Search

MOOCs (massive open online courses) have attracted considerable attention from researchers. Fueled by constant change and developments in educational technology, the trends of MOOCs have varied greatly over the years. To detect and visualize the developments and changes in MOOC research, 4,652 articles published between 2009 and 2021 were retrieved from Web of Science and Scopus with the aid of CiteSpace. This study sought to explore the number of publications, co-citation network, cluster analysis, timeline analysis, burstness analysis, and dual-map overlays based on co-citation relationships. The first finding was that the number of publications on MOOCs had increased consistently, and grew especially quickly between 2013 and 2015. Second, the main topic of the top 10 co-cited studies revolved around the problem of learner continuance. Third, blended programs, task-technology fit, and comparative analysis have emerged as popular subjects. Fourth, the development of MOOC research has followed distinct phases, with 2009 to 2012 the starting phase, 2013 to 2015 the high growth phase, 2016 to 2018 the plateau phase, and 2019 to 2021 another peak phase. Lastly, both cluster analysis and dual-map overlays provided empirical evidence of cross-disciplinary research. Our findings provided an in-depth and dynamic understanding of the development and evolution of MOOC research and also proposed novel ideas for future studies.

Considering the importance of group member familiarity in collaborative learning in classroom learning environments, this study examined the impact of group member familiarity on CSCL (computer-supported collaborative learning) in a networked setting. Also, the differences between CSCL in the online environments and FtF (face-to-face) collaborative learning were also compared. An analysis using structural equation modeling revealed that group member familiarity increased teamwork satisfaction, which in turn increased student engagement and perceived knowledge construction. A multi-group analysis revealed that while FtF collaborative learning exhibits higher levels of group member familiarity, teamwork satisfaction, student engagement, and perceived knowledge construction, the mediating effect of teamwork satisfaction was more pronounced in online settings. The study findings provided insights for teachers to improve collaborative learning experiences and adapt different teaching strategies.

