There is a significant relationship between the use of ICT in instructional supervision and the quality of the teacher’s teaching-learning process, except when using telephones and televisions. ICT techniques are most commonly used for synchronous communication, followed by use for sharing information, and recording activities. The use of ICT in instructional supervision simultaneously affects the teacher’s instructional process.

Utilization of ICT and AI techniques in harnessing residential energy consumption for an energy-aware smart city: A review

Fusion of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in traditional grid infrastructure makes it possible to share certain messages and information within the system that leads to optimized use of energy. Furthermore, using Computational Intelligence (CI) in the said domain opens new horizons to preserve electricity as well as the price of consumed electricity effectively. Hence, Energy Management Systems (EMSs) play a vital role in energy economics, consumption efficiency, resourcefulness, grid stability, reliability, and scalability of power systems. The residential sector has its high impact on global energy consumption. Curtailing and shifting load of the residential sector can result in solving major global problems and challenges. Moreover, the residential sector is more flexible in reshaping power consumption patterns. Using Demand Side Management (DSM), end users can manipulate their power consumption patterns such that electricity bills, as well as Peak to Average Ratio (PAR), are reduced. Therefore, it can be stated that Home Energy Management Systems (HEMSs) is an important part of ground-breaking smart grid technology. This article gives an extensive review of DSM, HEMS methodologies, techniques, and formulation of optimization problems. Concluding the existing work in energy management solutions, challenges and issues, and future research directions are also presented.

Teaching lawyer intercultural professional communication during the COVID-19 pandemic

COVID-19 Pandemic has significantly affected and changed many spheres of life. Education is said to be one of the most vulnerable. The article offers an analysis of problems faced by teachers and students during the COVID-19 Pandemic in the area of intercultural professional communication. The article provides a comparative analysis of the notions of distance teaching, online teaching, and emergent remote teaching. The author discusses problems of emergent remote teaching lawyers intercultural professional communication. One possible solution to the problems discussed is seen in the use of information and communication technology (ICT). Particular emphasis is made on the description of new ICT techniques that could be used while teaching lawyers. The author stresses the significance of continuous learning in the period of the COVID-19 Pandemic, as well as the importance of applying an action-oriented approach in teaching lawyers. The author concludes that, on the one hand, emergency remote teaching has revealed vulnerabilities. On the other hand, it has demonstrated teachers' and staff's organization skills, ability to adapt to new conditions, and creativity that boost students' motivation in the educational process. The idea of the university educational environment is the upbringing of an independent, critically thinking personality, ready to consciously build his own life, to raise his spiritual, moral, and professional level. The author regards the situation that higher education faced as a good experience. Technological advances in the informatization of education open up new prospects for increasing the availability, efficiency, and quality of education. The author employs an experimental research design and combines both qualitative and quantitative design: descriptive and statistical analyses (correlation analysis and T-test).

Survey on Security Threats in Agricultural IoT and Smart Farming.

The agriculture sector has held a major role in human societies across the planet throughout history. The rapid evolution in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) strongly affects the structure and the procedures of modern agriculture. Despite the advantages gained from this evolution, there are several existing as well as emerging security threats that can severely impact the agricultural domain. The present paper provides an overview of the main existing and potential threats for agriculture. Initially, the paper presents an overview of the evolution of ICT solutions and how these may be utilized and affect the agriculture sector. It then conducts an extensive literature review on the use of ICT in agriculture, as well as on the associated emerging threats and vulnerabilities. The authors highlight the main ICT innovations, techniques, benefits, threats and mitigation measures by studying the literature on them and by providing a concise discussion on the possible impacts these could have on the agri-sector.

IN SEARCH FOR CYBER DEPENDENCE

Civilization progressed through phases like agrarian, semi-industrialization, industrialization, advanced-industrialization and arrived at Information age. Advances in ICT (Information and Communication Technology) transformed most revered ancient concept of ‘Knowledge’ from abstract to measurable form with considerable economic value. Produces of knowledge exercise, in form of data, analyses and documents etc., are being digitized increasingly and stored on servers across the globe building large knowledge warehouses [1,2,3]. Some of these are shared and rests are protected. Material value of these possessions are enormous and immensely attracts attention of cyber predators, armed with aggressive ICT tools and techniques. Cyber predators can now harm both material and digital possessions with digital tools. Thus, human possessions in either form; physical and digital, demands to be defended digitally and an environment of cyber dependence needs to be established. The scope of deliberation is vast though an attempt has been made to present a kaleidoscope of the issues that deserve attention [4,5,6].

