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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Education and Approaches".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2025 | Viewed by 37901

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Chih-Hung Wu

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Guest Editor

Department of Digital Content and Technology, National Taichung University of Education, Taichung City 40306, Taiwan
Interests: e-learning; STEAM education; AI; education technology; affective computing

Prof. Dr. Yen-Chun Jim Wu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Graduate Institute of Global Business and Strategy, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei City 106, Taiwan
Interests: technology management; logistic management, innovation, global logistic management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, E-learning combined with new information technology to enhance learning effectiveness has become an important international research issue under the epidemic. E-learning or distance learning have become major learning platforms via integrating new technologies such as artificial intelligence, AR/VR, emotion technology, and metaverse to cultivate sustainable education.

More research will help in the development of E-learning with educational technology. The successful implementation of these digital technologies will influence the learning performance, motivation, and engagement for sustainable education. Blockchain technology and non-fungible tokens (NFT) also provide chances for new development for design thinking, fashions style, creative thinking, education authorization, STEAM education, maker, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

The aim of this Special Issue is to explore the educational applications of applying new technologies such as AI, metaverse, AR/VR, blockchain, and NFT to improve the learning performance of sustainable education/E-learning.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

E-Learning;
Education technology;
Artificial intelligence;
Affective computing;
Metaverse;
AR/VR/XR;
Affective computing;
Non-fungible token (NFT);
Blockchain;
Innovation;
Entrepreneurship;
STEAM education;
Maker;
Education authorization;
Design thinking;
Fashion style design;
Creative thinking.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Chih-Hung Wu
Prof. Dr. Yen-Chun Jim Wu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

e-learning
education technology
artificial intelligence
metaverse
AR/VR/XR
affective computing
non-fungible token (NFT)
blockchain

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Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

24 pages, 1377 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sustainable Space Travel: What Can We Do in Education from Economic and Environmental Perspectives?

by Yize Wu, Kang-Lin Peng, Yijing Yao and Yanping Guo

Sustainability 2024, 16(2), 684; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16020684 - 12 Jan 2024

Viewed by 3163

Abstract

Space travel began in 2001 and became popular in 2021 because of commercial operations. With the development of space technology and commercialization, like re-launchable rockets used to travel to space in recent years, hawse have gradually entered the space era. However, the space industry causes massive emissions, inducing some opposition to its development. It is essential to investigate the attitude of residents toward space travel and balance the pros and cons of sustainability. A quantitative analysis was adopted to test two models based on duality theory. The data were obtained from 284 samples from various regions of China and analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The results show that the two-factor model of economic development conflicted with environmental protection. However, study two indicates that educational interventions can facilitate sustainable space travel because they mediate the relationship between economic and environmental factors. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Education and Technology Development)

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22 pages, 1435 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Exploring the Acceptance and User Satisfaction of AI-Driven e-Learning Platforms (Blackboard, Moodle, Edmodo, Coursera and edX): An Integrated Technology Model

by Raneem Rashad Saqr, Sabah Abdullah Al-Somali and Mohammad Y. Sarhan

Sustainability 2024, 16(1), 204; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16010204 - 25 Dec 2023

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 5162

Abstract

As e-learning platforms gain traction globally, understanding students’ perceptions and intentions towards these platforms is paramount, especially within the context of Saudi universities, where e-learning is rapidly emerging as a transformative educational tool for sustainable development. This study examined the influence of different AI-based social learning networks, personal learning portfolios, and personal learning environments on Saudi university students’ perceived usefulness and ease of use regarding AI-driven platforms (Blackboard, Moodle, Edmodo, Coursera and edX). Furthermore, the study explored the direct effects of these perceptions on students’ satisfaction and intentions to use e-learning. The study also delved into the moderating effects of individual characteristics like readiness for self-directed e-learning, self-efficacy, and personal innovativeness on students’ e-learning intentions. A cross-sectional design was employed, collecting self-reported data from a strong sample of Saudi university students using stratified random sampling. The study targeted 500 students from different universities in Saudi Arabia. Results underscored the significant influence of AI-based social learning networks, personal learning portfolios, and personal learning environments on perceived usefulness and ease of use. Both perceived usefulness and ease of use also significantly and positively influenced satisfaction, influencing students’ attitudes toward e-learning but not their intention to use it. Student characteristics, especially self-efficacy, showed notable impacts on e-learning intentions. However, their interaction with satisfaction yielded insignificant effects on intentions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Education and Technology Development)

