ISSN: 2075-0161 (Print)
ISSN: 2075-017X (Online)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5815/ijmecs
Website: https://www.mecs-press.org/ijmecs
Published By: MECS Press
Frequency: 6 issues per year
Number(s) Available: 137
IJMECS is committed to bridge the theory and practice of modern education and computer science. From innovative ideas to specific algorithms and full system implementations, IJMECS publishes original, peer-reviewed, and high quality articles in the areas of modern education and computer science. IJMECS is a well-indexed scholarly journal and is indispensable reading and references for people working at the cutting edge of computer science, modern education and applications.
IJMECS has been abstracted or indexed by several world class databases: Scopus, SCImago, Google Scholar, Microsoft Academic Search, CrossRef, Baidu Wenku, IndexCopernicus, IET Inspec, EBSCO, JournalSeek, ULRICH's Periodicals Directory, WorldCat, Scirus, Academic Journals Database, Stanford University Libraries, Cornell University Library, UniSA Library, CNKI Scholar, ProQuest, J-Gate, ZDB, BASE, OhioLINK, iThenticate, Open Access Articles, Open Science Directory, National Science Library of Chinese Academy of Sciences, The HKU Scholars Hub, etc..
IJMECS Vol. 17, No. 4, Aug. 2025
REGULAR PAPERS
The accelerating pace of industrial transformation necessitates a strategic reconfiguration of higher education curricula to ensure alignment with dynamic labor market demands. This study introduces a hybrid decision-making framework that integrates Machine Learning with Multi-Criteria Decision Making techniques to evaluate and classify the readiness and relevance of academic programs. The methodological core includes the Step-wise Weight Assessment Ratio Analysis, Linguistic q-Rung Orthopair Fuzzy Numbers, and the Multi-Attributive Border Approximation Area Comparison method for criteria weighting, coupled with a classification model based on Support Vector Machine optimized using the Salp Swarm Optimization algorithm. The results demonstrate the framework's efficacy in identifying curricular gaps and recommending adaptive enhancements, especially for programs categorized as “Needs Improvement.” Beyond classification, the system facilitates strategic curriculum planning, fosters pedagogical innovation, and promotes industry-responsive learning pathways. This study highlights the transformative potential of
machine learning in higher education, equipping students with the skills required to navigate an increasingly dynamic professional landscape, while offering actionable insights into instructional redesign, competency-based delivery, and industry-informed pedagogy. Future research will explore longitudinal impact assessment and broader stakeholder integration to enhance the framework’s scalability and contextual adaptability.
Developing software projects allows students to put knowledge into practice and gain teamwork skills. However, assessing student performance in project-oriented courses poses significant challenges, particularly as class sizes increase. This paper introduces a fuzzy intelligent system designed to evaluate academic software projects using an object-oriented programming and design course as an example. Our methodology involved conducting a survey of student project teams (n=31) and faculty (n=3) to identify key evaluation parameters and their applicable ranges. The critical criteria—clean code, use of inheritance, and functionality—were represented as fuzzy variables with corresponding fuzzy sets. We collaborated with three experts, including one professor and two course instructors, to define a set of fuzzy rules for a fuzzy inference system. This system processes the input criteria to produce a quantifiable measure of project success. Our fuzzy intelligent system demonstrated promising results in automating project evaluation, standardizing assessments, and reducing subjective bias in manual grading. The key findings show that the system effectively manages the increasing instructor workload, provides consistent and transparent evaluations, and offers timely and accurate feedback to students.
[...] Read more.As the English language and information and communication technology (ICT) enhance global interconnection, demands on educating the young generation with English language skills and technological competence increase exponentially. As the successor of education, pre-service English teachers need to be trained with technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK). This study aims to develop an instructional model oriented to pre-service English teachers' (PST) TPACK. This is design-based research carried out in three stages: informed exploration, enactment, and evaluation. This study employed a multiphase mixed method. A qualitative design was done in the informed exploration stage, and an explanatory sequential mixed design was used for the evaluation stage. Nine PSTs, three lecturers, and 4 experts were invited as the participants of this study. The qualitative data were analyzed thematically on NVIVO software while the quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistic calculation. The results showed that the PSTs need an instructional model that facilitates student agency, learning agency, self-reliance, innovation, and cooperation. An instructional model called Inquiry-based, technology-saturated, and flipped instructional model (INSTALL) was developed. The expert validation result showed that the products of this development study were in the “Very Good” category. The results of the expert judgment indicated that INSTALL could be utilized to enhance the PSTs’ TPACK by blending inquiry-based learning and technology-saturated flipped instruction.