Intelligent On-Off Web Defacement Attacks and Random Monitoring-Based Detection Algorithms

Recent cyberattacks armed with various ICT (information and communication technology) techniques are becoming advanced, sophisticated and intelligent. In security research field and practice, it is a common and reasonable assumption that attackers are intelligent enough to discover security vulnerabilities of security defense mechanisms and thus avoid the defense systems’ detection and prevention activities. Web defacement attacks refer to a series of attacks that illegally modify web pages for malicious purposes, and are one of the serious ongoing cyber threats that occur globally. Detection methods against such attacks can be classified into either server-based approaches or client-based approaches, and there are pros and cons for each approach. From our extensive survey on existing client-based defense methods, we found a critical security vulnerability which can be exploited by intelligent attackers. In this paper, we report the security vulnerability in existing client-based detection methods with a fixed monitoring cycle and present novel intelligent on-off web defacement attacks exploiting such vulnerability. Next, we propose to use a random monitoring strategy as a promising countermeasure against such attacks, and design two random monitoring defense algorithms: (1) Uniform Random Monitoring Algorithm (URMA), and (2) Attack Damage-Based Random Monitoring Algorithm (ADRMA). In addition, we present extensive experiment results to validate our idea and show the detection performance of our random monitoring algorithms. According to our experiment results, our random monitoring detection algorithms can quickly detect various intelligent web defacement on-off attacks (AM1, AM2, and AM3), and thus do not allow huge attack damage in terms of the number of defaced slots when compared with an existing fixed periodic monitoring algorithm (FPMA).

Optimising the safety of road transport workers on IBS building construction projects: a review

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to develop a new information and communication technology (ICT)-based approach for optimising safety transportation according to the needs of the current industrialised building system (IBS) building construction schemes. The improper handling and information management of road transport workers appears to be a major problem in the safety of the IBS building construction industry. Transportation activity is particularly problematic for IBS building construction projects in which traffic incident and safety management level are not in good condition to match with construction specification.Design/methodology/approachA new ICT-based approach is suggested for optimising safety transportation in accordance with the needs of the current IBS building construction schemes. As a precursor to this work, the concept of road transport workers practices is reviewed and the main features of ICT tools and techniques currently being used on such projects are presented.FindingsThe sophisticated road transport workers system solutions is described as an essential component of this optimisation to promote long-term safety and quality improvements of IBS building construction projects.Originality/valueFinally, the potential for a research framework for developing such a system in the future is presented.

Evaluating the Drivers to Information and Communication Technology for Effective Sustainability Initiatives in Supply Chains

Supply chain (SC) sustainability has become a global issue. To develop sustainability focused SC networks, the role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) is of great significance. An effective information system and management can help not only in improving better customer service and in cost control, but also can assist planning to achieve the three pillars of sustainability (ecological, economic, and societal development), thereby enhancing business efficiency. This paper aims to identify and evaluate the drivers relevant to ICT for sustainability initiatives in SCs. The drivers are finalized through a literature survey and use of the Delphi technique. The finalized drivers are analyzed by a procedure using the fuzzy DEMATEL approach. The research findings suggest that “Government support systems and subsidies”, “Knowledge and awareness of ICT tools and techniques,” and “Information systems network design” drivers have the most significant influences in the implementation of ICT for incorporating sustainability in SCs. This work may help practitioners and researchers in strategic decision-making and in formulating effective plans for the implementation of ICT and for incorporating sustainable concepts in SCs.

