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This comprehensive study thoroughly explores the factors related to online reviews that influence users' purchase intention through trust. Drawing on robust theoretical foundations and relevant research, the study establishes connections between trust-promoting factors and user behavioral intentions on e-commerce platforms in Vietnam. The study, which involved a survey of 680 users for data collection and partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) analysis, unveils that the usefulness of online reviews is the key driver of behavioral intention. Moreover, trust plays a pivotal mediating role in linking the quality and rating of online reviews to users' purchase intentions. These findings not only enrich the theoretical foundation of behavioral research on online platforms but also offer practical managerial implications, empowering e-commerce platforms to develop a comprehensive review system and enhancing users' online shopping experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Educational institutions teaching music have recently switched over to digital and modern tools of software and technology, expecting music teachers too to adopt modern techniques to teach music to the students. The objective of this study is to investigate the impact of digital audio equipment, interactive software and online learning platforms on students’ engagement and participation in music classes. This study used a 7-point Likert scale questionnaire where the data was collected from students of different colleges and universities in China. This study employed RStudio for the analysis of data for robust findings. The finding of this research revealed that digital audio equipment, interactive software and online learning platforms have a significant and positive impact on students’ engagement and participation in music class. This contribution of the study is novel as previous studies have paid little attention to understand these relationships. This study provides practical implication for practitioners to facilitate music teaching to both teachers and students with modern software and technology equipment to improve their engagement and participation in the class. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to encourage college students to innovate and start businesses in order to alleviate the increasingly serious employment pressure, all sectors of society attach great importance to the cultivation of College Students' entrepreneurial ability. However, due to the lack of social presence awareness of learners, the interaction willingness of entrepreneurship education model is low, and the teaching effect is not strong. This article takes "learner interaction" as the core, takes the design of collaborative problem-solving learning activities as the starting point, and selects four influencing factors of the importance of learners in the interactive network, including point centrality, intermediary centrality, proximity centrality, and the object of interaction, from the macro, meso, and micro levels of cohesion of the interactive network. Based on the level of social presence, the core content of the interaction model of information perception, emotional experience and feedback exchange is determined according to social presence, and an interaction model to improve students' social presence in online learning is constructed. The example verification shows that this method can significantly improve the learning participation of entrepreneurship education learners, and the on-the-spot manifestation of learners' social practice is more significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractMany approaches exist in teaching statistics, however, learning statistics is frequently perceived by students as challenging. While evidence-based teaching approaches like case discussions and flipped-classroom models have been successfully incorporated into multiple disciplines, these methods can have inadequate success when students are affectively detached or sometimes paralyzed by the subject. The sudden need to switch to virtual teaching in Spring 2020 created unprecedented challenges that were overwhelming for instructors and students. This article explores the challenges of teaching a statistics course, and the importance of purposeful use of technology and supportive feedback to effectively engage students and promote learning. Furthermore, this article discusses the results of implementing a Technology-enhanced Supportive Instruction (TSI) model (used since Fall 2019) in teaching a business statistics course. The TSI model uses Microsoft Excel in conjunction with intentional interactions between the student and teacher to help students stay engaged in face-to-face and remote learning. The analysis of Fall 2020 course evaluations, when the course was taught in a dual mode, shows positive students’ perception of instruction and engagement, and indicates that Fall 2020 ratings during dual-mode instruction were not different from Fall 2019 ratings during face-to-face instruction, which supports the potential utility of the model. Supplementary materials for this article are available online.

