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The misalignment between information technology (IT) and institutions continues to be a major problem, more particularly in higher education institutions. This state leads to a lack of technology value addition and poor institutional performance. Prior studies proposed models and frameworks with various organizational practices of IT-Business alignment. However, similar research, considering higher education institutions, is scarce. Therefore, this study explores and identifies the dimensions and practices of IT-institutional alignment from a higher education context. An exploratory embedded multiple-case study strategy is used on the two largest universities in Rwanda and Mozambique. Document survey and interviews are used for data collection. The literature and 14 interviews were analyzed using a thematic analysis approach to identify patterns related to the alignment practices. This study identified 45 IT-alignment practices reflected from both institutions, and they are classified into six metrics as presented in the framework. Of these alignment practices, 27 reflect exceptionally the higher education context of teaching, learning, and research. The identified alignment practices can serve as a frame of reference for creating and assessing the alignment between technology and university activities in the case study of institutions or similar contexts. A statistical test and validation of these alignment practices are recommended.

The current trend in universities is marked by integrating information technologies into their service delivery. Particularly in administration and management, processes are being modernized, although not successful in some institutions. This study aims first to understand the complexity of an integrated educational management information system (UR-IEMIS) at the University of Rwanda and then to evaluate the degree of its diffusion in university services. Complex Adaptive System and Innovation Diffusion theories were used as a conceptual framework for this study. Document survey, observations, and interviews were used for data collection. Findings indicate that the UR-IEMIS is characterized by the complexity features as it is composed of several different subsystems (Organism, Roles, Objects, Method, and Concept) which emerge, interact, co-evolve, and re-organize to adapt to the disruptive institutional structures. It was also revealed that the UR-IEMIS integration is still at the abstraction level for all subsystems while for only few university functions, the system is diffused at knowledge, persuasion, and decision stages. Likewise, concerns related to the current unsatisfactory state of UR-IEMIS integration and proposals for improvement are discussed. Further studies should explore the complexity and diffusion levels for E-learning systems that support pedagogical activities in a similar case study context.

Eduardo Mondlane University (UEM) has carried out curricular reform since 2000 to introduce Student Centered Learning (SCL) as well as the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). To meet the demands of this reform, UEM has introduced professional development training for teachers. The Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) model was used as a theoretical framework to design the training and to evaluate how, if at all, professional development training has changed pedagogical practice. This quantitative study has its focus on teachers who followed the training over a period of 3 years. 147 teachers returned a questionnaire, from which 92 who used SCL and ICT for teaching and learning purposes - were selected for this study. Results indicate that professional development has an impact on teachers' beliefs and practices. It supports the shift from traditional teacher-centered instruction to SCL. Teachers who attended the training are more likely to use ICT and SCL, having changed their perception of the impact of professional development on their day-to-day work and the lives of students. In addition, teachers who participated and used ICT believe that ICT contributes to changes in students' learning outcomes and the quality of educational processes.

The Teachers' Portal (teachers.gov.bd) is an online platform for Bangladeshi teachers designed to store and retrieve digital educational contents of different subjects useful for classroom teaching and students' learning. The portal also facilitates professional networking among teachers across the country. This study aims to find out the benefits of using this Portal and associated challenges from teachers' perspective. Following a mixed methods research approach Teachers, head teachers, teacher educators from primary, secondary, madrasa and vocational educational institutions and specialists on teachers' Portal (N=410) were interviewed and consulted for the study. Telephone interviews, online surveys, Key Informant Interviews (KII), Focused Group Discussions (FGD), Face-to-Face interviews, and large consultative workshops were used to collect data. The results suggest that teachers are motivated to use the Portal as its contents stimulate students' creativity and encourage students' active participation in classrooms learning. Besides, it empowers teachers in a number of ways. However, internet connectivity, slow Internet speed, power failure, technical issues, high cost of Internet and unavailability of equipment are found as major challenges. In short, the Teachers' Portal is a key driver for changing Bangladeshi education and preparing the young generation with quality education.

