Threefold Optimized Forecasting of Electricity Consumption in Higher Education Institutions

Energy management benefits both consumers and utility companiesalike. Utility companies remain interested in identifying and reducing energywaste and theft, whereas consumers’ interest remain in lowering their energyexpenses. A large supply-demand gap of over 6 GW exists in Pakistan asreported in 2018. Reducing this gap from the supply side is an expensiveand complex task. However, efficient energy management and distributionon demand side has potential to reduce this gap economically. Electricityload forecasting models are increasingly used by energy managers in takingreal-time tactical decisions to ensure efficient use of resources. Advancementin Machine-learning (ML) technology has enabled accurate forecasting ofelectricity consumption. However, the impact of computation cost affordedby these ML models is often ignored in favour of accuracy. This studyconsiders both accuracy and computation cost as concurrently significantfactors because together they shape the technology environment as well ascreate economic impact. Thus, a three-fold optimized load forecasting modelis proposed which includes (1) application specific parameters selection, (2)impact of different dataset granularities and (3) implementation of specificdata preparation. It deploys and compares the widely used back-propagationArtificial Neural Network (ANN) and Random Forest (RF) models for theprediction of electricity consumption of buildings within a university. In addition to the temporal and historical power consumption date as input parameters, the study also embeds weather data as well as university operationalcalendars resulting in improved performance. The outcomes are indicativethat the granularity i.e. the scale of details in data, and set of reduced and fullinput parameters impact performance accuracies differently for ANN and RFmodels. Experimental results show that overall RF model performed betterboth in terms of accuracy as well as computational time for a 1-min, 15-minand 1-h dataset granularities with the mean absolute percentage error (MAPE)of 2.42, 3.70 and 4.62 in 11.1 s, 1.14 s and 0.3 s respectively, thus well suitedfor a real-time energy monitoring application.

A Tailor-made Data Quality Approach for Higher Educational Data

Purpose: This paper relates the definition of data quality procedures for knowledge organizations such as Higher Education Institutions. The main purpose is to present the flexible approach developed for monitoring the data quality of the European Tertiary Education Register(ETER) database, illustrating its functioning and highlighting the main challenges that still have to be faced in this domain.Design/methodology/approach: The proposed data quality methodology is based on two kinds of checks, one to assess the consistency of cross-sectional data and the other to evaluate the stability of multiannual data. This methodology has an operational and empirical orientation. This means that the proposed checks do not assume any theoretical distribution for the determination of the threshold parameters that identify potential outliers, inconsistencies, and errors in the data. Findings: We show that the proposed cross-sectional checks and multiannual checks are helpful to identify outliers, extreme observations and to detect ontological inconsistencies not described in the available meta-data. For this reason, they may be a useful complement to integrate the processing of the available information.Research limitations: The coverage of the study is limited to European Higher Education Institutions. The cross-sectional and multiannual checks are not yet completely integrated.Practical implications: The consideration of the quality of the available data and information is important to enhance data quality-aware empirical investigations, highlighting problems, and areas where to invest for improving the coverage and interoperability of data in future data collection initiatives.Originality/value: The data-driven quality checks proposed in this paper may be useful as a reference for building and monitoring the data quality of new databases or of existing databases available for other countries or systems characterized by high heterogeneity and complexity of the units of analysis without relying on pre-specified theoretical distributions.

Sustainability in Higher Education Institutions(HEI):Merging the Study Systematic Review,Analysis Content and Bibliometrics

This study aims to explore how the topic of sustainability in Higher Education Institutions(HEI)has been addressed in the scientific literature.It presents a systematic literature review of peer-reviewed journal articles published between 1975 and 2019.After that,bibliometric and content analyses were performed in order to identify the behavior and evolution of the literature and identify the frequency with which they appear in the text,making it possible to raise replicable and valid inferences to the data.The results of this study indicate that the theme is emerging since the year 2010 and with a strong focus on qualitative studies,focused on critical theory.The results indicate that although studies involve the tripod environment,economy,and society,there is still a gap in studies that deal with specific issues to solve practical problems and that analyze the impacts from a more holistic perspective.The combination of methods made it possible to identify and interpret the articles in the selected sample,but based on results reported by other authors,with little room for quality control and integrity.