[...] Read more.The Specialized Institute of Applied Technology (ISTA) in Fes provides a vocational training course focused on heritage design to protect and promote the richness and diversity of Moroccan heritage. Currently, this course is taught in French. However, English-language resources, including CAD software, AI tools and online courses predominantly influence the design and new technologies fields. This study investigates the attitudes and preferences of ISTA trainees regarding the language of instruction for heritage design training, how they perceive integrating AI tools into their work, and the relationship between AI and language preference in this field. The study employed a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative data from surveys with qualitative insights from in-depth interviews. The institution's trainees revealed that approximately 50% do not perceive the current language of instruction (French) as a significant barrier. Nonetheless, 70% expressed a preference for English-language instruction. The Chi-Square as well as Fisher's Exact tests revealed no significant association between language preference and the use of artificial intelligence in heritage-related work in the context of the current sample. Interestingly, the actual use of AI software among participants is low suggesting that while the theoretical value of AI is acknowledged, practical adoption is limited, possibly due to barriers such as lack of access to AI tools or insufficient training.
[...] Read more.In recent years, smart assistants have transformed human interaction with technology, offering voice-controlled interactions like music playback and information retrieval. However, existing systems often struggle with accurately interpreting natural language input. To address it, this proposed work aims to develop an audio-to-text converter integrated with natural language processing (NLP) capabilities to enhance interactions of smart assistants. Additionally, the system will incorporate intent recognition to discern user intentions and generate relevant responses. The proposed work commenced with a literature survey to gather insights into existing smart assistant systems. Based on the findings, a comprehensive architecture was designed, integrating NLP techniques like tokenization and lemmatization. The implementation phase involved developing and training a Feedforward Neural Network (FNN) model tailored for NLP tasks, leveraging Python and libraries like TensorFlow and NLTK. Testing evaluated the system's performance using standard evaluation metrics, including Word Error Rate (WER) and Character Error Rate (CER), across various audio input conditions. The system exhibited higher WER and CER with accented speech (15.3% and 7.9% respectively) while the clean audio dataset produced WER and CER of 4.7% and 2.55% respectively. The proposed work also involved training the FNN model while monitoring training loss and accuracy to ensure model performance. Ultimately, the model achieved an accuracy of 97.62% with training loss reduced to 1.45%. Insights from the training phase inform further optimization efforts to improve system performance. It practices the Google WebSpeech API and compares it with other Speech-to-text models. In conclusion, our proposed work represents a significant step towards realizing seamless voice-controlled interactions with smart assistants and enhancing user experiences and productivity. Future work includes refining the system architecture, optimizing model performance, and expanding the capabilities of the smart assistant for broader application domains.
[...] Read more.This paper introduces an intelligent tool with a novel CatML stacking classifier designed to enhance predictive analytics for postgraduate university admission chances. The proposed classifier uses the CatBoost algorithm as a core component of the stacking ensemble method, which integrates CatBoost and Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP) learners to improve predictive performance. The dataset comprises 13 questionnaire-based surveys, including academic records, standardized test scores (i.e., GRE, IELTS/TOEFL), publication status, extracurricular activities, recommendation letters, and personal statements from Bangladeshi students who applied to various U.S. postgraduate programs. Experimental results demonstrate that the CatML stacking classifier outperforms conventional models, achieving superior accuracy (88.14%) and robustness in predicting admission outcomes. The enhanced performance is attributed to the model’s ability to capture complex, non-linear relationships within the data, facilitated by the CatBoost algorithm's handling of categorical features and prevention of overfitting. Finally, this model deploys in a web system developed with HTML, CSS, JavaScript and Flask. This research underscores the efficacy of advanced ensemble techniques in educational data mining and provides a valuable intelligent tool for students aiming to navigate the complexities of U.S. postgraduate admissions. The CatML stacking classifier offers significant improvements in predictive analytics, thereby assisting students in making informed application decisions.
