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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: closed (15 March 2023) | Viewed by 39139

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Aleksandra Klašnja-Milićević

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Guest Editor

Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, Trg Dositeja Obradovica 4, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Interests: technology-enhanced learning (TEL); intelligent tutoring systems; personalized learning; recommender systems; learning analytics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Mirjana Ivanović

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Guest Editor

Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, Trg Dositeja Obradovica 4, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Interests: intelligent tutoring systems; personalized learning environments; application of AI techniques; agent technologies; machine learning; gender aspects in computer science
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The concept of sustainable education is shaped by the foundational documents that UNESCO formulated in its international implementation scheme, requiring a re-examination of educational policy in order to focus clearly on the development of the knowledge, skills, perspectives, and values related to sustainability. This scheme aims to develop knowledge and skills that encourage individuals to take their own actions, considering their current and future social, cultural, economic, and environmental impacts from local and global perspectives. Students as members of communities should be empowered to act in complex situations in a sustainable manner, which may require them to move in new directions.

Social change, technological progress, and globalization are accompanied by new challenges that need to be mastered by increasing individualization and social diversity, while at the same time increasing economic and cultural uniformity, the availability of rapidly increasing amounts of information, and the need to cope with increasing complexity and uncertainty. The increasing volume of learning-related data and high-performance computing are enabling intelligent systems that can support sustainable education with a very wide range of advantages, providing learners with personalized guidance. As artificial intelligence research and development is becoming more mature and the corresponding outputs are being deployed at scale in real-world contexts, the crucial role of using personalized and automated systems in sustainable education is becoming more evident. Current research has greatly expanded our understanding of such artificial intelligence techniques and applications in the area of education. However, more research is required and many questions remain to be answered to bridge technological, social, pedagogical, and ethical perspectives of these intelligent systems.

This Special Issue aims to present high-quality, high-impact, original research results reporting the current state-of-the-art of online education systems empowered with artificial intelligence, examining the elements of personalized e-learning, technology, applications, sustainable development, and teaching and learning principles that contribute toward a sustainable education. Topics appropriate for this Special Issue include, but are not necessarily limited to, the following:

Sustainable personalized e-learning frameworks;
Intelligent and interactive technologies in a sustainable educational context;
Design, use, and evaluation of human–AI hybrid systems for personalized sustainable learning;
Intelligent tutoring systems and sustainable education;
Human factors and sustainable educational interface design;
Intelligent web-based sustainable learning environments;
Game-based sustainable learning environments;
Recommendations for teaching materials in sustainable education development;
Learning analytics and data mining in a sustainable educational context;
Inclusion of educational robotics in sustainable education;
Advanced technologies (virtual reality, augmented reality, eye-tracking) supported sustainable learning.

Dr. Aleksandra Klašnja-Milićević
Prof. Dr. Mirjana Ivanović
Guest Editor

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Keywords

e-learning personalization
sustainable education
intelligent and interactive technologies
intelligent tutoring system
web-based learning
learning analytics
educational data mining

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Published Papers (13 papers)

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Editorial

Jump to: Research, Review

6 pages, 207 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

E-learning Personalization Systems and Sustainable Education

by Aleksandra Klašnja-Milićević and Mirjana Ivanović

Sustainability 2021, 13(12), 6713; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13126713 - 13 Jun 2021

Cited by 40 | Viewed by 5408

Abstract

In the World Declaration on Higher Education, the concept of higher education is defined as “all types of studies, training or research training at the postsecondary level, provided by universities or other educational establishments that are approved as institutions of higher education by [...] Read more.

(This article belongs to the Special Issue E-learning Personalization Systems and Sustainable Education)

Research

Jump to: Editorial, Review

22 pages, 370 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Applying Self-Optimised Feedback to a Learning Management System for Facilitating Personalised Learning Activities on Massive Open Online Courses

by Xin Qi, Geng Sun and Lin Yue

Sustainability 2023, 15(16), 12562; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151612562 - 18 Aug 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2035

Abstract

Web-based educational systems collect tremendous amounts of electronic data, ranging from simple histories of students’ interactions with the system to detailed traces of their reasoning. However, less attention has been given to the pedagogical interaction data of customised learning in a gamification environment. This study aims to research user experience, communication methods, and feedback and survey functionalities among the existing learning management system; understand the data flow of the online study feedback loop; propose the design of a personalised feedback system; and conclude with a discussion of the findings from the collected experiment data. We will test the importance of gamification learning and analytics learning, as well as conduct a literature review and laboratory experiment to examine how they can influence the effectiveness of monetary incentive schemes. This research will explain the significance of gamification learning and personalised feedback on motivation and performance during the learning journey. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue E-learning Personalization Systems and Sustainable Education)

