The impact of parental confidence in using technology on parental engagement in children's education at home during COVID-19 lockdowns: evidence from 19 countries.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought dramatic changes to society, and many temporary changes, such as lockdowns and school closures, have had lasting effects on education and learning. School closures temporarily moved education to the home, where parents had to take responsibility for their children's education, and technology became an essential tool for supporting learning. This study examines the impact of parental confidence in using technology on parental support for children's education at home during the first COVID-19 lockdowns. Researchers and educational officers from 19 countries conducted an online survey from May to July 2020 and collected data from 4600 parents with children 6-16 years old. Participants were selected via snowball sampling. Data were analyzed quantitatively using simple tabulation, correlation analysis, and multiple linear regression. The results showed a relationship between parental support for children's education at home and parental confidence in using technology in all participating countries except for Pakistan. Furthermore, the data indicated that in almost all participating countries, parental confidence in using technology greatly impacted parental engagement in children's education at home, even after controlling for socioeconomic status. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s43545-023-00672-0.

Exploring E-Health Literacy and Technology-Use Anxiety among Older Adults in Korea.

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the importance of health literacy in disseminating information on health in a non-contact society. This study focused on examining the acceptance capacity by older adults of smart devices in Korea and investigating the potential differences between men and women in terms of e-health literacy and technology-use anxiety. The study included 1369 respondents who were adults over 50 years of age and used welfare centers, public health centers, senior citizen centers, and exercise centers in Seoul and Incheon. An online survey was conducted from 1 June 2021 to 24 June 2021. The study found that the older adults' low levels of digital literacy could limit their access to health information and negatively impact their health. The difference between men and women in terms of technology-use anxiety was statistically significant, with the latent mean for men being higher than that for women. The effect sizes of the potential mean differences were found to be at a medium level for e-health literacy and a significant level for technology-use anxiety. With Korea's aging population and the need for the continuous management of chronic diseases among older adults, it is essential to discuss internet-based health information for disease maintenance and treatment.

Drug Discovery and Big Data: From Research to the Community

Technology and artificial intelligence, alongside the COVID-19 pandemic vastly increasing technology use in health care, have precipitated an escalation of big data. Although real-world data (RWD) and real-world evidence (RWE) have contributed to determining outcomes outside the scope of randomized clinical trials (RCTs), RWD and RWE are underutilized in demonstrating drug effectiveness. Utilizing RWD may enhance the ability of regulatory agencies to approve drugs, provide drug effectiveness insight to payers, and improve personalized medicine. Additionally, RWD and RWE may assist in overcoming the limitations of RCT data such as treatment adherence and underrepresented patient subgroups and may support and expedite drug repositioning. Even though the limitations of using RWE and RWD include fragmented data context, poor data quality, and information governance, healthcare analytics hubs such as the European Health Data Space are designed to foster synergy among private and public healthcare players and may assist in overcoming these potential limitations. Such healthcare analytics hubs may enhance the utilization of RWE and/or RWD, which could ultimately result in better patient outcomes. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Technology Deployment for Social Connection in Residential Aged Care: Care and Technology Providers' Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Information and communication technologies are being used for the social connection of people living in residential aged care. However, in HCI research concerning technology use in aged care, the perspectives of care and technology providers have received limited attention. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 15 aged care workers and technology providers to investigate the challenges and opportunities of deploying technologies in aged care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our findings highlighted that technologies such as videoconferencing and smart displays connected residents with family and friends, kept families informed and reassured, and were used in small groups to meet individual needs. However, limitations in video calling, staff fatigue, volunteer availability, and infrastructural resources presented barriers to technology deployment. Future use of technology for social connection in aged care requires careful facilitation from staff, better resourcing and infrastructural support, collaborations with volunteers, and more attention to individual needs. © 2023 Owner/Author.

