Enhancing Students' Entrepreneurial Competencies through Extracurricular Activities—A Pragmatic Approach to Sustainability-Oriented Higher Education

Entrepreneurship can provide a creative, disruptive, problem-solving-oriented approach to the current economic, environmental, and social challenges of the world. This article aims to provide an analysis about the way universities can have an impact on developing entrepreneurial competence in students through extracurricular activities. The research relies on a questionnaire survey of students at the University of Petrosani, who participated in a range of entrepreneurial activities both online during the COVID-19 pandemic and face-to-face afterwards. The methodology consisted of applying principal component analysis to reduce the dimensionality of the indicators, followed by classification of the respondents through cluster analysis and training of a feedforward neural network. After finishing the network-training process, the error was minimized, resulting in three classes of respondents. Furthermore, based on the three classes, follow-up conclusions, policies, and decisions can be issued regarding the perception of entrepreneurship at the societal level, which is beneficial for academia and entrepreneurs, as well as for future research undertaken in this field. The key conclusion of our research is that entrepreneurship education is a real facilitator of the transition to sustainable entrepreneurship. Students perceived meeting successful entrepreneurs as being among the most effective extracurricular activities, assessing online activities as useful, and the field of study proved to be an important factor in their entrepreneurial intention.

PERSPECTIVES ON ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE FOR A LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN POST-COVID-19

Latin America and the Caribbean is between regions the world with the highest number of Covid-19 deaths. What is certain is that some factors allow the continent to suffer more damage and have greater difficulty in facing the pandemic, the objective of this research situated in the field of Fundamentals of Environmental Education is to understand this situation at first, and then seek to point out alternatives for the region. These alternatives are found from the horizon of environmental justice for the post-Covid-19. The study follows a methodological approach of Philosophical Hermeneutics. as perspectives the study points to: adoption of Eco socialism, change in the energy mix;change in consumption practices;change in human-nature relations, new ways of bringing nations together, overcoming the colonialist model;strengthening of potential and overcoming the discourse of poverty;Latin American solidarity as a possibility to overcome social exclusion;the reinvention of more democratic political systems with the effective participation of the population;appreciation of Latin American identity, based on the recognition of Traditional Peoples;and facing the postponement of the discussion on climate change. © 2023, University of Cienfuegos, Carlos Rafael Rodriguez. All rights reserved.

Exploratory Factorial Model of Hydric Conservation in the COVID-19 era

Scenarios of scarcity, shortages, healthiness and scarcity are proposed to which HEIs would react, but with nuances according to the capacities of the areas of knowledge such as the case of health sciences and administrative economic sciences. [...]a Modeling is a mapping of the variables indicative of a behavior based on inclusion criteria such as the consensus of the literature regarding the SDG-6 and its observation in HEIs. [...]verifiability frameworks prevail in the biological and health sciences. [...]a comparison between different sources observing the same phenomenon generates the veracity of a data [9]. The IES only covers a few disciplines that respond to the development needs of the region, as well as the projected labor demand [10]. [...]the objective of this work is to contribute with empirical evidence to the SDG indicators: scarcity, drought, depletion, sanitation, purification, quality and floods [11].

Conclusion: Emerging Trends in Outdoor Environmental Education in the Post-COVID World

This chapter summarizes and critically reflects on the emerging trends discussed in the preceding chapters, tracing the developments in the OEE field that have occurred in response to the changing world. The chapter highlights certain tendencies, such as reviving the importance of place, empowering teachers, students, and other stakeholders to actively plan and conduct OEE, blurring the boundaries between indoor, outdoor, and cyberspace learning and promoting a post-human, non-anthropocentric perspective in OEE. At the same time, the chapter deals with some of the more traditional OEE approaches and their virtues that are still pertinent for the future. The evolution of the OEE field needs to be shaped by a pluralistic discussion of a variety of approaches. This calls for mutual openness and consideration of both theory and practice. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Benefits of participation in a community of practice focused on evaluation and programmatic improvement for environmental educators.