[...] Read more.Clustering of educational data was performed in the space of two parameters using the K-Means method. Students who are characterized by grades in certain types of activities were used as objects of clustering. Software for fuzzy data clustering is implemented in the Python language in the Google Colab cloud service. The obtained clusters are described by fuzzy Gaussian membership functions, which allowed to reliably determine the membership of each object to a certain cluster, even if the clusters do not have clear boundaries. Due to clustering, the most important characteristics of the educational process for a certain task are obtained, that is, this is how Data Manning tasks are solved. Fuzzy membership functions implemented using the scikit-fuzzy library. The developed program can also be used for educational purposes, as it allows a better understanding of the principles of cluster analysis and fuzzy logic. The correctness of the work of the developed program was confirmed during the processing of test educational data. The determination of the number of clusters was performed by software, taking into account the intra-cluster and inter-cluster distances, as well as the shape of the clusters. Automated selection of the number of clusters and cluster boundaries allows to reduce data processing time. The developed clustering tools are designed to increase the efficiency of system analysis of quality education.
[...] Read more.Predicting College placements based on academic performance is critical to supporting educational institutions and students in making informed decisions about future career paths. The present research investigates the use of Machine Learning (ML) algorithms to predict college students' placements using academic performance data. The study makes use of a dataset that includes a variety of academic markers, such as grades, test scores, and extracurricular activities, obtained from a varied sample of college students. To create predictive models, the study analyses numerous ML algorithms, including Logistic Regression, Gaussian Naive Bayes, Random Forest, Support Vector Machine, and K-Nearest Neighbour. The predictive models are evaluated using performance criteria such as accuracy, precision, recall, and F1-score. The most effective machine learning method for forecasting students' placements based on academic achievement is identified through a comparative study. The findings show that Random Forest approaches have the potential to effectively forecast college student placements. The findings show that academic factors such as grades and test scores have a considerable impact on prediction accuracy. The findings of this study could be beneficial to educational institutions, students, and career counsellors.
[...] Read more.Data mining is now commonly applied in the real estate market. Data mining's ability to extract relevant knowledge from raw data makes it very useful to predict house prices, key housing attributes, and many more. Research has stated that the fluctuations in house prices are often a concern for house owners and the real estate market. A survey of literature is carried out to analyze the relevant attributes and the most efficient models to forecast the house prices. The findings of this analysis verified the use of the Artificial Neural Network, Support Vector Regression and XGBoost as the most efficient models compared to others. Moreover, our findings also suggest that locational attributes and structural attributes are prominent factors in predicting house prices. This study will be of tremendous benefit, especially to housing developers and researchers, to ascertain the most significant attributes to determine house prices and to acknowledge the best machine learning model to be used to conduct a study in this field.
[...] Read more.Technology has changed the way we teach and the way we learn. Many learning theories can be used to apply and integrate this technology more effectively. There is a close relationship between technology and constructivism, the implementation of each one benefiting the other. Constructivism states that learning takes place in contexts, while technology refers to the designs and environments that engage learners. Recent efforts to integrate technology in the classroom have been within the context of a constructivist framework. The purpose of this paper is to examine the definition of constructivism, incorporating technology into the classroom, successful technology integration into the classroom, factors contributing to teachers’ use of technology, role of technology in a constructivist classroom, teacher’s use of learning theories to enable more effective use of technology, learning with technology: constructivist perspective, and constructivism as a framework for educational technology. This paper explains whether technology by itself can make the education process more effective or if technology needs an appropriate instructional theory to indicate its positive effect on the learner.
[...] Read more.Large Language Models (LLMs) have received significant attention due to their potential to transform the field of education and assessment through the provision of automated responses to a diverse range of inquiries. The objective of this research is to examine the efficacy of three LLMs - ChatGPT, BingChat, and Bard - in relation to their performance on the Vietnamese High School Biology Examination dataset. This dataset consists of a wide range of biology questions that vary in difficulty and context. By conducting a thorough analysis, we are able to reveal the merits and drawbacks of each LLM, thereby providing valuable insights for their successful incorporation into educational platforms. This study examines the proficiency of LLMs in various levels of questioning, namely Knowledge, Comprehension, Application, and High Application. The findings of the study reveal complex and subtle patterns in performance. The versatility of ChatGPT is evident as it showcases potential across multiple levels. Nevertheless, it encounters difficulties in maintaining consistency and effectively addressing complex application queries. BingChat and Bard demonstrate strong performance in tasks related to factual recall, comprehension, and interpretation, indicating their effectiveness in facilitating fundamental learning. Additional investigation encompasses educational environments. The analysis indicates that the utilization of BingChat and Bard has the potential to augment factual and comprehension learning experiences. However, it is crucial to acknowledge the indispensable significance of human expertise in tackling complex application inquiries. The research conducted emphasizes the importance of adopting a well-rounded approach to the integration of LLMs, taking into account their capabilities while also recognizing their limitations. The refinement of LLM capabilities and the resolution of challenges in addressing advanced application scenarios can be achieved through collaboration among educators, developers, and AI researchers.