Many approaches exist in teaching statistics, however, learning statistics is frequently perceived by students as challenging. While evidence-based teaching approaches like case discussions and flipped-classroom models have been successfully incorporated into multiple disciplines, these methods can have inadequate success when students are affectively detached or sometimes paralyzed by the subject. The sudden need to switch to virtual teaching in Spring 2020 created unprecedented challenges that were overwhelming for instructors and students. This article explores the challenges of teaching a statistics course, and the importance of purposeful use of technology and supportive feedback to effectively engage students and promote learning. Furthermore, this article discusses the results of implementing a Technology-enhanced Supportive Instruction (TSI) model (used since Fall 2019) in teaching a business statistics course. The TSI model uses Microsoft Excel in conjunction with intentional interactions between the student and teacher to help students stay engaged in face-to-face and remote learning. The analysis of Fall 2020 course evaluations, when the course was taught in a dual mode, shows positive students' perception of instruction and engagement, and indicates that Fall 2020 ratings during dual-mode instruction were not different from Fall 2019 ratings during face-to-face instruction, which supports the potential utility of the model. for this article are available online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although interactive technologies increasingly shape teamwork, their relationship with team effectiveness (inputs, processes, emergent states, and outputs) remains unclear. To provide an overview of this relationship, we systematically reviewed empirical articles from Work and Organizational Psychology (WOP) and Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). To bring the two disciplines closer, we analysed 37 papers that validated the effects of interactive technologies, focusing on the type and characteristics of these technologies, the psychological mechanisms that they intended to support, and the methodological information of the conducted studies. We found that interactive technologies had mainly positive effects on various team effectiveness components (e.g., action team processes and task-related outputs), especially when they allowed team members to be physically close to each other or to have the option to interact synchronously. Nevertheless, the picture remains incomplete (e.g., limited evidence about affect-related properties and outputs), with several methodological limitations (e.g., mainly experimental studies with student teams). We discuss ways to shape the existing technological potential for effective team functioning, especially for affective and implicit psychological mechanisms. We highlight the need for interdisciplinary research and present an exemplary approach as an inspiration for WOP and HCI to work together and move beyond the boundaries of each single discipline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the didactic potential of the use of artificial intelligence technologies, specifically chatbots, in teaching foreign languages. It delves into the advantages of integrating chatbots into the foreign language learning process, based on the experience of teaching the “Foreign Language (English)” discipline to the first-year students of the 024 Choreography speciality of the Faculty of Musical Art and Choreography, and the 022 Design speciality of the Faculty of Fine Arts and Design at Borys Grinchenko Kyiv Metropolitan University. While highlighting the educational benefits and interactive nature of chatbots, it also addresses their drawbacks and suggests methods to mitigate potential negative consequences such as academic integrity violations and copyright issues like plagiarism. The article offers advice on appropriate usage and adheres to relevant policies. Moreover, it provides practical examples of using chatbots in teaching foreign languages based on the use of Mizou software. The study is a theoretical research article employing general scientific analytic methods such as synthesis, generalization, and systematization. It includes a review of the related literature on the stated problem as well as an overview of the empirical experience of the introduction of chatbots in the “Foreign Language (English)” discipline. The paper defines the didactic potential of the Mizou by providing a general overview of the functions and modes of the aforementioned software and drives a reader through the personalized chatbot process of creation and customization. The provided research highlights the necessity of further investigation of the implementation of artificial intelligence chatbots as an innovative interactive technology with significant didactic potential that should be empirically tested and analysed.

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AbstractResearch on interactive environments between humans and devices has become commonplace during this decade.The deployment of interactive signage has come to be a very major interest for creating interactivity that might bring a great advancement in the signage design and technology. The immersive nature of interactive technologies is just one of its many benefits.It has also been shown to maximize end users brand recognition and information retention,while also improving end users' perception of the brand.Interactive signage helps provide a high level of customer service while keeping costs low.The interactive technology in signage design can create even greater insights into consumer characters and habits,helping a company optimize its marketing and customer service initiatives. Along with an increasing number of different innovative capabilities,the need for the adoption of interactive signage in public increases,in order to minimize information overload due to ‘overuse’ of functionalities especially in case of people with disabilities environment.This research aims to put the basics of interactive digital signage design for people with disabilities.The research also aims to explore the benefits of employing interactive signage with other devices such as cell phones,tablets,smart phones,and wearable devices to achieve avery suitable interactive environment for people with disabilities.The research concludes that the main goal of interactive digital signage design is to provide seamless,engaging communication between a digital signage system and people with disabilities.Interactive technology,especially in the case of people with disabilities,seeks to create an immersive,user-friendly experience,one that is much more involved than an end user simply dealing with digital signage.

