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.

The low completion rate and slow progress in PhD education have been highlighted in many studies. However, the interaction problems and communication gaps that PhD students encounter make this attempt even more challenging. The aim of this study is to investigate the peer interaction problems and ICT based solutions from PhD students’ perspectives. The data collection method was an online questionnaire and in-depth interviews were used to follow up. The target group for the survey was the PhD students in Computer Science at Stockholm University. The total number of respondents for the survey was 53 PhD students and eleven randomly selected PhD students for the interviews. The results reflected a lack of peer interaction as an important issue in the perspective of the students. Based on this, the study showed several ICT solutions that have the potential to reduce the interaction problems and thereby improve PhD students’ collaborative learning and research quality.

Open Educational Resources are learning, teaching, and research materials in any format and medium that reside in the public domain or are under copyright that have been released under an open license, that permit no-cost access, re-use, re-purpose, adaptation, and redistribution by others (UNESCO). Increasing the use of OER worldwide can be one of many steps toward reaching the United Nations Agenda 2030 sustainability goals (SDG), especially SDG 4 Quality Education, which aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.

The UNESCO OER recommendations from 2020 provide clear goals and aims for OER, but how are they being implemented in higher education in Sweden? Specifically, how well are teachers and students aware of and how are they using OER, specifically open textbooks? This paper presents the use and needs of OER as well as current OER guidelines at University West in Sweden and investigates teachers’ and students' perceptions and experiences of open educational resources (OER) at University West, focusing on open textbooks. The method of the intervention was student and teacher surveys, both pre- and post-pandemic. The pre-pandemic surveys were sent out in April 2020 and had 79 student respondents and 82 teacher respondents. The post-pandemic surveys were sent out in June 2022 and had 83 student respondents and 76 teacher respondents.

The aggregated results show that there were no significant differences in the use of OER and open textbooks due to the pandemic both for students and teachers. The current use of OER and open textbooks was limited and the primary motivations for using OER and open textbooks were economy, social justice, and adaptability with varying priorities among students and teachers. Additionally, OER and open textbooks are currently used marginally at University West but there is interest to increase the use of OER and student co-creation due to the three primary motivators. These preliminary results provide valuable insights regarding the key factors for increasing the use of OER and open textbooks in higher education to help achieve the UNESCO OER 2020 goals and the United Nations Agenda 2030 SDG goals, especially SDG 4 Quality Education.

This research describes the predicted outcomes of a Kenyan Cloud School (KCS), which is a MOOC that contains all courses taught at the secondary school level in Kenya. This MOOC will consist of online, ongoing subjects in both English and Kiswahili. The KCS subjects offer self-testing and peer assessment to maximize scalability, and digital badges to show progress and completion to recognize and validate non-formal learning. The KCS uses the Moodle LMS with responsive web design to increase ubiquitous access from any device. Access is free and open, and the KCS intends to be a contextualized open educational resource for formal secondary institutions to support blended learning and a free source of non-formal education for lifelong learning. The expected outcomes are that this effort will reduce secondary school dropout rates, improve test scores, become a quality resource for blended learning, as well as validate and recognize lifelong learning in Kenya.

The overarching aim of this research was to study how mobile technology can catalyze informal learning and bridge the gap between informal and non-formal learning. In this study 30 Kenyan elite runners were equipped with a simple Android smartphone and free Internet for one year. The original research project focused on studying how a smartphone in the hands of impoverished Kenyans could assist and enhance informal learning. This project used log data, workshops and interviews to track the users’ progress. During the course of the study a huge desire for more formalized learning developed. Thus, a non-formal course on Human Rights was developed and made available for all Kenyans via any Internet connected device. In this way the intersection of these two projects provided an opportunity to satiate interests gained from unguided informal learning with structured non-formal learning. Key findings were that the smartphone empowered marginalized groups, augmented informal learning opportunities, and provided a means to bridge informal and non-formal learning to deliver educational opportunities to any device in the form of a non-formal MOOC. This research made a significant impact in the participants’ lives and the most common statement from the interviews was the statement “it helps us a lot”.