Digital technology use, technological self-efficacy, and subjective well-being among North Korean migrants during the COVID-19 pandemic: Moderated moderation

Using digital technology to adapt to their host country is an integral part of social inclusion for migrant and refugee populations. However, researchers have not empirically examined how digital technology use may affect subjective well-being among migrant populations. This study aimed to examine the association between increased digital technology use, technological self-efficacy, and subjective well-being. Using the 2020 Digital Divide Survey in Korea, our sample consists of 6520 native South Koreans and 699 North Korean migrants aged 18 years and older. We examined the three-way interaction of technological self-efficacy and being North Korean migrants in the relationship between the increase in the use of five types of digital technology, technological self-efficacy, and subjective well-being, using hierarchical linear regressions. North Korean migrants were statistically lower than South Korean natives in all types of increased digital technology use. Moderation analysis showed that technological self-efficacy positively moderated the relationship between increased digital technology use and subjective well-being. A three-way interaction showed that this relationship was stronger in North Korean migrants for three types of utilization, networking, information sharing, and life services. Considering the potential benefits of technological self-efficacy for North Korean migrants and what psychosocial digital technology education would be considered. © The Author(s) 2023.

Older Adults' Perspectives of Physical Distancing and the Community Center

The purpose of this study was to describe older adults' perceptions of loneliness, quality of life and connection to their community center during physical distancing to inform classes and events during COVID-19. A descriptive, mixed methods study using online and telephone surveys was conducted with 265 older adults in a major Canadian city. Older adults reported a lower quality of life and community connection and a greater sense of loneliness, however resilience emerged as a strong theme. Participants identified regular physical exercise, connection to others through technology and a philosophical approach to events and life as ways of coping with physical distancing. Community centers need to actively continue to innovate with technology, classes and events and provide regular, supportive communication with members during COVID-19 and beyond.

Bidirectional Associations of Awareness of Age-Related Change and Attitudes Towards Own Aging With Social Media Use.

OBJECTIVES: We test whether higher awareness of age-related gains (AARC-gains), lower awareness of age-related losses (AARC-losses), and more positive attitudes towards own aging (ATOA) are cross-sectionally related to more frequent social media use. We also investigate the strength and direction of the associations of AARC-gains, AARC-losses, and ATOA with social media use over one-year, from before to after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: We used cross-sectional data of 8320 individuals (mean age= 65.95 years; SD= 7.01) and longitudinal data of a subsample of 4454 individuals participating to the UK PROTECT study in 2019 and 2020. We used ordered regression models, linear regression models, and tests of interaction. Models were adjusted for age, sex, education, and employment. RESULTS: Higher AARC-gains and more positive ATOA, but not AARC-losses, were cross-sectionally associated with more frequent social media use. Social media use become more frequent at follow-up. In the longitudinal models controlling for baseline levels of the outcome variable, more frequent baseline social media use predicted increases in AARC-gains, whereas baseline AARC-gains did not significantly predict frequency of social media use at follow-up. Baseline frequency of social media use did not significantly predict AARC-losses, nor ATOA at follow-up, whereas lower levels of AARC-losses and more positive ATOA predicted more frequent social media use at follow-up. DISCUSSION: Although effect sizes were small, decreasing negative views on aging may help increase engagement of middle-aged and older people with social media. At the same time, fostering social media use could promote positive self-perceptions of aging.

Organizational Systems and Technology: Technological, Educational, and Organizational Impacts of Global Crises Mini Track

This is the third time that the mini track on "Technological, Educational, and Organizational Impacts of Global Crises” is featured in the Organizational Systems and Technology track. This year, the mini track expanded its topical coverage to include broad-based emergencies beyond the pandemic focus of the prior two years. The mini track comprises five papers, two of which address technology's role in global crises, while the remaining three examine impacts of technology use during the COVID-19 pandemic. © 2023 IEEE Computer Society. All rights reserved.