Immersive technologies have thrived on a strong foundation of software and hardware, injecting vitality into medical training. This surge has witnessed numerous endeavors incorporating immersive technologies into surgery simulation for surgical skills training, with a growing number of researchers delving into this domain. Relevant experiences and patterns need to be summarized urgently to enable researchers to establish a comprehensive understanding of this field, thus promoting its continuous growth. This study provides a forward-looking perspective by reviewing the latest development of immersive interactive technologies for surgery simulation. The investigation commences from a technological standpoint, delving into the core aspects of virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) technologies, namely, haptic rendering and tracking. Subsequently, we summarize recent work based on the categorization of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) and open surgery simulations. Finally, the study showcases the impressive performance and expansive potential of immersive technologies in surgical simulation while also discussing the current limitations. We find that the design of interaction and the choice of immersive technology in virtual surgery development should be closely related to the corresponding interactive operations in the real surgical speciality. This alignment facilitates targeted technological adaptations in the direction of greater applicability and fidelity of simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article is devoted to the use of case technology in the course of the discipline "Foreign Language (for Specific Purposes)" with students of speciality 075 "Marketing" DSAU. The significant developmental potential of this subject and its role in solving many educational and upbringing problems has been proved. The importance of an individual approach to education in general and especially to learning a foreign language, which is about self-discovery and finding the right solution on your own is highlighted. The definition of case technology is proposed, the advantages of using cases in practical classes are proved, since case technology allows bringing speech activity closer to real communication, gives students the opportunity to creatively apply the studied language material on the basis of their professional knowledge, motivates students to speak a foreign language while solving problems. The use of the case method will be most effective if the selection of material takes into account the special, professional, age and other interests of students. The case method is perfectly adapted for use in foreign language classes, as this type of work combines all types of language activities: reading, speaking, writing, and listening. It is noted that case technology is an effective means of motivation to learn a foreign language, allows you to quickly and effectively model situations of intercultural communication, develops such skills as cooperation and mutual understanding, helps to prepare a creative personality capable of thinking creatively and making decisions independently. The cases allow students to demonstrate linguistic independence, implement and improve their communication skills, and improve lexical and grammatical competence. The types of cases are considered, certain difficulties observed in the use of cases in the training of future marketologists are identified. The preparatory work that a teacher does when selecting cases is outlined. Examples of the case that was considered in a practical foreign language class is given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we have designed an interactive device of bionic flower based on linkage mechanism by studying the shape and structure of flowers. Firstly, in order to solve the problem of variable morphology of the bionic flower, we have built the internal skeletal structure of the bionic flower in accordance with the working principle of the hinge linkage mechanism; secondly, based on the internal skeletal structure, we have tested a variety of ductile materials, and identified the multifunctional paper material that can be shape-shifting and color-changing; thirdly, we have used the key technology of Arduino to build the intelligent sensors and hardware, and solved the opening and closing sequence and response range of multiplecluster interactive objects. This article research provides new ideas for the display of flower and plant science to the public from the perspective of bionics, and gives new application areas and cultural values to the interactive bionic design of plants and flowers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study assessed a new interactive technology system for helping six people with intellectual and visual disabilities exercise relevant physical responses embedded within a fairly straightforward activity (i.e., placing objects in containers). Activity responses consisted of the participants taking objects from the floor or a low shelf and placing those objects in a container high up in front of them (thus bending their body and legs and stretching their arms and hands). The technology involved a portable computer, a webcam, and three mini speakers whose basic functions included monitoring the participants' responses, delivering preferred stimulation contingent on the responses and verbal encouragements/prompts for lack of responses, and assisting in data recording. The study was conducted following a non-concurrent multiple baseline design across participants. During baseline (i.e., when the system was used only for data recording), the participants' mean frequency of responses per session varied between zero and nearly 12. During intervention (i.e., when the system was fully working), the participants' mean frequency of responses per session increased to between about 34 and 59. Mean session duration varied between nearly 10 and over 14 min. The new system may be a valuable tool for supporting relevant physical activity engagement in people with intellectual and multiple disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Hypertension is the main cause of cardiovascular disease, especially in women. Black women (58%) are affected by higher rates of hypertension than other racial/ethnic groups contributing to increased cardio‐metabolic disorders. To decrease blood pressure (BP) in this population, a pilot randomized controlled trial was conducted to examine the effects of Interactive Technology Enhanced Coaching (ITEC) versus Interactive Technology (IT) alone in achieving BP control, adherence to antihypertensive medication, and adherence to lifestyle modifications among Black women diagnosed with and receiving medication for their hypertension. Participants completed a 6‐week Chronic Disease Self‐Management Program (CDSMP), and 83 participants were randomly assigned to ITEC versus IT. Participants were trained to use three wireless tools and five apps that were synchronized to smartphones to monitor BP, weight, physical activity (steps), diet (caloric and sodium intake), and medication adherence. Fitbit Plus, a cloud‐based collaborative care platform was used to collect, track, and store data. Using a mixed‐effects repeated measures model, the main effect of group means indicated no significant difference between the treatment and referent groups on study variables. The main effect of time indicated significant differences between repeated measures for systolic BP (p