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13 pages, 306 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Personalized Education for Sustainable Development

by Katerina Zdravkova

Sustainability 2023, 15(8), 6901; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15086901 - 19 Apr 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2363

Abstract

Progress in eradicating poverty, hunger and pollution by promoting better health, well-being and quality education has begun to weaken due to the pandemic, military conflicts and climate change. There is an urgent need to act decisively and efficiently in order to reduce the frightening dimension of the crisis and return sustainable development indicators to an upward trend. After examining sustainable development goals and indicators and their progress, this paper introduces four focal activity clusters. They can be fulfilled through effective learning, starting with local educational campaigns, well-designed educational initiatives, and even modifying curricula aimed at sustainable development. Several approaches can contribute to achieving the goals, primarily transformative and personalized learning. After comparing them in the light of sustainable development, preference is given to personalized learning. It faces many challenges related to the data collection and processing of, factionalism of, and impossibility of accessing differently abled people. These challenges are further amplified by remote teaching and learning. Recommendations on how to overcome them and how to organize educational interactions on a micro, mezzo and macro level are presented in the conclusion of the paper. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue E-learning Personalization Systems and Sustainable Education)

26 pages, 2732 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Managing Social Presence in Collaborative Learning with Agent Facilitation

by Bumho Lee and Jinwoo Kim

Sustainability 2023, 15(7), 6185; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15076185 - 4 Apr 2023

Viewed by 2054

Abstract

As interest in online learning has increased, studies utilizing a social system for the innovation of lecture/learning environments have attracted attention recently. To establish a sustainable social environment in the online learning system, prior research investigated strategies to improve and manage the social presence of collaborators (e.g., students, AI facilitators, etc.) in an online lecture. Nevertheless, the negative effect of social presence was often neglected, which leads to a lack of comprehensiveness in managing social presence in an online lecturing environment. In the study, we intend to investigate the influence of social presence with both positive (student engagement) and negative (information overload) aspects on the learning experience by formulating a structural equation model. To test the model, we implemented an experimental online lecture system for the introductory session of human–computer interaction, and data from 83 participants were collected. The model was analyzed with Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The result shows the social presence of the collaborators influences both student engagement (other learners: β = 0.239, t = 2.187) and information overload (agent facilitator: β = 0.492, t = 6.163; other learners: β = 0.168, t = 1.672). The result also supports that student engagement is influenced by information overload as well (β = −0.490, t = 3.712). These positive and negative factors of social presence influence learning attainment (student engagement: β = 0.183, t = 1.680), satisfaction (student engagement: β = 0.385, t = 3.649; information overload: β = −0.292, t = 2.343), and learning efficacy (student engagement: β = 0.424, t = 2.543). Thus, it corroborates that a change in the level of social presence influences student engagement and information overload; furthermore, it confirms that the effect of changes in social presence is reflected differently depending on learning attainment and experience. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue E-learning Personalization Systems and Sustainable Education)

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13 pages, 3597 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Mining and Utilizing Knowledge Correlation and Learners’ Similarity Can Greatly Improve Learning Efficiency and Effect: A Case Study on Chinese Writing Stroke Correction

by Qing Lang, Caifeng Zhang, Hengnian Qi, Yaqin Du, Xiaorong Zhu, Chu Zhang and Mizhen Li

Sustainability 2023, 15(3), 2393; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15032393 - 28 Jan 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1455

