Theorization of Technology in Teaching and Learning

#### **Chapter 1**

## The Role of Modern Technologies in Improving the Quality of Education

*Abbood Abbas Abbood, Ansam Qassim Gadhban and Mayyadah Hasan Rhaif AL-Sahlanee*

#### **Abstract**

The past era between 2019 and 2022 witnessed a development in technologies as a result of the use of scientific platforms and the creation of virtual interactive lectures, as universities began to develop scientific platforms as well as conduct virtual workshops and seminars, and once the matter of coexistence with the virus became necessary, a term called blended education appeared, which is a mixture of between the environment of e-learning and the environment of in-person education, and this form of education is considered one of the arts that universities resort to in completing the education process. As it became possible to attend the lecture from anywhere, this is a good thing that creates more freedom in the possibility of attending the interactive lesson or watching the recorded lecture later. Also, the teacher can take the test for his students in a way that does not require his attendance. Blended education is a method of self-education, as the student can access educational resources without the need to go to the university, so it is necessary to pay attention to developing modern technologies, improving the Internet service, and harnessing it for the benefit of the educational process to the fullest.

**Keywords:** education, traditional education, E-learning, blended learning, modern technologies

#### **1. Introduction**

The years of the third millennium are witnessing a vast knowledge and technological revolution characterized by rapid development through many local, regional, and global changes, and contributed to defining the features and characteristics of the education field. These changes forced educational institutions to respond and push them to adopt modern methods and strategies, and to be able to face and keep pace with these changes, with the intention of providing the best in this field. At the same time, education in the era of the knowledge revolution faces various challenges because of the enormous achievements in the field of information and communication technology, which made the world a small village in light of globalization and scientific and economic openness, and this in turn reflects in the development of education, which does not stop because there are convictions that the real renaissance in

any country can only come with a real education renaissance. Quality education leads to a worthwhile investment and a great renaissance, so governments began to think about changing educational systems and shifting to e-learning blended learning as the main and only source of information e-learning, in which the role of the teaching is a supervisor, guide, facilitator, assistant, and complement to education, employed by modern teaching strategies that rely on the Internet. The era of the Internet is the focus in the development of school curricula and decisions, and this new assignment represents the primary role teaching must play. Thus, studying blended learning and identifying its methods, components, and foundations based on them, and how to design educational situations for it have become an important and necessary matter for the teaching to be qualified to deal with it. Academic achievement is also one of the important aspects of the mental activity conducted by the student, which has a clear impact on academic excellence. Proceeding from these data, it is necessary for those concerned to give this subject sufficient attention by identifying the needs of students in adapting to their personal requirements and in accordance with the needs of society [1–3].

Various forms and patterns of e-learning have emerged, including blended learning, which has become the focus of attention for many universities. Blended education focuses on providing learning in an interactive, flexible, and a variety of interesting ways and helps to create suitable learning environments for students. Blended learning is based on the integration of learning experiences in a classroom face-to-face lesson and learning experiences through networks and the Internet; thus, it allows active independent learning, develops personal relationships, and encourages students to exchange ideas, information, and experiences. However, blended education has shown its importance in meeting the educational needs of institutions, where the combination of traditional classrooms and e-learning for web-based training or synchronous and asynchronous presentation *via* the Internet leads to improving the quality of education and increasing expertise and experiences [1, 3].

Modern learning has many advantages as follows:


*The Role of Modern Technologies in Improving the Quality of Education DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.109801*


Considering the developments of the current era, and in response to the huge changes in the requirements of the labor market, which reflect in the teaching processes and strategies in higher education, it has become necessary to move from traditional teaching methods to methods that suit students' minds and conscience and meet their needs while achieving efficiency and effectiveness in performance and achieving targeted learning outcomes, which aims in general to move from teaching students about knowledge to training them to search for it and transforming the student for a future of information into a product. This process takes place considering the momentous change in students' thinking methods and the multiplicity of their learning styles and their exposure to multiple stimuli that distract their attention. The most prominent one is modern communication technology devices and applications. It has become necessary to search for teaching strategies that help to arouse the attention of students to enable them to participate in the teaching situation and immerse them in thinking about what they learn, which results in the assimilation of information and its use in solving problems [1].

The education based on the traditional role of teaching being a carrier of information and knowledge is no longer appropriate for the era of teaching innovations that require the participation and communication of the learner interactively and positively in obtaining information from its various sources to develop. Using skills in modern educational means and techniques is represented by the emergence of e-learning, digital curriculum, distance learning, smart classrooms, and others. The preparation of the teaching considering this technical development in education is one of the most important challenges facing the institutions of his preparation, in terms of developing his preparation programs in the faculties. To enable him to use the latest contemporary technological means and to perform his roles entrusted to him that require his knowledge of the learning skills represented in the use of tools Electronic Communication. Several studies have emphasized the need to train student-teaching on the skills of using technical means in education and developing interaction and electronic communication skills before and during service using (the Internet and its applications—electronic courses, various applied programs searching in educational websites—using e-learning management systems). The

mechanisms of its use in education create and provide an interactive learning environment in the study. If these skills and competencies are among the most important requirements for the teaching in general to perform his roles and tasks, then the teaching and educational technology specialist has them as one of the necessary skills that he must master, because it is at the core of his work, as he is the reference in this field and the missing thing is not given to him, especially since there are studies and researches indicating the lack of these skills among learners in general. The emergence of modern educational strategies based on combining the advantages of e-learning and the advantages of traditional education under the name of blended education with the aim of achieving an elevated level of communication and electronic communication between information sources and students is explained. The blended learning patterns are as follows: integration of e-learning and traditional education with a combination of self-learning and cooperative learning programs. Integration of synchronous e-learning programs and asynchronous e-learning programs is the most used type one that links e-learning with traditional education. There are many models for this common type of blended education that combines e-learning and traditional education, but despite this multiplicity, the difference in starting one before the other or synchronizing between them has not been accurately determined so far, especially since one of these models may be negative for the results of some students. Sometimes the opposite happens, and what does not affect the collection aspect becomes effective in the performance aspect, which calls for the need to conduct such a study [4, 5].

#### **2. Traditional education concepts (in-person education concepts)**

Traditional education is an active style of learning. Students learn quickly in the classroom. One-to-one interaction with teaching and students helps them to actively learn the given lessons. This is the most prominent advantage of traditional education. Active student and teaching participation students actively participate in classroom activities. They help other students study relevant lessons. They ask questions from teaching if they have any misunderstandings in the study. Active participation is necessary to gain a clear understanding of the theories discussed in the classroom. There is effective communication between teaching and students. This is very necessary to increase the level of confidence of the students. Effective communication makes students well connected and teaching also feels efficient after getting feedback from students. Regular leisure activities make the students better and get some relief from the stress of studying. They enjoy these fun activities. These activities are useful in addition to studies. The best part about traditional education is that it is scheduled and implemented correctly and regularly. Timetable and duration of lectures or classes are all scheduled. This helps in the quality of education and makes students disciplined and civilized.

Students engage with different people during their study experience. One of the benefits of studying at an on-campus university is creating meaningful relationships that are likely to last for years. The entire study or college experience relates to the need to be part of the many individual and group projects that require you to connect with your peers. Various activities that take place in university, schools, gatherings to study for exams, and sharing study notes are some of the ways in which personal relationships can be maintained. While keeping these relationships on campus is quite easy, doing it online will be problematic. If a student is considering a particular major such as nursing, agriculture, biology, music, medical, theater, or others, then online

#### *The Role of Modern Technologies in Improving the Quality of Education DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.109801*

classes cannot be beneficial in these areas. But some impractical online classes can be easy to take, and studies cannot be done in labs, clinical practice, or without a traditional class. The university officials organize courses in this traditional way so that all students can attend. Attending classes means joining the class on time. In this way, the students will learn their own routine, which will inevitably make the students disciplined and committed, because they practice punctuality throughout their years and acquire habits for all their lives. There are some university experiences that you will not get anywhere else. Field trips, university activities, and various clubs, of which you can be a part, are just some for those experiences. From each of these activities, you will receive life lessons that will be useful in the future.

Overall, interacting with teaching and colleagues online will not take more effort, although communication through emails and social media may make communication easier for both parties and save time and effort than visits or interviews.

Not all majors are available while one can study many different subjects online, some of them cannot be modified according to the format across the course. All those majors that require firsthand training or the use of any equipment fall into this category. To study these specific majors, you may have to attend their classes on campus. Therefore, it will be a restricted time and obligated to go and return at a certain time, which is against the nature of some people. More Responsibility Leads to Constraint: Flexibility is what makes online learning unique and convenient for students. However, this flexibility can be more comfortable, and while attending classes is on your own schedule, it is your responsibility to organize everything else in between and manage your time, constraint, and inability to engage in other activities.

Attendance or traditional education is education based on giving education lessons in the present with the participation of the teaching and the learner, and it is the pattern used and the method used in education in all countries of the world for many centuries.

Due to the rapid spread of the Corona pandemic around the world, many countries have taken precautionary and preventive measures to limit its repercussions, including closing educational and university institutions, and replacing education with education through electronic platforms and various social media.

The process of teaching online in emergency situations is a temporary means necessitated by the circumstances to transform the educational process from the traditional system to an e-learning system using technology and employing it in teaching students during crises. Of quality and does not consider the educational foundations of presentation, reporting, empowerment, communication, and evaluation.

There is no doubt that in-person education is the most appropriate and useful method of education for acquiring knowledge, strengthening the knowledge supply, and developing capabilities through direct communication and instantaneous interaction between the teaching and students in a single temporal and spatial framework.

The face-to-face meeting of the teaching with his students in the classroom at the university is a direct means of communication in transferring information and knowledge from teaching to the learner, and testing and evaluating them formally and morally, where teaching can meet, discuss, ask, and evaluate, and thus can evaluate and guide them in a better way.

The transformation process for remote e-teaching, while it contributes to finding alternatives to teaching and learning in the time of the pandemic, will not be in any way a permanent alternative and a suitable and successful option, as there is no inevitable attendance of education in its traditional, customary form, with the use of modern technology and platforms. It supports and supports in-person education, as it enhances the learning process within the traditional classroom.

**Figure 1.** *The quality of In-person education in the previous and coming years in universities.*

**Figure 1** shows the quality of traditional education in previous years and the decline in quality indicators coinciding with the Corona pandemic and the return and improvement of these indicators in the post-pandemic period.

#### **3. E-learning concepts**

The use of computers in the field of education is still in its infancy, but it is growing every day and has started to take numerous forms, from the use of computers in education to the use of the Internet in education, and finally, the notion of e-learning has emerged, which depends on technology [2]. E-learning programs are becoming more important because of their capacity to address the issue of the knowledge explosion, which is brought on by the enormous amount of intellectual output in the various scientific and human fields and the inability of traditional education programs to comprehensively encompass the objective aspects of various disciplines, due to the difficulty of Modernization and inf. This attempts to emphasize the idea of e-learning and the motivations behind our focus on it, as well as to highlight the barriers that stand in the way of the development or use of this area of education [3].

E-learning Definition Modern educational methods and tools have emerged because of technological advancements, which rely on the application of technological innovations to improve educational effectiveness and efficiency. Examples include the use of computers and their accessories, electronic displays, satellite channels, satellites, the Internet, and electronic libraries to make learning accessible to everyone, for those who want it, and in a location that works for them [6].

E-learning can be defined as a method of delivering educational content with fixed and moving visual elements as well as audio and visual effects. E-learning has several definitions, including that it is an interactive system for distance education

#### *The Role of Modern Technologies in Improving the Quality of Education DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.109801*

that is provided to the learner on demand and is based on an integrated electronic digital environment aimed at educating people over distance, and this definition reflects the specifics of e-learning that affect educational communication processes, course development, teaching strategies, and assessment, as well as any related to them. It also includes organizing exams, providing guidance and direction, managing, or evaluating resources and processes. The elements have contributed and continue to contribute to the adoption and spread of this system in numerous nations worldwide [7, 8].

An additional definition of e-learning was given as "the use of technology and technological means in education and harnessing them to learn the student individually and collectively and making it the focus of the lecture, starting with the techniques used for presentation inside the classroom from multimedia and electronic devices and ending with deviating from the physical components of education: such as the smart school and virtual classes that are During which the interaction between the members of the educational process via the Internet and interactive video technologies" [9, 10].

E-learning takes place in three different environments, namely direct network learning, blended network learning, and supportive network learning. The scope of the educational process is through a range of means, including computers, the Internet, and electronic programs prepared either by specialists in the field of education Ministry or by companies. It is one of the educational means that rely on electronic means, to make knowledge available to those who spread outside the classroom, and it is one of the forms of distance study, and it is also a method of education using modern communication mechanisms, computers, networks, and multimedia, to deliver information to the recipient as soon as possible and at the lowest cost [8, 11].

After the emergence of e-learning and the spread of its various applications and the acceleration of its growth and development day by day, and the attempts of specialists and those interested to find a comprehensive definition of the concept of e-learning, each of them formulated a definition of this concept from a different angle, which made an agreement on a unified definition of e-learning exceedingly difficult. Several definitions of e-learning have been presented, some of which are overlapping, and others are not overlapping [8, 12].

Through closed electronic networks within the group, shared between universities, or on the Internet, e-learning enables the learner to interact with the material to be learned with the least amount of effort and the greatest amount of benefit, while also enjoying the feature of flexibility in time and place. Although it has been identified with contemporary communication technologies embodied in electronic computers and networks, the notion of e-learning extends to cover many communication technologies that rely on electronic components in their creation, such as radio, video, and television [13].

Even if it is 24 E-Learning and Virtual Education Describing it by means of electronic communication, in addition to the fact that the concept is also linked to computers and networks together, which makes us refer to the initial use of computers in education, which was represented in two directions.


E-learning can be defined as an interactive system for distance education that is provided to the learner according to demand and depends on an integrated digital electronic environment aimed at building courses and delivering them through electronic networks, guidance, and direction, organizing exams, managing, or evaluating resources and processes. E-learning is one of the most important technological applications in the field of education and its methods so it can be said that it represents the new model that works to change the complete form of traditional education in the educational institution to be concerned with global cooperative education, continuing education, continuing training, and training of professionals in all the education and scientific fields [15].

Due to its many benefits and advantages, including its ability to help with the knowledge explosion problem and the growing demand for education, as well as its ability to help with lecture overcrowding when used in a distance education method, as well as its ability to increase opportunities for admission to education, e-learning has spread so quickly that some have predicted that it will be the best and most widely used method for education and training in the near future [16, 17]. E-learning works to raise students' achievement in various subjects, by providing many exercises in which the learner interacts with educational software and the presence of feedback [4].