One of the biggest challenges environmental education (EE) practitioners face is having timely and systematically-collected evaluation data to inform the design and improvement of existing programs. One potential way to provide systematic evaluations of programs and build evaluation capacity for practitioners is through a facilitated community of practice (CoP). We developed a CoP involving 37 organizations who were pivoting to online EE programs within the United States due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our goals were to build organizational capacity in evaluation and adaptive management to improve these organizations' online EE programs. We describe our CoP design, challenges associated with its implementation, and the benefits reported by participants in the CoP. Participants reported that they improved their evaluation skills and attitudes towards evaluation and developed social capital with a new network of colleagues. They also reported positive changes in practice, both individually and organizationally; considered new outcomes for their programs; and learned about using evaluation data to systematically improve programs. Educators shared their learning both within and outside of their organizations. Those who were more regularly involved in this community reported more positive benefits than others who were less involved. We share our reflections on the process and make suggestions for other evaluators to consider in similar CoP designs.

Investigating the Relationship between Users' Behavioral Intentions and Learning Effects of VR System for Sustainable Tourism Development

Macao is a tourist city. It is home to the Ruins of Saint Paul's, a unique 100-year-old landmark, which is still standing with manual maintenance, even after three fires and reconstruction events. Therefore, the continuous preservation of its culture, heritage education, and construction are important issues for Macao. With the development of digital technology in recent years, users can quickly search historical sites and save two-dimensional and three-dimensional images and videos through smartphones. These methods also enhance the communication power of culture. Virtual browsing on a smartphone requires computing power and storage space;yet, virtual reality devices are not widely used. Therefore, augmented reality and virtual reality are rarely used simultaneously for three-dimensional interactive guided tours and operation experiences on the same theme. However, by quickly creating virtual reality scenarios and preserving historical sites on mobile devices, 4DAGE's 4DKanKan technology can provide augmented reality and metaverse virtual reality experiences. 4DKanKan can also integrate mobile guides and navigation software to connect mobile devices and assist in cultural inheritance and conduct sustainable education. This research linked this technology to the web by incorporating augmented reality and virtual reality technology to make designs and discussed the influences among service design, behavioral intentions, and learning effects. We collated and analyzed relevant data and text materials through systematic testing, observation, operation processes, and semi-structured interviews. The PLS multigroup structural model was used to explore and analyze the degree of influence and explanatory power of system quality, information quality, behavioral intention, and learning effects among themselves. The results of this study show that most users accepted the proposed innovative mode of operation and found it to be interesting and fun. Augmented reality is not limited by space or time;however, virtual reality devices taking too long to operate, switching too frequently, and having too many functional interfaces can cause operational problems. This study identified and modified the influencing factors and problems of the proposed system, with the aim of continuing to expand the applications of 4DKanKan to other cultural attractions or museums in the future. In addition, the research results can provide a reference for the sustainable development of related cultural sites.

How is the use of GIS in geographical and environmental education evaluated? Findings from a systematic review

This study presents the findings from the literature review of 30 empirical research articles on the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in Geographic and Environmental Education published in the last decade (2010-2020). Using systematic review methodology, we recorded and synthesized current knowledge from the literature on how the use of GIS in education is assessed. The findings show that over the past decade, the construct variables used to evaluate the use of GIS in education have focused on three thematic categories (Themes): Learning (44.4%), Affective Elements (40.7%), and Behavior (14.8%). A certified instrument had been used to evaluate the data of 30% of the research conducted in the articles, while three new measuring tools had been created by the original researchers. Analysis of the findings suggests that the use of GIS in Geographic and Environmental education is heterogeneous, sparse, and fragmented. We propose that a more systematic framework be implemented in order to make future studies more effective. The value of our study is that it provides an analytical framework which can be used when evaluating the use of GIS in education, and could also provide information on the development of new assessment methods and measuring tools. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of International Research in Geographical & Environmental Education is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Spatial thinking and GIS: developing and assessing student competencies

Spatial thinking is an integral skill for geography students to develop. Whilst many spatial competencies have been identified by researchers, and the merits of GIS seemingly ubiquitous in the published literature, little work has been done into how students' spatial thinking skills can be assessed. Therefore, further investigation into the relationship between spatial thinking and performance and attainment is needed. This research investigates the impact using a geographic information system (GIS) has on students' spatial thinking skills and attempts to assess the extent using a framework. This was done through the design and implementation of two GIS-based interventions. This small-scale evaluation used qualitative methods to investigate students' and teachers' views. Student work was also analysed using the framework developed for the assessment of spatial thinking skills. The findings suggest that the use of a GIS does enhance, and in most cases improves students' spatial thinking skills, but, that spatial thinking is hard to quantify and difficult to measure progress in. Another benefit that using a GIS affords is the creation of engaging, contemporary and interactive lessons, using real data, from which students derive a lot of geographical value. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of International Research in Geographical & Environmental Education is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Digital Transformation Strategies, Practices, and Trends: A Large-Scale Retrospective Study Based on Machine Learning