[...] Read more.With the rapid and constant changes in computer and information technology, the content and learning methods in Computer Science related courses need to be continuously adapted and consistently aligned with the latest developments in the field. This paper proposes a learning approach called the Gallery-walk integrated Project-Based Learning (G-PBL) which can develop students’ lifelong learning skills that are extremely crucial for Computer Science students. The G-PBL was designed by incorporating the advantages of Project-Based Learning (PBL) and gallery walk learning strategy. In contrast to traditional PBL where students may present their project work to instructors only, students have to present their project work to their classmates as part of the G-PBL approach. All students are required to evaluate their peers’ project work and then give feedback and suggestions. For the research experiments, the G-PBL was implemented as an instructional approach in two Computer Science related courses. This study focuses on exploring the differences in knowledge gain, learning motivation, and perceived usefulness when learning by using the teacher-centered and G-PBL approach. Moreover, the impact of gender differences on learning outcomes is also investigated. The results reveal that using the G-PBL approach helps students to gain more knowledge significantly, for both male and female students. In terms of motivation, female students are more favorable toward the G-PBL approach. On the contrary, male students prefer learning via a teacher-centered approach. Regarding the perceived usefulness, female students strongly view the G-PBL as a highly effective learning approach, whereas male students are more prone to concur that the teacher-centered approach is a more effective learning method.
[...] Read more.Due to the COVID-19 situation, all activities, including education, were shifted to online platforms. Consequently, instructors encountered increased challenges in evaluating students. In traditional assessment methods, instructors often face ambiguous cases when evaluating students’ competencies. Recent research has focused on the effectiveness of fuzzy logic in assessing students’ competencies, considering the presence of uncertain factors or multiple variables. Additionally, demographic characteristics, which can potentially influence students’ performance, are not typically utilized as inputs in the fuzzy logic method. Therefore, analyzing students’ performance by incorporating these factors is crucial in suggesting adjustments to teaching and learning strategies. In this study, we employ a combination of fuzzy logic and hierarchical linear regression to analyze students’ performance. The experiment involved 318 students from various programs and showed that the hybrid approach assessed students’ performance with greater nuance and adaptability when compared to a traditional method. Moreover, the findings in this study revealed the following: 1) There are differences in students’ performance between traditional and fuzzy evaluation methods; 2) The learning method is an impact on students’ fuzzy grades; 3) Students studying online do not perform better than those studying onsite. These findings suggest that instructors and educators should explore effective strategies being fair and suitable in assessment and learning.
[...] Read more.The project-based learning (PjBL) paradigm is often considered the most advanced in vocational education. The increasing use of the PjBL paradigm in vocational education is an intriguing topic of study. In line with the rapid growth of information technology, it enables PjBL in vocational education to help students develop problem-solving, critical thinking, and teamwork skills. In this study, a bibliometric method is used to provide insight into the structure of the subject, social networks, research trends, and issues reflecting project-based learning in vocational education. On November 27, 2022, the Scopus database was searched using project-based learning terms in the title. The second search field appears in the title, abstract, and keywords vocational education or TVET, restricted to journal articles or proceedings and in English to keep them current. This analysis revealed 60 articles in Scopus-indexed journals and proceedings between 2010 and 2022. Dwi Agus Sudjimat from Malang State University, Indonesia, was the most prolific author, having authored four articles on the subject. Indonesia is the nation investing the most in developing PjBL models. According to the thematic data, project-based learning is located in the first quadrant, has high centrality and density, and has well-developed questions related to the study topic. The results of this study show that the project-based learning model that is evolving in vocational education is likely to continue to be an important teaching approach in this field.
[...] Read more.Motivation has been called the “neglected heart” of language teaching. As teachers, we often forget that all of our learning activities are filtered through our students’ motivation. In this sense, students control the flow of the classroom. Without student motivation, there is no pulse, there is no life in the class. When we learn to incorporate direct approaches to generating student motivation in our teaching, we will become happier and more successful teachers. This paper is an attempt to look at EFL learners’ motivation in learning a foreign language from a theoretical approach. It includes a definition of the concept, the importance of motivation, specific approaches for generating motivation, difference between integrative and instrumental motivation, difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, factors influencing motivation, and adopting motivational teaching practice.