For educational purposes, this great rush to use technology led to the emergence of modern trends in the education field, most notably the study of the impact of e-learning on the teaching and learning processes. Digital technology has contributed to changing the features of the educational system with its various elements. For example, digital information technology has contributed to changing the role of the faculty member and the teaching from a mere transmitter of information to playing the role of facilitator, explainer, guide, trainer, evaluator, and constructive leader [16]. Digital technology has also contributed to changing the role of the learner from just a recipient of knowledge to the role of the investigator, researcher, and discoverer. The adoption of e-learning in most universities as a supportive educational method has become urgent, as was mentioned in the report, which was titled "The Pursuit of the Goal" of online education in the United States and others, which concluded that the demand for e-learning has doubled during the last 5 years students and faculty members agreed that this may come through the capabilities provided by e-learning and distance education that meet their needs and remove the obstacles that may be caused by traditional forms of education such as distance, lack of time, transportation costs, conflicts of appointments, childcare, or others.

E-learning has two types: synchronous e-learning and asynchronous e-learning: Synchronous e-learning refers to live online lessons, synchronous online lessons, or virtual lessons in the classroom. Synchronous e-learning is used in online conference systems, webinars, or other such applications such as Zoom, Free Conference call, Meet, WebEx.

Asynchronous e-learning is a self-paced step where students access lesson materials on a computer, or on the Internet, at the appropriate speed for students and then choose what they want to learn and set a learning history with students. Asynchronous e-learning software includes lecture content, videos, pre-recorded visual or text elements, and other interactive elements such as Classroom, Edmodo, Moodle, YouTube, Telegram, WhatsApp, Viber [18].

**Figure 2** shows that the quality of e-learning in previous years was low and quality indicators increased in conjunction with the Corona pandemic, and the return of these indicators decreases somewhat after the pandemic.

**Figure 2.** *The quality of E-learning in the previous and coming years in universities.*

**Figure 3.** *Most used applications in e-learning.*

**Figure 3** refers to electronic communication platforms, where we note the most used platforms are Google Classroom for asynchronous e-learning. As for the most used platform in synchronous interactive lectures, it is the Zoom platform, and the educational platform least used is the Edmodo platform.

### **4. The difference between traditional education and E-learning**

Urban or traditional learning relies on the presence of learners or students daily or at predetermined periods during the grade as a venue to absorb science, whereas e-learning aims to deliver education through the methods of communication. The instructional material in traditional education is frequently printed in writing, while e-learning offers educational material in the form of books, documents, electronic papers, websites, and diverse electronic sources as auditory or visible. E-learning relies on synchronous and asynchronous learning because traditional classrooms in urban settings cannot accommodate students who happen to be in class at the same time as the teacher and vice versa [19, 20]. Costs of distance learning are frequently lower than those of traditional learning. The teacher's position in this education was distinct from that of the corporation and the only information source, as well as from that of the supervisor's purpose, and the student's prompt aids in overcoming all barriers and challenges that stand in the way of the arrival of the scientific article. Along with its many other sources of information, including the Internet, this education also relies on self-learning, which encourages more productive involvement of student. More adaptability makes it easier to update and change training or instructional materials offering both the same education and the options for admittance to children who compete for scarce places in urban schools. Additionally, it aids in the quick detection of outcomes and errors and the immediate assessment of pupils' skill levels. Without having to abandon their jobs or roles, learners can learn, train, and qualify. It has the flexibility to ask the teachers the questions he wants whenever and wherever he wants [17, 20].

Due to the close relationships and the educational setting, these young people overcome their shyness and introversion and approach the lecturers with questions. They participate in answering questions with their classmates and offer their responses, which are then reviewed as to whether they are correct or incorrect. This unique interaction as well as the many ways people express themselves—from words to actions, signs, and feelings—makes presence education crucial. It allows the teacher to deliver to the class any messages he chooses that are simple for the students to understand and retain [21].

E-learning is thus a contemporary revolution in teaching methods. In this pattern of education, educational lessons are exhibited for students through the Internet in the form of educational images and files, and other ways. The nature of e-learning depends on how information and instructional materials are delivered electronically or by default. The use of electronic media enables communication, information gathering, skill acquisition, and engagement between the learner and the school as well as between the teacher and the university. This pattern can be referred to as a default education and readiness because it does not require learning to take place in a classroom or other venue for instruction [9].

#### **5. Blended learning concepts**

One method of modern education is the combination of traditional education and e-learning in a learning environment. Online learning, traditional classroom instruction, and solitary study are all combined to create blended learning, which is effective. Its popularity has increased in the recent years because of the remarkable expansion of online learning as well as other causes. Some people could view blended learning as a compromise or as an alternative to online learning. Improving the learner experience is unquestionably a wonderful method to use the blended learning model. Blended learning has benefits and drawbacks in terms of both staff training and student education.

#### *The Role of Modern Technologies in Improving the Quality of Education DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.109801*

By viewing the curriculum online, students can access the resources without limitations and in accordance with the timetable, which makes blended learning more convenient. By incorporating technology into classroom instruction, teachers are free to reach more students through blended learning, which gives each student the opportunity to receive individualized instruction that suits their specific requirements [4, 5].

Blended education aims to develop the cognitive and performance aspect of students, and to achieve democracy in education, in addition to supporting students with modern technological tools that raise their creativity, and in blended learning nomenclature there may be many names for blended education, which fall under one goal, which is distance education, and among these names are the following:


Blended education has been known for about a hundred and twenty years, specifically at the beginning of the year 1900 to 1910. During these 10 years, the use of mass media and communication aimed at educational education began, and these means were represented in holograms, films, slides, graph tables, and others. Many other means [22].

Blended learning is traditional education in the presence of the teacher and the learner together face to face, with indirect education, which is through communication only through the Internet. Self-education is also mixed with direct traditional education, as there is no authority over the learner except himself. The process of integrating education is also known as planned and unplanned education, which is web-based education. It also mixes customized education, that is, prepared according to the student's need, with the provision of ready-made contents, which are closer to the educational specialization. Education is also mixed with practice, if it contains many scientific exercises in addition to the basic teaching foundations known, from direct education [23].

The built-in approach is based on the integration of learning face to face and learning online. This means that the student has his lessons from the teacher directly and has some at home. This makes a learning environment with modern developments and does not lose the features of direct interaction between the teacher and student, particularly in practical colleges such as medicine, agriculture, and others. This also provides pupils in the basic educational stages an opportunity to collect academic in the case of their absence from the school for disease, travel, or epidemics. Here, we must point out that distance learning materials may be complementary to learning in the classroom. But it may not be available in the lesson hours in the classroom. The article in the school, which tells the era of ancient state in the Pharaonic Egypt, is complemented with a documentary and graphics for the construction of pyramids. This makes history here is not an article, but an interactive material that students interact with the viewing article. This requires qualitative change in learning environment in schools and universities to suit the limited capacities provided by this pattern of learning. The learner here is active generating ideas and obtaining knowledge in an

#### *Technology in Learning*

individual and collective way. Distance learning is an opportunity over the Internet to think all students and data from home. The course allows for the semester for discussions and applied activities, which raises the knowledge capabilities of learners. Of the data of this type of education: The participation of ideas over the course of serious discussions about the lesson develops the ability of mind to generate ideas. This requires exercises on ways of thinking and devising solutions and obtains new generations other than those who are used to education in the Arab world to provide them with a mention and conservation only without realizing the mind. This is also a sense of responsibility since the teacher will not be a source of information as much as it will be evidence of building ideas. This is pushing new generations toward sailing in the knowledge space and gaining self-learning capabilities. Create concepts: The creation of a structure or identifier of any topic in mind is the best knowledge exercise for learners, and this helps build maps of concepts, from here to build maps of concepts through unlimited digital learning tools, such as images and graphics. This makes a fun learning process and helps the student on indulgence, particularly if he is asked to implement an explanation for his material according to his understanding. Creative presentations: This type of creative capacity education undertakes any students who have opportunities to build stories and short videos and guidance, about education. This is what develops students' expression skills and helps them make their ideas in the field of work after graduating. Cooperative Education Strategy: Individual competitions in education in the Arab world have generally been disaster in creating individual trends through competition in the classroom, while cooperative learning strategies have proven effective in developing a student's responsibility, and gaining collective action skills, and logical and analytical thinking, through which teachers can ensure the participation of all learners in the learning process. Project-based learning: The draft-based education combines project-based learning advantages in traditional learning environments and learning through the Internet environment. In this type of education, students learn basic concepts through online sources, and they are taking their practical skills by engaging in collective projects in a face-to-face learning environment. Education is increasing from the teacher's ability to analyze and review the work of the students and to provide them rapidly, giving the ability to adapt its teaching methods and feedback to each student and improve its efficiency in time management [24].

Blended learning is more than just a virtual lesson that is added to lessons in the classroom. He reformulated education overall but was flexible and practical so that the student becomes active educators. Flexible education is based on the use of time for learning with methods that suit students, and their individual preparedness, and the speed of each student in reading and analysis and enabling him to use modern technologies, so it is based on the design of flex grade or sometimes called designoriented design to face. Most of the activities are made in a quota. To complete some of them in the form of activities or duties are executed outside the grade, whether at home or anywhere else. Inverted grade design is opposite to the flexible school grade structure. When students read about the lesson at home, they answer questions, and are formed and seek related to visual and audible sources. Blended learning makes it possible to continue learning much faster. By combining face-to-face training with e-learning, the learner becomes active in his training process. This method allows him to validate what he has learned during his lessons. This facilitates the control of the education process. People who do this type of training choose how quickly they learn. When a learning point is not understood, it can be revised as many times as desired until it is incorporated into on-the-spot learning. Conclusion Blended learning is a

*The Role of Modern Technologies in Improving the Quality of Education DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.109801*

combination of face-to-face teaching and learning with online teaching and learning. Examples of blended learning include problem-based, project-based, and original learning tasks. Any university program can be in the form of blended education, as its models will include empowerment, improvement, development, and training [5].

We notice from **Figure 4** the quality of blended education between the past and the future, where it is expected that the quality of blended education in the coming years will be better than it is now.

**Figure 4.** *The quality of blended education in the previous and coming years.*

**Figure 5.** *Use of blended education in universities.*

The use of blended education in universities has forms, and as shown in **Figure 5**, where we note that the best use is the presence of the student in the class, and it is side by side providing him with a video lecture.

### **6. Conclusion**

The aim of writing this chapter is to study the impact of blended education on the quality of higher education and the role of modern technologies in improving the quality of education, as blended education is what educational institutions in the entire world go to, especially Iraq. By comparing traditional education with e-learning, we noticed that each of them has benefits and harms, but the integration between them overcomes the difficulties and improves the performance of the teacher and student alike.

It was also noted that the development of modern technologies and educational platforms increases the improvement of the scientific level by creating an interactive atmosphere. As a result, educational institutions seek to build their own platforms for the sustainability of e-learning and the integration between it and traditional education.

### **Conflict of interest**

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

### **Author details**

Abbood Abbas Abbood1 \*, Ansam Qassim Gadhban2 and Mayyadah Hasan Rhaif AL-Sahlanee3

1 Ministry of Health of Iraq/Baqubah General Hospital, Diyala, Iraq

2 Middle Technical University Institute of Medical Technology, Baghdad, Iraq

3 College of Medicine, Mustansiriyah University, Baghdad, Iraq

\*Address all correspondence to: abbood.abbas.abbood@gmail.com

© 2023 The Author(s). Licensee IntechOpen. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

*The Role of Modern Technologies in Improving the Quality of Education DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.109801*

#### **References**

[1] Abbood AA. The quality of e-learning on the website. ARID International Journal for Science and Technology (AIJST). 2021;**4**:8.1

[2] Molnar A. Computers in education: A brief history. The Journal. 1997;**24**(11):63-68

[3] Smittle P. Principles for effective teaching. Journal of Developmental Education. 2003;**26**(3):10-16

[4] Abulibdeh ES, Hassan SSS. E-learning interactions, information technology self-efficacy and student achievement at the University of Sharjah, UAE. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology. 2011;**27**(6)

[5] Nortvig AM, Petersen AK, Balle SH. A literature review of the factors influencing E-learning and blended learning in relation to learning outcome, student satisfaction and engagement. Electronic Journal of E-learning. 2018;**16**(1):46-55

[6] Siozos PD, Palaigeorgiou GE. Educational technologies and the emergence of E-learning 2.0. In: E-Learning Methodologies and Computer Applications in Archaeology. IGI Global; 2008. pp. 1-17

[7] Luckner J, Bowen S, Carter K. Visual teaching strategies for students who are deaf or hard of hearing. Teaching Exceptional Children. 2001;**33**(3):38-44

[8] Sadeghi M. A shift from classroom to distance learning: Advantages and limitations. International Journal of Research in English Education. 2019;**4**(1):80-88

[9] Wang FL, Fong J, Kwan R, editors. Handbook of Research on Hybrid

Learning Models: Advanced Tools, Technologies, and Applications: Advanced Tools, Technologies, and Applications. IGI Global; 2009

[10] Hutchings M, Quinney A. The flipped classroom, disruptive pedagogies, enabling technologies and wicked problems: Responding to" the bomb in the basement". Electronic Journal of E-Learning. 2015;**13**(2):106-119

[11] Bhattacharya I, Sharma K. India in the knowledge economy–an electronic paradigm. International Journal of Educational Management. 2007;**21**:543-568

[12] Hills H. Individual Preferences in E-Learning. Routledge; 2017

[13] Choi DH, Kim J, Kim SH. ERP training with a web-based electronic learning system: The flow theory perspective. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies. 2007;**65**(3):223-243

[14] Reeves TC. Evaluating what really matters in computer-based education. In: Computer Education: New Perspectives. 1994. pp. 219-246

[15] Woolf BP. Building Intelligent Interactive Tutors: Student-Centered Strategies for Revolutionizing E-Learning. Morgan Kaufmann; 2010

[16] Ionescu CA, Paschia L, Gudanescu Nicolau NL, Stanescu SG, Neacsu Stancescu VM, Coman MD, et al. Sustainability analysis of the e-learning education system during pandemic period—Covid-19 in Romania. Sustainability. 2020;**12**(21):9030

[17] Al-Adwan A, Smedley J. Implementing e-learning in the Jordanian

#### *Technology in Learning*

higher education system: Factors affecting impact. International Journal of Education and Development Using ICT. 2012;**8**(1):121-135

[18] Amiti F. Synchronous and asynchronous E-learning. European Journal of Open Education and E-Learning Studies. 2020;**5**(2)

[19] Muthuprasad T, Aiswarya S, Aditya KS, Jha GK. Students' perception and preference for online education in India during COVID-19 pandemic. Social Sciences & Humanities Open. 2021;**3**(1):100101

[20] Laurillard D. Rethinking University Teaching: A Conversational Framework for the Effective Use of Learning Technologies. Routledge; 2002

[21] Zini A. E-learning in higher education. In: Key Concepts, European Trends, and Guidelines. Aracne; 2021

[22] Gordon HR, Schultz D. The History and Growth of Career and Technical Education in America. Waveland press; 2020

[23] Medina LC. Blended learning: Deficits and prospects in higher education. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology. 2018;**34**(1)

[24] Arunachalam AR. Bringing out the effective learning process by analyzing of E-learning methodologies. Indian Journal of Science and Technology. 2014;**7**:41

### **Chapter 2**

## Influence of Information Technologies on the Quality of Study Programs in Higher Education

*Krunoslav Škrlec and Marijan Čančarević*

#### **Abstract**

The chapter is to explore how modern information technology influences the quality of study programs at higher education institutions. The objective of this chapter is to determine how such technology is implemented in the study programs and how such changes are accepted by students and teaching staff. Besides the primary objective, the chapter also aims to explore what challenges arise when applying such technologies, what ideas students support, and what teaching staff. An analysis of these ideas will attempt to make recommendations on how to reap the benefits of new technologies in the best possible way for all participants in higher education.