The purpose of this research is to identify the areas of interest, research topics, and application areas that reflect the research nature of digital transformation (DT), as well as the strategies, practices, and trends of DT. To accomplish this, the Latent Dirichlet allocation algorithm, a probabilistic topic modeling technique, was applied to 5350 peer-reviewed journal articles on DT published in the last ten years, from 2013 to 2022. The analysis resulted in the discovery of 34 topics. These topics were classified, and a systematic taxonomy for DT was presented, including four sub-categories: implementation, technology, process, and human. As a result of time-based trend analysis, "Sustainable Energy”, "DT in Health”, "E-Government”, "DT in Education”, and "Supply Chain” emerged as top topics with an increasing trend. Our findings indicate that research interests are focused on specific applications of digital transformation in industrial and public settings. Based on our findings, we anticipate that the next phase of DT research and practice will concentrate on specific DT applications in government, health, education, and economics. "Sustainable Energy” and "Supply Chain” have been identified as the most prominent topics in current DT processes and applications. This study can help researchers and practitioners in the field by providing insights and implications about the evolution and applications of DT. Our findings are intended to serve as a guide for DT in understanding current research gaps and potential future research topics.

The influence of environmental education on Omani students self-reported environmental attitudes and behaviours

The objective of this research is to consider the self-reported environmental attitudes and behaviours of Omani students and identify the factors that determine them. This research aims to explore the current environmental education curriculum in Oman. Specifically, this research is designed to identify school-related factors that might influence Omani students' self-reported environmental attitudes and behaviours. An explanatory sequential mixed method research design is adopted to gather information from primary and secondary sources. A questionnaire of 53 items was designed and tested on 212 students from four secondary schools in Oman, and then 25 semi-structured interviews were conducted with students, teachers and heads from the same four secondary schools. The data generated from the questionnaires were analysed using two methods: descriptive statistics and chi-square tests. The data generated from the interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. The major findings of this research indicate that the environmental curriculum appears to be a moderate contributor to environmental attitudes and behaviours, whereas environmental knowledge appears to be a positive contributor to environmental attitudes and behaviours. Overall, this study suggests that including environmental education in schools improves students' environmental attitudes and behaviours. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of International Research in Geographical & Environmental Education is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Battitude: A virtual zoo ?bat experience? produces positive change in attitudes to an unpopular species

Despite the wide-ranging benefits of bats for people, bats are poorly understood and often feared. The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted these issues, but has also provided opportunities to develop new approaches to tackle misconceptions and transform attitudes. A 'virtual bat experience' (VBE) was designed, which lasted 5 minutes and incorporated videos and images of zoo-housed fruit bats, along with information highlighting the important roles of bats and the need to protect them. Using an online survey, attitudes of a sample of 316 people were evaluated both before and after watching the VBE using semantic differentials and Likert scale responses. There were significant positive changes in attitudes to bats on all measures as a result of viewing the VBE. Participants who had previously visited a zoo bat exhibit were more likely to have positive attitudes to bats, and the two experiences (online and in-person) appeared to have additive effects.

Impact of Short-Term Educational Activities on Pupils' Attitudes Towards Waste in Distance Education

The aim of the work was to apply short-term educational activities to primary school pupils and to find out their influence on pupils' attitudes, compared to the traditional way of teaching. We observed differences between the cumulative mean scores of girls (x = 2,1) and boys (x = 2,4). We showed no difference in the cumulative mean scores of 7th and 8th graders. The pre-test data were at the level of statistical significance (p = 0,0521), with the experimental group (E) performing worse on mean score (x = 2,61) than the control group (K) (x = 2,31). The values correlated with the end-of-year grade in the biology and chemistry subjects. A paired t test revealed a statistically significant difference in the experimental group between the cumulative means of the pre-test and post-test (p = 0,0419) and the pre-test and retention test (p = 0,0354). A statistically significant difference was also observed in the individual dimensions (separation, recycling and production). In the control group, there was no statistically significant difference between the individual tests and dimensions. We have demonstrated the effective use of inquiry-based learning during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sustainable Social Development through the Use of Artificial Intelligence and Data Science in Education during the COVID Emergency: A Systematic Review Using PRISMA

