Search Results (4)

Internet of Things (IoT) environments can extensively use embedded devices. Without the participation of consumers; tiny IoT devices will function and interact with one another, but their operations must be reliable and secure from various threats. The introduction of cutting-edge data analytics methods for linked IoT devices, including blockchain, may lower costs and boost the use of cloud platforms. In a peer-to-peer network such as blockchain, no one has to be trusted because each peer is in charge of their task, and there is no central server. Because blockchain is tamper-proof, it is connected to IoT to increase security. However, the technology is still developing and faces many challenges, such as power consumption and execution time. This article discusses blockchain technology and embedded devices in distant areas where IoT devices may encounter network shortages and possible cyber threats. This study aims to examine existing research while also outlining prospective areas for future work to use blockchains in smart settings. Finally, the efficiency of the blockchain is evaluated through performance parameters, such as latency, throughput, storage, and bandwidth. The obtained results showed that blockchain technology provides security and privacy for the IoT. Full article

This study aims to investigate the most effective and interesting variables that urge use of the smartwatch (SW) in a medical environment. To achieve this aim, the study was framed using an innovative and integrated research model, which is based on combining constructs from a well-established theoretical model’s TAM and other features that are critical to the effectiveness of SW which are content richness and personal innovativeness. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) is used to detect the determinants affecting the adoption of SW. The current study depends on an online questionnaire that is composed of (20) items. The questionnaire is distributed among a group of doctors, nurses, and administration staff in medical centers within the UAE. The total number of respondents is (325). The collected data were implemented to test the study model and the proposed constructs and hypotheses depending on the Smart PLS Software. The results of the current study show that the main constructs in the model contribute differently to the acceptance of SW. Based on the previous assumption, content richness and innovativeness are critical factors that enrich the user’s perceived usefulness. In addition, perceived ease of use was significantly predictive of either perceived usefulness or behavioral intention. Overall findings suggest that SW is in high demand in the medical field and is used as a common channel among doctors and their patients and it facilitates the role of transmitting information among its users. The outcomes of the current study indicate the importance of certain external factors for the acceptance of the technology. The genuine value of this study lies in the fact that it is based on a conceptual framework that emphasizes the close relationship between the TAM constructs of perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use to the construct of content richness, and innovativeness. Finally, this study helps us recognize the embedded motives for using SW in a medical environment, where the main motive is to enhance and facilitate the effective roles of doctors and patients. Full article

Recent years have seen an increasingly widespread use of online learning technologies. This has prompted universities to make huge investments in technology to augment their position in the face of extensive competition and to enhance their students’ learning experience and efficiency. Numerous studies have been carried out regarding the use of online and mobile phone learning platforms. However, there are very few studies focusing on how university students will accept and adopt smartphones as a new platform for taking examinations. Many reasons, but most recently and importantly the COVID-19 pandemic, have prompted educational institutions to move toward using both online and mobile learning techniques. This study is a pioneer in examining the intention to use mobile exam platforms and the prerequisites of such intention. The purpose of this study is to expand the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) by including four additional constructs: namely, content quality, service quality, information quality, and system quality. A self-survey method was prepared and carried out to obtain the necessary basic data. In total, 566 students from universities in the United Arab Emirates took part in this survey. Smart PLS was used to test the study constructs and the structural model. Results showed that all study hypotheses are supported and confirmed the effect of the TAM extension factors within the UAE higher education setting. These outcomes suggest that the policymakers and education developers should consider mobile exam platforms as a new assessment platform and a possible technological solution, especially when considering the distance learning concept. It is good to bear in mind that this study is initial and designed to explore using smartphones as a new platform for student examinations. Furthermore, mixed-method research is needed to check the effectiveness and the suitability of using the examination platforms, especially for postgraduate higher educational levels. Full article

The COVID-19 pandemic not only affected our health and medical systems but also has created large disruption of education systems at school and universities levels. According to the United Nation’s report, COVID-19 has influenced more than 1.6 billion learners from all over the world (190 countries or more). To tackle this problem, universities and colleges have implemented various technologically based platforms to replace the physical classrooms during the spread of Coronavirus. The effectiveness of these technologies and their educational impact on the educational sector has been the concern of researchers during the spread of the pandemic. Consequently, the current study is an attempt to explore the effect of Google Meet acceptance among Arab students during the pandemic in Oman, UAE, and Jordan. The perceived fear factor is integrated into a hybrid model that combines crucial factors in TAM (Technology acceptance Model) and VAM (Value-based Adoption Model). The integration embraces perceived fear factor with other important factors in TAM perceived ease of use (PEOU) and perceived usefulness (PU) on the one hand and technically influential factor of VAM, which are perceived technicality (PTE) and perceived enjoyment (PE) on the other hand. The data, collected from 475 participants (49% males and 51% females students), were analyzed using the partial least squares-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). The results have shown that TAM hypotheses of usefulness and easy to use have been supported. Similarly, the results have supported the hypotheses related to VAM factors of being technically useful and enjoying, which helps in reducing the atmosphere of fear that is created due to the spread of Coronavirus. Full article