**Keywords:** information technology, communication, education, study programs, higher education

#### **1. Introduction**

Educational reform in the Republic of Croatia is currently at the top of the priorities of the entire society, with the aim of how to connect this reform with the needs of the economy. The need for change in education system is evident, but the challenge lies in what to implement and how to go about it. One such challenge is information technology, or information communication technology (ICT). Although the speed of change in this area has been known for a long time and has been suggested by experts for years, it has nevertheless caused various challenges in the both economy and the education systems. Such a challenge is presented in this chapter through the analysis of the impact of information and communication technology on the following process participants:


By analyzing these segments of the educational process, we will try to point out main issues of the modern education system and try to give guidelines on how to make it easier for teachers and students to use modern information and communication tools to enhance the quality of education for all participants in that process, with the aim of adapting as easily as possible to the needs and challenges of the economy as a whole.

#### **1.1 Topic and objectives of the research**

The topic of research in this chapter is the impact of information and communication technology on the system of higher education through the analysis of three segments of that system. It pertains primarily to students, namely, their attitude toward such technology and the need to use it in both teaching and solving of tasks set before them. The research is also directed toward the teaching staff and their attitude toward the use of such technology, but also concerning the relation to requirements toward students regarding the extent and manner they should utilize such technology.

In accordance with this research, the main aim is to determine how the interactive use of information and communication technology by students and teaching staff affects the overall quality of study programs and the educational system as a whole.

#### **1.2 Research methodology**

Methods [1] that were used in the research are the questionnaire method, which aims to investigate in what way and to what extent students or teachers use information and communication technology during lectures, and how much in the process of solving tasks. In doing so, emphasis is placed on research in terms of teachers' attitudes toward the use of such technology in the teaching process and the use of technology in the process of solving tasks. Likewise, we desire to investigate the level of proficiency regarding the use of technology by both teachers and students.

A case study method of selected tasks will be used, in which the degree of use of such technology by all research participants will be analyzed, as well as use of e-learning tools and methods of statistical data processing. Lastly, the method of presenting the obtained results using tables and diagrams will be used with the aim of understanding the effect of information and communication technology on the quality of the teaching process.

#### **1.3 Research participants and research limitations**

The participants in the research are teachers (*n = 40*) and students (*N = 90*) at higher education institutions dealing with social (economics) and biotechnological sciences (agriculture). Therefore, students and teachers in other scientific fields were not included in the research, which is the main limitation of the work.

#### **2. Information and communication technology in education**

Nowadays, modern education at all levels is unthinkable without information and communication technology [2, 3]. Although we have been aware of this fact for a long time, we get the impression that this technology has surprised us with its speed of "penetration" into all segments of society, including education.

The impact of ICT on education can be observed through many parameters. In this chapter, the analysis is focused on the use of technology in the process of maintaining the curriculum, and solving tasks and remote work for both teaching staff and students.

#### **2.1 Information and communication technology and teachers**

The use of information and communication technology by teachers can be observed through several aspects. One interesting aspect is the degree of utilization of the classroom in which the "classroom of the future" is located, as the authors of the research [4] call it, in which they state that such a classroom is used by teachers in the highest percentage (39%) in a time unit of only 1 hour per month.

The research in this chapter is directed toward the use of ICT by teachers [5], relating to use of such technology in terms of the degree of utilization in the teaching program, its use in the creation of tasks, and distance learning. It is precisely on these three aspects that the research of this work is focused, with the aim of detecting problems that arise and measures that could help in overcoming these sorts of modern challenges.

#### **2.2 Information and communication technology and students**

An indispensable segment of information and communication technology research in education is students and their attitude toward such technology. It is interesting to analyze previous research related to this contemporary challenge.

By reviewing the literature and empirical research within past 10 years, it is evident that such technology was used for the purpose of developing intercultural competence [6, 7]. In other words, information and communication technology served as a bridge between new cultures and people. Likewise, the areas of research went in the direction of analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of written communication using the new IC technology.

An interesting analysis of research [8] on the use of tools by students is that it indicates that the most interesting tool in the use of information and communication technology is the use of mobile phones (45%), while the Internet usage is somewhat smaller (37%). The analysis of previous research shows that students are very interested in new technologies [9]; however, the challenge for the education system is how to use this interest in the best possible way.

#### **2.3 Distance learning**

Nowadays, the use of information and communication technology in education is most often associated with the concept of distance learning. It is difficult to determine the exact beginning of this concept, but with the rapid development of ICT there is the possibility, and daresay the need, for distance learning better known as e-learning. E-learning can be defined [10] as support for learning through the application of network technology, where network technology means Internet technology, and we can also expand this definition with the term information and communication technology.

For the implementation of e-learning in classes, some implementation prerequisites are necessary in terms of availability of computer equipment, access to the Internet, information literacy, and IT literacy. However, no matter how we approach previously stated points, e-learning concept faces great challenges. E-learning [11] is not just about uploading the course study material, but it is also a way of thinking, transferring, assessing, and evaluating knowledge. Distance learning has its advantages and disadvantages.

The main advantage [12] of such learning compared to classical learning is its availability 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, regardless of the geographical area in which you are located. The system not only enables greater availability of learning materials, but also the access to teachers and quick feedback. It allows for independent learning, as well as communication and collaborative learning. E-learning systems have a high level of security when entering into the system and its use is allowed only to authorized users with a username and a password. It is possible to manage users within the system by assigning roles and groupings. The system offers a large number of tools for content storage, communication, and knowledge assessment. On the other hand, the main disadvantage of such learning is that teachers are generally not skilled users of new technologies and do not have enough self-confidence. They approach new technologies with fear, which is an additional impediment when it comes to their implementation. Until now, teachers had the main role in teaching. However, with the advent of e-learning, their role changes, and they become moderators who direct students toward independent creation of knowledge; that is, they move from the traditional to the constructivist way of teaching.

#### **3. Research results**

The research was conducted on first-, second-, and third-year students attending graduate professional studies as well as students from specialized graduate professional studies. Professors who teach at the aforementioned universities are also included in the research.

The time period to which the research refers is a period going back 3 years, that is, from 2017 to 2019, where the results obtained through the survey and the analysis of the case study were presented.

#### **Figure 1.** *Presentation of the structure of surveyed students.*

**Figure 1** shows the structure of surveyed students by years of study in professional studies and students from specialized graduate professional studies.

#### **3.1 The impact of information and communication technology on students**

The first part of the research refers to information and communication technology and its utilization by students. The research is structured by years of study with the aim of being able to analyze the results to see the trend of growth or decline when it comes to impact of such technology on the target group.

**Figure 2** displays the results of the first-year students' survey that show how much the students of the said year believe that IC technology is needed in the process of teaching by a higher education institution, and how important they consider such technology to achieve learning outcomes that would aid them in the labor market.

**Figure 3** shows the results of the second-year students' survey, which also show us how much importance students of the said year consider ICT to be in the classroom learning process.

Subsequently, **Figure 4** shows results of research into the impact of ICT on students in the final year of professional studies, and as expected, there is a great increase in awareness of the importance of using information and communication technology in the teaching process with the aim of mastering such technology, which has proven to be an integral part of the teaching process.

At the end of the analysis of the results related to the ruse of ICT in the classroom setting, **Figure 5** presents the results of the research among students of specialist vocational studies. These results are particularly important, because they pertain mainly to students who are studying part-time, that is, students who are already on the labor market, so it is logical to conclude that they possess the best knowledge regarding the importance of applying new technologies in the economy, which ultimately indicates the importance of using ICT in teaching at selected studies.

**Figure 6** shows the answers of all the examined professional studies students concerning the need to use information and communication technology when solving problem tasks or experiments. On the other hand, the results of the examined

**Figure 2.** *Presentation of first-year students' results.*

**Figure 3.** *Presentation of the results of the second-year students' survey.*

**Figure 4.** *Presentation of the results of the third-year students' survey.*

students of specialist graduate professional studies are not shown graphically, because the answer is 100% in favor of the necessity of using ICT in solving any problem task or experiment, both for students studying the economic group of subjects and for students studying subjects in the field of agriculture.

#### **3.2 The impact of information and communication technology on teachers**

The research related to teachers is divided into two parts. The first part of the research results refers to the results of a survey of students who evaluated the level of ICT use skills by the teaching staff. The second part of the research refers to a case study on the use of a distance learning system and the analysis of results that evaluate teaching staff in the application of ICT during teaching and solving of the set problem solving tasks (possibly experiments) by the students.

*Influence of Information Technologies on the Quality of Study Programs in Higher Education DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.108647*

#### *3.2.1 Assessment of teacher competence in the use of information communication technology*

The results are presented cumulatively, that is, jointly by students of professional studies and students of specialized graduate professional studies.

Research results, **Figure 7**, indicate students' belief that only 10% of the teaching staff have advanced skills when it comes to the use of information and communication technology tools. On the other hand, the results indicate a large number of teaching staff who are not at an advanced level.

**Figure 8.** *Use of e-learning systems by teaching staff.*

#### *3.2.2 Evaluation of distance learning system use by teaching staff*

The results on the use of distance learning system by the teaching staff are presented here. The results were obtained through the case study analysis method on the use of Merlin e-learning system.

From the results of research, **Figure 8**, on the use of advanced systems related to information and communication technology that serve as a support for the teaching *Influence of Information Technologies on the Quality of Study Programs in Higher Education DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.108647*

process nowadays, it is clear that the level of use of such system(s) is low, which is certainly not a satisfactory assessment of the competence of teaching staff.

#### **3.3 The impact of information and communication technology on the overall quality of the study program**

The influence of information and communication technology on the overall quality of the study program is clearly visible from the stated and presented results of research among both students and teaching staff. However, perhaps the best insight into the challenge of modern study programs and the guidelines that must be followed in their development is provided by the result of the last survey question, which refers to the need to use such technology in the teaching process through the representation of modules that study such technology.

**Figure 9** clearly outlines students' belief that due to needs of the market, it is necessary to introduce new contents that addresses both the theoretical level and the practical application of new information and communication technologies, thereby raising the quality of studies and the competitive ability of graduates on the labor market.

#### **4. Conclusion**

Many important conclusions can be drawn from the research results. First of all, one can see the correlation of the positive growth of students' awareness on the importance of information and communication technology as they approach the end of their studies. This is especially evident among students of specialist studies who have already entered the labor market. The research results related to the teaching staff are particularly symptomatic, which clearly show the need for further training of all participants in the teaching process for the simple reason that the labor market in a developing economy demands it, whether we like it or not.

Finally, it is important to emphasize the need for continuous education of both students and teaching staff. In addition, it is important to pay attention to investments in that particular sector. Modern technology is expensive due to large use of expertise

and know-how, so if we want to be a knowledge-based society, determination on its own is not enough.

### **Additional information**

The Paper is a translation. Original Publication:

Škrlec, K, Čančarević, M. Influence of information technologies on the quality of study programs in higher education, 21st International Symposium on Quality: Quality - Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow, 18-20.03.2020, Crikvenica, Croatia, 2020, p. 279-292, ISSN 2670-8825

### **Author details**

Krunoslav Škrlec1 \* and Marijan Čančarević2

1 College of Agriculture, Križevci, Croatia

2 College of Information Technology, Zagreb, Croatia

\*Address all correspondence to: kskrlec@vguk.hr

© 2023 The Author(s). Licensee IntechOpen. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

*Influence of Information Technologies on the Quality of Study Programs in Higher Education DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.108647*

#### **References**

[1] Žugaj M, Dumičić K, Dušak V. Foundations of Scientific Research. Varaždin: TIVA; 2006

[2] Beliga S, Holenko Dlab M. Information and communication technology in education: Projects and services in Croatia. In: 35th International Convention Proceedings, Conference: Computers in Education/CE MIPRO, 21.-25.05.2012. Rijeka, Croatia: Croatian Society for Information and Communication Technology, Electronics and Microelectronics - MIPRO; 2012. pp. 1620-1625

[3] Šimić M. Primary Teachers' Readiness to Use the Information and Communication Technologies [Thesis]. Split: Faculty of Philosophy; 2022. pp. 66-67

[4] Ćurić A, Rukavina Kovačević K, Trgovčić E, Robotić V. Evaluation of the Future Classroom Project. Rijeka: Školski Vjesnik; 2016. pp. 23-32

[5] Valenta A, Dumančić M. Multimedia e-Textbooks in Primary Education, University of Zagreb Faculty of Education, 15.-17.11.2019. Zagreb, Croatia: Učiteljski fakultet sveučilišta u Zagrebu; 2019. pp. 72-82

[6] Batarelo Kokić I. Development of intercultural competence of students of teacher studies with the use of information and communication technology. Pedagogical Research. 2014;**11**(2):41-52

[7] Mucić M, Šarlija T, Ćurko S. Use of Information and Communication Technology In Teaching – Challenges of Contemporary Teaching, 03. 2022. Osijek, Croatia: Akademija za umjetnost i kulturu u Osijeku; 2022. pp. 234-248

[8] Kraljević R, Gujić M, Kraljević I. New dimensions of communication: Advantages and obstacles of using the internet among students. Logopedija. 2012;**3**(1):19-25

[9] Mikša M. Information and Communication Technologies in Teaching and the COVID-19 Pandemic, 22-23.04.2022. Krapina, Croatia: Veleučilište Hrvatsko zagorje Krapina; 2022. pp. 24-26

[10] Dukić D, Juranović M. E-learning in the teaching of physics and informatics: Attitudes of students from the Josip Juraj Strossmayer university of Osijek. Politehnika. 2022;**6**(1):7-19. DOI: 10.36978/cte.6.1.1

[11] Kozina A. Blended Learning in Practice: Free Resources, 20.-21. 05. 2022. Zagreb, Croatia: University of Zagreb Faculty of Teacher Education; 2022. pp. 66-67

[12] Bašić M. Teachers and E-education, et2er - Economics, Tourism, Telecommunications and Computing. Vol. 1, No. 1. Virovitica, Republika Hrvatska: Veleučilište u Virovitici; 2019. pp. 31-37

#### **Chapter 3**

## Virtual Reality and Creativity: Lessons Learned from a Luminaire Design Project

*Hoa Vo and Peter Huesemann-Odom*

#### **Abstract**

Current research in design education showed that experiencing virtual reality (VR) in learning led to higher creativity in students. However, some studies showed only a partial impact of VR on student creativity. Using video data analysis (VDA), the authors examined a half-an-hour excerpt of the recorded VR learning experience from a previous study on interior design students (*n* ¼ 13). The authors sought an explanation for the partial impacts of VR on students' creativity via observing and interpreting one participant's (a) interaction with VR and (b) the context of the virtual environment. VDA analysis results indicated that the implemented VR technology was intuitive for a fundamental learner yet required time and practice to gain advanced skills. Exploration time was also necessary for students to fully demonstrate the novel, resolution, and style aspects of creativity in their works. The implication is that the partial impact of VR on creativity found in the previous study might be due to the constraints of time and expertise of students (i.e., learn and explore), not VR technology per se. Educators and institutions wishing to include VR in their curricula should allow students ample time and access to VR applications and headsets to practice and sharpen their expertise.