In this paper, we aimed to investigate how sustainable development can be involved in educational contexts that use new trends in technology such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Data Science (DS). To achieve this goal, we conducted a documentary Systematic Review using PRISMA research to find and analyze applications of sustainable development in these aforementioned contexts. In the results, we explain how some applications of both AI and DS, including Big Data and Learning Analytics among others, offer alternatives to substantially improve the educational process by allowing either education to be personalized, learning to be predicted, or even possible school dropouts to be predicted. We found that the COVID emergency sped up the introduction of these technologies in educational environments. Nevertheless, the inclusion of new technologies to develop better processes in education is still in progress and will continue to grow. In conclusion, we identified and analyzed some of the main applications found in the literature regarding new computing technologies. AI and DS have introduced new learning and teaching methods to solve different context problems that promote sustainable development while making educational environments more dynamic. On the other hand, we observed that the divide in many countries will continue due to their economic and technological situations. We describe some of the challenges that the incorporation of these technologies will bring in the near future.

Research on a Sustainable Teaching Model Based on the OBE Concept and the TSEM Framework

This paper reports the results of a study on the implementation of a sustainable teaching model based on the OBE (Outcome-Based Education) concept and the TSEM (Teach, Study, Evaluate, and Manage) framework in computer science and technology at NingboTech University, China. In the context of digital education, the OBE concept and the TSEM framework are integrated to explore sustainable teaching and learning models based on "artificial intelligence and education”. Based on the core concept of engineering professional education accreditation, the course is designed by using the PCCM (Professional Competency Correlation Matrix) method to build a model based on big data analysis, deepen the classroom teaching reform of "artificial intelligence and education”, and explore the integrated digital sustainable teaching mode of "teaching, learning, evaluation, and management”. The aim of this study is to explore the effectiveness of the teaching model based on OBE and the TSEM framework on students' sustainable development. The results show that students deepen their learning in computer science while enhancing their own learning initiative, teamwork skills, innovation skills, and awareness of sustainable development. Research shows that our teaching model plays an important role in the development of student sustainable education, enhancing student engineering practice and innovation capabilities and cultivating applied innovative talents. The efficacy of the teaching model based on the OBE concept and the TSEM framework for improving students' competence in sustainable education warrants further investigation.

Effects of ICT Integration in Teaching Using Learning Activities

Progress in schooling using competence-based teaching for students is a priority in setting up a quality-centered educational process. Thus, using ICT tools as teaching–learning techniques represents an important objective in reaching scholastic performance and the capacity to offer students various experiences in teaching. Starting with an analysis of research on integrating ICT tools in the educational environment, this study is aimed at presenting teaching opportunities for all students, seeing education through the lens of those instruments specific to a secondary school level, referencing the subject of geography. The applied research design includes mixed methods applied to a total of 674 students, based on results received before and after a written evaluation, to determine the level of knowledge of the students. The present study evaluates the learning environment in which a successful and practical integration of ICT tools is anticipated in the teaching and learning process, from the perspective of the comparative measurement of the impact on the tests, resulting from the formative assessment. The conducted experiment and the Google Forms questionnaires suggest, through the degree of involvement of all students, how technology can facilitate the teaching–learning process. The results showed that there are statistically significant differences between the experimental and the control group, and that information and communication technologies (ICT) represent an important tool for improving performance and developing participatory skills, having the ability to provide students with positive results.