The more the students get experienced with technologies, the more the need for tertiary education systems to adopt innovative pedagogical strategies for accommodating different learning needs. Depending on students' prior experience with computer-based tools, they may have different degrees of familiarity with new technologies. At University of Rwanda (UR), for example, the familiarity and experience with technology for incoming students is not clearly known. Universities need to understand this phenomenon for efficient education planning and management. Therefore, this study aims to understand the degree of familiarity with technology for first-year students at the University of Rwanda. Accessibility, ownership, usage and previous computer-based training are used in this study' conceptual framework as factors that determine the degree of familiarity with technology. Firstly, results indicate that the majority of participants are not familiar with technology and never had any previous exposure to eLearning systems. Secondly, regarding the digital tools, while smartphones are the most accessed, owned and used tools by respondents, they rarely or never used them for learning activities. Thirdly, findings portrayed a heterogeneous technology experience with a substantial variation of access, use, ownership and previous training on new technologies among the sample. Strategies for improving experience and confidence with technology, for first-year students, are recommended for this institution. This will prepare new students for early technology uptake and readiness while empowering them to develop appropriate competencies and skills for the digital age. Further studies in the area of experience with technology are also proposed.

This paper summarises experiences of efforts made by twenty individuals when implementing small-scale ICT development projects in their organizations located in seven developing countries. The main focus of these projects was the use of ICT in educational settings. Challenges encountered and the contributing factors for implementation success of the projects are systematically investigated using interviews and follow up surveys. Results show that the typical limitations of technology and infrastructure were the key obstacles. The commitment of individual project managers in the role of "change agents" and organizational support in the were the strengths behind the success of the projects. Based on the outcome of this study, professional development of the change agents is a key factor for the success of projects. IT and infrastructure limitations contributed to the failure of the majority of the ICT related projects.

Feruloylated arabinoxylan (AX) is a potential health-promoting fiber ingredient that can enhance nutritional properties of bread but is also known to affect dough rheology. To determine the role of feruloylation and hydrolysis of wheat bran AX on dough quality and microstructure, hydrolyzed and unhydrolyzed AX fractions with low and high ferulic acid content were produced, and their chemical composition and properties were evaluated. These fractions were then incorporated into wheat dough, and farinograph measurements, large and small deformation measurements and dough microstructure were assessed. AX was found to greatly affect both fraction properties and dough quality, and this effect was modulated by hydrolysis of AX. These results demonstrated how especially unhydrolyzed fiber fractions produced stiff doughs with poor extensibility due to weak gluten network, while hydrolyzed fractions maintained a dough quality closer to control. This suggests that hydrolysis can further improve the baking properties of feruloylated wheat bran AX. However, no clear effects from AX feruloylation on dough properties or microstructure could be detected. Based on this study, feruloylation does not appear to affect dough rheology or microstructure, and feruloylated wheat bran arabinoxylan can be used as a bakery ingredient to potentially enhance the nutritional quality of bread. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many research studies have highlighted the low completion rate and slow progress in PhD education. Universities strive to improve throughput and quality in their PhD education programs. In this study, the perceived problems of PhD education are investigated from PhD students' points of view, and how an Information and Communication Technology Support System (ICTSS) may alleviate these problems. Data were collected through an online open questionnaire sent to the PhD students at the Department of (the institution's name has been removed during the double-blind review) with a 59% response rate. The results revealed a number of problems in the PhD education and highlighted how online technology can support PhD education and facilitate interaction and communication, affect the PhD students' satisfaction, and have positive impacts on PhD students' stress. A system was prototyped, in order to facilitate different types of online interaction through accessing a set of online and structured resources and specific communication channels. Although the number of informants was not large, the result of the study provided some rudimentary ideas that refer to interaction problems and how an online ICTSS may facilitate PhD education by providing distance and collaborative learning, and PhD students' self-managed communication.

With the development of technology in the 21st Century, education systems attempt to integrate technology-based tools to improve experiences in pedagogy and administration. It is becoming increasingly prominent to build human and ICT infrastructure capacities at universities from policy to implementation level. Using a critical discourse analysis, this study investigates the articulation of ICT capacity building strategies from both national and institutional ICT policies in Rwanda, focusing on the higher education. Eleven policy documents were collected and deeply analyzed to understand which claims of ICT capacity building are made. The analysis shows that strategies for building ICT capacities are evidently observed from national level policies and only in two institutional policies (KIST and NUR). Among 25 components of ICT capacity building used, the ones related to human capacity are not plainly described. Additionally, neither national nor institutional policy documents include the creation of financial schemes for students to acquire ICT tools whilst learners are key stakeholders. Although there is some translation of ICT capacity building strategies from national to some institutional policies, planning for motivation and provision of incentives to innovators is not stated in any of the institutional policies and this is a key to effective technology integration.