Abstract

Using AI technology to improve teaching and learning is an important goal of educational sustainability. By mining the correlation between knowledge points, the discrete knowledge points can be integrated to improve the knowledge density and reduce the learning task. In addition, the successful experiences of similar learners can be shared, thus shortening the learning path of new learners. To change the common situation of irregular writing stroke order, to teach and correct stroke order effectively, this study uses association rules to explore the potential correlation between error-prone Chinese characters based on a large number of learners’ writing records, and then summarizes and sorts out a set of error-prone Chinese characters based on this. Every Chinese character contained in an error-prone category has a common error-prone feature. By correcting this error, it can be extended to every Chinese character of this category, and the learning efficiency of Chinese character strokes can be improved tens of times. In the training and testing system with a Chinese character error-prone character set, combined with the improved collaborative filtering algorithm, a learner-based personalized error-prone Chinese character recommendation model was proposed. Experimental results showed that the Apriori algorithm with lift measure can excavate effective strong association rules and provide an important reference for the character set table. The improved collaborative filtering algorithm can make use of the similarity between learners, share successful learning experiences, provide a personalized recommendation service for error-prone Chinese characters, and the recommendation performance is higher than that of the traditional collaborative filtering model. In the test of different types of learning groups, there are obvious differences between the independent pre-test and the post-training test, which effectively corrects the irregular writing habits, and further indicates that the excavation of knowledge correlation and the combination of learners’ similarity can effectively improve the efficiency and effect of teaching and learning. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue E-learning Personalization Systems and Sustainable Education)

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31 pages, 1815 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Toward a More Personalized MOOC: Data Analysis to Identify Drinking Water Production Operators’ Learning Characteristics—An Ecuador Case

by Martín Bustamante-León, Paúl Herrera, Luis Domínguez-Granda, Tammy Schellens, Peter L. M. Goethals, Otilia Alejandro and Martin Valcke

Sustainability 2022, 14(21), 14206; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142114206 - 1 Nov 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2168

Abstract

Only 35% of the Ecuadorian population consumes drinking water of “assured quality”. One of the causes is related to the deficiencies in the technical ability of the operators due to their lack of education, technical training, and experience. Massive open online courses (MOOCs) responsive to characteristics and learning needs are an option to strengthen the skills of operators. The goal of the present study is therefore to describe a methodology that includes the application of a survey and the use of statistical methods such as categorical principal component analysis (CATPCA) and cluster analysis to identify and assess learning characteristics. The results present the most frequent variables in the personal, academic, emotional, social, and cognitive aspects. They also show the preferences and learning needs of the operators. Finally, it is concluded that this study identifies common learning characteristics, needs, and preferences that are relevant for the creation of a quality personalized instructional design in MOOCs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue E-learning Personalization Systems and Sustainable Education)

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22 pages, 4657 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Design of a Customizable Test Bench of an Electric Vehicle Powertrain for Learning Purposes Using Model-Based System Engineering

by Hicham El Hadraoui, Mourad Zegrari, Fatima-Ezzahra Hammouch, Nasr Guennouni, Oussama Laayati and Ahmed Chebak

Sustainability 2022, 14(17), 10923; https://doi.org/10.3390/su141710923 - 1 Sep 2022

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3106

Abstract

Nowadays, electric vehicles attract significant attention because of the increasingly stringent exhaust emission policies all over the world. Moreover, with the fast expansion of the sustainable economy, the demand for electric vehicles is expanding. In the recent age, maintenance has seriously hampered the marketing and use of electric automobiles. As a result, the technique for maintaining electric vehicles is regarded as vital since it directly affects the security and availability for the end user and the passengers. Another key aspect of electric mobility is the integration of artificial intelligence in control, diagnostics, and prognostics. Meanwhile, a lot of research efforts are still devoted to developing and innovating electric traction systems, especially for diagnostic and prognostic purposes. Furthermore, topics covering important, current, and sustainability challenges should contain more than theoretical knowledge in high-quality education, particularly in engineering education. The purpose is to bridge the gap between the new technology and the learner’s circumstances through giving practical technical expertise and training in the sphere of overall engineering competences, to avoid non-standard, unskilled maintenance work. This article presents the first phase towards designing and developing a test bench of an electric vehicle’s powertrain used for research, learning and e-learning purposes, employing model-based systems engineering (MBSE) and systems modeling language (SysML) through the CESAM architecting and modeling framework. The aforementioned approach is used on our case study to build and present an operational viewpoint layout of the control, energy management, diagnostic, and prognostic test bench as part of the system’s initial phase of designing the system; the test bench layout proposed in this paper represents a flexible, low-cost, multidisciplinary downsized laboratory providing basic experiments related to e-mobility and covering numerous branches and study fields. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue E-learning Personalization Systems and Sustainable Education)

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18 pages, 295 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Teacher Views on Teaching Sustainability in Higher Education Institutes in Australia

by Zawar Shah, Shannon Kennedy-Clark, Yancong Xie, Md Shamsur Rahim, Mehregan Mahdavi and Andrew Levula

Sustainability 2022, 14(14), 8431; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14148431 - 10 Jul 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2564