**Keywords:** virtual reality, creativity, creativity assessment, digital learning, education

#### **1. Introduction**

Creativity is the top desirable competency across industries in the Fourth Industrial Revolution or Industry 4.0 [1, 2]. Bermúdez and Juárez [3] developed a competency model for Industry 4.0 with four key dimensions: information and communication, management, organizational learning, and environment. Creativity makes up 44% of the last dimension, environment, together with research and transdisciplinary. Chaka [4] also analyzed 64 journal articles from eminent databases, such as Scopus and Web of Science, on Industry 4.0's desirable competencies and found notable discussions about "creativity" in 30 of them (47%). The all-time-high importance of creativity, thus, leads to the robust discussion of how educators across disciplines can facilitate their students to become more creative in Industry 4.0. According to Cropley [5], fast-moving and revolutionary technologies are at the core

of Industry 4.0. Hence, creativity education needs a technology-focused component to help students manage and tolerate complex and uncertain problems of the new industrial revolution and be able to communicate critical and practical responses. Although integrating technology into education appears to be straightforward, there is more to discuss. First, which Industry 4.0 technologies are beneficial to creativity? Second, how should the impact of said technologies on creativity be evaluated?

The first industrial revolution, or Industry 1.0, represented the mechanized and steam-powered production of increased functionality and quantity of products. Consecutively, Industry 2.0 introduced the mass production of standardized and interchangeable parts of products. Industry 3.0 then represented automated and digitized production, providing multiple iterations of products that meet various needs on the market. Industry 4.0, lastly, individualizes products for an ever-changing market using computer simulations and communication networks [6]. Technologies of Industry 4.0 cover augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), digital threedimensional (3-D) modeling and prototyping (e.g., additive manufacturing), robotics, and the Internet of Things (IoT), to name a few [2]. Among those, VR has become more important in education, especially for design disciplines, due to its affordability and accessibility [7, 8]. Remarkably, current literature shows that integrating VR into design education benefited students' creativity by reducing the cognitive load to process or improving the precision of their designs [9–12]. Therefore, design educators should focus on these technologies to prepare students for Industry 4.0.

Interestingly, empirical evidence on how Industry 4.0 technologies impacted creativity was partial. For example, Rojas et al. (2015) assessed the creativity of participants (*n* ¼ 38) designing bottles in VR. They only found a significant increase (*p* ¼ *:*013) in design newness (i.e., novelty), not in design function (i.e., resolution) and appearance (i.e., style) [13]. While comparing student designs in VR and the twodimensional application window, Jin and Lee (2019) found a wide variety of ideas in the former but more efficient ideas in the latter [14]. In other words, Industry 4.0 seems to elevate certain aspects of creativity but not all. Similarly, the authors examined the creativity of students (*n* ¼ 13) designing a custom luminaire in VR and showed improvements only in novelty (*p* ¼ *:*05) and style (*p* ¼ *:*02), each from one of two independent judges [15]. These results showed that only certain aspects of students' creativity increased with the use of VR, which led to a research question:

#### *"What might explain the partial impacts of VR on students' creativity?"*

The authors dissected this question using Video Data Analysis (VDA) [16] of student experiences with VR in the same nine-week luminaire design project. This article presented the VDA analysis results of a recording excerpt of student experiences and discussed lessons learned from integrating Industry 4.0 technologies, especially VR, to design education, with an example from an interior classroom. The authors collected and analyzed data with approval (H22142) from their University's Institutional Review Board (IRB).

#### **2. Literature review**

In this section, the authors presented a brief history of VR and prominent creativity measurements to set the stage for the methodological decisions of this study. Through the first subsection, the authors walked the audience through the current

*Virtual Reality and Creativity: Lessons Learned from a Luminaire Design Project DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.109539*

state of VR applications in design education. In most cases, research showed VR as an effective pedagogical tool, which resulted in multiple positive learning outcomes (e.g., creativity). In the second subsection, the authors discussed different components of creativity and how to measure each in its entity. Together, these subsections justified the importance of VR in design education and emphasized the need to measure corresponding learning outcomes accurately. After all, creativity is a complex phenomenon that is hard to comprehend, especially in light of new technology such as VR.

#### **2.1 Virtual reality**

From the mid-1960s to the late-1980s, virtual reality (VR) flourished thanks to the rapid development in computer displays and related technologies [17]. Ivan Sutherland introduced the concept of VR in 1965 with the ambition to make a computergenerated simulation of the physical world that "looks real, sounds real, feels real," and "responds" to human interactions [18]. Said ambition formed four critical components of VR: (1) a virtual environment; (2) immersion; (3) sensory feedback; and (4) interactivity [19, 20]. A virtual environment refers to the representation of objects with shared attributes to their equivalences in the physical world. Immersion means the sense of presence or the like-real feeling of being in a virtual environment. Sensory feedback indicates the audiovisual and haptic perceptions relative to one's physical position in a virtual environment. Interactivity represents the ability to manipulate and interact with a virtual environment and objects within it. For those critical components to work, VR media and systems are needed. Media are the virtual worlds created with computer graphics. For example, Gravity Sketch (GS) is a digital modeling application to collaborate and develop 3-D objects in a virtual environment [21]. Systems are equipment that allows one to immerse, receive sensory feedback, and interact with VR media. Examples range from a single device, like the head-mounted display (HMD), to a whole room with complex virtual visualization systems. Ivan Sutherland and his colleagues at the University of Utah created the first HMD in 1970, which heralded advancements such as BOOM (i.e., a small box containing two monitors) in 1989 and CAVE Automatic Virtual Environment (i.e., a room with stereoscopic images projected on the walls) in 1992 [18, 19].

VR becomes more accessible via web browsers and head-mounted displays (HMD) or headsets in the form of 360-degree captured photos or computer-generated simulations of real-life environments, including physical characteristics of shapes, colors, lighting, and so on [22, 23]. There are "tethered" and "stand-alone" HMDs that refer to headsets that generate and visualize VR graphics with or without connecting to external processing units (or computers), respectively [8, 24]. "Stand-alone" HMDs, moreover, are attractive to science and design educators due to their user-friendliness and cost-effectiveness [25, 26]. Said growths, thus, make VR an integral part of employees' workflow and students' learning, in industry and academia [27]. Current literature in design education even showed that VR pedagogical applications improved students' comprehension of their designs' real-world manifestation and user experience. Lou [11] examined two graphic design courses (*n* ¼ 30, each) using VR or presentation teaching approaches. With VR teaching, 77.7% of students mastered course content compared to presentation teaching, with 40% of students. Moreover, 83.3% of students increased in creativity and imagination with VR teaching. With presentation teaching, the number was 34%. In VR course, 73.3% reported better information retention. Only 45% of students said the same in the presentation course. Also, according to Obeid and Demirkan (2020), Gravity Sketch (a VR design

application) enhanced attention and confidence in interior design students (*n* ¼ 42, *p* ¼ *:*0001, *p* ¼ *:*045, respectively).

#### **2.2 Creativity measurement**

Creativity is a complex phenomenon to operationalize and measure. Hence, the wealth of knowledge in creativity research presents multiple creativity concepts, leading to various measurements. According to Corazza et al. (2021), the core aspects of creativity are originality and effectiveness [28]. These two aspects, however, are context-embedded or have their meanings changed depending on the corresponding disciplines [28, 29]. Lu and Kaiser (2021), for instance, described creativity in mathematical problem-solving as fluency (i.e., number), flexibility (i.e., variety), and originality (i.e., newness) [30]. This perspective reflected the works of Torrance (1966) and Leikin (2013), with the aspect of effectiveness translated into the number and variety of solutions that are relevant to solve the problems [31, 32]. Creativity in design disciplines, however, features the combination of originality (i.e., newness) and effectiveness (i.e., function or the value of serving a specific purpose) [33, 34]. Current creativity research in design literature also introduces a third aspect: style (i.e., appearance, attractiveness, sentiment) [35, 36]. This third aspect contributes to the sentimental values that occur when observing a design and, thus, is highly relevant to creativity in design disciplines [36]. The authors of this chapter, thus, defined creativity in the interior design discipline through three aspects: originality, effectiveness, and style.

With this conceptual skeleton, the authors adopted the Creative Product Semantic Scale (CPSS) [35], which measures creativity through three components: (a) novelty or newness, (b) resolution or functional value, and (c) style or appearance. Under each component, there are three sub-components with multiple 7-Likert semantic scales. There are 55 semantic scales in total. A study using the CPSS to measure the creativity of three chairs with a Norwegian sample (*n* ¼ 128) showed sufficient internal consistency between criteria in each dimension (.78 to .85) [37]. Exploratory factor analysis also showed that the three components accounted for 74.9%, 77%, and 79.3% variance in the creativity of the chairs, respectively. A subsequent study with an American sample (*n* ¼ 185) displayed the same results. The internal consistency ranged from .69 to .86, and confirmatory factor analysis was high (.91 to .94) [38]. However, rating 55 semantic items are time-consuming [39]. Hence, multiple researchers adopted a simpler CPSS of 15 items with five semantic scales per component [40, 41]. Wei et al. (2015), for instance, used said 15-item CPSS to assess students' creativity in an interior design project and found a satisfactory internal consistency for items in each dimension (α > .72) [40]. Interestingly, a study on VR and creativity used only two components of novelty and resolution from CPSS. These two components indicated an adequate internal consistency (.62) and explained 72.6% variance in the creativity of participants (*n* ¼ 81) [10]. Overall, CPSS is a conceptualand statistical-reliable measurement of creativity.

#### **3. Method**

This study extended a previous study [15] on the learning experience of interior design juniors (*n* ¼ 13) creating a custom luminaire with VR at a southeastern

#### *Virtual Reality and Creativity: Lessons Learned from a Luminaire Design Project DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.109539*

university. The purpose was to seek insights on the partial evidence of VR impacts on creativity from the said study. The custom luminaire project lasted 9 weeks and required students to design an original and functional light fixture with an operable lamp for indoor use. The course instructor (i.e., the first author) partnered with Gravity Sketch (GS) to gain students access to Co-Creation, a collaborative VR modeling application. As students had minimal experience with VR, Meta Quest 2 headsets were chosen to run GS Co-Creation due to their user-friendly and intuitive nature. Students hand sketched 10 ideas of the custom luminaire, then revised three viable options in Co-Creation, refined one best option in Computer-Aided Drawing (CAD) software packages, and 3-D printed it as a scale model (see **Figure 1**). Two internal facilities supported students with VR headsets and 3-D printers (including supplies). Using the 15-item version of CPSS [40], two judges independently rated 10 sketches, three revisions, and one best option for every student. Averages of (a) novelty, (b) resolution, and (c) style ratings from the two judges determined each student's creativity. Paired t-tests for CPSS averages between 10 sketches, three revisions, and one best option indicated improvements in novelty (*p* ¼ *:*05) from the first judge's ratings and in style (*p* ¼ *:*02) from the second judge's ratings [15].

The authors adopted the qualitative approach of using Video Data Analysis (VDA) to examine a half-an-hour excerpt of the recorded learning experience of a student in Co-Creation via the Meta Quest 2 headset. VDA is the science of interpreting human movements, views, spatial usage, interactions, glances and gestures, facial expressions, and body postures to understand their social behaviors [16]. Based on that premise, the authors hypothesized that how students navigated and designed in GS Co-Creation might explain the partial impact of VR on their creativity. However, the authors collected no facial or verbal information as participants wore VR headsets in a formal classroom. Only their head movements (as shown via their changing views in the virtual environment) and hand gestures (as demonstrated via their controllers and pulled-up menus) were available for analysis. With such data, the author focused on the two metrics of VDA: (a) interaction and (b) context [16, 42]. Interaction elucidated how students used basic commands, manipulated digital models, and navigated

**Figure 1.** *The design process in the nine-week custom luminaire project.*

GS Co-Creation's virtual environment. Context described the virtual environment's dimensions, such as space and lighting properties. The observation checklist for (a) interaction included which controller(s) the participant used, what menu/command the participant pulled up from the controller(s), what geometries the participant created with the controllers, where the participant stayed, and where they looked at in the virtual environment of GS Co-Creation. Regarding (b) context, the observation checklist contained the tangible elements such as the lower horizontal surface (i.e., floor), the vertical surfaces (i.e., walls), the upper horizontal surface (i.e., ceiling), and the intangible element of lighting in the GS Co-Creation virtual space. Also, the authors chose an excerpt from a participant who had minimal VR experience in the third week of the project. The authors expected to observe prominent details related to the VR learning curve as the participant was a new learner and only exposed to GS at this project stage.

#### **4. Results**

The authors used two metrics to analyze a half-hour recording excerpt of a student sketching in GS Co-Creation (during the third week of the project): (a) context and (b) interaction. **Figure 2** depicts the GS Co-Creation interface, which contains the shared virtual environment, two controllers with GS command buttons, 2-D reference photos, and 3-D models. At 00:19:00, the video went dark, indicating a problem with Wi-Fi casting. The video resumed at 00:21:33, demonstrating that the student knew how to use the headset, although slowly.

#### **4.1 Context**

Regarding (a) context, the shared virtual environment was a warehouse-style structure with rectangular windows on the walls and skylights on the roof. The surfaces were pale gray, including the floor, the walls, and the ceiling, which was an angled roof. No indications of a specific location were available since the windows only showed white surroundings. Although those features were static, the light intensity changed depending on where the student was moving in the environment. The command menus appeared as rectangular tabs with small icons showing the different modeling options, such as creating surfaces, strokes, primitive forms, and other functions (e.g., getting 2-D reference images, saving, and exporting sketches). For each modeling option, there are sub-commands to change colors, materials, and even reflections.

