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Abstract The South Korean government has been actively promoting an educational-facility improvement program as part of its energy-saving efforts. This research seeks to develop a decision support model for selecting the facility expected to be effective in generating energy savings and making the facility improvement program more effective. In this research, project characteristics and electric-energy consumption data for the year 2009 were collected from 6282 elementary schools located in seven metropolitan cities in South Korea. In this research, the following were carried out: (i) a group of educational facilities was established based on electric-energy consumption, using a decision tree; (ii) a number of similar projects were retrieved from the same group of facilities, using case-based reasoning; and (iii) the accuracy of prediction was improved, using the combination of genetic algorithms, the artificial neural network, and multiple regression analysis. The results of this research can be useful for the following purposes: (i) preliminary research on the systematic and continuous management of educational facilities’ electric-energy consumption; (ii) basic research on electric-energy consumption prediction based on the project characteristics; and (iii) practical research for selecting an optimum facility that can more effectively apply an educational-facility improvement program as a decision support model.

As a way to support teachers’ professional development activities and build communities of practice for teachers, education researchers and practitioners have put considerable effort into building an online learning community for K–12 teachers to create a venue to facilitate teachers’ joint knowledge construction. However, a substantial number of such online communities have failed due to lack of participation of members. Therefore, it is critical to understand how to design a sustainable community that fulfills members’ needs and elicits active participation of members. In this literature review, we adopted a sociological framework to investigate how to create a sustainable online community. This framework suggests that the sustainability of a community comes from individual members’ three types of commitments: instrumental, affective, and moral commitments. Such commitments are results of members’ cognitive, cathectic, and evaluative processes and lead to membership retainment, cohesive relationships, and socially regulated participation. Using this framework, we conducted a systematic literature review on online teacher community articles published from 1990 to 2018. Our findings provide insights on factors associated with teacher members’ instrumental, affective, and moral commitment to an online community. Based on these findings, we further provide design suggestions to build a sustainable community for teachers.

Response scales in auditory perception assessment are critical for capturing the true responses of listeners. Despite its impact on data, response scales have received the least attention in auditory perception assessment. In this study, the usability of visual analogue scales for auditory perception assessment was investigated. Five response scales (a unipolar visual analogue scale–negated to regular, a unipolar visual analogue scale—regular to negated, a bipolar visual analogue scale–positive to negative, a bipolar visual analogue scale—negative to positive, and a unipolar 11-point scale (ISO/TS 15666:2021)) for auditory perception assessment are presented. Music and traffic noise were presented to 60 university students at two different levels, i.e., 45 and 65 dBA, respectively. A web-based experimental design was implemented, and tablet pads were provided to the respondents to record their responses. The unipolar 11-point scale required the longest response time, followed by the two unipolar visual analogue scales and two bipolar visual analogue scales with statistical significance. All response scales used in this study achieved statistical reliability and sensitivity for the auditory perception assessment. Among the five response scales, the bipolar visual analogue scale (negative to positive) ranked first in reliability over repeated measures, exhibited sensitivity in differentiating sound sources, and was preferred by the respondents under the conditions of the present study. None of the respondents preferred the unipolar 11-point scale. The visual analogue scale was favoured over the traditional unipolar 11-point scale by young educated adults in a mobile-based testing environment. Moreover, the bipolar visual analogue scale demonstrated the highest reliability and sensitivity, and it was preferred the most by the respondents. The semantic labelling direction from negated to regular, or from negative to positive, is preferred over its opposite counterpart. Further research is necessary to investigate the use of response scales for the general public including children and the elderly, as well as that of semantic adjectives and their counterparts for auditory perception assessment.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is gradually influencing every aspect of everyday life, including education. AI can also provide special support to learners through academic sustainability or discontinuation predictions. While AI research remains in its early stages, we must examine how it evolves and exerts its potential over time. By utilizing AI in physical education (PE), we can increase its potential use in sports applications, and enact changes upon the nature of PE, its visualization, and repeatability. Based on the concept of AI and related research areas, this study explores its principles and use in PE, and presents a focused, in-depth analysis of the areas of PE technology where AI could be applied—customized PE classes, knowledge provision, learner evaluation, and learner counseling methods. Our findings highlight the expertise required for future PE teachers in applying AI. Regarding practice implications, this study addresses the topic of AI innovations affecting all life domains, including PE; it highlights AI applications’ relevance to PE technology, based on existing research; it proposes that the implications of AI for PE may apply to other educational domains; and finally, it contributes to existing literature and also shares future research prospects regarding AI applications in education and sports.