The use of information and communication technology (ICT) in education is a way to facilitate interaction and accessing information for learning in higher education. However, finding a set of structured e-resources to facilitate learning within specific courses is still a big challenge in most higher education institutions. This includes the problems and challenges for thesis courses in both undergraduate (Bachelor) and graduate (Master) level in Sweden. To overcome or reduce the problems and enhance quality of outcomes in thesis courses, the department of Computer and Systems Sciences (DSV) at Stockholm University has developed a Learning Support System, SciPro (Scientific Process), to support the thesis process. The aim of this study is to investigate learners' perspectives on the usefulness of structured e-resources in SciPro, to reduce challenges for finding information related to the thesis process. This was done based on an open online survey, carried out in 2012-2013 of students' perspectives at DSV. The study found the actual problems that students have encountered in the thesis courses and hence suggested a general model as a way forward to sort the e-resources to reduce the problems in the thesis process.

Improving the quality of Bachelor's and Master's theses while at the same time increasing the number of theses without expanding the existing resources proportionately is a huge challenge faced by higher educational institutions. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of multiple change processes on Bachelors and Masters level thesis work in a selected higher educational institution. The following research questions were studied: (1) How has the thesis quality changed? (2) How has the number of completed theses changed? and, (3) How has the ratio of completed theses per supervisor changed? The change processes were introduced into the thesis process in the Department of Computer and Systems Sciences (DSV), Stockholm University during 2008-2014. The results show that the quality and the number of completed theses have significantly increased. The multiple change processes including a purpose built ICT system named SciPro, which was introduced and improved incrementally during 2010-2014 are discussed and evaluated in relation to these results.

One of the main issues in undergraduate thesis supervision is a lack of understanding about the pedagogical assumptions underpinning the supervision process. In this paper, the concepts of the zone of proximal development and scaffolding are applied in developing a theoretical framework to understand the nature of the interactions that are expected between student, supervisor, research context and peers. Both designed-in and contingent scaffolding are applied in order to frame a personalised learning environment with a flexible structure that supports the interactions, based on individual zones of proximal development. A case study was conducted including students' and supervisors' views in several undergraduate degree programs within a Sri Lankan national university, and the findings were compared with the theoretical framework. The empirical data suggest that both students and supervisors tend to encounter problems if the thesis supervision process has not adequately designed to support the characteristics of constructivist learning.

The impact of social media on business performance of women entrepreneurs and their empowerment is examined in this research. Focusing on Sri Lanka, two research questions are addressed: (1) How are social media platforms empowering women entrepreneurs in Sri Lanka today, and (2) How can the use of social media be improved to support women entrepreneurs in Sri Lanka? A mixed-methods approach was used, with a survey (157 responses) and an online focus group (5 respondents) discussion. The statistical findings showed that business performance of women entrepreneurs mediates the relationship between use of social media and women’s empowerment. Qualitative analysis revealed that the use of social media transforms mindsets, facilitates knowledge sharing, provides motivation, supports business operations, promotes gender-neutral branding, and enables networking for women entrepreneurs in Sri Lanka to enhance the performance of their businesses, leading to empowerment. To enhance support, social media platforms should prioritize motivation, targeted networking, professional courses, and robust security measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a specially developed online peer-review system, the Peer Portal, and the first results of its use for quality enhancement of bachelor's and master's thesis manuscripts. The peer-review system is completely student driven and therefore saves time for supervisors and creates a direct interaction between students without interference from supervisors. The purpose is to improve thesis manuscript quality, and thereby use supervisor time more efficiently, since peers review basic aspects of the manuscripts and give constructive suggestions for improvements. The process was initiated in 2012, and, in total, 260 peer reviews were completed between 1st January and 15th May, 2012. All peer reviews for this period have been analyzed with the help of content analysis. The purpose of analysis is to assess the quality of the students work. The results are categorized in four groups: 1) excellent (18.1%), 2) good (22.7%), 3) fragmented (18.5%), and 4) poor (40.7%). The overall result shows that almost 40% of the students produced excellent or good peer reviews and almost as many produced poor peer reviews. The result shows that the quality varies considerably. Explanations of these quality variations need further study. However, alternative hypotheses followed by some strategic suggestions are discussed in this study. Finally, a way forward in terms of improving peer reviews is outlined: 1) development of a peer wizard system and 2) rating of received peer reviews based on the quality categories created in this study. A Peer Portal version 2.0 is suggested, which will eliminate the fragmented and poor quality peer reviews, but still keep this review system student driven and ensure autonomous learning. (Contains 2 tables and 2 figures.)

