Computer programming is a difficult course for many students. Prior works advocated for group learning pedagogies in pursuit of higher-level reasoning and conceptual understanding. However, the methodological gaps in existing implementations warrant further research. This study conducted a three-armed cluster-randomized controlled trial to comparatively evaluate the social and cognitive effects of group learning pedagogies in computer programming. Following an apprenticeship model, each group has a designated master: drivers in pair programming (PP), peer leaders in peer-led team learning (PLTL), and practitioners in practitioner-assisted group learning (PAGL). In all course deliverables, the PP group received the lowest mean scores. Meanwhile, no significant difference was found between the PLTL and PAGL groups. Except for psychological safety, social factors such as task cohesion, interdependence, and group potency were significantly different between the groups. Both PLTL and PAGL groups reported a significant increase in social factors after 14 weeks of intervention. These findings provide a rationale for educational leaders and teachers to formulate curricular plans that integrate PLTL and PAGL in computer programming education. Overall, this study contributes to the literature on group learning, expands the pedagogies in computer programming, and serves as additional empirical evidence on cognitive apprenticeship and sociocultural perspectives of learning.

Immersive technologies have generated significant interest across various academic disciplines. The necessity for more authentic, interactive, and immersive artificial environments led to the growing popularity of the metaverse. Unfortunately, not all metaverse types have been broadly covered in educational research. This inadequacy highlights a gap in understanding the potential benefits and drawbacks of metaverse technologies for education. To address this research gap, we created a metaverse called “MILES Virtual World” that embodies the concepts of lifelogging and mirror worlds. Following the principles of the Embodied Social Presence Theory, the application allows students to socialize through customizable avatars and engage in a variety of activities that closely resemble those in the physical world. We adopted a mixed-method approach using a convergent parallel design to evaluate the application. Our quantitative analysis reveals that students feel highly present and engaged in the virtual environment, with a sense of agency and immersion. It also underscores the importance of enhancing embodiment and copresence to create more effective virtual world experiences and opportunities for social interactions. Meanwhile, our qualitative analysis uncovers several underlying subthemes, including avatar customization, identity exploration, virtual items, communication, entertainment, autonomy, freedom of expression, realism, challenges, shared experiences, and a sense of belonging within the metaverse. Overall, our study provides valuable insights into the potential of metaverse technology in the educational context, and how it can be harnessed to create more effective and engaging academic experiences for students.

The emergence of the metaverse has expanded the vital role of virtual worlds in education. It extends the traditional configuration of virtual spaces by offering a more immersive, interactive, and social experience. Unfortunately, there is insufficient literature on how to develop a metaverse application aligned with academic standards and best practices. In this study, we adopted a co-design approach in remodeling our mobile educational metaverse to draw a blueprint for existing and future metaverse technology adopters. We sent a follow-up survey to stakeholders inviting free-text comments. This survey focused on the challenges, issues, and expected features from the perspectives of developers, teachers, and students, respectively. Our results revealed several challenges that developers face when building a metaverse, such as technical infrastructure, student engagement, avatar customization, and performance optimization. Meanwhile, teachers emphasized potential issues that may arise from the use of metaverse technology in educational settings, such as learning outcomes, health and safety, digital citizenship, and ethics and morality. Finally, students expected several key features of an educational metaverse application, such as socialization and collaboration, virtual world interactions, metaverse optimization, realistic graphics, and minigames and activities. The implications of these findings are significant and can help other educational institutions seeking to integrate metaverse technology into their academic services. Overall, our study presents an initial foundation for further exploration and advancement within the rapidly evolving field of metaverse technology.

The use of Technology-Enabled Learning (TEL) has become increasingly popular in higher education as a teaching and learning methodology. TEL has been acknowledged for its various benefits, including increased flexibility and convenience for both educators and students. However, integrating TEL into the classroom setting also presents unique challenges. Despite the importance of understanding these challenges, limited research has been conducted from the perspectives of various stakeholders. Using a mixed-methods approach, this study addresses the need for a more comprehensive understanding of the challenges associated with the use of TEL in higher education. The findings show that these challenges include self-regulatory, technological literacy and competency, student isolation, technological sufficiency, technological complexity, learning resource, and learning environment. The results of this study provide a foundation for developing a technology management framework that considers the needs and perspectives of students. The challenges and potential solutions presented in this research can be used as a practical guide for managing the use of technology in the classroom effectively. By considering the challenges of TEL and incorporating practical solutions, educators can optimize the use of technology in their teaching practices and improve student learning outcomes. Overall, this research contributes to the literature by providing a comprehensive understanding of the challenges associated with TEL in higher education and practical solutions for managing the use of technology in the classroom. The findings can be used by educators and institutions to enhance their understanding of TEL and to develop effective strategies for implementing and managing technology in the classroom.

Electricity, since its introduction, has been vital to inventions and development to the improvement of the quality of life of people. However, mishandled and/or unattended electrical connections and devices may cause hazardous events. The study is for the development of a smart IoT device to monitor the power and management system. The accompanying mobile application can be used to read and monitor the parameters in the smart outlet in real-time and be used to turn on or off the device remotely as long as internet connectivity is available in the smart outlet and the mobile device with the mobile application. This study aims to incorporate the advancement of automation and real-time monitoring of electrical outlets, providing additional safety measures for appliances and other machines.

Fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) is an innovative material in the construction industry. It is beneficial because of its toughness, and unlike steel, it is not prone to corrosion. Some research studies focus its behavior as a reinforcement in concrete while deriving several equations pertaining to its shear strength capacity. This study used the artificial neural network modeling technique to derive a more accurate solution to predict concrete shear capacity with FRP as reinforcement. Experimental data from previous studies were collected and used to train the model. The parameters considered were compressive strength of concrete, FRP ratio, beam dimensions, and modulus of elasticity. As a result, the model consistently provides a better prediction of the shear capacity of concrete against existing models like ACI 440.1R-03, ACI 440.1R-06, and El-Sayed. Furthermore, the ANN model showed no sign of disarray in predicting every parameter compared to other existing models. According to ACI 440.1R-06, FRP bars largely affect the total shear capacity of concrete. In the model provided by ACI, FRP reinforcement’s axial stiffness accounts linearly to the shear strength capacity of concrete. Since then, the predicted capacity in accordance with the ACI was excessively conservative. With respect to the derived model, axial stiffness offered a variation in the shear capacity. The proposed ANN model can be utilized for the design since the minimum ratio between the actual test result yields to 0.77 which is greater than the strength reduction factor of 0.75. Parametric studies were also conducted to show the effect of the modulus of elasticity of FRP, FRP ratio, and beam dimensions on the shear capacity.

The BS Mechanical Engineering Program of FEU Institute of Technology designed undergraduate thesis courses for its first batch of BSME students enrolled in the Project Study 1 and Project Study 2 courses. These courses were designed to be in line with governmental and institutional requirements, outcomes-based education, and optimized research output. The courses were successfully implemented and used as optimal venues for assessing program outcomes for accreditation purposes and the continuous quality improvement process of the BS-mechanical engineering program.

Due to the hardships brought about by the pandemic, Filipino farmers resort to creative ways of drying fruits. Since there is limited movement during the pandemic brought about by restrictions, farmers have no choice but to employ fruit drying on the roof of their houses to preserve the food. Currently, this is done at the mercy of the elements. However, modern fruit-drying requires monitoring of temperature and humidity so that proper measures can be taken when it is about to rain. Otherwise, rain can cause food spoilage which would cause farmer’s wastage of already scarce resources. The crop chosen for this study was Spondias sp. However, a minor adjustment can also be applied to other fruits, vegetables, and even meat. Once the drying process is complete, the farmer will receive a notification so that the dried product may be processed for packing and selling. Results indicate that the prototype can meet the specifications and that farmers found it helpful. For future works, it is recommended that solar panels be used to utilize the power from the sun. It is also recommended that direct current be used in future project modifications to minimize errors during a power outage.

Despite originating in the tech industry, hackathons have now been adopted in a variety of domains. However, little is known about the status of hackathon literature within educational research. As the number of studies grows, it is essential to develop an understanding of the current state and identify prevalent topics and trends shaping the literature. Toward this goal, this study conducted a bibliometric analysis and scoping review on hackathon research in the field of education. A total of 249 documents written by 1,309 authors and published in 180 unique sources for the period 2014–2022 were identified. Collectively, the dataset amassed 1,312 citations with an average of 6.69 citations per document. The most prevalent subject areas were computer science, social sciences, engineering, medicine, and business. Word frequency analysis showed that “innovation” was the most occurring word, which represents the fundamental objective of hackathon events. The most influential work was the analysis of hackathons as an informal learning platform. Engineering education was the most trending topic while healthcare is an emerging research cluster. Overall, this study provides a better understanding of the hackathon literature and its research landscape in an educational setting.

The transition to a Circular Economy (CE) depends on several factors, such as the implementation of circular business models. Although circular business models were developed, there are socio-cultural distinctions that need to be considered. One such distinction is the sachet culture of the Philippines. The country's consumers use single-use sachets for daily needs, including body care and hygiene. As the local sachet culture lead to significant waste emission to the ocean, designing circular business model for switching to a circular product (e.g., refillable shampoo bottle) is a key measure towards sustainable societies. The design of this business model, however, will need to consider consumer preference. In this sense, modeling consumer preference provides insights on how enterprises can design consumer-centric circular business models. The present study modeled consumer preference between single-use plastic shampoo sachet and refillable shampoo bottles through binary logistic regression, considering responses from 457 consumers of Metro Manila, Philippines. The independent variables used were the socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, product channel, and usage. The dependent variable was consumer preference between using sachet or refillable bottles shampoo. The model indicated a good fit with a McFadden R2 of 0.255. The model identified age, gender, education, environmental awareness, budget, daily use, and retailer as statistically significant independent variables. The variable 'environmental awareness' attained the highest significance for socioeconomic and demographic characteristics. Meanwhile, the variable 'retailer' attained the highest significance for product channel and usage. The two variables had the highest influence on consumer preference. This study recommends enterprises to focus on utilizing malls as the product channel and on ecolabelling of products. Future research works may use the model in integrating consumer preference on circular economy scenarios. Enterprises may also use the model in designing circular business models suitable for the target market.