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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Mirko Prosen

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Guest Editor

Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Primorska, Polje 42, 6310 Izola, Slovenia
Interests: education; e-learning; transcultural education; sociology of health and illness; inequalities; social justice; transcultural health care; global health; qualitative research methods

Dr. Sabina Ličen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Primorska, Polje 42, 6310 Izola, Slovenia
Interests: e-learning; digital education; innovative learning and teaching methods and techniques; green teaching; inclusive pedagogy; quantitative research methods

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This special issue of Sustainability on "Building a Sustainable Future: Innovative Approaches to Learning and Teaching in the Digital Age" focuses on exploring and promoting sustainable practices in education, particularly innovative approaches to learning and teaching in the context of the digital age. The special issue welcomes contributions from a variety of disciplines, fields of study, and settings where innovative learning and teaching practices are being developed, implemented, and evaluated. The aim of this special issue is therefore to provide a platform for researchers, educators, policy makers, and practitioners to share and disseminate their research findings, insights, and best practices related to sustainable learning and teaching approaches. It aims to bridge the gap between sustainability and education, recognizing the transformative potential of digital tools and technologies to create a more sustainable future and adapt to the needs of teachers and learners in the new era.

Original research articles and reviews are welcome in this special issue. Research areas include, but are not limited to: innovative pedagogical approaches (e.g., curriculum design, teaching methods development, learning strategies, online courses, digital education standards); technology-enhanced education (e.g., digital tools and toolkits, online platforms, hubs, virtual reality, gamification); assessment and evaluation studies to measure the impact of the innovative methods and techniques used (e.g., outcomes, methodological issues; social and cultural aspects of education in the digital age, online community), and changes in skill development (e.g., competences, digital and sustainability literacy), policy developments (e.g., policy development, frameworks, theory, guidelines).

We encourage researchers, educators, and other professionals to submit their work and participate in a broader discourse on the use of innovative methods of learning and teaching through the prism of sustainability and successful transformation toward Society 5.0.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Mirko Prosen
Dr. Sabina Ličen
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. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2400 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

education
innovation
digital
learning methods
teaching methods
sustainability literacy
behavior change
competence
skills

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

30 pages, 14390 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Developing a Model to Predict Self-Reported Student Performance during Online Education Based on the Acoustic Environment

by Virginia Puyana-Romero, Cesar Marcelo Larrea-Álvarez, Angela María Díaz-Márquez, Ricardo Hernández-Molina and Giuseppe Ciaburro

Sustainability 2024, 16(11), 4411; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16114411 - 23 May 2024

Viewed by 323

Abstract

In recent years, great developments in online university education have been observed, favored by advances in ICT. There are numerous studies on the perception of academic performance in online classes, influenced by aspects of a very diverse nature; however, the acoustic environment of students at home, which can certainly affect the performance of academic activities, has barely been evaluated. This study assesses the influence of the home acoustic environment on students’ self-reported academic performance. This assessment is performed by calculating prediction models using the Recursive Feature Elimination method with 40 initial features and the following classifiers: Random Forest, Gradient Boosting, and Support Vector Machine. The optimal number of predictors and their relative importance were also evaluated. The performance of the models was assessed by metrics such as the accuracy and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC_AUC-score). The model with the smallest optimal number of features (with 14 predictors, 9 of them about the perceived acoustic environment) and the best performance achieves an accuracy of 0.7794; furthermore, the maximum difference for the same algorithm between using 33 and 14 predictors is 0.03. Consequently, for simplicity and the ease of interpretation, models with a reduced number of variables are preferred. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Building a Sustainable Future: Innovative Approaches to Learning and Teaching in the Digital Age)

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28 pages, 6841 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Curriculum Development of EdTech Class Using 3D Modeling Software for University Students in the Republic of Korea

by Wonjae Choi and Seonggyu Kim

Sustainability 2023, 15(24), 16605; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152416605 - 6 Dec 2023

Viewed by 963

Abstract

This study discusses the development of a software-centered EdTech (Education Technology) class model via the implementation of a course titled “3D Time Machine” at a 4-year university in the Republic of Korea over two semesters. The course focused on teaching the 3D modeling software Blender within the history department. The primary objective of offering this course was to equip students from the digital generation with the capability to manipulate digital technology effectively for their sustainable lives and individual development. By studying historical materials and accumulating domain knowledge, students could construct their narratives from their unique perspectives. This aimed to foster their proficiency in digital technology operation, preparing them for a sustainable education environment increasingly centered around virtual worlds. As the use of virtual worlds gains prominence in educational settings, there is a growing need to incorporate curricula that prepare students to thrive in a “leaving no one behind” society as well-prepared citizens. Assessing the digital competencies of contemporary university students and designing instructional models with particular attention to their needs is becoming increasingly important. This research draws insights from interviews, conducted in both face-to-face and written formats, with students who participated in the “3D Time Machine” course. The interviews revealed valuable insights that can be actively incorporated into the development of software-centered EdTech instructional models. They reported that they expanded their perceptions as they learned how to make their ideas tangible. The course helped students overcome their fear caused by the vagueness of digital technology. These opinions significantly contribute to the development of practical digital educational courses that can be easily and rapidly acquired and applied within virtual educational environments. In conclusion, this kind of course effectively employs 3D modeling technology, a software-centered EdTech, as a core element in helping students develop their narratives rapidly and diversely, thereby playing a crucial role in their ability to articulate their unique perspectives. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Building a Sustainable Future: Innovative Approaches to Learning and Teaching in the Digital Age)

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