Social networking (SN) technology has been presented to human beings as a means of communicating, collaborating, connecting, and cooperating to exchange knowledge, skills, news, chat, and to maintain contact with peers world-wide. This article examines SN awareness in the Asia-Pacific (AP) education sector (ES) with a specific focus on the advantages and disadvantages of SN; and investigated whether AP culture influences SN adoption by the ES. An online survey was distributed to 1014 AP students and a total of 826 students responded. Several new advantages of adoption emerged from the data analysis. SN enabled students to accomplish their study tasks more quickly; it allowed them to communicate and collaborate with peers world-wide; and it fostered sustainability. The disadvantages perceived by students include depression, loneliness, and distraction, lack of interest in pursuing traditional activities, and security and privacy concerns. Finally, culture does influence SN adoption by ES institutions in AP countries.

Au cours des dernières décennies, les décideurs et les scientifiques se sont montrés de plus en plus préoccupés par la mise en œuvre du programme de développement durable (DD). À ce jour, peu d'efforts sont déployés pour inculquer une sensibilisation et une éducation précoces au développement durable (EDD) aux étudiants de première année afin qu'ils deviennent des citoyens du monde efficaces et responsables. En tant que tel, l'apprentissage des questions socioscientifiques (SSI) à base de produits chimiques organiques dans le monde scientifique est important pour promouvoir une prise de conscience précoce parmi les étudiants en chimie de premier cycle en développement durable. Dans ce manuscrit, pour la première fois, le dessin de bande dessinée est utilisé comme instruction d'apprentissage pour inculquer l'apprentissage de l'EDD aux étudiants de première année à l'Universiti Malaysia Terengganu. Dans cette activité, les élèves ont créé leurs propres bandes dessinées en ce qui concerne les SSI à base de produits chimiques organiques qu'ils ont lus et ont partagé leurs propres bandes dessinées, ainsi que leurs essais de réflexion sur le système de gestion de l'apprentissage (LMS). Sur la base d'un résultat d'enquête, l'implication des élèves dans l'activité en cours leur a permis de se familiariser avec les SSI à base de produits chimiques organiques. En outre, ils ont exprimé un degré élevé de satisfaction à l'égard de l'activité mise en œuvre et du contenu chimique qu'ils ont appris dans ce cours sur la base de l'essai de réflexion reçu par l'instructeur du cours dans le LMS. En las últimas décadas, ha habido una creciente preocupación por parte de los responsables políticos y científicos para implementar la agenda de desarrollo sostenible (SD). Hasta la fecha, se hacen pocos esfuerzos para inculcar la conciencia temprana y la educación para el desarrollo sostenible (eds) entre los estudiantes de primer año para convertirse en ciudadanos globales efectivos y responsables. Como tal, el aprendizaje de cuestiones sociocientíficas basadas en productos químicos orgánicos (ISQ) dentro del mundo científico es importante para promover la conciencia temprana entre los estudiantes de química en SD. En este manuscrito, por primera vez, el dibujo de cómics se utiliza como instrucción de aprendizaje para inculcar el aprendizaje de ESD entre los estudiantes de primer año de la Universiti Malaysia Terengganu. En esta actividad, los estudiantes hicieron sus propios cómics con respecto a las ISQ basadas en productos químicos orgánicos que han leído y compartido sus propios cómics, junto con sus ensayos reflexivos sobre el sistema de gestión del aprendizaje (LMS). Según el resultado de una encuesta, la participación de los estudiantes en la actividad actual ha resultado en su familiaridad con las SSI basadas en productos químicos orgánicos. Además, han expresado un alto grado de satisfacción hacia la actividad implementada y el contenido de química que aprendieron en este curso basado en el ensayo reflexivo recibido por el instructor del curso en el LMS. Over the past decades, there had been a growing concern for policy makers and scientists to implement the sustainable development (SD) agenda. To date, little efforts are made to instil early awareness and education for sustainable development (ESD) amongst the first-year undergraduates to become effective and responsible global citizens. As such, the learning of organic chemical-based socio-scientific issues (SSIs) within the scientific world is important to promote early awareness amongst chemistry undergraduates in SD. In this manuscript, for the first time comics drawing is being used as learning instruction to instil the ESD learning amongst first-year undergraduates at Universiti Malaysia Terengganu. In this activity, students made their own comics with regard to organic chemical-based SSIs they have read and shared their own comics, together with their reflective essays on the learning management system (LMS). Based on a survey result, students' involvement in the current activity has resulted in their familiarity with the organic chemical-based SSIs. In addition, they have expressed a high degree of satisfaction toward the implemented activity and the chemistry content they learnt in this course based on the reflective essay received by the course instructor in the LMS. على مدى العقود الماضية، كان هناك قلق متزايد لدى صانعي السياسات والعلماء لتنفيذ جدول أعمال التنمية المستدامة (SD). حتى الآن، لا يُبذل سوى القليل من الجهود لغرس الوعي المبكر والتعليم من أجل التنمية المستدامة (ESD) بين طلاب السنة الأولى ليصبحوا مواطنين عالميين فعالين ومسؤولين. على هذا النحو، فإن تعلم القضايا الاجتماعية والعلمية القائمة على المواد الكيميائية العضوية (SSIs) داخل العالم العلمي مهم لتعزيز الوعي المبكر بين طلاب الكيمياء الجامعيين في التنمية المستدامة. في هذه المخطوطة، يتم استخدام الرسم الهزلي لأول مرة كتعليم تعليمي لغرس تعلم التعليم من أجل التنمية المستدامة بين طلاب السنة الأولى في جامعة ماليزيا تيرينجانو. في هذا النشاط، صنع الطلاب قصصهم المصورة الخاصة فيما يتعلق بـ SSIs العضوية القائمة على المواد الكيميائية التي قرأوها وشاركوها في قصصهم المصورة، جنبًا إلى جنب مع مقالاتهم التأملية حول نظام إدارة التعلم (LMS). استنادًا إلى نتيجة الاستطلاع، أدت مشاركة الطلاب في النشاط الحالي إلى إلمامهم بدراسات الحالة الاجتماعية القائمة على المواد الكيميائية العضوية. بالإضافة إلى ذلك، أعربوا عن درجة عالية من الرضا عن النشاط المنفذ ومحتوى الكيمياء الذي تعلموه في هذه الدورة بناءً على المقال التأملي الذي تلقاه مدرس الدورة في نظام إدارة التعلم.