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19 pages, 17755 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Building a Blockchain-Based Decentralized Crowdfunding Platform for Social and Educational Causes in the Context of Sustainable Development

by Bogdan Tiganoaia and George-Madalin Alexandru

Sustainability 2023, 15(23), 16205; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152316205 - 22 Nov 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 4907

Abstract

Blockchain technology contributes to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Education for sustainable development (ESD) is UNESCO’s education sector response to the urgent and dramatic challenges the planet faces. The traditional way of donating money to charitable causes, such as education, has been through centralized methods and organizations that lack transparency, and donors often do not have a clear understanding of how their contributions are being utilized. Blockchain technology, particularly, platforms like Ethereum and Polygon, has the potential to address the issues associated with traditional donation systems. This paper proposes a decentralized web3 application that utilizes blockchain technology to enhance transparency and efficiency in educational donations in the context of sustainable development. The platform leverages decentralized protocols and smart contracts to ensure secure and transparent transactions, enabling donors to track the utilization of their contributions and ensuring their funds reach their intended beneficiaries. This paper discusses the design and implementation of the platform, highlighting its features and potential for transforming the landscape of charitable donations. This software application can be used in education, and a demo plus some scenarios/work cases are presented/analyzed. The main results and contributions open other future research directions for not only authors. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Education and Technology Development)

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21 pages, 2046 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Impact of E-Learning Technologies on Entrepreneurial and Sustainability Performance

by Sichu Liu, Hongyi Sun, Jiahao Zhuang and Rui Xiong

Sustainability 2023, 15(21), 15660; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152115660 - 6 Nov 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2498

Abstract

After the pandemic, education will not go back to a 100% offline mode since the application of e-learning technologies (ELTs) cannot be avoided. Therefore, their impact should be studied for future education development. Most future entrepreneurs are attending school today. Therefore, universities need to supply necessary education to encourage students to cope with future conditions and development. At the same time, due to the increasing attention being paid to the harmony between ecology and prosperity, the sustainability aspect of entrepreneurship education needs to be emphasized as well. This study investigates the impact of ELTs on entrepreneurial education performance (including personal skills, product skills, and business skills), sustainability efficacy, and their impact on sustainability awareness. Data were collected from a master’s degree class on entrepreneurship at a Hong Kong university and SmartPLS was used to analyze the data. It was found that ELTs have a significant relationship with entrepreneurial performance and sustainability efficacy. Meanwhile, sustainability efficacy also has a significant relationship with sustainability awareness. However, no significant relationship between entrepreneurial skills and sustainability awareness was identified. The results indicate that ELTs can improve students’ entrepreneurial skills and sustainability awareness, which proves the effectiveness of ELTs and provides support for their application in future entrepreneurship education. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Education and Technology Development)

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30 pages, 3330 KiB

Open AccessArticle

An Entrepreneurship Incubation Process Model and Gamified Educational Software Designed for Sustainable Education

by Ping Liu

Sustainability 2023, 15(19), 14646; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151914646 - 9 Oct 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1806