[...] Read more.It is important to study learning styles because recent studies have shown that a match between teaching and learning styles helps to motivate students´ process of learning. That is why teachers should identify their own teaching styles as well as their learning styles to obtain better results in the classroom. The aim is to have a balanced teaching style and to adapt activities to meet students´ style and to involve teachers in this type of research to assure the results found in this research study. Over 100 students complete a questionnaire to determine if their learning styles are auditory, visual, or kinesthetic. Discovering these learning styles will allow the students to determine their own personal strengths and weaknesses and learn from them. Teachers can incorporate learning styles into their classroom by identifying the learning styles of each of their students, matching teaching styles to learning styles for difficult tasks, strengthening weaker learning styles. The purpose of this study is to explain learning styles, teaching styles match or mismatch between learning and teaching styles, visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learning styles among Iranian learners, and pedagogical implications for the EFL/ESL classroom. A review of the literature along with analysis of the data will determine how learning styles match the teaching styles.
[...] Read more.There appears to be a tendency for the strategies and methods that have been offered in OOP course learning to affect the improvement of individual skills only. There is a significant need for learning strategies which are relevant and able of improving collaborative working skills. The purpose of this study is to develop a Collaborative Learning and Programming model suitable for Object-Oriented Programming courses and assess its validity, practicality, and effectiveness. The implementation of the CLP model was conducted using the ADDIE development procedure by involving 7 experts, 35 experimental class students, 23 control class students and 4 lecturers of the Object-Oriented Programming course. The survey results showed that the CLP model was valid, practical, and effective in achieving these goals. The validity test results were verified based on experts' assessment, indicating that the aspects contained in the CLP model were valid with an Aiken's value V =0.89. The practicality test results indicated that the model was highly practical with the practicality value of 89.95% from students and 89.67% from lecturers. Finally, using the CLP model demonstrated its effectiveness in reducing the abstraction and complexity of OOP courses and improving student collaboration, particularly in programming tasks. The significance of conducting this survey is that it provides evidence for the effectiveness of the CLP model in achieving its intended goals and can inform the development of future OOP courses and programming tasks. The survey was conducted well, as it used both expert assessment and student and lecturer feedback to assess the validity, practicality, and effectiveness of the CLP model.
[...] Read more.Predicting College placements based on academic performance is critical to supporting educational institutions and students in making informed decisions about future career paths. The present research investigates the use of Machine Learning (ML) algorithms to predict college students' placements using academic performance data. The study makes use of a dataset that includes a variety of academic markers, such as grades, test scores, and extracurricular activities, obtained from a varied sample of college students. To create predictive models, the study analyses numerous ML algorithms, including Logistic Regression, Gaussian Naive Bayes, Random Forest, Support Vector Machine, and K-Nearest Neighbour. The predictive models are evaluated using performance criteria such as accuracy, precision, recall, and F1-score. The most effective machine learning method for forecasting students' placements based on academic achievement is identified through a comparative study. The findings show that Random Forest approaches have the potential to effectively forecast college student placements. The findings show that academic factors such as grades and test scores have a considerable impact on prediction accuracy. The findings of this study could be beneficial to educational institutions, students, and career counsellors.
[...] Read more.There appears to be a tendency for the strategies and methods that have been offered in OOP course learning to affect the improvement of individual skills only. There is a significant need for learning strategies which are relevant and able of improving collaborative working skills. The purpose of this study is to develop a Collaborative Learning and Programming model suitable for Object-Oriented Programming courses and assess its validity, practicality, and effectiveness. The implementation of the CLP model was conducted using the ADDIE development procedure by involving 7 experts, 35 experimental class students, 23 control class students and 4 lecturers of the Object-Oriented Programming course. The survey results showed that the CLP model was valid, practical, and effective in achieving these goals. The validity test results were verified based on experts' assessment, indicating that the aspects contained in the CLP model were valid with an Aiken's value V =0.89. The practicality test results indicated that the model was highly practical with the practicality value of 89.95% from students and 89.67% from lecturers. Finally, using the CLP model demonstrated its effectiveness in reducing the abstraction and complexity of OOP courses and improving student collaboration, particularly in programming tasks. The significance of conducting this survey is that it provides evidence for the effectiveness of the CLP model in achieving its intended goals and can inform the development of future OOP courses and programming tasks. The survey was conducted well, as it used both expert assessment and student and lecturer feedback to assess the validity, practicality, and effectiveness of the CLP model.
