ABSTRACT
As participation in electronic sports (esports) continues to expand globally, colleges and universities are considering how such competitive video gaming might impact recruitment, retention, and the overall student engagement experience. This mixed-methods study focuses on the perceptions of college students in both the United States and Italy regarding the esports phenomenon. A compilation of the research findings from two case studies compared and contrasted themes associated with the benefits and risks to college students participating in esports. The findings highlighted the notion that even during challenging times such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the college students in this study were still driven to invest their time in esports play. However, the risks such as those of addiction, health impairment, and social isolation may outweigh the perceived benefits to game play. Included are critical considerations and policy recommendations for campus esports programs as well as future directions in research. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT
ProblemThe world is undergoing digital transformation accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in several paradoxes, such as isolation versus increased accessibility, and structure versus flexibility. With many joining Virtual Human Resource Development (VHRD), the relationship of online teaching and learning to VHRD is understudied, thus necessitating exploration.SolutionThe complexity of virtual environments, dual emphasis on formal and informal learning, and the socio-cultural nature of large digital networks and learning management systems are explored. This article describes selected connections, presents recommended practices and implications for online instruction from the VHRD perspective, discusses digital tools for instructors and trainers, and presents cautions.StakeholdersLearning professionals are encouraged to dance within the paradox to promote learning agility for adapting within digital transformation and to use both high tech and low tech designs to shape resilient learners who combine hard and soft skills valuable for organizations that are increasing the use of artificial intelligence applications.
ABSTRACT
The Problem.The Covid-19 pandemic brought unprecedented crisis to a world already undergoing digital transformation. Millions of people began working virtually to prevent the spread of disease and to maintain business continuity, suddenly participating in virtual human resource development (VHRD) and alternative work strategies that helped organizations adapt to current challenges and prepare for future disruption. The purpose of this article is to analyze VHRD?s role in the crisis and the transition to a new era marked by further disruption and change.The Recommendation.This article provides a primer for understanding the environmental perspective of VHRD, analyzes reskilling and upskilling trends during the pandemic and for early stages of the fourth industrial revolution, and addresses learning, adaptation, cultural, workplace, and economic implications. We argue that many of the changes to the workplace were already underway, but the pandemic has accelerated transformation. For this reason, organizations must anticipate more digital transformation, strategize VHRD, and leverage learning assets to prepare for the future.The Stakeholders.This article is of interest to those helping their organizations to not only recover from crisis, but to thrive in a new era of work that is being fundamentally transformed by technology. The audience includes organizational leaders, HRD professionals, workers, scholars, as well as school personnel seeking to prepare learners for future career conditions.