Abstract

To tackle the challenges of the sustainable development of entrepreneurship education in China and bridge the gaps between academic research and practices for Goal 4 of the SDGs, this design science research aims to create an educational artifact for the incubation of entrepreneurship from students’ tacit knowledge and evaluate whether it performs well. First, the incubation process of the educational artifact is summarized, including the functions and tools of its supporting software. An Extended Triple Diamond model with design principles in the knowledge creation process is proposed in this research. Then, the educational artifact is evaluated based on the data from in-depth interviews conducted with 15 university teacher and student users. Through the evaluation, functions of the supporting software and some organizational arrangements of the activity are iterated. This design science research of the educational artifact contributes empirically to the body of design knowledge. In terms of practice, the educational artifact with extremely low entry barriers is expected to alleviate the inherent contradictions between personalization (the inherent characteristics of innovation and entrepreneurship) and large-scale development (to be carried out in a sustainable manner), thus contributing to the Sustainable Development Goal of inclusive and equitable quality education. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Education and Technology Development)

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26 pages, 1962 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Discovering the Sustainable Innovation Service Process of Organizational Environment, Information Sharing and Satisfaction: The Moderating Roles of Pressure

by Chih-Hsing Liu, Quoc Phong La, Yen-Ling Ng and Rullyana Puspitaningrum Mamengko

Sustainability 2023, 15(14), 11445; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151411445 - 24 Jul 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2011

Abstract

Sustainability issues have been highly impacted during the pandemic period, and issues of sustainability are receiving increasing attention and have been embedded in tourism and hospitality management. To follow customer changes and sustainability requirements, employee behavior is a significant determinant of organizations’ sustainable service innovation. Data were collected from 454 restaurant employees to confirm the proposed hypothesis and investigate the organization of sustainable service innovation processes. The results showed that organizational environments may encourage employees to engage in information sharing and satisfaction to enhance sustainable service innovation through achievement and improvement. Further, this study also asserts that pressure is a critical attribute that moderates the relationship between achievement and improvement for sustainable service innovation. Theoretical and managerial implications are also introduced and discussed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Education and Technology Development)

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25 pages, 27309 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Critical Factors and Trends in NFT Technology Innovations

by Chih-Hung Wu, Chien-Yu Liu and Ting-Sheng Weng

Sustainability 2023, 15(9), 7573; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15097573 - 5 May 2023

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 5056

Abstract

Non-fungible token (NFT) products are important for industrial applications. In recent years, they have rapidly gained importance in the field of blockchain combined with metaverse. The concept of NFTs has developed gradually, as many industries have begun using NFTs creatively to raise new business innovation opportunities in entrepreneurship. However, few studies have been conducted analyzing critical features of NFTs for success, trends, and challenges in NFT products. In this study, group discussions, case analysis methods, and the OpenSea database were used to analyze fashion trends among NFT products. A mixed method was used in this study. Quantitative and qualitative data derived from the questionnaire and group discussions were analyzed using the case study method, and the actual historical trading data of NFT products obtained from the OpenSea platform were analyzed. This study analyzed NFT products, fashion characteristics, and trends in NFT artwork. The opportunities and challenges of NFT applications and sustainable NFTs are discussed in this study. Our research results show that the most attractive NFT product types are collectible digital works and creative artworks. The critical design characteristics are lovely (cute), beautiful, and interesting. We recommend that NFT makers use the above-mentioned characteristics to create NFT artworks with special design characteristics to increase NFT values. The advantage of NFTs is that makers can freely create their works through the NFT platform, which can decrease the limitations of traditional methods such as the need for venues, exhibition setup costs, and intermediaries’ commissions. The major challenges of current NFT applications include usability challenges, security and privacy issues, and governance considerations. We believe that our research results can provide useful directions and strategies for future researchers, makers, and ventures seeking to develop NFT applications. Our research results, such as identifying the critical design factors and current trends in NFTs, can provide guidelines for art design and innovation education. In addition, this study discusses the applications of NFTs in sustainable education, which can provide benefits for sustainable educational development to meet the goal of quality education in SDG4. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Education and Technology Development)

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14 pages, 1156 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Multimedia E-Book Use on the Information Literacy of Nursing Students and Health Communication in Student-Led Large- and Small-Group Community Health Education Sessions

by Ting-Ting Wu, Yi-Chen Lu and Yueh-Min Huang

Sustainability 2023, 15(9), 7408; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15097408 - 29 Apr 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2501