Background: The emergence of remote teaching during the Coronavirus (COVID‐19) pandemic caused several gaps due to teachers being unprepared to teach online. Teachers did not achieve many digital competencies, resulting in an inability to facilitate the students' learning by using technology creatively to overcome challenges. Accordingly, developing teachers' digital competencies to facilitate the teaching and learning process will: positively impact students' innovative use of digital technology in completing their tasks; consequently, develop their digital competencies; prepare them for jobs that do not yet exist; and support them for unexpected challenges they might face. Objectives: This study investigates the impact of the upskilling training programme on developing teachers' digital competence, where the aim is to investigate if the teachers' digital competence has improved from the expected intermediate level stated by the World Bank Report in 2021, where strategies for the Digital Skills Action Plan were mentioned. For instance, strategy 2 "Reform of Digital Skills programmes" stated that students must acquire at least intermediate level of general digital skills. Strategy 3 "Enhance use of technologies in teaching and learning" aims to advance teachers' digital competencies to be above the intermediate level. Accordingly, the above average level was used in the hypothesis as a benchmark of the teachers' levels after attending the upskilling training programme. The upskilling training programme of this study is a 10‐week training session using blended learning approach with instructor leading. The training's long‐term goals aim to construct a higher level of competency in a set of skills, attitudes as well as knowledge, which include digital citizenship; communication and collaboration; critical thinking, problem‐solving, and decision‐making; creativity and innovation; using technology as a tool. Methods: A sequential mixed‐method approach using quantitative and qualitative data was used. An online survey with closed‐ended items was adopted to collect quantitative data from teachers. The qualitative data was collected through teachers' focus group discussions using the Zoom conference meetings platform. The participants are K‐12 teachers from a group of national charity schools in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Results and Conclusions: The study results revealed that the upskilling training programme efficiently developed teachers' digital competence where they construct knowledge and skills. Teachers exhibit a positive attitude towards using technology that supports collaboration, learning, and productivity, consequently developing their digital competence. As a result, this will also lead to the development of the students' digital competencies, where they will be able to overcome challenges they might face in this changing world, especially after the pandemic of Covid‐19, where there is reliance on the use of technology. Takeaways: These findings aid in understanding the impact of the upskilling training programme on the development of the teachers' digital competence. Educators need to provide teachers with suitable online and face‐to‐face training that meets the teachers' needs. However, understanding the difference between upskilling and reskilling training programmes is vital to delivering training that develops the teachers' capabilities. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic: The emergence of remote teaching during the pandemic caused several gaps due to the unprepared teachers to teach online.Upskilling is a long‐term resilience training that develops the teachers' capabilities.Teacher's digital competence requires applying complex and different strategies together. What this paper adds: The upskilling training programme develops the teachers' digital competence.Teachers exhibit a positive attitude towards using technology that supports collaboration, learning, and productivity to teach online.Teachers are skillful and prepared to overcome any unexpected challenges. Implications for practise and/or policy: Provide online, blended, and face‐to‐face upskilling training programmes for in‐service teachers according to the needs.Increase the presence of upskilling training programmes for in‐service teachers to develop their capabilities according to their needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metaverse empowers learning and spawns learning metaverse. Learning Metaverse is a new type of Internet educational application and digital social ecosystem. Learning Metaverse Empowering Education will help promote the construction of new educational infrastructure and provide new opportunities for building a high-quality education support system. This paper aims at the online English teaching scenario in the multi-source and cross-domain environment, and constructs a new teaching scheme by using the metaverse technology. In order to improve the quality of English teaching and the interest of English teaching classroom, this paper proposes an immersive English learning visualization system with diversified interactive methods. Therefore, this paper designs an immersive interaction management method based on visual scene and a visual network management method based on visual algorithm tree, which can systematically manage user interactions and provide full-process support for visual operations in an immersive environment. In order to verify the effectiveness and naturalness of the interactive system, this paper conducts a comparative experiment between the two-dimensional desktop system and the immersive virtual reality system. The user experiment results show that the system can meet the needs of multi-source and cross-domain environment. The new online English teaching scheme proposed in this paper can provide users with efficient and natural interaction in the immersive visual English learning scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Interactive technology (texting, social media, email) is an engrained element of communication in family systems. Methods: This qualitative study examined parenting practices in communication via interactive technology using a sample of 9 parents and 9 early adolescents between the ages of 12 to 15. Parents and adolescents completed phone interviews separately. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis and dyadic techniques. Results: Participants indicated they use interactive technology as channels of communication and for convenient connection. Parenting practices used through interactive technology that both parents and early adolescents identified included open communication and availability, guidance, expressions of parental warmth, and establishing trust. Conclusion: The results of this study provide support for a family systems thinking paradigm when examining interactive technology use in parent-teen relationships.

Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic has seen unprecedented growth in the use of interactive technologies in care facilities for social contact between residents and their close contacts due to the need for social distancing. As the pandemic is transitioning into a new phase, there is a need to critically examine the new practices associated with technology usage. Objective Our analysis is based on a case study of how a care facility in western Norway adopted a novel technology called KOMP. We empirically investigate the stability of practices with KOMP for maintaining social communication between residents and their relatives and consider whether these practices are likely to last beyond the pandemic. We draw on normalization process theory (NPT) to interpret our findings and critically examine how stable embedding of new technologies for social communication occurs under extraordinary circumstances. Methods We conducted a case study based on participant observation and interviews, and the data were analyzed through inductive thematic analysis. Participants are health care professionals from a public care facility in western Norway. Results Four major themes emerged from the data. The first revolved around the pressing need for communications between residents and relatives with a suitable tool. Second, staff showed engagement through motivation to learn and adapt the technology in their practices. A third theme centered on how staff and the organization could work effectively to embed KOMP in daily practice. Our fourth theme suggested that the professionals continuously assessed their own use of the technology. Conclusion From the perspective of NPT, practices with KOMP have been partially embedded by developing a shared understanding, engaging through cognitive participation, working collectively with staff and the organization, and reflexively monitoring the benefits of using KOMP. However, staff engagement with the technology was continuously threatened by factors related to diverging staff preferences, the burden of facilitating KOMP for residents with impaired cognitive and physical abilities, issues of privacy and ethics, and the technical skills of the residents’ relatives. Our analysis suggests that caring practices via KOMP have become relatively stable despite barriers to engagement and are therefore likely to persist beyond the pandemic.

Cycles of miscommunication often occur within the caregiver–child dyad when a child has a visual or visual-and-intellectual disability, influencing sensitive and responsive caregiver behaviour and child happiness. This study aims to examine the efficacy of using interactive technology, the Barti-mat, to promote sensitive and responsive caregiver behaviour, specifically mirroring behaviour, and increase the happiness of children with a visual or visual-and-intellectual disability. The secondary aim is to examine the social validity of the Barti-mat. A mixed-method approach was used, combining quantitative data from a multiple within-series single-case design and qualitative data comparing play-as-usual with play on the Barti-mat. Eleven caregiver–child dyads participated in a home-based study. No significant effects were found for Attunement nor for Valence. Significant improvements were found for Total Mirroring, Happiness, and Arousal. Overall, the caregivers enjoyed using the Bart-mat and were enthusiastic about the development of specialized play material for children with visual impairments. Results of the current study suggest that the Barti-mat can act as catalyst for caregiver mirroring behaviour and improve the happiness of a child with a visual or visual-and-intellectual disability. Caregivers were generally motivated to use and recommend the Barti-mat again. Minor product improvement recommendations were made. The Barti-mat is appropriate for a diverse group of caregivers and children with a visual or visual-and-intellectual disability and would be a good adjunct to preventive attachment-based interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To study packaging design from the perspective of consumers' emotional experience and explore interactive packaging design that can not only meet consumers' practical functions but also meet consumers' emotional needs. Methods: Starting from the overview of interactive packaging design based on emotional experience, combined with the expression principles of practicability, integrity and emotional sustainability of interactive packaging design, the construction of interactive relationship of interactive packaging design was studied in three results sensory stimulation, opening mode and blending of emotion and scene. Results: The interactive packaging design, which pays attention to the response principle and sensitive characteristics of packaging materials, and uses rapid response code, electronic components and augmented reality technology, can enhance consumers' emotional experience. Conclusion: Packaging design should reasonably implant interactive elements, close the relationship between consumers and products, and empower the sustainable development of packaging industry.

"The explosive growth of the Internet has brought far-reaching social and economic benefits. However, largely unrestrained by regulation, it has also become a salt lick for illicit activity." (1) I. [...]