Abstract

Higher education for sustainable development (HESD) plays a key role in achieving the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This research study specifically examined HESD in terms of eLearning initiatives in Australian private higher education providers from the perspective of teachers. A qualitative structured interview method was adopted wherein 10 teachers were interviewed in order to gain an understanding of their general knowledge of HESD, their attitudes and experience towards HESD, their teaching practices related to HESD, and their understandings of strategy as well as planning initiatives for their institution. The main findings suggest that (1) teachers in private higher education providers tend to have a limited knowledge of sustainability concepts and limited experience in teaching sustainability; (2) eLearning can be a valuable approach in teaching sustainability, but this approach presents teachers with challenges such as student engagement; and (3) private higher education providers require proper resources and governance frameworks in order for any sustainability initiative to be successful. This research highlights the resourcing aspect of private higher education providers in training staff, developing learning materials, and developing practical guidelines to achieve the SDGs by 2030. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue E-learning Personalization Systems and Sustainable Education)

14 pages, 8301 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Can Online Learning about UNESCO Biosphere Reserves Change the Perception on SDGs and Different Aspects of Sustainability between Japanese and International Students?

by Aida Mammadova, Nazam Ali and Krisada Chaiyasarn

Sustainability 2022, 14(13), 7596; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14137596 - 22 Jun 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1469

Abstract

Sustainability is one of the main global concerns to deal with and know-how about is it important for the unprecedented survival to cope with the social, political, economic, and energy scarcity issues. Higher institutions are important learning places which can play the role of transformation and create the opportunities and avenues in order to minimize the barriers towards more sustainable future. In this research study, an online training program for the understanding of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Sustainability was designed. Students from different Japanese and International Universities were invited for two weeks of training program. A Comprehensive questionnaire was designed in which students were introduced about UNESCO Biosphere reserves, SDGs, and different concepts of sustainability. The analysis of the statistical results confirm that the understanding of the students has improved after the online training program about SDGs and different aspects of sustainability. The results imply that the understanding of the international students about SDGs and sustainability is more as compared with the Japanese students. In 14 out of 17 SDGs, the familiarity of international students is more as compared with their counterparts. In this exploratory study, some of the challenges faced by the universities are also identified which impede the efforts for the implementation of goals and initiatives towards sustainable development. It has been concluded that the universities must design dedicated training programs to seize the opportunities for improving the understanding of the students and promotion of sustainable initiatives by using UNESCO Biosphere Reserves as learning platforms through innovation in teaching, research, and trainings. The possible limitations of this research study can be; (a) it involves the professionals about SDGs, which might have made the online training program as intensive one, giving some vague idea about SDGs and sustainability to the students, (b) though the personal information of the students were not gathered, however, the broader scope of the research study have provided strong international base which can be used as an adequate profile of sustainability and comprehension of SDGs currently being found in the universities. Design of practical implications is imperative for stimulating the creativity and autonomy about the comprehension of SDGs and sustainability to meet the demands of present and future challenges imposed for sustainable development. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue E-learning Personalization Systems and Sustainable Education)

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18 pages, 2667 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Students’ Perceptions of ILS as a Learning-Style-Identification Tool in E-Learning Environments

by Zoran Marosan, Ninoslava Savic, Aleksandra Klasnja-Milicevic, Mirjana Ivanovic and Boban Vesin

Sustainability 2022, 14(8), 4426; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14084426 - 8 Apr 2022

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2962

Abstract

This paper presents the evaluation of the Index of Learning Styles, an assessment tool of the Felder–Silverman learning model. A few studies have previously evaluated this tool, but as far as we know, none of them considered the learners’ opinion to achieve their goals. Considering that many studies suggest continuing with the Index of Learning Styles’ evaluation, an experimental study was conducted using Protus, developed as an adaptive learning system. Analysing the concurrent validity of the Index of Learning Styles, students’ learning preferences were acquired via two different tools: the Index of Learning Styles and the subjective questionnaire. Results suggest that the Index of Learning Styles is valid for defining learning style at the beginning of the learning process, resolving the cold-start problem. We found some differences between the results of the Index of Learning Styles and subjective assessment. By enhancing the Protus user interface with new functionality, which allows a free choice of the learning style during the learning process, we overcome the observed limitations of the Index of Learning Styles. This solution could be implemented in different personalised e-learning environments, regardless of the applied assessment tool, leading to a more reliable student model. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue E-learning Personalization Systems and Sustainable Education)