The impact of information and communication technologies on the application of knowledge management: an empirical study on commercial banks operating in the Jordanian capital city 'Amman'

The study investigates the effect and success of using various information and communication technology (ICT) in the application of knowledge management (KM) in commercial Jordanian banks in Amman. A 35-item questionnaire directed at all executive and supervisory levels was distributed to 34 branches belonging to 12 commercial banks in Amman. A total of 235 questionnaires were distributed; 221 were collected and 14 of these were excluded as inappropriate for analysis. Thus, 208 questionnaires (a response rate of 88.51%) were analysed by SPSS. Respondents indicated high degrees of approval for the use of ICT techniques. Moreover, ICT was found to have a high effect of 54% in applying KM. Different factors were found to affect ICT's application of KM, i.e., age, academic background, job description and years of experience. The study recommends advocating the importance of keeping abreast with technological advancements and providing the proper infrastructure to maintain and utilise ICT. It also recommends that KM be incorporated and disseminated into all administrative levels. Finally, staff should be familiarised, encouraged and motivated to employ KM via incentives and access to information should be made available to all staff through the use of data management systems.

Accessing the Impact of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) On the Performance of Banks in Ghana: A Case Study of Ghana Commercial Bank Limited

The study sought to examine the impact of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) on the performance of Ghanaian banks with a case study at Ghana Commercial Bank Limited. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is at the centre of this global change curve. The application of ICT concepts, techniques, policies and implementation strategies to banking services has become a subject of fundamental importance and concerns to all banks and indeed a prerequisite for local and global competitiveness. The main objectives of the study were to assess the impact of ICT on the financial performance of Ghana Commercial Bank Limited (GCB), to find the contribution of ICT based products to customer satisfaction, to examine how ICT has helped reduce operational cost of GCB and to determine the effect of information technology on the liquidity of GCB. Qualitative data was collected using purposive sampling technique. SPSS was used in the descriptive analysis of one-hundred (100) administered interview guide and open-ended questionnaires. The study revealed that ICT Capital has accelerated growth in the bank. Also, ICT facilitated the absorption of high and medium skilled labour. This has a positive effect on the labour output at the bank. The study findings revealed that the bank's use of ICT also enabled the bank to offer a broad variety of services to customers, coordinate branch activities, and meet up with changes in government regulations and policies. The study observed by concluding that the bank's use of ICT has had an impact on the performance of the bank by way of increasing the bank profitability and also reducing the operational cost of the bank.

Technostress in ICT enabled collaborative learning environment: An empirical study among Indian academician

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is becoming a fast changing and renewing technology for higher education industry. With the advancement of ICT tools and techniques, social media evolved as a prominent communications tool and found to be a facilitating tool for teaching and learning, particularly in the higher education. Thus, academic institutions and faculty are under pressure to use the social networking sites, such as Facebook and LinkedIn, to connect with students and to deliver instructional content. This has led to a rise in stress among academicians for efficient and effective use of social media and other ICT based tools for collaborative learning. This study analyzes the relationship between Technostress creators, Technostress Inhibitors and Technostress effect among Indian academician in collaborative teaching and learning environment using concepts of socio-technical theory and role. This research is conducted on 216 academicians in India through questionnaire based survey. The study found a strong relationship between Technostress creators, Technostress Inhibitors and Technostress effect.

Introduction to the Special Issue on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in AEC Organizations: Assessment of Impact on Work Practices, Project Delivery, and Organizational Behavior

Introduction to the Special Issue on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in AEC Organizations: Assessment of Impact on Work Practices, Project Delivery, and Organizational Behavior

A review of current information and communication technologies: can they be used to assess apathy?

Neuropsychiatric symptoms, such as apathy, have an important impact on the quality of life of both patients diagnosed with dementia and their caregivers and represent a strong predictor of progression of the illness. Current clinical assessment methods risk bias resulting from the assessor's subjectivity, pointing to a need for additional objective and systematic assessment tools. Therefore, the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) such as actigraphy and automatized video monitoring are of interest in addition to current assessment methods. The goal of this study is to give an overview of current assessment tools for apathy in clinical practice and new approaches to assessment methods with the help ICT. This study was conducted with the use of narrative literature overview. There is evidence that apart from the currently used assessment methods for apathy, new ICT approaches could provide clinicians with valuable additional information for an earlier detection and therefore more accurate diagnosis of apathy. There are no ICT techniques specifically designed for the assessment of apathy, but nevertheless several techniques seem to be promising and deserve more study.