Sociability and Technostress in Online Classes: The Effects on Students' Emotional Exhaustion During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The move to online classes due to the COVID-19 pandemic has led students in high schools to experience new issues because of their constant use of information and communication technologies (ICTs). One of the consequences of constant ICT use is emotional exhaustion, which is raised or limited by different factors. The teachers' sociability is one of the factors that might decrease emotional exhaustion in students during online classes, while technostress could further it. Moreover, technostress creators could act as moderators on the effect of sociability on emotional exhaustion. These effects are tested with the help of a study with 592 participants, discovering that the sociability in online classes has an effect on how emotionally exhausted the students are. The antecedent technostress also has an effect on emotional exhaustion, thus furthering it. This paper contributes to the information systems (IS) literature by showing how students are affected by constant ICT use. © 2023 IEEE Computer Society. All rights reserved.

Exploring Higher Education Students' Perspectives on Factors Affecting Use, Attitudes and Confidence with Learning Technologies

The use of technology in higher education has become unavoidable. Between the "pivot” to online teaching during the covid-19 pandemic and pressure from universities to integrate technology innovatively within courses, educators are increasingly turning to technology. In turn, all students are expected to engage successfully and rapidly with technology, irrespective of their level or background. It is therefore important to understand students' attitudes and confidence towards technology, and how this drives their use, in order to keep students engaged. This study explores the factors that affect students' use, attitudes and confidence with learning technologies. 11 volunteers from a UK university were interviewed about their experiences with technology. A thematic analysis was carried on the interviews, which found that there are a number of key factors underlying the participants' attitude and confidence with technology. Students strongly considered the purpose and convenience of a technology before choosing whether to accept or reject it. Other factors included familiarity with particular technologies, and the use of an emerging universal iconic language, a new finding from this study. In addition, this study contributes five key recommendations surrounding competence, design and ownership which should be considered when educators are contemplating the use of technology in their higher education classrooms, whether online or face-to-face. It is important to think about these implications and how we as educators use these technologies going forward in a post-pandemic and technology-rich world. © 2023 Eskisehir Osmangazi University. All rights reserved.

Adaptive 3D and VFX Films Virtual Learning Environments

In this study, the analysis of the topic 'Adaptive 3D and VFX Films Virtual Learning' has been provided. As virtual learning and 3D technologies use are increasing, the interest in their learning in academic discussion is increasing daily. However, there are various drawbacks to the use of3D for learning environments. To solve this drawback, the use of adaptive learning environments is increasing more, such as an environment that can dynamically adapt to the learner and the activities that can be performed by that specific learner. As the new ways of learning have been increasing over the past years (in the times of the COVID-19 Pandemic) through the use of computers in the educational sector. The learning environment has been widely adopted by the educational sectors in the case of obtaining promising outcomes. In recent years, these environments have evolved into more advanced environments with the implication of3D technology. With the help of 3D, these adaptive environments are helping learners according to their preferences. © 2022 IEEE.

Lockdown locomotion: the fast-forwarding effects of technology use on digital well-being due to COVID-19 restrictions

Increasing dependency on digital technologies introduces queries related to well-being–when and how digital technology poses a threat, or when it is the most appreciated by users? People have some expectations before using technology, which sometimes may be met, but there might be a mismatch at other times. Nevertheless, the digitalization of services advances and companies modify existing or produce new technologies that do not satisfy users' demands, putting their well-being at risk. Through an empirical inquiry, the present research explores experiences with technologies to shed more light on the main factors that enrich or diminish technology value and influence well-being. Exploiting the circumstances created by the COVID-19 pandemic that fast-forwarded technology use and development, an online inquiry was conducted to assess positive and negative experiences of technologies, focusing on the contexts of work, learning, entertainment, information-seeking, and health. The findings from 578 participants indicate that depending on the role of technologybeing a substitute for certain activities or an opportunity to perform them differently–consequences on well-being can more or less follow expectations. The results are discussed in the context of past research and practical implications for, e.g. technology design or managerial changes that could help overcome users' current challenges. © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Technology use, work adaptation, and economic vulnerability during COVID-19

We explore how technology use helped to cope with the stresses of social distancing during the pandemic contributing insights about the impact of work adaptation enabled by technology on economic vulnerability and resilience. Using a three-wave survey conducted across 10 states in the United States, we found evidence that a high level of technology use was linked to a greater chance of maintaining employment during the pandemic. We evaluate job retention as a function of an index based on the prevalence of information technology (IT) usage in the workplace and psychological and somatic well-being, controlling for technology use outside of the workplace, and socioeconomic and demographic characteristics. © 2023 The Southern Economic Association.