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20 pages, 964 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Developing a Conceptual Model for the Causal Effects of Outdoor Play in Preschools Using PLS-SEM

by Wong Chin Yew, Sia Mal Kong, Abd Hair Awang and Goh Rou Yi

Sustainability 2022, 14(6), 3365; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14063365 - 13 Mar 2022

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3486

Abstract

This study attempts to establish the causal effects of outdoor play through a conceptual model consisting of six latent constructs. Seventy Penang preschool operators took part in a questionnaire survey conducted from June to July 2021. All of the 70 respondents agreed that outdoor play is important for children’s development even though only 62 respondents implemented outdoor play yards in their preschools. Raw data from these 62 respondents were used to develop the conceptual model by PLS-SEM. Measurement models were assessed by checking the indicator reliability, internal consistency reliability, convergent validity and discriminant validity. The structural model was assessed by checking the SRMR and NFI. The measurement models are found to be acceptable with AVE > 0.50 for all of the constructs and all of the 34 indicators have loadings > 0.50. However, there are 16 indicators with difference between loadings < 0.10, and the structural model does not have a good fit with SRMR > 0.10 and NFI < 0.90. Lack of discriminant validity could be remedied by removing eight indicators with difference between loadings < 0.10. Model fit could be improved with larger sample size since bootstrapping with 1000 iterations yielded SRMR = 0.098 at 95% for the saturated model. Seven significant paths were found among the six constructs in the final conceptual model. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue E-learning Personalization Systems and Sustainable Education)

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13 pages, 407 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Inspiring the Next Generation of HPC Engineers with Reconfigurable, Multi-Tenant Resources for Teaching and Research

by Taha Al-Jody, Hamza Aagela and Violeta Holmes

Sustainability 2021, 13(21), 11782; https://doi.org/10.3390/su132111782 - 25 Oct 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2145

Abstract

There is a tradition at our university for teaching and research in High Performance Computing (HPC) systems engineering. With exascale computing on the horizon and a shortage of HPC talent, there is a need for new specialists to secure the future of research computing. Whilst many institutions provide research computing training for users within their particular domain, few offer HPC engineering and infrastructure-related courses, making it difficult for students to acquire these skills. This paper outlines how and why we are training students in HPC systems engineering, including the technologies used in delivering this goal. We demonstrate the potential for a multi-tenant HPC system for education and research, using novel container and cloud-based architecture. This work is supported by our previously published work that uses the latest open-source technologies to create sustainable, fast and flexible turn-key HPC environments with secure access via an HPC portal. The proposed multi-tenant HPC resources can be deployed on a “bare metal” infrastructure or in the cloud. An evaluation of our activities over the last five years is given in terms of recruitment metrics, skills audit feedback from students, and research outputs enabled by the multi-tenant usage of the resource. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue E-learning Personalization Systems and Sustainable Education)

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Review

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17 pages, 678 KiB

Open AccessReview

The Role of Pedagogical Agents in Personalised Adaptive Learning: A Review

by Ufuoma Chima Apoki, Aqeel M. Ali Hussein, Humam K. Majeed Al-Chalabi, Costin Badica and Mihai L. Mocanu

Sustainability 2022, 14(11), 6442; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14116442 - 25 May 2022

Cited by 20 | Viewed by 4943

Abstract

Personalised adaptive learning is becoming increasingly popular as a method of providing each student on an online platform with learning experiences that are tailored to their own requirements and peculiarities. This enables learners to go along many learning routes with the shared objective of information and skill development. In such systems, adaptivity and intelligence play distinct roles, with adaptivity being a more data-driven decision-making approach and intelligence being the emulation of human traits in a learning setting. Pedagogical agents, as defined in the field of artificial intelligence, are virtual characters with anthropomorphic features that are introduced for educational reasons. Because e-learning is a continuously growing area, the responsibilities of pedagogical agents change based on the goals that have been established for them. This article provides a systematic evaluation of pedagogical agents’ research and empirical data in e-learning from 2015 to 2022. Their responsibilities will be examined specifically in terms of flexibility and variety, realistic simulation, and their influence on learning: performance improvement, improved motivation, and engagement. The article finishes with a discussion and recommendations on pedagogical agents’ future directions in this ever-changing world of individualised adaptive e-learning. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue E-learning Personalization Systems and Sustainable Education)

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