**Figure 2.** *GS Co-Creation interface screenshots from the VDA excerpt.*

#### **4.2 Interaction**

In terms of (b) interaction, the student used the controllers to create and place geometric shapes (i.e., pink cubes) on top of each other. The student changed their position in the virtual environment and overlooked the composition of the pink cubes from above then started to delete all the pink cubes. Their classmates occupied the shared environment, creating different shapes in various colors as well. The student created a new shape, a white rectangular box bordered with a thin black line, moved on to the color wheel command (see **Figure 2**), and selected several colors (first pink, then a light yellow). The student looked around (as if investigating the environment), reselected a darker shade of light yellow, and used the controllers to create a square column. Looking over the column, they placed another rectangular geometry on top of the column. Said process was repeated by reselecting the color and browsing the color wheel. The student created additional forms in orange for the column but then deleted them all.

They then restarted by creating three orange rectangular shapes and laid them on top of a light-yellow column. After that, the student continued adding another rectangular shape at a 90° angle to the pile of columns and constructed two rectangular shapes on top. They moved to another corner of the room and created four more rectangular shapes stacked on top of each other. The student then made up-and-down gestures with the controller but did not create other shapes with these movements. Instead, they opened the menu toolbox. After selecting the stroke tool, the student drew two parallel yellow-colored strokes independently above the earlier created geometric shapes. Erasing these strokes, they created a curved line with the right controller moving to the left, creating a curved line. The student once again erased those stroke lines, then drew their name with the strokes yet deleted them completely again. The stroke drawing continued as the student formed multiple arches over the top of the stacked rectangular shapes. As the student moved around, they hovered the right controller across the geometric shapes, which made them turn red (i.e., indicating the ability to select object using the controller).

The student opened the menu again and activated the primitive object tool. During the next minutes, they repeated creating and erasing the geometric objects. Afterward, the student drew several spirals on both sides of the stacked rectangular shapes from top to the bottom, but then again erased them. Next, they drew a circle followed by nonspecific circular lines to form a structure on top of the stacked rectangular shapes. The student then used both controllers to grab and bring the group of geometric shapes closer to their view. They looked up to the ceiling and down to the floor of the environment, activated the menu, and selected paint color tool. The paint color tool offered multiple options in tone, shade, and reflectivity. The student made multiple selections over again. They also moved the controller back and forth to assign such options of tone, shade, and reflectivity to the surrounding geometric shapes. After that, the student turned 360° and opened the menu again to continue modeling with the revolve tool. They started with a moderate thickness and the star profile, then assigned a reflective material to the newly created shape. While making a variety of star-like shapes with this tool, the student also stretched and distorted those into different angles. They also spent time playing with different variations of the star-like shapes and continuously changed their choices of tone, shade, and reflectivity.

After a while, the student activated the stroke menu and selected a color by pulling and pushing the color wheel to choose a blush color. They also pick a material for the stroke by pointing to the reflectivity options below the color wheel. The student started creating undefined circular shapes with the stroke tool in rapid movements. After

**Figure 3.** *Examples of VR sketches in GS Co-Creation from the VDA excerpt.*

completing the sketch (see **Figure 3**), the student teleported around it and appeared to be thinking about revisions with their controllers hovering over the sketch several times. The student again decided to delete the sketched strokes and then opened the menu again to select the primitive object tool. They started with a cube in light yellow and enlarged the object by pulling both controllers apart. The student added two additional cubes and then erased them all. Repeating with another cube, the student placed two more cubes on top of each other. They kept going back and forth to the menu with the primitive object tool to create more cubes one on top of another. The student then pulled one of the cubes to another direction and changed its height, width, and depth.

The student created a new column next to the four cubes and kept placing additional cubes and rectangular shapes on the column and deleted all of them together. Next, the student explored the surface tool on the menu with the bridge curve option. A curve appeared between the controllers, which got bigger and smaller as the student moved the controller toward or pulled them away from one another. The student then paused for a moment and activated the revolve tool again with a six-sided shape. They first drew a flat hexagon border, moved the form with both controllers around the four cubes, and changed its size. While this tool was still activated, the student erased the smallest cube on the top and moved the hexagon shape to the left side of the pilled cubes. They also pulled the form in different directions and changed its size, trying to make it more prominent. These movements created several tower-like structures (see **Figure 3**). During these creations, the student moved back and forth, closer and away from the sketches. Suddenly the student looked up to the ceiling of the environment and shortly to the floor. Then the screen turned black.

After about 2:30 minutes, the student came back to the environment looking at the sketches created earlier, still having the hexagon tool activated. The student was now inside a hexagon ring, pulling it toward different directions. They then drew another smaller hexagon shape inside the hexagon ring and deleted the giant hexagon ring and tower-like structures. The student activated the hexagon tool and flipped the left controller back and forth to change the axes of the hexagons (see **Figure 3**). After a while, the student erased all other cubes while keeping the hexagons. After changing its size several times, the student activated the color wheel again and made the hexagons light blue. The student continued to experiment with its height and the excerpt ended with the student finishing the hexagons in the virtual environment.

#### **5. Discussion**

Based on the VDA analysis of the excerpt from the learning experience designing with VR in a nine-week custom luminaire design, the authors noticed two prominent

#### *Virtual Reality and Creativity: Lessons Learned from a Luminaire Design Project DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.109539*

observations. First, the student displayed proficiency in using Co-Creation, yet focusing on a limited number of tools. Second, the student constantly drew and then deleted the sketches. The excerpt was recorded in the third week when students transferred their three most potential 2-D sketches into GS Co-Creation to develop 3- D models. As a result, both observations were legit and shed some light on the partial impact of VR on student creativity. The first observation indicated that the student could navigate the virtual environment and retrieve and use the menu tools of GS Co-Creation. During the whole excerpt, the student was fluent in both controllers, creating, moving, or scaling geometric shapes. Nevertheless, the student limited the variety of geometric shapes to cubes, strokes, and multi-side profiles (i.e., hexagons and stars). These shapes are primitive or revolved (i.e., a profile moving along a central axis), showcasing an articulate yet fundamental VR modeling skill. This is comprehensible. In the third week, students had just completed the VR onboarding process through tutorial videos on GS's official YouTube channel. The student's comfort level, as shown in the excerpt, revealed a smooth learning curve or at least the intuitiveness of GS Co-Creation and Meta Quest 2 headset. As all the sketches were undefined structures (i.e., piles of geometric shapes), the authors speculated that the student had yet to develop the three revisions of their custom luminaire. In other words, the student was still exploring VR technology (i.e., GS Co-Creation and Meta Quest 2 headset).

The second observation confirmed the authors'speculation as the student kept creating and deleting their sketches. While stacking the geometric shapes on top of each other, they used different options each time (e.g., cubes, stars). The act of stacking designated a consistent theme in the student's creation, despite no defined form of a custom luminaire shown in the excerpt. While no hand sketches were brought into the virtual environment, their top choices among the 10 hand sketches indicated the same theme of stacked/piled geometric shapes (see **Figure 4**). In the third week of the project, there was still room for exploration as the student was in the early stage of the design process (i.e., developing three revisions of the custom luminaire from the 10 preliminary hand sketches). The student even tried the hexagon and star shapes to diversify the theme of stacking/piling. Another notable point was that the student showed a high level of concentration on their sketches. Except for a few times looking around the virtual environment, these students fixed their view on the sketches and dedicated themselves to trying different tools, colors, and shapes. At least for this student in the current excerpt, designing with VR in GS Co-Creation was attainable and enjoyable, as shown in their level of (fundamental) competency and

**Figure 4.** *Three choices of hand sketches from the student in the VDA excerpt.*

persistency (i.e., the cycle of creating and deleting). The completion of their sketches, however, did not reflect the functional aspect of a luminaire. Again, this excerpt was from the third week and was not representative of the outcomes of this project.

#### **6. Conclusion**

The educational contribution of this study is two-fold. First, GS Co-Creation and Meta Quest 2 headsets were intuitive enough for a smooth learning curve in fundamental skills. Second, the student's tendency to prolong the exploration (of shapes, sizes, colors, and materials) was evident in this excerpt. The first contribution aims at educators and institutions wishing to include VR in their curricula. While VR and related technologies have become affordable [25, 26], the authors suggested the adoption of GS Co-Creation and Meta Quest 2 headsets for design education. As shown in the excerpt, despite having minimal VR experience and practicing GS for the first time in week three, the student participant could control the application and headset to create geometries. This observation resonates with the VR literature in Section 2, which indicated that specific technologies of VR were accessible and beneficial to learning, such as HMDs (e.g., Meta Quest 2) and GS. VR researchers also praised Meta Quest 2's balance between accuracy and affordability [43, 44]. The second contribution, however, is a reminder to educators and institutions that, despite being intuitive, VR technology still requires time and practice to attain advanced skills. The fact that the student participant could only use primitive or symmetrical geometries might restrict their ability to construct complex and detailed VR models for their custom luminaire. In other words, their works had limited demonstrations of the novel, resolution, and style aspects. Educators and institutions must ensure that students have ample time and access to applications and headsets to explore and develop their ideas when integrating VR into the curriculum. While VR technology allows students to create, erase rapidly, and recreate sketches, giving more room for creativity, time, and expertise might play again for the student to fully execute their VR models. Henceforth, the time constraints to practice and increase expertise might lead to partial learning outcomes, such as elevating some but not all aspects of creativity [15].

As the course instructor, the first author also made the improvements below in the custom luminaire design project in fall of 2022. Fellow educators who wish to apply VR to their teaching can consider such improvements as starting points for their classrooms.


*Virtual Reality and Creativity: Lessons Learned from a Luminaire Design Project DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.109539*

increased the overall project time, it allowed students to build and revise complex idea representations, which were better for novel, resolution, and style assessments.

These improvements can also serve as references for design educators who wish to incorporate VR technology into their pedagogies to enhance student creativity.

One limitation of the VDA analysis in this study is that the authors only examined one student at a specific stage of their design process. Hence, the two observations in the discussion above are not generalizable for the whole sample (*n* ¼ 13). While the authors have more recordings to dissect, VDA is a time-and effort-intensive method that requires an extended timeline for further analysis. In the scope of this chapter, the authors only presented a snapshot of the VR learning experience of interior design students in a nine-week custom luminaire design project through a typical excerpt among the recordings. For future research, the authors aim to analyze more recording excerpts from multiple students during the third and fifth weeks of the project. This extensive analysis will show whether the two observations in this chapter withstand different students.

#### **Acknowledgements**

This study was made possible thanks to the partnership with Gravity Sketch and the support of Creative Media Industries Institute (CMII) and EXLAB Atlanta at Georgia State University. The authors want to acknowledge Rebecca Miller and Emil Lukas at Gravity Sketch, James Amann at CMII, and Elliott Kirkpatrick at EXLAB Atlanta.

#### **Conflict of interest**

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

#### **Author details**

Hoa Vo\* and Peter Huesemann-Odom Ernest G. Welch School of Art and Design, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

\*Address all correspondence to: kvo@gsu.edu

© 2023 The Author(s). Licensee IntechOpen. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

### **References**

[1] Grzybowska K, Łupicka A. Key competencies for Industry 4.0. Economics & Management Innovations. 2017;**1**:250-253

[2] Autodesk. Future of manufacturing: New workflows, roles & skills to achieve Industry 4.0 business outcomes. 2022

[3] Bermúdez MD, Juárez BF. Competencies to adopt Industry 4.0 for operations management personnel at automotive parts suppliers in Nuevo Leon. In: Proceedings of the international conference on industrial engineering and operations management Bogota, Colombia. 2017. pp. 736–747

[4] Chaka C. Skills, competencies and literacies attributed to 4IR/Industry 4.0: Scoping review. IFLA Journal. 2020;**46**: 369-399

[5] Cropley A. Creativity-focused technology education in the age of industry 4.0. Creat Res J. Epub ahead of print. 2020. DOI: 10.1080/ 10400419.2020.1751546

[6] Vaidya S, Ambad P, Bhosle S. Industry 4.0–A glimpse. Procedia Manufacturing. 2018;**20**:233-238

[7] Kermavnar T, Shannon A, O'Sullivan LW. The application of additive manufacturing/3D printing in ergonomic aspects of product design: A systematic review. Applied Ergonomics. 2021;**97**:103528

[8] Huang Y, Shakya S, Odeleye T. Comparing the functionality between virtual reality and mixed reality for architecture and construction uses. Journal of Civil Engineering and Architecture. 2019;**13**:409-414

[9] Obeid S, Demirkan H. The influence of virtual reality on design process creativity in basic design studios. Interactive Learning Environments. 2020:1-19

[10] Chen Y, Chang Y, Chuang M. Virtual reality application influences cognitive load-mediated creativity components and creative performance in engineering design. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning. 2022;**38**:6-18

[11] Lou M. A virtual reality teaching system for graphic design course. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning. 2017;**12**:117-129

[12] Shaqour EN. Benefits, disadvantages, and constrains of applying blended and virtual design (Case Study: Studios at Nahda University).(Dept. A). MEJ Mansoura Engineering Journal. 2021;**46**:60-68

[13] Rojas J-C, Contero M, Bartomeu N, et al. Using combined bipolar semantic scales and eye-tracking metrics to compare consumer perception of real and virtual bottles. Packaging Technology and Science. 2015;**28**: 1047-1056

[14] Jin Y, Lee S. Designing in virtual reality: A comparison of problem-solving styles between desktop and VR environments. Digital Creativity. 2019; **30**:107-126

[15] Vo H. Design for industry 4.0: Gravity sketch and 3-D printing in a luminaire design project. Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology; 2022. DOI: 10.1108/JEDT-01-2022-0053. [Ahead-of-print].