The educational landscape is changing and a variety of technologies and techniques are blurring the lines between traditional and non-traditional learning. This change is substantial in low-income countries: individuals in developing countries have a great desire to educate themselves and improve their quality of life. Kenyans are adequately literate and accustomed to mobile technology despite being a largely impoverished, poorly educated populace. Kenya represents an optimal setting in which to research the use and feasibility of modern mobile and educational technologies. The broad aim of this dissertation is to explore how mobile devices can catalyze and enhance both informal and non-formal learning. In particular, this dissertation explores how technologies and concepts such as mobile web apps, Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), and learning incentives via a smartphone specifically affect informal and non-formal learning in Kenya. The primary research question is how can learning efforts that utilize mobile learning, MOOCs, and learning incentives combine non-formal and informal learning to develop and contribute to a do-it-yourself (DIY) approach to learning in Kenya? The primary method is action research. The first contribution of this dissertation is the finding that mobile web apps are currently better suited for data exchange than producing new content. The second contribution is the finding that a smartphone can enhance informal learning in a developing country with little or no scaffolding. The third contribution is the finding that non-formal learning efforts as a MOOC are shown to be a viable means of delivering non-formal learning in a developing country via a smartphone. The fourth contribution is the finding that the use of incentives such as digital badges provide a means by which to validate non-formal learning and contribute to a DIY attitude towards learning creation, where individuals can freely complement or replace a traditional curriculum.

The extensive growth and expansion of smartphones and tablets and therewith the use of mobile web applications that utilize HTML5 and related technologies are frequently discussed and debated in media as possible replacements for native applications. The aim of this study was to explore the viability of replacing native applications with mobile web applications in a developing country setting. Two mobile web applications were developed. The first mobile web application tracked runs and the second mobile web application was a booking system for scheduling "slum runs". The subjects who tested these apps were elite, semi-professional Kenyan runners primarily from the Kibera slum area outside of Nairobi. After a 6-month test period the participants concluded and results indicated that the mobile web application for tracking runs performed poorly compared to native applications due to poor GPS performance, while the mobile web application for booking slum runs performed well. The conclusion from this study is that mobile web applications that require hardware interaction such as using the GPS, GPU, or camera are not yet viable alternatives for native applications. However, mobile applications that only require a native interface and content consumption are suitable substitutes for native applications.

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are disrupting traditional, higher education and redefining how learning takes place online. These open courses typically offer some form of recognition, such as a certificate of completion and/or digital badge, to recognize, validate, and in some cases even accredit learning. A general problem with MOOCs is the uncertainty regarding the use and goals of recognition, validation, and accreditation (RVA), and participants' acceptance and perception of such techniques. This research effort addresses this problem by exploring course partici-pants' attitudes and levels of acceptance of non-formal learning recognition compared to traditional university credit in both devel-oped and developing countries. The actual study uses both certifi-cates of completion and digital badges to recognize and validate learning in an introductory, university level course in web pro-gramming using HTML5/CSS. The course is available to anyone, but was specifically marketed to participants from Sweden and Kenya. Empirical data was gathered using interviews and online surveys in the course. The preliminary results are that participants from developing countries value digital recognition to a greater extent than their counterparts in Europe. However, both Swedes and Kenyans see open courses with digital recognition as a com-plement to traditional learning to individually construct an educa-tion.

The research goal of this project was to explore the use and effects of non-formal education and incentives in the context of a developing country. The practical aim of this project was to create, implement, and evaluate a platform about human rights that was available to any Kenyan for free in order to increase knowledge and engagement. Therefore, a non-formal massive open online course (MOOC) about human rights was designed and launched. The course was free and open to anyone in Kenya and offered both a digital badge and certificate from Stockholm University in Sweden upon completion. The course was called Haki Zangu (Kiswahili for "My Rights"), and it explored how using incentives such as a digital badge and certificate of completion affected learning outcomes. This course offered ubiquitous access based on principles of responsive web design and used audio recordings of the entire course content. The course is perpetual and still on-going, but after six months there were 160 participants who had enrolled, and ten participants had completed the course and received certificates and digital badges. The participants showed extensive enthusiasm and engagement for human rights issues, and they expressed desires to learn more and further spread knowledge about human rights. The current findings suggest that the availability of digital badges and certificates increased interest for participation and positively affected learning outcomes. Moreover, the use of a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) format with incentives proved successful, combined with the contextualization and accessibility of the course content. Furthermore, the technical platform proved adequate for disseminating education for free in a developing country, and allowed for unencumbered access regardless of device. Lastly, a key challenge for future non-formal learning efforts in developing countries is the cost of Internet access.

