New ITU-T Study Group 5 Structure and Deliberations

The NTT Group is participating in the international standardization activities in the International Telecommunication Union - Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) Study Group (SG) 5 to protect telecommunication facilities from electromagnetic interference and lightning surges, assess the impact of information and communication technologies on climate change, address the issue of a circular economy that enables sustainable development, and contribute to improving the reliability of telecommunication services and reducing the environmental impact of its business activities. In this article, we introduce the study structure of ITU-T SG5 for the new study period (2022–2024), which has finally started due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the latest discussion trends at the first meeting held in June 2022. © 2022 Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp.. All rights reserved.

A Gamified Virtual Learning Environment to Enhance Online Teaching and Learning Experience

In-class teaching not only concentrates on lecture content delivery but also on maintaining strong mutuality between lecturer-students and student-student. Online lectures are gaining popularity due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the learning-teaching process has become ineffective because existing video conferencing solutions are not intended for academic purposes. This research was conducted to identify the pain points of online education and develop an enhanced software solution. A user survey confirmed that an isolated environment tends to diminish attentiveness during online lectures. Also, it is difficult for teachers to observe the attentiveness of all the students. As a solution, student attentiveness was measured using their facial expressions and collected data shown to lecturers through a virtual student behavioural environment. The physical separation causes students to feel isolated during lectures, which can negatively affect their academic development and social and psychological development. The developed application also provides a virtual group study environment as a feature. According to the results gathered in the user acceptance testing phase, it was found that the attention detection feature helps students keep their attention at a significant level. Further, 9 out of 10 teachers who participated in the testing acknowledged that the simulated student behavioural view could provide a more immersive experience. 71% of students preferred the new collaborative virtual environment, and students further elaborated that the virtual environment was more likely the physical group studies. 72% of students mentioned that the collaborative group study tool helped eliminate isolation during group studies. © 2022 IEEE.

Challenges of Using Instant Communication Technology in the Emergency Department during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Focus Group Study.

A record outbreak of community-spread COVID-19 started on 10 May 2021, in Taiwan. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, care facilities have adopted various protocols using instant communication technology (ICT) to provide remote yet timely healthcare while ensuring staff safety. The challenges of patient evaluation in the emergency department (ED) using ICT are seldom discussed in the literature. The objective of this study was to investigate the factors influencing the utility of ICT for patient assessment in emergency settings during the pandemic. The patient flow protocol and the ED layout were modified and regionalized into different areas according to the patient's risk of COVID-19 infection. Nine iPads were stationed in different zones to aid in virtual patient assessment and communication between medical personnel. A focus group study was performed to assess and analyze the utility of the ICT module in the ED. Eight emergency physicians participated in the study. Of them, four (50%) had been directly involved in the development of the ICT module in the study hospital. Three main themes that influenced the application of the ICT module were identified: setting, hardware, and software. The setting theme included six factors: patient evaluation, subspecialty consultation, patient privacy and comfortableness, sanitation, cost, and patient acceptability. The hardware theme included six factors: internet connection, power, quality of image and voice, public or personal mode, portable or fixed mode, and maintenance. The software theme included six factors: platform choices, security, ICT accounts, interview modes, video/voice recording, and time limitation. Future studies should focus on quantifying module feasibility, user satisfaction, and protocol adjustment for different settings.