[16] Nassauer A, Legewie NM. Video data analysis: A methodological frame for a

*Virtual Reality and Creativity: Lessons Learned from a Luminaire Design Project DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.109539*

novel research trend. Sociological Methods & Research. 2021;**50**:135-174

[17] Schroeder R. Virtual reality in the real world: History, applications and projections. Futures. 1993;**25**:963-973

[18] Mazuryk T, Gervautz M. Virtual reality-history, applications, technology and future. 1996:1-72

[19] Sherman WR, Craig AB. Understanding Virtual Reality. San Francisco, CA: Morgan Kauffman; 2003

[20] Lau KW, Lee PY. The use of virtual reality for creating unusual environmental stimulation to motivate students to explore creative ideas. Interactive Learning Environments. 2015;**23**:3-18

[21] Gravity sketch. Gravity sketch. 2022. Available from: https://www.gravityske tch.com/ [accessed 11 September 2022]

[22] Noghabaei M, Heydarian A, Balali V, et al. A survey study to understand industry vision for virtual and augmented reality applications in design and construction. arXiv preprint arXiv: 200502795

[23] DeVito N, Ngalamou L. VR implementation in user-interactive simulation environments. In: 2021 IEEE 7th International Conference on Virtual Reality (ICVR). 2021. pp. 172–179

[24] Angelov V, Petkov E, Shipkovenski G, et al. Modern virtual reality headsets. In: 2020 International Congress on Human-Computer Interaction, Optimization and Robotic Applications (HORA). 2020. pp. 1–5

[25] Anders B. Top 7 higher education trends for 2020. Sovorel Educational Blog

[26] Stranger-Johannessen E, Fjørtoft SO. Implementing virtual reality in K-12 classrooms: Lessons learned from early adopters. In: Smart Education and e-Learning 2021. New York, NY: Springer; 2021. pp. 139-148

[27] Kamińska D, Sapiński T, Aitken N, et al. Virtual reality as a new trend in mechanical and electrical engineering education. Open Physics. 2017;**15**: 936-941

[28] Corazza GE, Reiter-Palmon R, Beghetto RA, et al. Intelligence and creativity in the space-time continuum for education, business, and development. Journal of Creativity. 2021;**31**:100003

[29] Amabile T. Creativity in Context. Boulder, Colo.: Westview Press; 1996

[30] Lu X, Kaiser G. Creativity in students' modelling competencies: Conceptualisation and measurement. Educational Studies in Mathematics. 2022;**109**:287-311

[31] Leikin R. Evaluating mathematical creativity: The interplay between multiplicity and insight. Psychological Test and Assessment Modeling. 2013;**55**:385

[32] Torrance EP. Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking: Norms-technical Manual. Princeton, NJ: Personnel Press; 1966

[33] Amabile TM. The social psychology of creativity: A componential conceptualization. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 1983;**45**:357-376

[34] Runco MA, Jaeger GJ. The standard definition of creativity. Creativity Research Journal. 2012;**24**:92-96

[35] Besemer SP. Creating Products in the Age of Design: How to Improve Your

New Product Ideas! Stillwater, Oklahoma: New Forums Press; 2006

[36] Han J, Forbes H, Schaefer D. An exploration of how creativity, functionality, and aesthetics are related in design. Research in Engineering Design. 2021;**32**:289-307

[37] Besemer SP. Creative product analysis matrix: Testing the model structure and a comparison among products–three novel chairs. Creativity Research Journal. 1998;**11**: 333-346

[38] Besemer SP, O'Quin K. Confirming the three-factor creative product analysis matrix model in an American sample. Creativity Research Journal. 1999;**12**: 287-296

[39] Thang B, Sluis-Thiescheffer W, Bekker T, et al. Comparing the creativity of children's design solutions based on expert assessment. Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Interaction Design and Children, IDC 2008. 2008. pp. 266–273

[40] Wei X, Weng D, Liu Y, et al. Teaching based on augmented reality for a technical creative design course. Computers in Education. 2015;**81**: 221-234

[41] White A, Smith BL. Assessing advertising creativity using the creative product semantic scale. Journal of Advertising Research. 2001;**41**:27-34

[42] Collins R. Violence. A microsociological perspective. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press; 2008

[43] Holzwarth V, Gisler J, Hirt C, et al. Comparing the Accuracy and Precision of SteamVR Tracking 2.0 and Oculus Quest 2 in a Room Scale Setup. In: 2021 the 5th International Conference on

Virtual and Augmented Reality Simulations. 2021. pp. 42–46

[44] Carnevale A, Mannocchi I, Sassi MSH, et al. Virtual reality for shoulder rehabilitation: Accuracy evaluation of oculus quest 2. Sensors. 2022;**22**:5511

#### **Chapter 4**

## Holistic Thinking in the Implementation of Digital Learning Activities, with Due Regard to Implementation of a Learning Management System and Digital Learning Course: A Field Report

*Kai Karin Baum*

#### **Abstract**

Digital learning (DL) has enjoyed a huge amount of hype over the past two years. This is especially the case among businesses which just 5 years ago were convinced that DL could never replace in-person training. Looking back at the developments of the past years in the area of learning, the rollout of DL among companies, including the IT infrastructure that goes with it, has not always been without its issues. For this and other reasons, efforts are currently underway to rethink and revise the DL decisions of the last few years. Yet if there is so much to rethink, why not think holistically from the outset? In this respect, we might compare DL within an organization to the circulatory system in the human body: It reaches all areas of the organizations, supplying employees with important knowledge that is necessary for the survival of the organization. The present moment offers an opportunity to rethink what has been achieved so far. In order to ensure the success of this holistic redesign, this paper describes 7 steps for developing a DL approach, with tips from fieldwork which also cover the different areas of a company, such as learning strategy, roles and responsibilities.

**Keywords:** digital learning, learning management system (LMS), training strategy, implementation, human resources

#### **1. Introduction**

The world has been altered dramatically in recent years by events like the coronavirus pandemic. In many countries, working from home is now the rule, not the exception, and many companies frequently conduct a good deal of their business digitally, such as having online meetings. Yet it is in the area of learning where this shift and transition to a digital world has become particularly conspicuous. In light of the situation outlined above that little to no in-person teaching could be offered during the pandemic; for example, we have seen a creeping transition towards DL. According to Koch et al. [1] digital learning means learning conducted in an environment that uses a learner-centric design and tools to support learners and teachers and that should be designed in such a way that active learning strategies can be applied and are supported by software tools (e.g. learning programs, open education resources, platforms or other technology-based systems) in order to improve teaching and measure learning through certificates (in [1]). In countries like Germany, this development was not one that could have been predicted, the reason being that while DL concepts have been around since the 60s, most notably in the work of Skinner and his work on a teaching arrangement for learning machines from 1958, a unique feature of which was a feedback process used for positive reinforcement in operant conditioning (1958 after [2], p. 18), only a few companies ever implemented this concept. There are many varied reasons why this concept was never introduced. In addition to the financial aspect of investing money in software and technical personnel, there was a failure to recognize both the point of DL and its associated benefits, such as the ability to learn anywhere, any time, and also the various opportunities to save money that DL offers, such as saving on the cost of renting spaces for trainings.

Now, 2 years after the start of the pandemic, most companies have introduced DL and used the associated hype around the subject to good effect. However, if we are being honest, these companies did not in fact have a choice and were practically forced into this move by the pandemic. But that does not mean that those responsible for introducing and implementing DL acted wisely (in some cases due to ignorance). One of the consequences of this is that employees rarely, if ever, take advantage of DL offers, while in many cases there are no reasonable offers available and it is hard to identify any structure or a set development path for each individual with respect to their learning.

As a way of preventing these mistakes from happening again, and so that they can also be corrected after the fact, we can apply a 7-step model, like shown in **Figure 1**, for developing and implementing digital learning concepts that has been tried and tested in the field:

It should be noted that an LMS can or indeed must also be implemented whenever introducing or correcting a DL strategy, depending on whether companies have

*Holistic Thinking in the Implementation of Digital Learning Activities, with Due Regard… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.109822*

already rolled out a professional LMS or have opted to introduce a new or perhaps different system in retrospect.

For this reason, implementation of an LMS is also mentioned tangentially here and there in the following 7-step model.

#### **2. The 7-step model for developing and implementing digital learning**

The basis of the 7-stage model that follows here is based on different quality management processes from education, such as the Excellence Model of the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) with the 5 enabler criteria (leadership, employees, policy and strategy, partnerships and resources and processes) and four result criteria (results employees, results customers, results society and key results) ([4], p. 42–46) as well as from the simple management process (TQM) from the field of business administration with the phases planning, steering and control ([5], p. 83–84). Both models are very theoretical and extensive, which is why both have been compressed into a simple 7-step model for practical use. This way it can be applied and used in practice. Like the two basic models, the 7-step model for the development and implementation of a DL strategy can act not only as a one-off support, but is to be understood as a cycle that can and must be repeated at regular intervals. The 7-step model for developing and implementing a digital DL strategy can offer more than just one-off support. It should also be understood as a cycle that can, and indeed must, be repeated at regular intervals. This is similar to the typical ideal of the well-known management cycle.

However, what is key to bear in mind at the start of the first cycle is that the initial analysis phase is hugely important and also takes time. For this reason, this paper will focus largely on this phase. The more information there is for subsequent planning and designing, the better the later steps can be prepared, including purchases and so on, and the better the concept and documents can be developed in the following stages. Out-of-the-box thinking is a must here, and we should bring together as many of the stakeholders involved as possible.

We also should not forget that it is a good idea to conduct a monitoring phase at each individual stage so that any adjustments and, in particular, updates can be integrated at an early stage.

We will begin, however, by taking a closer look at the crucial and comprehensive analysis phase.

#### **2.1 Analysis phase**

While it is actually no longer necessary per se to describe an analysis phase within the context of implementing a digital learning strategy and when implementing an LMS, we should be aware of the purpose of such a phase. According to Lachenmaier [6], the purpose of an analysis phase is "to dive to the very bottom of an issue, to sound out its opportunities and identify the client's requirements, and ultimately to use this information to create a stable model of analysis. […]" [6]. Even where a DL strategy is to be implemented within a company in the holistic sense, the aim is to fully explore all opportunities so that we end up with a suitable DL model. This phase should be planned and worked on intensively, if for no other reason than to have as much information as possible and as many contact partners

on board as possible, and correct contacts at that. In order not to overlook any aspect of this important phase, the following section looks at individual steps and offers practical tips.

#### *2.1.1. Training strategy*

Traditionally, the pillars for developing a training strategy comprise, on the one hand, the classic analyses regarding need for training, target group(s) and competition (see below) and the internal resources and on the other the training or learning goals. These days, however, matters are complicated by the fact that the internal resources a company has at its disposal have a greater impact on the future training strategy than was previously the case as they no longer have sufficient time to prepare in-house trainings (due to the prevailing skills shortage), or because only the bare minimum of time can be dedicated to managing the training process, even with an LMS. We must also remember that the implementation and associated go-live of a new training strategy (and the situation is even more volatile when going live with a new LMS) often come with a change in the previous learning culture which should be understood "as the totality of learning and development potential that arises from the cooperation of members in interaction and communication processes […]" ([7], p. 4), and therefore this should be accompanied by professional change management and communication as a matter of urgency. After all, one aspect that we must bear in mind is that HR decisions made in relation to a training strategy always have an impact on ALL areas of the business, and hence, it is advisable to also have a holistic training strategy.

Definition of the training needs analysis: Even today, the training needs analysis is still conducted with regard to employee wishes based on concrete events, interviews, employee surveys or even employee discussions (Source: p. 99, Strategische Personalentwicklung in der Praxis – Instrumente, Erfolgsmodelle, Praxisbeispiele [Strategic HR Development in Practice—Tools, Models for Success, Practical Examples], 3rd ed., Christine Wegerich, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2015). It must be noted here that surveys, specifically, or the expressing of wishes, can also be conducted using a technology solution, such as an LMS.

Definition of the target group analysis: According to Baum ([8], p. 243), a target group analysis is a meaningful description of the group of persons who constitute the primary training group and on which all possible data is collected.

Definition of the competition analysis: The competition analysis, also known as benchmarking, is defined by Mühlstein and Schumann ([9], p. 6) as a "continuous process, in which both products and services, and in particular processes and methods of operational functions are compared across multiple businesses".

TIP:

At the start of a development project for a (new) holistic DL strategy, with or without implementation of an LMS, it is advisable to bring all peripheral departments, and persons, together at a kick-off meeting. One of the major challenges at the beginning is clarifying the different wishes and requirements regarding the new strategy (and system, where applicable), which often also throws up the question of what resources and skills are still available among the current workforce, and considerations must be made regarding configuration and/or procuring external skills and resources from outside. This is often complicated by the fact that within the internal departments there exist different definitions of terms like "E-learning" or "digital learning", while in some cases internal company terms have been defined and need

*Holistic Thinking in the Implementation of Digital Learning Activities, with Due Regard… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.109822*

to be clarified accordingly. It is vital that everyone involved is "speaking the same language" in order to guarantee consistent understanding for quick progress on the project.

#### *2.1.2 Value creation model*

When it comes to learning, value creation can be demonstrated, and also recorded, using a number of different KPIs (KPIs are key performance indicators relating to the success, performance or outreach of a business, its individual organizational entities or a machine [10]). According to Wegerich [11], classic KPIs include "Average number of days annual leave taken by employees, Average number of days annual leave taken by senior executives and senior management, Average number of days annual leave taken by employees over 50 years of age, Implementation rate after workshops, or Optimization rate after coaching sessions" ([11], p. 107). The KPIs that are actually implemented in practice differ from company to company.

However, it goes without saying that all online and blended-learning courses can be included in the KPI model, allowing us to break down the model into face-to-face, online and hybrid. The reason why this has to be mentioned at this point specifically is that the cost breakdown is significantly different in this case compared to times when the focus was solely on face-to-face events. It is no wonder, therefore, that often the number of trainings has increased dramatically, but the costs for trainers are lower.

TIP:

At most companies, all employees have to pass mandatory trainings in the form of compliance trainings. As the name suggests, these trainings are mandatory, and so it might make sense to break down the KPIs into mandatory and optional trainings. The reason behind this is that this makes it easier to list the costs incurred according to their purpose. Investigations mostly ask about the expenditure spent on optional trainings, not mandatory trainings, and query the costs associated with such.


A small example of a KPI table is shown in **Table 1**.

**Table 1.** *Practical example for KOIs in learning, [3].*

In the case of a new product, such as implementation of a blended-learning course developed in-house or externally, different areas need to be taken into account and structured from a financial point of view: the technology (e.g. an LMS), the content (e.g. creating scripts and exercises and creating specific areas of responsibility internally), sales (e.g. training sales employees) and marketing (e.g. creating a communication plan).

Let us take a closer look at developing internal trainings in-house: many companies still have most of their training documents from pre-pandemic times in the form of slide decks or internal videos. These must be conceived and modified in a holistic concept before they can be integrated into a new DL strategy. It seems banal, but it must be reiterated that there are key differences between, say, faceto-face and online trainings, especially with respect to the existing training documents. Let us briefly put ourselves in the learners' shoes. In a face-to-face session, learners can ask the trainer questions immediately which the trainer can then answer. While it is possible to ask questions on an online course regarding a subject and the accompanying documents, it can take some time for the trainer to respond. In order not to unnecessarily delay the learning process, questions should always be pre-empted before they arise. This means that the content of the course script and its didactic approach must be formatted in such a way that it provides a depth of content that is appropriate for the target group and at the same time does not allow for questions as far as possible.

Tip:

If you have developed an online course in-house, make sure you always take advantage of other tools and aids, such as a glossary, FAQs or additional and accompanying media, such as explanatory videos. In order to ease the anxieties of inexperienced/anxious learners regarding a new system such as the LMS, it has been shown that designating a concrete point of contact in case of questions can be helpful, as can a forum for dialog where the group can work on problems and solve them together. There are a lot more possibilities which vary from LMS to LMS. Use them without fail!