This paper explores the results and perceived effects from an IT project management course given in Informatics at University West in Sweden. The 10-week course requires students to manage and execute real-world projects as a form of work integrated learning (WIL). For the past three years, the course has been performed in cooperation with the Innovatum Startup program offered by the Innovatum Science Center in Trollhättan, Sweden. Each year Innovatum Startup hosts a match making session where the startup companies present their projects and propose concrete projects that the university students can choose as their real-world project. This paper presents the results regarding the startups' and students' satisfaction with the course as well as the outcomes of the students' work for the startups and the effects on the students' future employability, networking and entrepreneurship. The results are based on surveys given to the participating students and startup companies. The findings show a high level of student and startup satisfaction with the WIL collaboration and the findings reaffirm similar research that WIL courses benefit student employability and networking. However, the findings do not show a significant impact on entrepreneurship.

This paper aims to summarize the concepts of e-learning, LMS/VLE and cloud-based computing and present how the use of these technologies trends towards collaboration and interactive multimedia. Another purpose is to define and explain this trend in e-learning environments and technologies by presenting research grounded in constructivist learning theory. Subsequently, this paper summarizes the current situation of online whiteboard tools and the new HTML5 standard and key attributes. Next, this paper outlines how an open HTML5 solution for a collaborative, cloud-based, online whiteboard can improve accessibility, performance, collaboration, and security plus offer enhanced multimedia opportunities. Finally, this paper concludes with a presentation of an early prototype of an open, cloud-based online whiteboard, an e-learning cloudboard, which utilizes the advancements found in HTML5 and modern JavaScript libraries such as JQuery. 

This paper concerns open education (OER) resources, and more specifically the process of publishing OER material to make it easier to find on the web. The overarching goals are to improve the creation and discovery of OER material for workplace learning as well as strive towards UNESCO’s Sustainable Development Goal 4, which aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. As we see it, there are two key challenges. The first challenge regards the content creation and curation side; i.e. the process of making OER material available to the general public, how to maintain the resource and how to get feedback on it. The second challenge regards discovery i.e. for OER consumers to easily find OER material and discern its usefulness in their specific learning context. We are in the process of developing a web based system that aids content creators in publishing and maintaining their OER material. The system helps the content creator by generating semantic metadata about the resource based on the Dublin Core system and creates a package of the material itself along with said metadata in a search engine optimized HTML5 file, ready for publishing on a web server or a video streaming site like YouTube, or other media sharing sites. This approach primarily utilizes common search engines to find the material, thus making the OER material decentralized and not necessarily specific to a specific OER repository. The metadata created by the system does, however, enable developers to create systems specialized in collecting and aggregating OER material, further enhancing the capability of the decentralized ecosystem of OER resources to be used by learning management systems. The key contribution is a suggestion as to how to automatically generate and use an OERID so that all resources can be discovered, curated, and reused.

A MOOC is a trending concept in education that is disrupting traditional methods oflearning consumption. The emergence and use of MOOCs for professional teacher development isstill uncommon, but on the verge of gaining a foothold. Research regarding MOOCs typicallyfocuses on impacts for higher education and lifelong learning. However, the specific intersection ofMOOCs and professional teacher development is poorly researched. This concept papercontemplates the benefits and drawbacks of using MOOCs for professional teacher developmentand calls for more practical studies and explorative research. This paper also speculates on the basicMOOC design criteria and principles needed to maximize engagement and course completion,which are currently common issues with general MOOCs. The conclusion is that MOOCs can be acost- and resource-effective means to deliver quality education in order to further professionalteacher development. However, possible risks are employers' reluctance to accept MOOCaccreditation as equivalent professional development and the lack of relevant MOOC courses forprofessional development.

The benefits of teacher-facing dashboards are incontestable, yet their evidence is finite in terms of long-term use, meaningful usability, and maturity level. Thus, this paper uses design science research and critical theory to design and develop TEADASH to support teachers in making decisions on teaching and learning. Three cycles of design science research and multiple small loops were implemented to develop the dashboard. The tool was then deployed and evaluated in real time with the authentic courses. Five courses from two Swedish universities were included in this study. The co-design with teachers is crucial to the applicability of this dashboard, while letting teachers use the tool during their courses is more important to help them to recognize the features they actually use and the tool’s usefulness for their teaching practices. TEADASH can address the prior matters, align with the learning design, and meet teachers’ needs. The technical and co-design aspects, as well as the advantages and challenges of applying TEADASH in practice, are also discussed here.