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the understanding of the processes that make teachers learn in a collaborative arrangement similar to lesson study (LS) and learning study (LearS). The teachers in this collaboration wanted to enhance teaching and student learning (grades 4-7) about decimal numbers. Design/methodology/approach: The analysis is based on data from five teachers' collaborative work in an adaptive arrangement of LS and LearS called subject didactic groups. Data consist of eight audio recordings of the teachers' meetings as well as written and photographic documentation of the meetings. The analysis was carried out through the lens of expansive learning within an activity system (Engeström, 1987). This entailed a focus on contradictions between teachers' ways of thinking and acting when individually and collaboratively developing their teaching, on the solutions to the conflicts produced by the teachers, and on how these challenged the teachers' ideas about what the students need to learn. Findings: The authors identified contradictions between formative and summative assessment, exams and stressed students, prevailing norms about teaching and the theoretical tool used for planning and analyzing lessons and student learning, and the local curriculum and time constraints. The solutions to the conflicts were the driving force for developing new and more qualitative knowledge about what the students need to learn. Originality/value: This paper gives explicit examples of contradictions and solutions that can challenge and drive teachers to expand their learning in an adaptive form of LS and LearS suited to daily teaching.

Glycoside hydrolase family 7 (GH7) cellulases are key enzymes responsible for carbon cycling on earth through their role in cellulose degradation and constitute highly important industrial enzymes as well. Although these enzymes are found in a wide variety of evolutionarily distant organisms across eukaryotes, they exhibit remarkably conserved features within two groups: exo‐acting cellobiohydrolases and endoglucanases. However, recently reports have emerged of a separate clade of GH7 endoglucanases from protist symbionts of termites that are 60–80 amino acids shorter. In this work, we describe the first crystal structure of a short GH7 endoglucanase, RsSymEG1, from a symbiont of the lower termite Reticulitermes speratus. A more open flat surface and shorter loops around the non‐reducing end of the cellulose‐binding cleft indicate enhanced access to cellulose chains on the surface of cellulose microfibrils. Additionally, when comparing activities on polysaccharides to a typical fungal GH7 endoglucanase (Trichoderma longibrachiatum Cel7B), RsSymEG1 showed significantly faster initial hydrolytic activity. We also examine the prevalence and diversity of GH7 enzymes that the symbionts provide to the termite host, compare overall structures and substrate binding between cellobiohydrolase and long and short endoglucanase, and highlight the presence of similar short GH7s in other organisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Common problems identified by students during their interaction with supervisors are too little instructions as well as infrequent and insufficient supervisor feedback. The SciPro system has been developed to tackle these problems. This paper describes, analyzes and discusses the interaction between students and supervisors using the SciPro system. Through two use cases involving two supervisors and 38 bachelor and master students, the authors show that the structure implemented in SciPro supports and allows for different pedagogical approaches and supervision styles. Ten different types of interactions in the thesis process are identified. In order to explain why some students do not complete within the timeframe, the authors identify six categories of problems: (1) language skills; (2) inability to apply research methods; (3) ability for self-study; (4) lack of creativity; (5) limited knowledge about how to write academic work; and (6) lack of motivation. The collaborative stage of group-supervision may be one possible way to deal with the different type of support for the process of managing student theses.

The educational culture in most developing countries is lecturer-centred with lecturers as providers of information and students as receivers of information. This approach has impacted on student's ability to seek and create knowledge to support their learning process. A collaborative learning approach that promotes students process of inquiry, critical thinking and skill development thus lacks in the context, yet these aspects are crucial in the knowledge society. If universities in developing countries are to educate students to compete and become active participants in society, the teaching and learning processes underpinned by relevant theories and models should be adopted. This paper proposes an approach to support students' learning in a developing country context--Uganda. Specifically, the authors design and model a peer assignment review process for collaborative e-learning, employing the second stage of development research. The model is based on using student to pedagogically support each other's learning through four process stages: familiarization, assignment, review and feedback. Empirical investigations of the process stages indicated that the peer assignment review process facilitated the students learning. Students indicated that they were able to actively participate in the course, gain experience in critical reading and evaluating peers work, while reflecting on their own work. The empirical investigation further indicated that students were able to adopt and use online technologies in their learning activities. As such the peer assignment review process impacted the students learning both as receivers and providers of reviews creating a level of acceptance to adopt and use the proposed collaborative e-learning approach. (Contains 1 figure and 4 tables.)