Past experiences have shown that there is only something to be gained from revising and restructuring old face-to-face materials. In terms of the quality of the documents and the course concept, it has proven to be a clear success, especially for participants who can compare and contrast both course formats.

However, as is customary in a holistic analysis, let us take a step away from the area of training. After all, alongside optimizing the content we need to also start work on developing a communication strategy for the new DL strategy. While many companies have communication departments, most of which have previously overseen other rollouts, other companies have to find new paths here and entrust this job to employees who are perhaps not as experienced in the area. Some readers must be shaking their heads now and wondering why we need to take that into account? Well, good communication that is prepared well ahead of time and anticipates potential issues, and that was also promoted using internal findings from marketing, can provide positive support. While a major change process may not be clear at first glance, this is indeed the case in practice. A named communication strategy can be hugely beneficial in making this change as smooth and pleasant as possible.

Discussion: Offering internal company trainings/courses for external learners.

#### *Holistic Thinking in the Implementation of Digital Learning Activities, with Due Regard… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.109822*

If a company has considered the possibility of offering its own trainings to external learners as well, then the basis for strategizing must be good communication between the different groups of people involved (e.g. IT, IT security, personnel development, HR, Marketing, etc.) which should be supported by regular fixed dates. When offering in-house trainings externally as "products", advertising measures should focus on marketing as well as developing the course. For example, the first job for the marketing team should be to conduct a competition analysis in order to gain an overview of the market. Alongside this, the personnel development/HR team needs to define the target group for each training product and then derive next steps from this. Points such as the name of the course or the marketing presence on different communication channels (not necessarily in that order) should be discussed at length, and social media strategies and additional advertising materials should be determined.

Tip:

Another aspect of expanding services to external learners is the fact that in larger organizations the rule is that contractors (i.e. external employees) should be engaged here. These, too, will usually have to complete the relevant compliance trainings. However, what is particular about this is that most of the time they do not have access to the same system. Therefore, you should consider developing a special strategy for external employees from the very outset. The time and effort that goes into implementing this later is enormous and can be prevented by proactively taking it into consideration.

#### *2.1.3 Skills, staff, roles and responsibilities*

The success of a digital learning strategy implemented holistically essentially depends on whether the skills required can be covered by current employees. The issue of new hires and/or procuring external skills and capabilities to supplement those of existing employees has already been discussed above under Section 2.1.1. In the event that the preceding analysis indicates that staff with certain skills are required, then the HR department and/or personnel development department should be engaged as a matter of urgency. The lead times for recruiting new staff (e.g. advertising positions or acquiring new hires) are extensive, which could have a significantly negative impact on the progress of the implementation process in the event of delays in the hiring process. They must therefore be involved in the project in good time.

The roles and responsibilities of the persons involved will change significantly if their company is one that has previously only offered face-to-face sessions since the changes involved in transitioning to a digital learning strategy will be enormous for these organizations. In this case, each individual employee must be aware that the implementation of such a learning strategy will have an impact on the entire business and thus also on all employees. The same is true with regard to the introduction of a new or different LMS. Here, too, roles and responsibilities within day-to-day business frequently change.

Usually, companies are unable to hire new employees during implementation of a DL strategy for cost reasons and instead have to use pre-existing resources, as a result of which these employees require intensive and comprehensive trainings. These trainings can be conducted digitally and adapted to a new DL course format, for example, both technologically and with respect to methodology. At this juncture, it is vital to once again highlight how a digital format differs significantly from a purely face-to-face format since the former uses various technical media (e.g. videos

and learning packages), with these media and thus also the learning documents usually being made available on an LMS. We must also remember to train teachers/ trainers in the new software system via train-the-trainer trainings. It may additionally be necessary for teachers/trainers to encounter not just an LMS in a digital learning strategy, but also other software, such as software for webinars and author tools. These must also be taken into account in the train-the-trainer concept as a matter of urgency.

Tip:

Practice has shown that with technical trainings, it is necessary to make clear that these must never be conducted as purely theoretical trainings. A blended-learning format is advisable here. The participants must have sufficient opportunity to also practice what they have learned in a safe space. The more intensive the trainings were, the more confident teachers/trainers were in using the new software. Following the trainings, teachers were also able to maintain their courses themselves, adding new content and providing adequate support to participants. The skills acquired have also been very much evident in the feedback provided by participants, in that the teachers were mostly described as "very capable", "outstanding support" or even "best teacher ever".

However, with a new DL strategy the most obvious change is in the role of teachers who have previously taught face-to-face. Before an online course was introduced, the teachers and their responsibilities were focused on preparing, conducting and following up on purely face-to-face sessions. They had years of experience here. In their new role as courses leaders for a blended-learning course, for example, they need to acquire new skills and capabilities for managing courses online and working with new media (e.g. running a course on an LMS or using media correctly for a webinar).

The online management aspect should be highlighted here. It cannot be underestimated and must be communicated to the teachers clearly. 24/7 availability must be arranged and carried over into daily business. As a result of this availability, consultations "one after the other" during the in-person lesson are shifted to multiple smaller sequences via email. Initially, it would appear that this requires significantly greater effort but upon further inspection this is not the case. That is not to say, of course, that the communication system does not need to be structured.

#### *2.1.3.1 Organizational structure*

A new DL strategy must be integrated into an existing organizational structure. The advantage of modern businesses is that they mostly have an existing, flexible structure that has been tried and tested. Here, a flexible structure is understood such that employees are not bound to fixed organizational structures or roles, such as a straight line organizational system or static matrix structure. Ionescu [12] defines a flexible organization as: "A flexible organization initiates and develops periodically strategic changes. Organizational change corresponds to a new orientation, fundamental and radical, concerning manners of business conduct, having essential implications on all its members' behaviour. Launching a process of change supposes acknowledgment of change need, manifesting wish of change, gathering knowledge, as well as forming abilities to implement change. Flexible organization, change oriented is, by excellence, a learning organization" ([12], p. 283). The core of a flexible organization is thus the willingness to change, such that it is possible for the employees of such an organization to take on multiple roles within the company. However,

#### *Holistic Thinking in the Implementation of Digital Learning Activities, with Due Regard… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.109822*

this does not mean that the structures do not need to be properly established. Quite the opposite. The structures must be described in detail and communicated clearly and also adapted quickly and easily where necessary. Company visions, missions, values and norms, as well as a good ability to adapt the flexible areas mentioned, also play a major role in this regard.

Embedding a new DL strategy in a flexible organizational structure often proved unproblematic. However, this requires that all affected employees are integrated into the transformation process, as was recommended under Section 2.1.1 above. In this regard, it is necessary to once more highlight the aspect of communication within the organization. Transparent communication between all interfaces is not just advisable, it is a "MUST".

Tip:

As already discussed, that learning in a digital learning concept will change significantly in the event of simultaneous implementation of an LMS cannot be overlooked here either. Previously, it was often stipulated for learners what they were expected to learn by when. With an LMS, the learner must organize and manage their learning themselves, which represents a major change. Therefore, a team from communication and change management should be engaged here through appropriate measures and the change process supervised.

#### *2.1.4 Supporting systems*

When a new learning strategy, and in particular a DL strategy, is implemented at a company which previously had only conducted purely face-to-face sessions, new technologies must be embedded in the old IT infrastructure, in addition to the new strategy. This affects the entire company, not just individual sections as is usually the case when implementing software.

A learning management system (LMS) is the foundation of a DL IT strategy. Roughly speaking, when it comes to LMS, we should differentiate between opensource and paid-for, licensed software. The range of offers available in this regard is enormous and hard to wade through. It is therefore evident that the selection process itself will take up a lot of time. In addition to functionality, the focus is often also on finances, meaning that particular attention is paid to license costs. Costs for connecting the LMS to the previous HR system via interfaces should not be overlooked either. Tip:

At larger companies, in particular, it is not usually the HR department that makes decisions on software purchases. This is the job of either purchasing or IT. However, in order that the software ultimately also suits the new DL strategy, all departments should come together in good time and reach a decision together on WHICH system to purchase. After all, HR staff will ultimately have to work with the software and also offer it to colleagues internally and motivate them to use the system. These employees are easier to motivate when the HR employees involved in the process can also vouch for the system.

In addition to an LMS, there is lots of other helpful software that can be used alongside a DL strategy (e.g. author tools, video tools etc.). Here, we must think about whether we are planning to develop courses ourselves in the near future or to purchase content. Both options have their pros and cons.

Let us take a quick look at developing content in-house: In each organization, there is knowledge that is used only in this organization specifically. Today, it is more important than ever to also pinpoint and retain this knowledge. However, simply recording and saving this is usually not enough. Therefore, this content must also be prepared

in a consumer-friendly way. This means, for example, that content must be ordered logically or formulated for each target group specifically. This can be achieved using socalled author tools, such as Articulate Rise or Easy Generator, as well as tools intended solely for producing teaching/learning videos. The market for these tools is also extensive, and purchases depend on what future intentions are. However, it is important that the employees who use these tools are also given sufficient training. Purchasing software and letting the rest of it take care of itself is not sufficient! A major advantage of this "Make" strategy is that there is a lower risk regarding data privacy.

This is not the case with a "Buy" strategy involving the purchase of external content. Technologically speaking, professional companies can certainly prepare special content better than a layperson in the HR department. However, not all of these companies have their servers in Germany, for example. And this is a major problem as many companies have a strict privacy policy (and rightly so!).

Tip:

In recent years, many companies have also relied on an international server strategy, which makes sense in many respects. However, it does not make sense with respect to learning since this is an area where lots of personal data is exchanged, which is exactly what makes it attractive to external attackers. Therefore, when purchasing external content, we must pay close attention to where the provider has their server. For this reason, the data protection officer must be brought along to the negotiating table. At the same time, we must consider and pay attention to how this external content reaches the LMS. Will you receive Scorm files (special files for E-learnings) or is there an option of jumping to the provider's page? Here, too, it will be important how data such as test results are presented, and how these end up in the in-house system.

When purchasing external content, we must also make sure that academic content is prepared individually for a specific target group. Not all content can be equally consumed by all users. Let us look at an example: Perceptual speed decreases with age. This speed slowly declines, starting at the age of just 20 ([13], p. 707). It is quite easy to spot that children using a computer can click the mouse faster or scroll up and down quicker than adults. This must absolutely be taken into account when creating teaching videos. A video that contains too many and too rapid changes may not be taken in by an adult. This can lead to frustration and even rejection.

It may also be necessary to consider which software can be used for webinars. The market for these tools has grown significantly too, and the offers available are hard to wade through. Decisions should be based on factors such as costs and usability for employees and participants, but also stability. Participants will not put up with interruptions caused by technical difficulties. In addition, technical support should be available (where possible) for teachers and participants free of charge.

#### *2.1.5 Controlling and governance*

Generally speaking, the job of a company's controlling department is to manage and regulate set processes. The processes mentioned also include reviewing these processes according to KPIs (see 2.1.2 Value creation model) and fixed reports. This is based on using these KPIs to determine whether the strategies and measures set out are in fact having their desired impact and whether they actually make sense.

Within the context of developing individual DL trainings, this area is only marginally affected. In this regard, it may be necessary to highlight fee calculations or invoicing, cancelation and payment processes, insofar as these trainings are also offered and *Holistic Thinking in the Implementation of Digital Learning Activities, with Due Regard… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.109822*

sold externally. Sometimes, however, the management also wants to know the costs for developing these courses.

When calculating trainings (which also includes webinars), in particular, we must bear in mind that the costs for the software and for preparing the webinar content will be lower the more often the webinar or training is conducted with the same teachers and software. Preparing the teacher's content as a one-off and making temporary updates will reduce costs from just the second webinar. The software costs (mostly license costs) will decrease the more often the software is used.

A further area relevant for controlling, which is affected by training management, is the invoicing, cancelation and payment process. At companies which purchase external trainings, these processes are mostly already present and should be reviewed at least once a year. Failing this, the price of the external course (and/ or teacher) will have to be renegotiated. NB: If purchasing a purely online course solely via the Internet, we must bear in mind the 14-day returns policy for Internet purchases.

The situation is different when implementing an LMS, as opposed to developing individual courses. In each LMS, there is the ability to create reports. In some LMS systems, this comes preconfigured, while in others, it can be adapted individually. However, all this reporting relies on the management and evaluation of personal data. For this reason, this is a highly sensitive area and must be handled using predefined company rules appropriate for regulations on privacy and data protection.

Tip:

If your company has not yet defined a role for reporting, you should do this no later than when implementing an LMS with a reporting function. Make sure that external employees (such as external consultants through intermediaries) do not have access to this! You should also remember that access should be limited for internal employees as should their rights for the LMS. That is, where possible a minimum of just two employees should have access to this. The processes for reporting should be captured and defined here too. This also includes the processes for passing on personal data in the context of trainings within the organization.

No less important is the area of governance which is mostly accompanied by a document containing all the specifications for the learning documents to be created (including in what format, what font, what font size, colours etc.), and the role concept, i.e. which employee has which role in the LMS. Within IT, the latter usually takes the form of a workbook. This workbook sets out all the LMS specifications. This is particularly important in the event of problems with the system. It allows errors to be identified faster.

Having covered controlling and governance, the theoretical part of the analysis phase is complete. However, practice shows that now all areas intersect in parallel and that often one or the other has to be redefined or re-implemented. It is almost impossible to work with all of these areas one after the other as these processes mostly overlap with others. Here too, good and transparent communication between all parties involved is fundamental and makes a logical contribution to success.

This approach is also advisable with respect to the following processes, such as defining learning objectives, developing a concept, developing learning materials, test phases, execution, and monitoring, albeit these areas do not take up as much space in the implementation as the analysis phase. It is, however, subsequently of huge importance. Each individual issue could have its own paper, and hence, they are addressed only briefly due to the restraints of this paper.

#### **2.2 Defining learning objectives**

Defining learning objectives is not as easy as it sounds. It is often based on one's own understanding of the term "learning". If we consider learning from the perspective of psychology, then it is "[...] an experience-based process resulting in a relatively constant change in behavior or potential behavior" ([14], p. 200), meaning the fundamental change in a behaviour brought about by learning. In defining learning objectives, the term "learning" should be defined insofar as this definition includes the fundamental change in behaviour caused by learning. With respect to learning, this perception is significant insofar as it makes the different learning objectives more tangible. After all, in addition to the commonly known cognitive learning objectives which relate to the reproduction of acquired knowledge, there are also affective learning objectives (attitude and developing values) and psychomotor learning objectives which are restricted solely to manual skills ([15], p. 37–38). It may be that all three areas are addressed in a single training.

To make the process of formulating a learning objective smooth, we can consider the following:


A cognitive learning objective for an area within management training can therefore be defined as follows:

After attending the online course, the participant is able to logically use the communication models they have learned in their practical activities and to infer instructions in the form of concrete work steps which they will set out in writing over the coming 3 months.