Abstract

The integration of digital technology into healthcare is critical for health communication. This study analyzed a group of nursing students who applied multimedia health education e-books to different groups of varying sizes to explore the efficiency of implementing health communication and nursing information literacy in the nursing industry. If medical personnel can make appropriate use of technology, combine medical operations with information systems, and disseminate the purpose of health to groups of different sizes properly, the quality of patient care will improve. Thirty-two junior nursing students at the college level were divided into three groups, each subject to a 3-week internship. After the internship, a questionnaire survey was conducted. Additionally, nine nursing students were interviewed in a 45-min semistructured format. Regarding the effectiveness of nursing students using multimedia e-books to implement health communication and the development of nursing information literacy, the statistical analysis results demonstrated no significant differences between large groups and small groups. However, their 5-point Likert scale average values were all greater than 4, indicating that regardless of group size, their feedback on using e-books was positive. This means multimedia e-books can effectively help nursing students practice health communication application effectiveness and develop nursing information literacy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Education and Technology Development)

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27 pages, 3688 KiB

Open AccessArticle

User-Centered Software Design: User Interface Redesign for Blockly–Electron, Artificial Intelligence Educational Software for Primary and Secondary Schools

by Chenghong Cen, Guang Luo, Lujia Li, Yilin Liang, Kang Li, Tan Jiang and Qiang Xiong

Sustainability 2023, 15(6), 5232; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15065232 - 15 Mar 2023

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 5326

Abstract

According to the 2021 and 2022 Horizon Report, AI is emerging in all areas of education, in various forms of educational aids with various applications, and is carving out a similarly ubiquitous presence across campuses and classrooms. This study explores a user-centered approach used in the design of the AI educational software by taking the redesign of the user interface of AI educational software Blockly–Electron as an example. Moreover, by analyzing the relationship between the four variables of software usability, the abstract usability is further certified so as to provide ideas for future improvements to the usability of AI educational software. User-centered design methods and attribution analysis are the main research methods used in this study. The user-centered approach was structured around four phases. Overall, seventy-three middle school students and five teachers participated in the study. The USE scale will be used to measure the usability of Blockly–Electron. Five design deliverables and an attribution model were created and discovered in the linear relationship between Ease of Learning, Ease of Use, Usefulness and Satisfaction, and Ease of use as a mediator variable, which is significantly different from the results of previous regression analysis for the USE scale. This study provides a structural user-centered design methodology with quantitative research. The deliverables and the attribution model can be used in the AI educational software design. Furthermore, this study found that usefulness and ease of learning significantly affect the ease of use, and ease of use significantly affects satisfaction. Based on this, the usability will be further concretized to facilitate the production of software with greater usability. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Education and Technology Development)

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28 pages, 2883 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Effectiveness of Augmented Reality in Physical Sustainable Education on Learning Behaviour and Motivation

by Lin Liang, Zhishang Zhang and Jianlan Guo

Sustainability 2023, 15(6), 5062; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15065062 - 13 Mar 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2548

Abstract

This research explores the integration of information technology into physical education and uses augmented reality (AR) as an auxiliary tool to explore the impact of this teaching mode on the learning motivation, knowledge, and learning behaviour of beginner runners. A pre- and post-test control group design is adopted in this study. The study participants were 56 students implemented into a 16-session football teaching course. Before the teaching was implemented, the Learning Motivation Scale, independent variables were different learning modes, while the dependent ones were the participants’ learning performances, including their learning outcomes and motives, as well as their skill learning behaviours. The findings of this research are as follows: first, the experimental group (using AR) achieves better learning outcomes for motor skills than the control group. The experimental group also experiences stronger learning motives and better motor skill performances than the control one. Finally, the experimental group has a more positive attitude towards using the teaching materials, and the materials are more acceptable to them in comparison to the control one. This research contribution uses the advantages of AR to adopt an innovative teaching model, which can be highly appealing and motivating for learner behaviour. In practice, it also solves the deficiencies in the integration of information technology into physical education at this stage. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Education and Technology Development)

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