It is important to examine how start-up innovation is emerging in the information society. The media is a window through which innovation is highlighted in which fields. We conducted a comparative study with North America to comparatively analyze how startup innovation in East Asia appeared. This study used a set of computer analysis methods including Dirichlet-multinomial regression Topic Model and Topic network analysis. News articles from 2000 to 2019 were collected from East Asia and North America and were analysed on the topic of start-ups. The results indicated that the discourse of start-ups from East Asia and North America in the 2000s and 2010s showed distinctly different trends. The East Asia media changed its focus from an innovation economy to an emerging industry: mobility & energy, while the North American media showed a change from revenue sources to the benefit of innovation. In the discourse of start-ups in East Asia, the government-centred innovative economy was emphasised in the 2000s, and expectations for emerging industries such as mobility and energy increased after the 2010s. Meanwhile, in the discourse of start-ups in North America, revenue sources were emphasised in the 2000s, and the proportion of beneficiaries of innovation increased after the 2010s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This research investigates players’ continuance intentions to play massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) by constructing a model based on the concepts of avatar coolness (i.e., avatar attractiveness, avatar originality, and avatar subculture appeal), social identity theory, and flow theory. Analyzing survey-based data from 375 Korean MMORPG players, we found that avatar attractiveness, avatar originality, and avatar subculture appeal were positively related to avatar coolness. In addition, avatar originality positively affects avatar subculture appeal. Moreover, avatar coolness positively affects the continuance intention to play MMORPGs via avatar identification and flow state. This study is the first to develop avatar coolness and explore its role in affecting the intention to play MMORPGs. To offer “cool” avatars, the implications are those game designers should continually update avatars for freshness based on current trends, provide a variety of skins for personalization for user preferences, and offer avatars that are visually appealing to the gaming population. These require continual assessments of the MMORPG player population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To stay competitive, retail companies have introduced innovative retailing strategies for enhancing the consumer experience. Among these, omnichannel retailing services are one of the most critical services. However, studies on the loyalty required to secure the market using omnichannel strategies are limited. Instead of arbitrarily selecting key factors for users' loyalty based on previous research data used by users in social networking services were evaluated in this study, and the validity of the selection of variables was verified through network analysis. A structural equation model based on the results of network analysis and the factors influencing online loyalty and offline loyalty were analysed using the model. Therefore, independent variables except for perceived usability exhibited a positive effect on user satisfaction, and user satisfaction had a positive effect on loyalty. Furthermore, offline user satisfaction exhibited a positive effect on online loyalty, but online user satisfaction did not. Suggestions for future research and corporate strategy were provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Open innovation (OI) is a crucial strategy regardless of sector, public or private, or academic or practical. However, the concept itself is often considered abstract and broad. Therefore, this study explored the coauthorship network and its groups to empirically observe the phenomenon of an open innovation. It also examined the semantic network of subject fields in open innovation research. We used coauthorship data to observe collaboration among authors. To examine how an open innovation is conceptualised and explained in academia, we used the abstracts of papers and the classification data of the journals where the papers were published. The results of the analysis found a mainstream group, which is a small group-to-group connection. We observed that the small groups are connected by key authors. We found that a social network of authorship and a semantic network of abstracts are both closely related. Our results provide a deeper understanding of an open innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Face recognition payment (FRP), an innovative financial technology service, is a recently developed mode of payment service that has garnered attention in the offline market, particularly in China. However, studies examining the adoption of FRP by consumers are scarce. Therefore, this study proposed a causal model built on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology, and key predictors related to the intention of using FRP were identified. The structural equation model-based results obtained from 305 Chinese participants demonstrated that the intention was most affected by relative advantage. In addition, performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and perceived risk also had a significant impact. However, trust was found to not significantly affect consumers' intentions, despite it negatively influencing perceived risk. Thus, the results of this study are expected to provide a set of guidelines for companies regarding the implementation of FRP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mobile game "Immortal Conquest," created by NetEase Games, caused a dramatic user dissatisfaction event after an introduction of a sudden and uninvited "pay-to-win" update. As a result, many players filed grievances against NetEase in a court. The official game website issued three apologies, with mix results, to mitigate the crisis. The goal of the present study is to understand user feedback content from the perspective of Situational Crisis Communication Theory through semantic network analysis and sentiment analysis to explore how an enterprise's crisis communication strategy affects users' attitudes. First, our results demonstrate that the diminishing crisis communication strategies (excuse and justification) do not change players' negative attitudes. It was not a failure because it successfully alleviated the players' legal complaints and refocused their attention on the game itself. Second, the rebuild (apology & compensation) strategy was effective because it significantly increased the percentage of positive emotions and regenerated expectations for the game. The litigation crisis was identified within gamer communications with respect to Chinese gaming companies for the first time. Nevertheless, this does not indicate an increase in overall legal awareness among the larger Chinese population. It may only reflect greater legal awareness among Chinese online gamers. Fourth, gamers emphasized that they and enterprises should be equally involved when communicating with each other. Finally, in-game paid items should be reasonably priced, otherwise, they will drive users to competitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined the associations between the characteristics of Instagram users and the features of their photographs. Narcissism, life satisfaction, and loneliness were employed for user variables and the features at high- (content) and low-levels (pixel) were employed to analyze the Instagram photographs. An online survey was conducted with 179 university students, and their Instagram photographs, 25,394 in total, were collected and analyzed. High-level features were extracted using Computer Vision and Emotion Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) in Microsoft Azure Cognitive Services, and low-level features were extracted utilizing the program written by the authors. The results of correlation analysis indicate that narcissism, life satisfaction, and loneliness were significantly associated with a part of photograph features at high- and low-levels. The results of the predictive analysis suggest that narcissism, loneliness in total, and social loneliness could be predicted with acceptable accuracy from Instagram photograph features, while characteristics such as life satisfaction, family loneliness, and romantic loneliness could not be predicted. Implications of this research and suggestions for further research were presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the rapid diffusion of social mobile payment (SMP), the current research explores the post-adoption behavior of SMP users. It proposes a research model to determine the core predictors of users' continuance intentions to use SMPs. Through the analysis of survey data from South Korea, it indicates that satisfaction strongly and positively affects users' continuance intentions. Moreover, satisfaction is influenced by perceived usefulness (PU), security, and enjoyment. Interestingly, although perceived ease of use (PEU) does not directly affect satisfaction, it can indirectly influence satisfaction via users' PU and perceived enjoyment. Furthermore, perceived ubiquity has strong effects on users' PU and PEU. The study also discusses meaningful implications, and provides suggestions for future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Young climate activist Greta Thunberg was Time magazine's Person of the Year for 2019. In this study, the authors examine the role of social media in Thunberg's rise to prominence by investigating Twitter communications over 14 months, analyzing tweet contents and user profiles. The changes in sentiment revealed on Twitter are examined, along with four major events from the period. The paper also compares Swedish and American user characteristics in relation to Thunberg. The findings reveal that celebrities and public figures played an essential role in amplifying the influence of the activist. To categorize the influencer group, the authors identified each user's occupation, organization, location and position on other social issues. The results show that some people held a negative attitude toward Thunberg, not only because of their skepticism about climate change but also because of their views on other social issues, such as gender and age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Learning from online videos using synchronized Danmu comments provides a co-learning experience. To explore the factors influencing learning with or without Danmu videos, an initial set of reasons and impediments was compiled based on a pilot study of 24 Chinese university students with learning experience using Danmu videos. Three hundred such students were surveyed to determine the factors that influence their motivations and hindrances with regard to using Danmu videos. The potential predictors of users' continuance intentions were also examined. The results showed that the frequency of using Danmu videos is related to the continuous learning intention. Seeking information, social presence, and perceived entertainment motivate learners and positively impact their intention to continue learning using Danmu videos. Hindrances such as information pollution, attention failure, and visual obstacle were found to be negatively associated with learners' continuance intention in the long run. Our findings provided constructive suggestions for addressing the issue of dropout rates, and novel ideas for future studies were proposed., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Zhang, Che, Nan and Kim.)