The digitally marginalised communities are in focus in the EU-funded Rural Wings project 2006-2008. The aim is to identify and analyse the user learning needs in non-connected communities and to meet these needs by providing satellite Internet broadband connections, education and tools. This article reports the findings of the user needs investigation of 31 communities in 10 countries in the initial phase of the project designed and coordinated by Stockholm University, Sweden. Each national coordinator conducted a user needs study in their country using a common framework of questions and guidelines. The sites were selected according to national and regional needs and where satellite-provided Internet is believed to be the long-term solution. The 31 communities selected can be summarised as (a) mainland/lowland communities, 10 (b) mainland/highland communities, 12 (c) island/lowland communities, 5, and (d) island/highland communities, 4. The analysis reveals common threads of lack of infrastructure, accessibility and reliability concerning information and communication technology (ICT) implementation and containment in the community. There is a plethora of reasons for wanting more reliable and frequent Internet connections. Reasons range from educational opportunities, language opportunities, governmental inclusion, information/news outlets, and medical and weather initiative capabilities. This study provides in-depth macro-summaries of each participating country's user needs analysis in total. It also includes the actual analysis of each test site based on over 31 sites spanning 10 European nations. In addition, generalisations, comparisons and differences have been composed, to provide a framework for European trends in rural ICT access. (Contains 3 figures, 1 table and 1 note.)

This article discusses the following general questions: (1) what is the role of the teacher in the technology enhanced classroom; and (2) how are teachers prepared for the use of new technology in the classroom? The answers will differ among European countries due to, among other reasons, resources, national initiatives and available infrastructure. The overall goal of using technology in education also needs to be clarified. Is the driving force primarily of an economic nature to make education cheaper? Is the overall goal rather to improve the quality of learning? Is it about increasing student experiences? Is it about attracting more students? Does it have to do with increasing the prestige of teachers? Is it introduced in order to increase flexibility in time, place and organisation of learning? Or is it something else? This article is based on results from two European Union projects, E-watch and Schoolforesight, as well as innovative ideas and examples of teacher training and development. The European Union project E-watch investigated national policies for e-learning in Europe; the Schoolforesight project included among other activities an essay contest about students' visions of the future school. A study of teachers' visions of the future school was also conducted. No definite answers to the above questions are given, but a number of suggestions, opportunities and inspirational ideas are presented on how to organise the technology enhanced classroom and teachers' professional development. (Contains 2 figures, 2 tables and 8 resources.)

What can we learn from European Union (EU) school projects about future learning approaches? The EU has invested massively in information and communication technologies (ICT) projects promoting innovative use of new technologies in school settings. The aim of the project "School Foresight", with partners in Bulgaria, Estonia, Greece, Romania, the Czech Republic and Sweden, was to select and reflect on the best projects done so far. These projects were popularized and presented at the European Science Week in the autumn of 2004 and reached more than 10,000 students in five countries. This article describes and discusses the School Foresight project and the selection process of innovative EU projects showing the way towards the school of tomorrow. A number of best cases will be presented and discussed in a European, American and global context. The school of the future is both a question of what is possible and what is desired. Different scenarios might be preferable depending on local context, history, language, etc., or, are we all moving into the "global classroom"? (Contains 10 notes.)

This study aims to comparatively explore the role of the state (federal policy) in distance-education initiatives in the higher education communities of Sweden and the United States. In a globalized context, education institutes now have the capabilities to provide education and educational resources more efficiently and to a wide-ranging and diverse audience. Within the education sector and distance education, the role of the state and federal policy becomes increasingly important, in terms of how distance-education platforms are developed and implemented in institutions of higher education. The first section of this article provides an overview of the United States and Sweden's current higher education and distance-education landscapes, focusing on the role of the state and federal policy with respect to the funding and overall aims of distance education. The development of distance education in Sweden is highly related to political goals and policies, the top down/domestic/"inside" approach. The governing body dictates the funding and policy for distance education, and implementation is left to the university body. In the United States, the landscape differs in that no one federal institution provides direct funding or unified guidelines for developing distance education, but universities are left to their own devices and capabilities for implementation. In Sweden, high ambitions and goals are set at the national level, but the educational organizations are changing only slowly. The pressures on the education organizations are high because of steadily decreasing funding and fewer and fewer staff in relation to students. In the United States, education functions primarily as a state and local responsibility. In conclusion, the article aims to exploit the differences between the two countries' role of the state (federal policy) in distance-education policy, and present a middle ground which would be most balanced for distance education, entailing some federal supervision with the allowance for a certain level of autonomy in regards to development, implementation, funding and longevity. (Contains 4 notes.)