#### **2.3 Developing a concept**

In order to make the design of a DL course or blended-learning course easier to grasp, it can be helpful to establish the instructional design at the outset in order to have a foundation. The instructional design "is a large part of the definition. Instructional design is the process by which instruction, computer-based or not, is created. Instructional design provides a framework for the creative process of design, and ensures the learners' needs are met" ([16], p. 16). In this design, we must describe specifically what the new course should be capable of doing. Most often, the requirements come from either the company management or the relevant departments. For example: If the requirements for a DL course are to be about saving time and money, we can consider whether it might be advisable to get a purely online

*Holistic Thinking in the Implementation of Digital Learning Activities, with Due Regard… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.109822*

#### **Figure 2.**

*Example of modular project planning for initial project steps using roughly defined milestones, Baum [3].*

product. However, if it should also be possible to explain complex and complicated content in a face-to-face session as well, and also to practice this content, then a blended-learning format may be more appropriate.

However, the final teaching and learning format can only be decided on, together with the company leadership and project management, after the existing documents have been properly reviewed. Once this decision has been made, the instructional design for the established format, and subsequently rough project planning with key milestones, can be illustrated as shown in **Figure 2**.

In this illustration, we can identify the individual steps of the project (e.g. target group analysis or training portfolio) and the individual associated areas (e.g. analysis of internal and external training portfolio). What is important in this context is that these steps and areas differ from project to project and from company to company.

Tip:

An instructional design with three concept phases has proven successful when it comes to executing a DL course. These must be contained in blended-learning and purely online formats, as well as in purely face-to-face trainings:

Before the training: General awareness of the subject must be created at the outset.

During the training: In addition to activating prior existing knowledge, the focus of the subject should also be clearly underlined. In addition, activities which can be used to check whether the participant has in fact understood the subject must never be overlooked.

After the training: A summary of the subject can be useful in order that the participant can actually apply what they have learned in practice. The participant can then take this back to their workplace and perhaps take another glance at it. Feedback on the course should also always be collected from participants. To conclude, the application of what was learned in practice should be examined.

#### **2.4 Developing learning materials**

The development of learning materials for a DL course depends on several factors. One key factor is the target group (e.g. age, prior knowledge), while another is the subject itself. It is undisputed that there exist countless media for developing DL courses, such as learning packages (E-learnings), videos, electronic diaries, etc. Which medium

is selected for which subject and for which target group is very individual and must therefore be determined on a project-by-project basis. Because it is so individual and the selection of media is a special and also important issue, this is not addressed in more detail here.

Tip:

When preparing teaching/learning media, make sure to always observe the findings of the summary in Baum [3] of studies by Falkenstein et al. [17] and Schapkin [18] in order not to reduce the motivation of older learners/participants.


#### **2.5 Test phases**

It goes without saying that the correct implementation of a piece of software and any newly developed course must be properly tested. However, there are key differences here with respect to the degree of testing.

With LMS software, it very much makes sense to first fully configure the software to at least 85% with all participants and to then test it in a test mode or even a separate test system. During testing, the radius of the test group should be increased successively. At the beginning, it is sufficient for the IT department to test the technology, while the employees who will later be working with the system test the functionality. Tip:

Please use your initial personal experiences with LMS and note down your questions and issues. Both are helpful when it comes to designing training documents. After all, if there is one thing that is certain it is that your first experience using the system will most likely be the same as it is for others, above all end users.

Many companies have their own quality system for testing where test cases are defined and input. Use these test cases for initial end-user trainings. Following this, more and more users should be added to the system as testers. It has been shown to be beneficial when critics of the new LMS are engaged here, in addition to advocates. This way, differing points of view and criticisms can be obtained and worked into the training and communication concept.

With respect to the development of a new DL course, experience from recent projects has shown that the test phase should be split into two phases: pre-pilot and pilot phase. In the pre-pilot phase, the product can be properly tested by the *Holistic Thinking in the Implementation of Digital Learning Activities, with Due Regard… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.109822*

employees involved and maybe colleagues as well. In the pilot phase, a pilot group must test the new DL course under "normal" conditions, meaning that the course must be tested in a regular process. This requires a questionnaire to be developed in advance which can provide insight into whether improvements or other modifications must be made to the new course. Surveying the test group properly is fundamental to this test phase.

#### **2.6 Execution**

Once the first 5 steps have been sufficiently reviewed and constantly questioned and correctly modified, there is nothing standing in the way of execution. It is a very good idea to survey the learners/participants in this phase as well. Every group is different, meaning they have different demands and perceptions of the content. For this reason, it is always vital that the course be adapted and modified as a matter of urgency to the needs of learners/participants wherever necessary. However, this is what makes it exciting time and again. Do not forget to update the content regularly in this regard.

#### **2.7 Monitoring**

Steps 1–7 should be reviewed at regular intervals and at least once a year after successful implementation. Particular attention should be paid to regularly updating the teaching/learning documents that were discussed briefly in the preceding section.

In addition to a structured approach to the implementation of DL strategies and courses, the motivation of learners/participants should never be overlooked either. It is therefore crucial that motivation for and acceptance of new LMS software or a DL strategy be created. The pandemic has definitely had a positive impact on increased acceptance among company management. However, this is still not enough. After all, while DL should be used to a greater extent, the demands placed on the strategies and content of employees and learners have also increased.

#### **3. Creating motivation for and acceptance of the new digital learning model**

This article does not intend to answer the question of where the concept of motivation comes from. What is particularly important with respect to implementing a DL strategy or a new LMS is understanding the motivation process which, according to Heckhausen & Heckhausen ([19], p. 3), comprises the determinants of person, situation, action, result and consequences which is then characterized by the fact that this process can be understood as a short-term personality trait (cf. [20]: 39). Colloquially, the concept of motivation is frequently used interchangeably with the concept of motive which differs from motivation in that it is a long-term personality trait which is frequently established during childhood. The motive furthermore has the characteristic that, among other things, it causes "a person to [...] initiate a motivation process" ([3], p. 22; cf. [19], p. 3 and 198; [21]), whereby the strength of the motive, according to Rheinberg & Vollmeyer [22], depends on previous experiences. Thus, the motive is the stumbling block, while the motivation keeps this block moving. However, learning is not an independent motive, and hence, the concept of learning motive must be considered in particular. Within motivation research, therefore, learning is seen as a consequence of motivation since "in the long-term organisms

only retain and develop those actions and forms of expression which help to satisfy the motive" ([3], p. 24; cf. McClelland, [23] in [19], p. 57). Therefore, the DL must also serve to satisfy the motive, which in turn must be reflected in the concept and strategy.

The main aim with DL is that all learners/participants should enjoy working with the new LMS software, be able to use it intuitively, and also learn something from using the new DL courses which either advances them in their daily working lives or develops their personality ….. all while enjoying and having fun learning. Which is precisely what we must never lose sight of!

#### **4. Conclusion**

It goes without saying that currently DL is seen as a passing fad. Currently, there are lots of companies examining how to implement a (new) DL strategy with or without simultaneously introducing an LMS. Other companies have already succeeded in doing this in recent years and are at the stage of modifying their implementations.

It is important in this regard that during implementation, the perspectives of other participants, such as IT, Marketing & Communication, Works Council or Worker Representatives, are also integrated into the new strategy and not just the perspectives of the HR department. The cooperation of all parties involved is crucial for the success of the project. Therefore, a holistic approach is applied.

A 7-step model which specifically includes an intensive analysis phase has proven successful in implementing DL in practice. The foundation underlying this includes the training needs analysis, target group analysis, competition analysis, and internal resources analysis, as well as analyses of training and learning objectives. However, when conducting this analysis, we must always be aware that decisions in this area affect all areas of the business.

With respect to creating value in the area of DL, we should also bear in mind that the usual indicators need to be considered from a different perspective since these are mostly handled differently by the company management. For this reason, a sensible perspective and evaluation should be prepared in consultation with the company management. The differences in perspective include externally purchased or internally developed trainings which can also be sold externally (if possible). However, the focus here is mostly on the different evaluation of compliance or optional courses. The compliance training KPIs, in particular, function such that they must also be reported to third parties in many respects.

As at most companies, the project at companies which wish to implement a DL strategy also rises and falls with the companies' internal resources. However, in times of international skills shortages, these are hard to come by, and hence, we must often consider engaging external specialists at an early stage. There should also be a prevailing willingness to change within the company because roles will also change during implementation of a DL strategy, repeatedly and at shorter intervals. In this regard, the issue of training internal employees should also be reconsidered. So that expertise on the new DL strategy and any new LMS remains within the company, all parties involved should be trained sufficiently and intensively. Implementing a DL strategy is easier in a flexible organizational structure which is open to change. This type of organizational structure paves the way for a learning organization and makes it easier to develop a new strategy. Communication is a good tool here for providing all parties involved with

#### *Holistic Thinking in the Implementation of Digital Learning Activities, with Due Regard… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.109822*

sufficient transparency regarding the processes and procedures for implementation. Communication also accompanies the change process when implementing an LMS.

Additionally, other supporting systems which might logically accompany such an implementation should also be taken into account and considered. It should not always be the price that is the decisive factor, but also functionality and how intuitive such systems are for individual participants to use.

In addition to technical resources, we should not skimp on documentation of the implementation. The focus here is in particular on the technical specifications of new software and on the overall framework conditions for the design of digital teaching/ learning offers.

Additionally, the implementation of a new DL strategy is supplemented by the conception of in-house DL courses, the development of learning documents, of the test phase, of the execution and of monitoring, thus rounding off the 7-step model.

However, we must not overlook that the core of a DL strategy is still learners who should be motivated and enjoy completing their courses. Which is why the issue of motivation must never be overlooked.

All in all, it is vital when implementing a new DL strategy to consider a holistic perspective in order to guarantee success at the end of the implementation and get all participants in one boat. This also means that a holistic view of digital learning should be applied in the future. However, it remains to be seen what changes will come in the next few years, especially in the area of digital learning and in the development of learning software. Perhaps it will then be necessary to modify the 7-step model as well as the perspective of the respective implementation.

#### **Author details**

Kai Karin Baum BMC Baum Management Consulting and Education, Neustadt an der Weinstraße, Germany

\*Address all correspondence to: kai.baum@bmc-education.de

© 2023 The Author(s). Licensee IntechOpen. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

## **References**

[1] Koch K, Andrew G, John N, Rosenberg MJ. The Transfer Experience – A Handbook for Creating a more Equitable and Successful Postsecondary System. E-Book. Sterling: Stylus Publishing; 2021. DOI: 10.1080/10668926.2021.1955776

[2] Fülöp N. Didaktische Anwendungsund Umsetzungselemente einer erfolgreichen Blended Learning Konzeption. Hamburg: Diplomica Verlag; 2015. p. 18

[3] Baum KK. Motivation Studierender im mittleren Erwachsenenalter in einem Blended-Learning-Lehrkonzept. Göttingen: CUVILLIER Verlag; 2020. p. 184, 22, 24

[4] Von Richthofen A, Lent M. Qualitätsentwicklung in Studium und Lehre. Bielefeld: W. Bertelsmann Verlag Bielefeld; 2012. pp. 42-46

[5] Meschke M. Steuerung in Dienstleistungsnetzwerken – Ein Ansatz für ein integriertes Qualitätsinformationssystem. Wiesbaden: Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden; 2013. pp. 83-84. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-658-03555-6

[6] Lachenmaier P. Programmierprojekt HT10 (Modul 1136) [Internet]. 2022. Available from: https://www. unibw.de/inf2/lehre/ht10/progproj/ projektphasen#:~:text=Die%20 Analysephase,ein%20stabiles%20 Analysemodell%20zu%20erstellen. [Accessed: November 30, 2022]

[7] Arnold R, Schüßler I. Wandel der Lernkulturen. Darmstadt: Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft; 1998. p. 4

[8] Baum KK. Der Enterprise Transformation Cycle – Theorie, Anwendung, Praxis – Erfolgreiche Transformation von Face-to-Face-Seminaren in Ein Sinnvolles E-Learning-Training. Wiesbaden: Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden GmbH; 2018. p. 243

[9] Mühlstein S, Schumann A. Benchmarking als neue Form des Betriebsvergleichs. Chemnitz: Schriftreihe Angewandte Betriebswirtschaft; 1995. p. 6

[10] Gabler Wirtschaftslexikon. Definition Key Performance Indicator (KPI) [Internet]. 2018. Available from: https://wirtschaftslexikon.gabler.de/ definition/key-performance-indicatorkpi-52670/version-275788. [Accessed: November 29, 2022]

[11] Wegerich C. Strategische Personalentwicklung in der Praxis – Instrumente, Erfolgsmodelle, Praxisbeispiele. 3. Auflage ed. Berlin Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag; 2015. p. 99, 107

[12] Ionescu V-C. In global business and management research. An International Journal. 2012, 2012;**4**(3 & 4):277-285, 283

[13] Berk, L. B. Entwicklungspsychologie. 5., aktualisierte Auflage – bearbeitet von Prof. Dr. Ute Schönpflug. München: Pearson Education Deutschland GmbH. 2011. p. 707

[14] Gerrig RJ. Psychology. 0th ed. München: Pearson Deutschland GmbH; 2015. p. 200

[15] Scholz H. Qualität für Bildungsdienstleistungen – Qualitätssicherung und -entwicklung *Holistic Thinking in the Implementation of Digital Learning Activities, with Due Regard… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.109822*

nach DIN RN ISO 9001, DIN ISO29990, DVWO und AZAV. 3rd ed. Berlin: Beuth; 2016

[16] Willis JW. Constructivist Instructional Design (C-ID). Foundations, Models, and Examples. North Carolina: IAP-Information Age Publishing, Inc.; 2009. p. 16

[17] Falkenstein et al. Changes of errorrelated ERPs with age. Experimental Brain Research. 2001;**138**(2):258-262

[18] Schapkin. Altersbezogene Änderungen kognitiver Fähigkeiten – kompensatorische Prozesse und physiologische Kosten. Dortmund: Bundesanstalt für Arbeitsschutz und Arbeitsmedizin. 2021

[19] Heckhausen J, Heckhausen H, editors. Motivation und Handeln. 4th ed. Berlin: Springer Verlag; 2010. p. 3

[20] Schiefele. Lernmotivation und Interesse3. In: W. Schneider und M. Hasselhorn (Hrsg.): Handbuch für Pädagogische Psychologie. Göttingen: Hogrefe. 2008:38-49

[21] Sokolowski K, Schmalt T. MMG – Das Multi-Motiv-Gitter für Anschluss, Leistung und Macht. 2.Aufl ed. Frankfurt am Main: Pearson Assessment & Information GmbH; 2010

[22] Rheinberg F, Vollmeyer R. Motivation. 8th ed. Stuttgart: Kohlhammer GmbH; 2012. p. 62

[23] McClelland, How motives, skills, and values determine what people do. American Psychologist. 1985;**41**:675-683

## Section 2