[...] Read more.With the rapid and constant changes in computer and information technology, the content and learning methods in Computer Science related courses need to be continuously adapted and consistently aligned with the latest developments in the field. This paper proposes a learning approach called the Gallery-walk integrated Project-Based Learning (G-PBL) which can develop students’ lifelong learning skills that are extremely crucial for Computer Science students. The G-PBL was designed by incorporating the advantages of Project-Based Learning (PBL) and gallery walk learning strategy. In contrast to traditional PBL where students may present their project work to instructors only, students have to present their project work to their classmates as part of the G-PBL approach. All students are required to evaluate their peers’ project work and then give feedback and suggestions. For the research experiments, the G-PBL was implemented as an instructional approach in two Computer Science related courses. This study focuses on exploring the differences in knowledge gain, learning motivation, and perceived usefulness when learning by using the teacher-centered and G-PBL approach. Moreover, the impact of gender differences on learning outcomes is also investigated. The results reveal that using the G-PBL approach helps students to gain more knowledge significantly, for both male and female students. In terms of motivation, female students are more favorable toward the G-PBL approach. On the contrary, male students prefer learning via a teacher-centered approach. Regarding the perceived usefulness, female students strongly view the G-PBL as a highly effective learning approach, whereas male students are more prone to concur that the teacher-centered approach is a more effective learning method.
[...] Read more.Due to the COVID-19 situation, all activities, including education, were shifted to online platforms. Consequently, instructors encountered increased challenges in evaluating students. In traditional assessment methods, instructors often face ambiguous cases when evaluating students’ competencies. Recent research has focused on the effectiveness of fuzzy logic in assessing students’ competencies, considering the presence of uncertain factors or multiple variables. Additionally, demographic characteristics, which can potentially influence students’ performance, are not typically utilized as inputs in the fuzzy logic method. Therefore, analyzing students’ performance by incorporating these factors is crucial in suggesting adjustments to teaching and learning strategies. In this study, we employ a combination of fuzzy logic and hierarchical linear regression to analyze students’ performance. The experiment involved 318 students from various programs and showed that the hybrid approach assessed students’ performance with greater nuance and adaptability when compared to a traditional method. Moreover, the findings in this study revealed the following: 1) There are differences in students’ performance between traditional and fuzzy evaluation methods; 2) The learning method is an impact on students’ fuzzy grades; 3) Students studying online do not perform better than those studying onsite. These findings suggest that instructors and educators should explore effective strategies being fair and suitable in assessment and learning.
[...] Read more.Data mining is now commonly applied in the real estate market. Data mining's ability to extract relevant knowledge from raw data makes it very useful to predict house prices, key housing attributes, and many more. Research has stated that the fluctuations in house prices are often a concern for house owners and the real estate market. A survey of literature is carried out to analyze the relevant attributes and the most efficient models to forecast the house prices. The findings of this analysis verified the use of the Artificial Neural Network, Support Vector Regression and XGBoost as the most efficient models compared to others. Moreover, our findings also suggest that locational attributes and structural attributes are prominent factors in predicting house prices. This study will be of tremendous benefit, especially to housing developers and researchers, to ascertain the most significant attributes to determine house prices and to acknowledge the best machine learning model to be used to conduct a study in this field.
[...] Read more.The project-based learning (PjBL) paradigm is often considered the most advanced in vocational education. The increasing use of the PjBL paradigm in vocational education is an intriguing topic of study. In line with the rapid growth of information technology, it enables PjBL in vocational education to help students develop problem-solving, critical thinking, and teamwork skills. In this study, a bibliometric method is used to provide insight into the structure of the subject, social networks, research trends, and issues reflecting project-based learning in vocational education. On November 27, 2022, the Scopus database was searched using project-based learning terms in the title. The second search field appears in the title, abstract, and keywords vocational education or TVET, restricted to journal articles or proceedings and in English to keep them current. This analysis revealed 60 articles in Scopus-indexed journals and proceedings between 2010 and 2022. Dwi Agus Sudjimat from Malang State University, Indonesia, was the most prolific author, having authored four articles on the subject. Indonesia is the nation investing the most in developing PjBL models. According to the thematic data, project-based learning is located in the first quadrant, has high centrality and density, and has well-developed questions related to the study topic. The results of this study show that the project-based learning model that is evolving in vocational education is likely to continue to be an important teaching approach in this field.