From Old School to the Use of ICT in Supervision of Counsellor Trainees in Nigeria

Things are changing. Better ways of doing things are been thought out and employed. Counsellor education and supervision is not left out in this wind of change. This paper specifically acknowledges this in the area of supervision of students on counselling practicum exercise. In Nigeria, counselling is taught from first degree to Ph.D. level. During the course of training of the counsellors at the first degree level, trainees are exposed to a two six-weeks practicum exercise. At the end of each of the practicum exercise, the trainee counsellors are assessed. Most times, the assessment is done post mortem from the review of tapes and reports. This paper submits that such exercises can be improved by employing the use of some ICT techniques for enhanced and more accurate assessment of trainee counsellors practicum experiences, hence the call for a shift from the old school to the use of ICT in supervision of trainee counsellors in Nigeria. INTRODUCTION The ways of doing things change from time to time in the face of emerging and prevailing circumstances. These ways of doing things which give way to new ways are in the parlance of the youth regarded as “Old School”. They are called ‘Old School’ because it is thought to belong to older and fading generation. The ways of teaching in counsellor education are changing. They are accommodating new ways. One of the ways is the use of information and communication technologies (ICT). The same can be said of supervision in counsellor education. Counselling has long been seen as a face to face professional and ethical relationship between a counsellor and a client. This concept of counselling has long given way to modern definitions. The modern definition accommodates the fact that counselling can be done from a distance and via the use of technology by not restricting it to face to face interaction. ACA International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences August 2013, Vol. 3, No. 8

Semantics-Based Design: Can Ontologies Help in a Preliminary Design Phase?

In today’s architecture, engineering and construction industry, there has been a vast evolution in the usage of information and communication technology (ICT) for the description and management of construction and/or architectural design projects. During the past years this led to the elaboration of the building information modelling (BIM) technique, which makes it possible to describe building information directly linked to the corresponding elements of the building. One of the major advantages in this BIM approach is the possibility to use this building information for calculation, simulation and analysis in related, more dedicated ICT applications (i.e. energy performance simulation, cost calculation, construction planning, etc.). This influence of ICT is mainly concentrated in the final construction-related design phase and prevails less in the first, preliminary design phase. However, a lot of advantages could be emerging when ICT techniques would be used in the first design stage as well. Therefore, this article proposes the development of an approach similar to BIM, namely an architectural information modelling (AIM) approach, which describes more theoretical, historical and designrelated building knowledge instead of the explicit and components-based descriptions inside BIM. This will result in a new, conceptual, integrated framework for architectural information modelling. In this framework, it will be possible to start and elaborate an architectural design project in a preliminary design phase, using conceptual and more abstract terms (e.g. taxonomy, typology, theory, etc.) to build up a central architectural information model. Several possible advantages of this AIM approach for application in architectural design practice and in building documentation for virtual heritage application will be elaborated during further research.

Newly qualified teachers’ learning related to their use of information and communication technology: a Swedish perspective

AbstractThis qualitative study focuses on newly qualified teachers’ use of information and communication technology (ICT) as a tool for meeting the challenges of their everyday work. The overarching aim is to investigate whether they can contribute to new knowledge about learning in ICT contexts. Theoretical points of departure concern the changeable nature of learning in situations where ways of communicating knowledge and skills are changed. The study draws upon interviews and observations. The findings show intersections picturing the new technique as partly changing the circumstances for teaching, learning and collaboration between colleagues. The new teachers’ utterances show that ICT utilisation is extensive and exhibits great variation both among female and among male participants. Boundary‐crossing changes become visible in the collaboration between more experienced teachers and those who are newly qualified, especially when they work on a common development project. However, there are relatively few teachers who bring up active ICT use in connection with pupils’ learning. Changed roles because of ICT competence raise questions about the importance of systematic ICT features within teacher education. Many of the newly qualified teachers wish they had more knowledge about ICT and related techniques. Another question is whether newly qualified teachers who show interest in using the technique can take on the role as agents of change in their active and creative use of ICT.