Perception and Knowledge of Algerian Students about Climate Change and Its Putative Relationship with the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Preliminary Cross-Sectional Survey

Background: Climate changes (CC) is one of the most important insidious crises affecting all countries in the world in the 21st century, including Algeria, and it is projected to affect many people in the future. Mitigation of the effects of this phenomenon will certainly involve environmental education, especially among university students. Therefore, evaluating their level of knowledge could help us understand to what extent they are prepared to contribute in the global efforts to fight against this catastrophe. Objective: The current study aims to investigate the perception and knowledge of Algerian students about climate change and its potential relationship with the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: An online cross-sectional survey was conducted on a sample of 204 Algerian students by adopting snowball sampling during the academic year (2022/2023), with a questionnaire based on Google Forms. Data were analyzed using SPSS software. Results: The results obtained showed that 95.6% of the students asked had heard about this phenomenon and more than 90% perceived that it was really happening. The level of knowledge is significantly associated with age, where students aged between 20 and 30 years old had a lower level of knowledge than those over 30 years old (OR = 0.22, p = 0.027). Furthermore, students of the Humanities have shown the lowest level of knowledge compared to those of other domains. Regarding their attitude, only 31.8% of the asked students declared that they changed their attitude positively during the COVID-19 pandemic. The change in attitude and concern is statistically associated neither with the level of knowledge and perception nor COVID-19 affection, psychological impact, and uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine. Conclusion: The study concluded that there was a high level of awareness and a medium level of knowledge about CC among Algerian university students. However, most of them were either very worried or a little worried about this phenomenon. It was also suggested that the average level of knowledge about cause and effect and pandemic resistance could be attributed to the scientific study path of students from the study sample. The results of this study could be used as a baseline for future research into CC knowledge and perception in Algeria.

Effective environmental education for sustainable development beyond the Plastic Age in South Korea

The skyrocketing single-plastic demand during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic proved the limitation of top-down environmental policies in accomplishing sustainable consumption and waste management. Nevertheless, ‘smart consumers' can make smart choices for sustainable development. However, a review of the South Korean environmental education curriculum reveals that the current structure heavily leans towards the elementary level and does not enlighten the public on ‘what' and ‘how' to live sustainably. This study uses a quick survey to suggest that the effectiveness of environmental education may be enhanced if: (1) guidance on how to live with the natural environment in harmony for collective cooperation towards resilient and sustainable community building is incorporated with a clear purpose, (2) environment-friendly culture-building activities are enforced to institutionalise a new paradigm of sustainability to replace today's consumerism, and (3) contents are updated regularly to include Earth and environmental science knowledge in the state of art. © 2023 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Sustainable Education and Digitalization through the Prism of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Our paper discusses how sustainable education has evolved at higher education institutions (HEIs) during the COVID-19 pandemic by embracing digitalization and novel technologies. In addition, it describes the innovative methods for integrating technology into professional education during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. We evaluate the global practices and fundamental changes in the sphere of higher education, particularly regarding sustainable education and digitalization. The paper aims at describing the challenges faced by higher education institutions in adopting sustainable education and digitalization, as well as the opportunities for growth and innovation that have arisen due to the pandemic. Our methods include the empirical model, which assesses the acceptance and usage of novel digital technologies for promoting sustainable education by university professors and academic researchers in four major Russian cities (Moscow, Krasnodar, Kazan, and Saint Petersburg) during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of the model reveal the significance of implementing sustainability in the classroom, which could bring positive outcomes to both students and teachers. Our study provides a valuable resource for educators seeking techniques, models, and practical advice to overcome the obstacles of teaching in a digitally connected learning environment in Russia and beyond. Specifically, we propose that the primary focus of digitalizing professional education should be on teachers and instructors who are enthusiastic about leveraging technology for learning and who are familiar with novel digital technologies. It appears that digital technologies are capable of transforming teaching practices for sustainable education and economic development.

Pandemic shift: Meeting the challenges of moving post-secondary environmental education online

As the COVID-19 pandemic surged and resurged across the world, members of a higher education professional group associated with the North American Association of Environmental Education met regularly online to discuss challenges and strategies to cope with the sudden shifts to remote learning. Six environmental education (EE) instructors, from public universities across the USA, compiled and analyzed their teaching experiences, carefully considering impacts on pedagogical strategies common to EE. The analysis revealed positive, negative, and mixed impacts on content mastery, skills development, group work, place-based learning, teaching observations, student teaching experiences, and professional development. The group then considered implications for instructors, students, and the field of EE, particularly amid ongoing pressure to offer online options and the possibility of future pandemics or other major disruptions to traditional higher education. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)