Multimodal Technologies in Precision Education: Providing New Opportunities or Adding More Challenges?

Thematic evolution of smart learning environments, insights and directions from a 20-year research milestones: A bibliometric analysis

Smart learning environments (SLEs) have been developed to create an effective learning environment gradually and sustainably by applying technology. Given the growing dependence on technology daily, SLE will inevitably be incorporated into the teaching and learning process. Without transforming technology-enhanced learning environments into SLE, they are restricted to adding sophistication and lack pedagogical benefits, leading to wasteful educational investments. SLE research has grown over time, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020-2021, which fundamentally altered the "landscape" of technology use in education. This study aims to discover how the stages of SLE transform from time to time by applying two bibliometric analysis approaches: publication performance analysis and science mapping. The dataset was created by extracting bibliometric data from Scopus, including 427 articles, 162 publication sources (journals and proceeding), and 1080 authors from 2002 to 2022. Three kinds of SLE research subjects were identified by keyword synthesis: SLE features, technological innovation, and adaptive learning systems. Adaptive learning and personalized learning are consistently used interchangeably to demonstrate the significance of supporting the diversity of student and teacher conditions. Learning analytics, essential to employing big data technology for educational data mining, is a new theme being considered increasingly in the future to achieve adaptive and personalized learning. The 20-year SLE research milestone, broken down into five stages with various focuses on goals and served as the foundation for creating a maturity model of SLE.

Learning Management System Analytics on Arithmetic Fluency Performance: A Skill Development Case in K6 Education

Achieving fluency in arithmetic operations is vital if students are to develop mathematical creativity and critical thinking abilities. Nevertheless, a substantial body of literature has demonstrated that students are struggling to develop such skills, due to the absence of appropriate instructional support or motivation. A proposed solution to tackle this problem is the rapid evolution and widespread integration of educational technology into the modern school system. To be precise, the Learning Management System (LMS) has been found to be particularly useful in the instructional process, especially where matters related to personalised and self-regulated learning are concerned. In the present work, we explored the aforementioned topics in the context of a longitudinal study in which 720 primary education students (4th–6th grade), from United Arab Emirates (UAE), utilised an LMS, at least once per week, for one school year (nine months). The findings revealed that the vast majority (97% of the 6th graders, 83% of the 4th graders, and 76% of the 5th graders) demonstrated a positive improvement in their arithmetic fluency development. Moreover, the Multiple Linear Regression analysis revealed that students need to practice deliberately for approximately 68 days (a minimum of 3 min a day) before seeing any substantial improvement in their performance. The study also made an additional contribution by demonstrating how design practice compliance with gamification and Learning Analytics in LMS may lead children to be fluent in simple arithmetic operations. For educators interested in LMS-based intervention, research implications and directions are presented.

The Attitudes of K–12 Schools’ Teachers in Serbia towards the Potential of Artificial Intelligence

Similar to so many other aspects of modern life, education is gradually being automated by technological means. The software, apps, systems, platforms, and digital devices that permeate modern education are inextricably linked to these automated processes. One of the primary goals of automation has always been to improve quality and efficiency by reducing the number of human repetitive tasks based on machine learning (ML) algorithms and applications that facilitate the automation of decision-making of artificial intelligence (AI). Thus, computers and robots are predictable and do exactly what they are programmed to do. It is impossible for a computer’s memory or processing power to become “tired” because machines never rest, and now some activities can be automated, thanks to advances in artificial intelligence. Schools nowadays have software that analyses data and makes decisions based on the data rather than relying solely on human analysts regarding repetitive administrative tasks. The exploratory research within the K–12 group of teachers from LINK Educational Alliance from Serbia was performed on 109 persons to identify the genuine knowledge about AI and the potential for automatisation of work processes. Based on the teachers’ opinions regarding opportunities brought about by AI in K–12 schools, we analysed their implications in implementing AI in the educational process in K–12 education.