Cognitive enrichment for captive animals is the idea that cog-nitive stimulation can improve animal welfare. In zoos, cog-nitive enrichment not only helps the animals themselves butalso contributes to zoo missions of educating the public, sup-porting research, and more. Technology-based cognitive en-richment tools are increasingly popular for a variety of rea-sons, though they also present unique challenges for designand deployment. In this paper, we present a short review oftechnology-based cognitive enrichment programs in zoo set-tings, and then describe the design and development processwe used to create a new, touchscreen-based enrichment appfor a group of orangutans at Zoo Atlanta. We discuss initialobservations about the orangutans’ use of this app, as well aslessons learned by our research team.

Simple Summary: Due to the close affective and collaborative relationship between dogs and humans, in several situations there is a need to maintain communication when it is not possible to do it face to face. The objective of this review is to analyze the main aspects of current technologies that support remote communication between dogs and humans. Fifteen articles were selected which were conscientiously analyzed. The most widely used technologies to allow dogs to generate messages are wearable devices equipped with sensors. The most used technologies for dogs to receive messages are wearable devices equipped with vibrotactile actuators. Most of the proposals developed only include one-way communication, and those that include bidirectional communication uses videochats. All reported evaluations were pilot studies with positive feasibility results. The use of technology to support remote human-dog interaction is generating a lot of anticipation and excitement. However, there is still a long way to go in terms of technological developments, integration into the activities and context of dogs, support for new modalities of dog interaction, adaptation of technology to the canine traits and the determination of its efficacy. For thousands of years, dogs have coexisted with humans and have been adopted as companion pets and working animals. The communication between humans and dogs has improved their coexistence and socialization; however, due to the nature of their activities, dogs and humans occasionally lose face-to-face contact. The purpose of this scoping review is to examine five essential aspects of current technology designed to support intentional communication between humans and dogs in scenarios where there is no face-to-face contact: (1) the technologies used, (2) the activity supported, (3) the interaction modality, (4) the evaluation procedures, and the results obtained, and (5) the main limitations. In addition, this article explores future directions for research and practice. The PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews) guidelines were followed when conducting the review. Scopus (Elsevier), Springer-Link, IEEE Xplorer, ACM Digital Library, and Science Direct were used as data sources to retrieve information from January 2010 to March 2022. The titles and abstracts were individually reviewed by the authors (L.R.-V., I.E.E.-C., and H.P.-E.), and the full articles were then examined before a final inclusion determination. 15 (3%) out of the 571 records that were obtained met the requirements for inclusion. The most used technologies for dogs are: (1) 71% of technologies focused on generating messages are wearable devices equipped with sensors (bite, tug, or gesture), (2) 60% of technologies focused on receiving messages are wearable devices equipped with vibrotactile actuators, and (3) 100% of technologies focused on bidirectional communication are videochats. 67% of the works are oriented to support search and assistance tasks. 80% of the works developed technology for one-way communication. 53% of the technologies have a haptic dog interaction modality, that is, there is an object that the dog must wear or manipulate in a certain way. All of the reported evaluations were pilot studies with positive feasibility results. Remote human-dog interaction technology holds significant promise and potential; however, more research is required to assess their usability and efficacy and to incorporate new technological developments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the fast-developing digital era, improving young children's learning abilities by information technology has become a goal of early childhood education. Accordingly, a novel digital puzzle gaming system for young children's learning is proposed, which is based on interactive multi-sensing and tangible user interfacing techniques. Three childhood education factors—digital learning, puzzle gaming, and interactive interfacing—are considered in the system design. Firstly, the needs in the development of the physical and mental functions, as well as the cognition and learning capabilities, of children aged 4–6 years are reviewed. Next, the existing studies of digital gaming for education are analyzed. Then, the proposed system was constructed to combine visual, auditory, and animation interfaces for easy uses by young children. The effectiveness of the system for young children's learning was evaluated statistically using the SPSS based on the users' and experts' opinions collected from the methods of behavior observation, interview, and questionnaire survey. Several facts about young children's learning have been found: (1) simple tangible interfaces can bring forth good gaming experiences to children; (2) rich visual and sound effects can enhance game-playing pleasures; (3) digital puzzle gaming have positive impacts on learning in early childhood education. In conclusion, the design of a digital puzzle gaming system like the proposed one with simple and physical interactive interfacing can bring forth a good gaming experience to children, and rich visual and sound effects can enhance the game-playing pleasure, indicating that digital puzzle gaming has a positive impact on young children's learning in early childhood education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypertension is the main cause of cardiovascular disease, especially in women. Black women (58%) are affected by higher rates of hypertension than other racial/ethnic groups contributing to increased cardio‐metabolic disorders. To decrease blood pressure (BP) in this population, a pilot randomized controlled trial was conducted to examine the effects of Interactive Technology Enhanced Coaching (ITEC) versus Interactive Technology (IT) alone in achieving BP control, adherence to antihypertensive medication, and adherence to lifestyle modifications among Black women diagnosed with and receiving medication for their hypertension. Participants completed a 6‐week Chronic Disease Self‐Management Program (CDSMP), and 83 participants were randomly assigned to ITEC versus IT. Participants were trained to use three wireless tools and five apps that were synchronized to smartphones to monitor BP, weight, physical activity (steps), diet (caloric and sodium intake), and medication adherence. Fitbit Plus, a cloud‐based collaborative care platform was used to collect, track, and store data. Using a mixed‐effects repeated measures model, the main effect of group means indicated no significant difference between the treatment and referent groups on study variables. The main effect of time indicated significant differences between repeated measures for systolic BP (p <.0001), weight (p <.0001), and steps (p =.018). An interaction effect revealed differences over time and was significant for study measures except diastolic BP. An important goal of this preliminary analysis is to help Black women prioritize self‐care management in their everyday environment. Future research is warranted in a geographically broader population of hypertensive Black women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Digital tools for social communication have been deployed in care facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic to facilitate social connectedness between older people and their next of kin in a safe manner. This study explores how and why health care professionals facilitate the ad hoc and prompt use of a technology for social communication, known as KOMP, in care facilities in western Norway to promote communication and social engagement among residents and their next of kin during the crisis. Methods To investigate the perspectives and practices of health care professionals, we conducted focus groups, individual interviews, and participant observation in public short- and long-term care facilities in western Norway. An explorative investigation with inductive content analysis was applied to analyse interview transcripts and fieldnotes from participant observation. Results The resulting qualitative data reveal that prompt implementation of interactive technology to cope with social distancing during the pandemic added new routines to the staff workload. Using this interactive technology entailed new forms of collaborative work among residents, next of kin, health care professionals and technology facilitators. Additionally, the staff articulated a sense of responsibility towards using KOMP as a meaningful and practical tool for social communication in an extraordinary period of reduced social contact. Conclusions Improvised implementation of KOMP as an interactive technology shapes work routines, introduces new tasks and creates additional responsibilities. Despite creative efforts by health care staff, however, using KOMP remains constrained by the physical and cognitive abilities of its users. We suggest that health care managers ask a deceptively simple question when introducing novel technologies in health care contexts, namely: what kind of invisible work do these devices entail?

Electronic homework will be a trend with the improvement of informatization, and it has proved effective by researchers. However, there still exists a problem that the amount of students’ workload does not match their knowledge level. In order to solve this problem, the study applies the connection and interaction of knowledge emphasized by connection to construct connectionism-based interactive electronic homework approach to achieve the dynamic presentation of homework. By carrying out comparative experiments, the study has discovered that the approach can improve students’ learning performance, learning motivation and learning engagement, and there is a positive correlation between learning engagement and learning performance. Therefore, a connectionism-based interactive electronic homework approach will help primary school students complete their mathematics homework in a more efficient and high-quality way.

This scoping review summarises the literature on resilience interventions that use interactive technology. Resilience refers to a person's mental ability to adaptively deal with challenging situations and is a key skill for dealing with challenges in life. Types of interactive technology used in resilience interventions included serious video games, virtual reality simulations, social robots and commercial off-the-shelf video games. Searching a range of multidisciplinary databases, this review identified 27 publications that evaluated 17 unique interventions. Peer-reviewed papers and conference proceedings published in English and released after 2000 were included in the review. This scoping review finds that interactive technology can be used as an effective intervention to increase resilience. The review identified two types of resilience intervention: stress inoculation and therapeutic treatment. The interventions were analysed using the eight dimensions identified in the gameful experience questionnaire. Providing players with challenging experiences and guiding behaviour while providing feedback were the two most used dimensions. Social experience was underutilised and competition was not used, except in commercial off-the-shelf video games. This review has shown that interactive technologies can deliver effective resilience interventions in an accessible, cost-effective and flexible manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]