End Users' Perspectives on the Quality and Design of mHealth Technologies During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Philippines: Qualitative Study.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has expanded the use of mobile health (mHealth) technologies in contact tracing, communicating COVID-19-related information, and monitoring the health conditions of the general population in the Philippines. However, the limited end-user engagement in the features and feedback along the development cycle of mHealth technologies results in risks in adoption. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends user-centric design and development of mHealth technologies to ensure responsiveness to the needs of the end users. OBJECTIVE: The goal of the study is to understand, using end users' perspectives, the design and quality of mHealth technology implementations in the Philippines during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on the areas identified by stakeholders: (1) utility, (2) technology readiness level, (3) design, (4) information, (5) usability, (6) features, and (7) security and privacy. METHODS: Using a descriptive qualitative design, we conducted 5 interviews and 3 focus group discussions (FGDs) with a total of 16 participants (6, 37.5%, males and 10, 62.5%, females). Questions were based on the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS). Using the cyclical coding approach, transcripts were analyzed with NVivo 12. Themes were identified. RESULTS: The qualitative analysis identified 18 themes that were organized under the 7 focus areas: (1) utility: use of mHealth technologies and motivations in using mHealth; (2) technology readiness: mobile technology literacy and user segmentation; (3) design: user interface design, language and content accessibility, and technology design; (4) information: accuracy of information and use of information; (5) usability: design factors, dependency on human processes, and technical issues; (6) features: interoperability and data integration, other feature and design recommendations, and technology features and upgrades; and (7) privacy and security: trust that mHealth can secure data, lack of information, and policies. To highlight, accessibility, privacy and security, a simple interface, and integration are some of the design and quality areas that end users find important and consider in using mHealth tools. CONCLUSIONS: Engaging end users in the development and design of mHealth technologies ensures adoption and accessibility, making it a valuable tool in curbing the pandemic. The 6 principles for developers, researchers, and implementers to consider when scaling up or developing a new mHealth solution in a low-resource setting are that it should (1) be driven by value in its implementation, (2) be inclusive, (3) address users' physical and cognitive restrictions, (4) ensure privacy and security, (5) be designed in accordance with digital health systems' standards, and (6) be trusted by end users.

Towards integrating quality in theoretical models of acceptance: An extended proposed model applied to e-learning services

The use of e-learning services is growing in different contexts, especially in the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to examine students' acceptance of and intention to use Learning Management Systems (LMSs) for university education in Brazil using the extended technology acceptance model, unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT), integrating quality construct adapted from the Service Quality Evaluation Model (ServQual). Examining a large sample (n = 1237) of students in Brazil through questionnaires, we investigate the behaviour of the users concerning the factors that influence the technology acceptance and the intention of the use in an e-learning system. Results show that intention to use an LMS is affected by the facilitating conditions (skilful, workable and easy to use), social influence (remarkable, preference for use and relevance), habit (routine, enjoyable and entertaining) and quality (reliable, tangibility, responsiveness and assurance), but not for effort expectancy (agility, knowledge and productivity). Our research findings suggest fostering replicate the model in different universities and countries understanding potential differences. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Identifying the Dimensions of Teachers' Digital Learning Agility in the Age of Exponential Technology Use

The volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) world and IR4.0 developments forces drastic changes to sustain and provide quality education. When schools were shut down abruptly due to COVID-19, teachers were forced into emergency remote teaching, mostly by utilizing technologies but with little to no specific structure. In Malaysia, studies found that teachers struggled with technology ability especially in mastering technology applications. Due to limited experience in preparing electronic materials and using online platforms, teachers took the time to deliberate on the ways to teach online, causing delays in learning. Delays can be mitigated if teachers are agile. Agile teachers are capable to deal with new experience flexibly and rapidly by trying new behaviors and making quick adjustments so that new learning can be realized even when they do not know exactly what to do when they face unexpected challenges. This quality in teachers is important to curb learning loss especially when education was threatened by COVID-19. Reciprocally, technology plays an important role to promote Learning Agility among teachers, ensure sustainability and quality of learning, and forge learners' engagement. With the exponential use of technologies, teachers need to be an agile classroom leader. This study aims at identifying the dimensions that shape teachers' Digital Learning Agility. We hoped that this proposed research can shed insights on digital learning agility and can improve teachers' performance especially in the age of exponential technology use. © ICCE 2022.All rights reserved.

Digital Barriers and Individual Coping Behaviors in Distance Education During COVID-19

Information and communication technologies (ICT) have played a pivotal role in facilitating knowledge acquisition and enabling distance education. Yet, knowledge about digital divide in distance education remains limited. This study examines digital barriers that underserved students face in distance education and their coping behaviors during the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19). Informed by distance education and digital divide literature, this study uses qualitative research method to analyze survey data collected from 206 college students in a four-year public university in the United States. Results revealed five major digital barriers and showed that the distribution of these digital barriers varied by student demographic background and socioeconomic status. Further analysis of respondents' narratives revealed three coping behaviors, including improvising, building technical assets, and building social assets. Practical implications are provided to educators and policymakers to invest in ICT and implement equity-minded teaching practices to enhance digital inclusion. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Effect of patient portals on perception of care quality, general health, and mental health: An exploratory analysis

This study analyzes the relationship between patients' understanding of online medical records and their perception of care quality. It also explores the mediating role of patients' general health perception and mental health and the moderating role of age in this relationship. The study develops and tests an exploratory conceptual model by analyzing the 2020 US-based Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) collected during the COVID-19 pandemic. We checked the survey for multicollinearity and common method bias and adjusted for family-wise error. Using models 6 and 59 of the Hayes PROCESS macros, the study articulates a sequential mediation and a parallel moderated mediation model to capture the intended relationships. Patients' understanding of online medical records had a significant positive association with the perception of care quality (Direct: s=0.17;Indirect: s=0.12). Additionally, the study captured the significant effect of age and perception of general health (self-health) on the perception of care quality. We also reported significant associations between mental health and general health perception (s=0.26). These findings suggest that the patient portals' contents should be designed in a way to be easily understood by patients from various backgrounds to improve the overall care experience.Copyright © 2022 The Author(s)

Technology as a daily resource for Italian college students during the lockdown period. A qualitative study

The restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic have challenged human daily activities and habits worldwide. In this novel scenario, technology proved to be a resource for individuals and communities. A qualitative study explored the typologies of services primarily used by Italian university students in Spring 2020 during the first lockdown period. Technology emerged as a major resource, facilitating daily tasks such as learning activities, relationships, and leisure. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Technological Innovations in Response to COVID-19: Research Agenda Considering Marginalized Populations

This chapter presents an interdisciplinary research agenda for understanding the impacts COVID-19 response has had on our use of technology. The widespread unprecedented mandates on social distancing have forced a large majority of nearly 330 million Americans to rely on technology for work, education, and crucial societal functions. Using the Ecology framework, this research agenda identifies the domains of influence for the use of technology—from the individual and community to the organizational and societal levels. This chapter proposes a series of questions focused on the framework and offers a catalog of research questions as a launchpad for future research. This agenda serves as a guide for scholars and practitioners interested in understanding the influence of technology on the expansion or reduction of vulnerabilities for socially marginalized populations. The findings of the review suggest an increase in research on meso-, exo-, techno-, and macro-level interventions of technology use during COVID-19 and that some marginalized populations are not researched as much as others. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.