[...] Read more.Entrepreneurship is the key driver of economic progress in many countries; thus, many countries have introduced policies to promote a more entrepreneurial environment. This study assesses the impact of factors affecting entrepreneurial intention of university students. The data was collected through a survey of 341 students at 09 leading universities in Hanoi, Vietnam and analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) with SPSS and Amos software. The research results show that entrepreneurial skills, entrepreneurial environment and subjective norms either directly or indirectly affect business motivation and entrepreneurial intention of university students. Thus, it is suggested that university and other educational institutions should provide more activities and taught courses that help students acquire the knowledge and skills necessary for entrepreneurship.
[...] Read more.The foundational tenet of any nation's prosperity, character, and progress is education. Thus, a lot of emphasis is laid on quality of education and education delivery system in India with current financial year (2022-23) education budget outlay of Rs. 1,04,277.72 crores. This research contributes in analyzing how students perform in academics depending upon the time spent on their extracurricular activities with the help of three Machine Learning prediction algorithms namely Decision Tree, Random Forest and KNN. Additionally, in order to comprehend the underlying causes of the shortcomings in each machine learning technique, comparisons of the prediction outcomes obtained by these various techniques are made. On our dataset, the Decision Tree outscored all other algorithms, achieving F1 84 and an accuracy of 85%. The research, which is at an introductory level, is meant to open the door for more complexes, specialised, and in-depth studies in the area of predicting the performance in academics.
[...] Read more.The development of methods for assessing lecturers' performance is needed to motivate lecturers to achieve institutional targets. Currently, lecturers are required to be able to adapt to the rapid development of technology. Lecturer performance assessment must be done periodically. Competence is measured as a basis for planning resource development activities. The method that is often used for assessing lecturer performance is the Simple Additive Weighting (SAW) method. However, the SAW method has drawbacks, namely 1) the process of determining criteria is only carried out by the leadership (subjective); 2) The SAW method can only be applied to multi-criteria data ; 3) Data ranking problems. Based on this deficiency, a new method was built, namely, the Weighted Performance Indicator (WPI) method using respondents’ opinion to determine the criteria. This study aims to compare the performance of the two methods. Testing criteria using SPPS application dan WPI method, while testing methods utilized the SAW method and the WPI method. The results of the criterion test show the Percentage of Similarity of data validity = 96.7 % witht the minimum percentage limit (MPL) = 40%. While the results of the SAW method and WPI method testing resulted in the highest score in the 13th alternative, namely SAW score (v13) = 793.76 and WP score (WP13) = 0.928, and the lowest value in the 30th alternative, SAW score (v30) = 18.60 and WP score (WP30) = 0.140. the ranking positions in these two methods show similarities. However, for other alternatives, the rating value can be different.
The WPI method is a scientific development in the field of decision support systems that can be applied to other performance assessments, such other human resources, system performance assesment etc.
The results of this study prove that the WPI method can be used as a performance assessment method with different characteristics from the SAW method.
During COVID-19 pandemic, most tertiary institutions in Ghana were compelled to continue delivering of lectures online using internet technologies as was in the case of other countries. Senior high schools in Ghana were, however, not asked to do same, currently, the setting of most literature on blended or online learning in Ghana is focused on tertiary education. This paper situates the blended learning model in a less endowed senior high school to unearth the prospect of its implementation. The research provides an alternative to the traditional face-to-face learning, which is faced with the challenge of inadequate infrastructure, high number of students to class ratio, less compatibility with 21st learning skills and long-life learning in Ghana.
A customed Moodle application as web application tool, hosted students online in both synchronous and asynchronous interactions. Purposive quota sampling size technique was used to select an appreciable sample size to fully go through the traditional face-face model for a term and then study through the blended learning model for another term. Students’ examination performances for both were analyzed with a paired t test statistical model. Interviews with participants were conducted to ascertain their evaluation of the blended learning model and questionnaires were also administered to discover the institutional, technological, and human resource readiness for blended learning in senior high schools. The analysis of the data gathered, proved that blended learning in senior high schools has high prospect and is better alternative to face-to-face learning in Ghana.
[...] Read more.