This brief paper concerns the design of real-time collaborative systems adhering to a nomadic work- and study practice. Nomadic practices can be characterized as having a heterogeneous workplace, working or studying from different locations during a day. This practice has been enabled by advances in technology and formed by human behavior. This means that we now must consider this type of work when designing collaboration software. This brief paper outlines some major issues concerning technology-mediated collaboration arising from nomadic work practices; different network conditions, data cost and device heterogeneity, and proposes tentative design ideas addressing these issues.

Child and adolescent overweight is a growing public health problem globally. Europe and low and middle-income (LMIC) countries in Sub-Saharan Africa provide sufficiently suitable populations to learn from with respect to the potential for mobile health (mHealth) interventions in this area of research. The aim of this paper is to identify mHealth interventions on prevention and treatment of childhood and adolescent obesity in Sub-Saharan Africa and Sweden and report on their effects, in order to inform future research in this area. A search of peer-reviewed publications was performed using PubMed, ScienceDirect, EBSCOhost, and Scopus. The search included all articles published up to August 2019. The search strings consisted of MeSH terms related to mHealth, overweight or obesity, children, adolescents or youth and individual countries in Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa. Second, a combination of free-text words; mobile phone, physical activity, exercise, diet, weight, BMI, and healthy eating was also used. Seven studies were reported from Europe and no eligible studies from Sub-Saharan Africa. The results of this narrative review indicate a lack of research in the development and testing of mHealth interventions for childhood and adolescent obesity. There is a need for an evidence base of mHealth interventions that are both relevant and appropriate in order to stem the epidemic of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents in these countries. Uptake of such interventions is likely to be high as there is high penetrance of mobile phone technology amongst adolescents, even within poor communities in Africa.

Background:Children with long-term illnesses frequently experience symptoms that could negatively affect their daily lives. These symptoms are often underreported in health care. Despite a large number of mobile health (mHealth) tools, few are based on a theoretical framework or supported by scientific knowledge. Incorporating universal design when developing a product can promote accessibility and facilitate person-centered communication.

Objective: The aim of this study is to identify the symptom-reporting needs of children with cancer and congenital heart defects that could be satisfied by using a mobile app. Another aim is to evaluate how the child might interact with the app by considering universal design principles and to identify parents’ views and health care professionals’ expectations and requirements for an mHealth tool.

Methods: User-centered design is an iterative process that focuses on an understanding of the users. The adapted user-centered design process includes 2 phases with 4 stages. Phase 1 involved interviews with 7 children with long-term illnesses, 8 parents, and 19 health care professionals to determine their needs and wishes for support; a workshop with 19 researchers to deepen our understanding of the needs; and a workshop with developers to establish a preliminary tool to further investigate needs and behaviors. Phase 2 involved interviews with 10 children with long-term illnesses, 9 parents, and 21 health care professionals to evaluate the mock-up (prototype) of the mHealth tool. Data were synthesized using the interpretive description technique.

Results:A total of 4 aspects of needs emerged from the synthesis of the data, as follows: different perspectives on provided and perceived support; the need for an easy-to-use, non–clinic-based tool to self-report symptoms and to facilitate communication; the need for safety by being in control and reaching the child’s voice; and a way of mapping the illness journey to facilitate recall and improve diagnostics. The children with long-term illnesses expressed a need to not only communicate about pain but also communicate about anxiety, fatigue, fear, and nausea.

Conclusions: The findings of this study indicated that the PicPecc (Pictorial Support in Person-Centered Care for Children) app is a potential solution for providing communicative support to children with long-term illnesses dealing with multiple symptoms and conditions. The interview data also highlighted symptoms that are at risk of being overlooked if they are not included in the mobile app. Further studies are needed to include usability testing and evaluation in hospitals and home care settings.

This paper sets out to inform how technology can be designed to support formal workplace training by acknowledging the context of every day work. The research in this paper follows the approach of design science research and a design theory for e-training through web lectures emerged in collaboration with members of the county administration through four designcycles of problem awareness: conceptual suggestion, system development, and evaluation. Aframework called authentic e-learning with nine design principles was chosen as a kernel theory.The design principles were then evaluated in the context of workplace learning and after four design cycles some of the original design principles was still unaltered, some was adapted to the conditions of workplace learning and new principles emerged from the evaluation process.