Higher Education and Digital Transformation within the Virtuality Continuum

A special issue of Trends in Higher Education (ISSN 2813-4346).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 September 2023) | Viewed by 2617

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Audio and Visual Arts, Ionian University, 49100 Corfu, Greece
Interests: interactive multimedia; dynamic changing systems; interaction and audiovisual arts; adjustable /experimental multimedia; audiovisual arts; interactive audiovisual installations; new forms of creation and interaction; artificial intelligence applications educative multimedia systems; containment interconnection; data visualization; social software and interactive multimedia technologies
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Guest Editor
Department of Audio and Visual Arts, Ionian University, 491 00 Corfu, Greece
Interests: virtuality continuum; augmented reality; digital games; digital transformation of education; design and evaluation of educational systems; educational psychology; educational technologies; gamification techniques; inclusive education; learning theories; school psychology; special education and training; virtual reality

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The role of teachers in 21st Century higher education has evolved dramatically. University teachers are no longer considered the authority in the classroom, as there are now many methods for transferring knowledge to the “ignorant” students.

Knowledge is co-created as a result of a dialectical relationship in which teacher–student roles are often reversed. In an educational context where the vast majority of students are very familiar with technology, the role of the teacher is being redefined. Mastering the new role requires university teachers to build a digital culture. At this moment in time, this is even more imperative.

Due to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, universities in most countries remained closed for many months, forcing students, teachers, educational systems, and society as a whole to rapidly acclimate to new systems. In this context, improving digital skills and technological equipment in terms of software, devices, and overall digital education has been a priority for most governments. The key components of digital transformation in education are:

  • Enrichment of classrooms with digital devices.
  • Personalized learning.
  • Artificial intelligence tools and applications.
  • Use of cutting-edge technologies such as augmented and virtual reality that enable users to utilize the virtuality continuum.
  • Gaming and gamification of learning.
  • Redesign of learning.

Prerequisites for successful digital transformation are the digital literacy of teachers, high-quality educational content, easy-to-use tools, and secure platforms that respect privacy and ethical standards.

Within higher education, academics already contribute to the construction of up-to-date practical guides, enabling the design and development of digital materials that university teachers and students can utilize in order to meet challenges and acquire the expertise required for digital transformation. This Special Issue aims to provide an overview of innovative methods of ubiquitous learning in higher education emerging through digital transformation.

Original research articles, literature reviews, case studies, and applications from different domains and learning perspectives are welcome. Research areas may include (but not limited to):

  • Learning theories and models supporting digital transformation.
  • Higher education and digital tools.
  • Design and development of AR/VR/XR/MR educational applications.
  • Digital educational games.
  • Educational technology.
  • Digital transformation of the learning environment.
  • Digital transformation in education.
  • Inclusive education supported by cutting-edge technologies.
  • Transmedia learning.
  • Interactive 360° training videos and instructional material.
  • Gamification techniques and learning.
  • Smart learning environments.
  • 3D technologies for cultural heritage education.
  • Applications for special educational needs students in higher education.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Ioannis Deliyannis
Dr. Polyxeni Kaimara
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Trends in Higher Education is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1000 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • higher education and digital tools
  • cutting-edge technologies in higher education
  • interactive 360° training videos
  • gamification techniques and learning
  • educational technology
  • virtuality continuum

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

16 pages, 1417 KiB  
Article
Redefining Sustainability and Entrepreneurship Teaching
by Bhavana Kotla and Lisa Bosman
Trends High. Educ. 2023, 2(3), 498-513; https://doi.org/10.3390/higheredu2030030 - 19 Jul 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1776
Abstract
The demand for sustainable development is rapidly increasing with the need to create cleaner and greener products for consumers and producers alike. In line with this need, sustainability has become integral to entrepreneurship research. Although sustainability-focused entrepreneurship programs are offered at higher education [...] Read more.
The demand for sustainable development is rapidly increasing with the need to create cleaner and greener products for consumers and producers alike. In line with this need, sustainability has become integral to entrepreneurship research. Although sustainability-focused entrepreneurship programs are offered at higher education institutions, gaps remain in identifying novel approaches to combining sustainability and entrepreneurship in university programs. To overcome these gaps, this study provides an approach to redefining how sustainability-based entrepreneurship can be taught in a virtual environment using a cross-institution initiative involving instructors and students from multiple countries and disciplinary backgrounds to provide students with opportunities to solve complex sustainability-based problems affecting society. A post-assessment survey (including open-ended questions related to skill development, intercultural learning, virtual learning, and debrief) was administered to better understand student perceptions of learning and engagement. The qualitative data were analyzed using thematic inductive analysis resulting in three key themes (learning outcomes, supportive learning environment, and intercultural challenges). The Discussion and Conclusion sections highlight implications for practitioners, contributions to the literature, and limitations/future research. Pedagogical strategies for educators and program designers are provided. Full article
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