Abstract With increasing concern for energy savings in universities, operational solutions, such as control strategies and occupant interventions, have been recommended to reduce energy use, due to the limited responsibilities of faculties and students for energy saving. Additionally, the energy-efficient allocation of classrooms can contribute to achieving further energy saving, because they have different spatial and functional capacities, which result in variation in energy use. In this context, course timetabling can be regarded as a basic source of allocating specific classrooms to lectures. However, there have been few attempts to consider spatial and functional capacities related to energy use in classrooms. Further, little is known about investigating the impact of course timetabling on energy consumption in classrooms. Therefore, this research proposes an energy efficiency-based course timetabling algorithm that identifies an optimal timetable in terms of energy use. The experimental results using the proposed algorithms make it evident that the optimal timetable produces 4% energy saving during cooling and heating season compared to the existing timetable. In addition, more energy savings up to 5.0% are achieved by mitigating hard constraints. The developed algorithm allows for administration staff and facility managers to schedule a course timetable that achieves energy savings in university buildings.

In some countries, renewable energy resources have become one of the mainstreams of energy savings and sustainable development. Thailand is one of the major countries to use renewable energy generation facilities in public buildings. In particular, public educational institutes consume large amounts of electricity from the grid. To reduce the electricity dependency on the national grid connection and greenhouse gas emissions, this paper introduces potential optimized solutions of renewable energy generation systems for a public university in Thailand, Chiang Mai University. Based on the simulation results from HOMER software, the potential configuration organized by PV panels, batteries and converters is proposed. The suggested configuration achieves 100% of the renewable fraction with $0.728 of the cost of energy for per electricity. Moreover, the greenhouse gas emissions are significantly reduced. Both the implications and limitations are presented based on simulation results.