Abstract
To summarize the content and provide readers with an overview, the purpose of this chapter is stated as investigating digitalization and the drivers of individual innovative behavior (IIB) for a smart economy in the post-COVID-19 era in terms of the effects of information and communication technology (ICT) students' course design characteristics (CDCs) in developing their IIB. Modelling of the mediating effects of knowledge sharing behavior (KSB) and self-regulated learning (SRL) on ICT students' individual and contextual antecedents is also considered.
TopIntroduction
This section will describe the general perspective of the chapter and end by specifically stating the objective.
The COVID-19 pandemic had accelerated emerging trends towards criteria and guidelines for the selection and implementation of internet-based digitalization and automation strategies underlying digital transformation (Goosen, 2004; Kalina, 2021). In this way, there has been an exponential increase in the demand for intelligent and reliable communication and collaboration solutions. Although the pandemic brings huge challenges for all economic agents, Garg and Garg (2021) indicated that the ‘smart’ capabilities brought by the Internet of Things are leading towards revolutionary applications, which have huge potential to improve efficiency multifold. Resilience and the capacity to adapt to new risks and challenges will be fundamental elements in society. Across all industries, recovery demands the incorporation “of the striking features of new business models”, new marketing channels and new markets that may be reached using Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), but also for innovative proposals and flexibility to capture value in a digital world, as well as to start, expand and/or improve businesses (Sufi & Ahmed, 2021). It is agreed that digital technologies played a crucial role during the pandemic to keep society functioning, with new vocabulary coming into daily life, such as groups of Information Technology (IT) students, who are working and learning in their ‘remote’ class (Mentz & Goosen, 2007), etc. In this context, it is fundamental that digitalization brings opportunities for a transition to a smarter economy based on innovation and entrepreneurship, using the potential of ICTs for a sustainable recovery towards the post-COVID-19 era (Ngugi & Goosen, 2021c).
Target Audience
Like the book, this chapter is mainly intended to support an academic audience (academics, university teachers, researchers and post-graduate students – at both Master and Doctorate levels). In addition, this chapter could be of benefit to public and private institutions, and even private and public organizations, as well as developers, business managers, and professionals with regard to this and related sectors of innovation or ICTs.
Recommended Topics
Since this is an edited publication, the authors of this chapter are seeking to publish a chapter covering the broad areas of innovation and ICTs, in line with the recommended topics for the book. Based on the list of proposed topics provided, which is necessarily generalist and indicative, the authors aim to cover the widest range possible, while still maintaining a balance of topics that remain within the authors’ remit of innovative, engaging and emergent approaches. Topics addressed in this chapter include:
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ICT pandemic times adoption
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ICT student solutions
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Case study application
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Social aspects of Information Systems (IS) education
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Social demand and innovative proposals
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e-Learning and education in the post COVID-19 era
Key Terms in this Chapter
Problem Solving: Refers to the cognitive engagement of a student in seeking and providing answers to ill-structured questions that have no best answer.
Specialization: Refers to the level of advancement in terms of knowledge and task competencies required to carry out a technological piece of work for instance programming skills.
Methods Autonomy: Refers to the degree of liberty and independence allowable to a student to choose methods and schedules while carrying out a technological assignment.
Class Communications: Refers to the structure means and forms of exchanges in a technology class or project group in seeking answers to ill-structured problems.
Rehearsal: Refers to the range of cognitive drills and dry runs that a student engages in repeatedly in the process of memorizing information and sequences required to encode technological information and procedures.
Skill Variety: Reflects the array or multifariousness of skill sets a student requires to accomplish a technological project.
Personal Interactions: Refer to the reciprocal informal personal communication and engagements with the goal of sharing knowledge.
Communities of Practice (CoP): Refer to an informal groupings of technology students who voluntary share and communicate similar technological interests and topics.