Artificial Intelligence Techniques Based Learner Authentication in Cybersecurity Higher Education Institutions

Education 4.0 is being authorized more and more by the design of artificial intelligence(AI)techniques.Higher education institutions(HEI)have started to utilize Internet technologies to improve the quality of the service and boost knowledge.Due to the unavailability of information technology(IT)infrastructures,HEI is vulnerable to cyberattacks.Biometric authentication can be used to authenticate a person based on biological features such as face,fingerprint,iris,and so on.This study designs a novel search and rescue optimization with deep learning based learning authentication technique for cybersecurity in higher education institutions,named SRODLLAC technique.The proposed SRODL-LAC technique aims to authenticate the learner/student in HEI using fingerprint biometrics.Besides,the SRODLLACtechnique designs a median filtering(MF)based preprocessing approach to improving the quality of the image.In addition,the Densely Connected Networks(DenseNet-77)model is applied for the extraction of features.Moreover,search and rescue optimization(SRO)algorithm with deep neural network(DNN)model is utilized for the classification process.Lastly,template matching process is done for fingerprint identification.A wide range of simulation analyses is carried out and the results are inspected under several aspects.The experimental results reported the effective performance of the SRODL-LAC technique over the other methodologies.

Enhanced Artificial Intelligence-based Cybersecurity Intrusion Detection for Higher Education Institutions

As higher education institutions(HEIs)go online,several benefits are attained,and also it is vulnerable to several kinds of attacks.To accomplish security,this paper presents artificial intelligence based cybersecurity intrusion detection models to accomplish security.The incorporation of the strategies into business is a tendency among several distinct industries,comprising education,have recognized as game changer.Consequently,the HEIs are highly related to the requirement and knowledge of the learner,making the education procedure highly effective.Thus,artificial intelligence(AI)and machine learning(ML)models have shown significant interest in HEIs.This study designs a novel Artificial Intelligence based Cybersecurity Intrusion Detection Model for Higher Education Institutions named AICIDHEI technique.The goal of the AICID-HEI technique is to determine the occurrence of distinct kinds of intrusions in higher education institutes.The AICID-HEI technique encompassesmin-max normalization approach to preprocess the data.Besides,the AICID-HEI technique involves the design of improved differential evolution algorithm based feature selection(IDEA-FS)technique is applied to choose the feature subsets.Moreover,the bidirectional long short-term memory(BiLSTM)model is utilized for the detection and classification of intrusions in the network.Furthermore,the Adam optimizer is applied for hyperparameter tuning to properly adjust the hyperparameters in higher educational institutions.In order to validate the experimental results of the proposed AICID-HEI technique,the simulation results of the AICIDHEI technique take place by the use of benchmark dataset.The experimental results reported the betterment of the AICID-HEI technique over the other methods interms of different measures.

Management of the Higher Education Institution in the Ethical Actions Context

Managing the university in the context of ethics is one of many elements in the management of this specific organization. The task of university is functioning based on universal values, mission, vision, ethical codes, and responsibility and worthy behavior towards internal and external environment. In the era of globalization and constant changes, only a modernly managed higher education institution, acting according to principles of ethics, is able to meet requirements of surroundings. Behaviors of academic community should promote ethical actions in higher education institutions. It should be noted that the reputation, prestige in higher education, should also be based on the proceedings consistent with ethics.

A Study on the Management of Career Development of Young Teachers in Higher Education Institutions from the Perspective of Career Anchors

In January 2021,six departments in China,including the Ministry of Education jointly issued the Guiding Opinions on Strengthening Reform in HEI Teacher Capacity Building for the New Era which emphasizes support for career development of young teachers.From the perspective of the career anchor theory,this paper takes human resource management as a tool to analyze organizational environment at the macro and micro levels to find out how to facilitate career development of young teachers in higher education institutions.

Coping Strategies of Nigeria Higher Education Institutions during COVID-19 Lockdown

Beginning at the end of the year 2019,the novel coronavirus(COVID-19)has drowned the world into uncertainty and has threatened the continuity of traditional classroom learning that is the backbone and,in many cases,the main method of learning in most countries.This paper seeks to ascertain how Higher Institutions of learning in Nigeria have thrived during the lockdown period,based on the National policy document that spells out the guidelines for school reopening.Official documents such as newspaper reports university bulletins are used to corroborate in order to ascertain the implementation of the provisions of the policy guideline document as well as assess the efficacy of the measures on students’quality of learning.

Expedition to the blockchain application potential for higher education institutions

In the education sector,blockchain is currently at the end of the peak of inflated expectations in Gartner’s Hype Cycle.Thus,it is crucial to understand whether this technology meets the expectations of Higher Education Institutions(HEIs).We go on an expedition to identify blockchain application scenarios and its potential for HEI administration-the universities are digitalized to just 23.3%.Current information systems research addresses classifications of blockchain-based projects(application level)rather than their technical realization(protocol level).Thus,when evaluating blockchain application scenarios in HEI administration,we intensively consider the technical side of blockchain-based projects.We perform a threestep approach:(1)systematic literature review,(2)qualitative exploratory semi-structured interviews to sup-plement information on market-ready solutions,and(3)an evaluation of the potential of the blockchain-based projects identified,based on HEI administration requirements.We find that the leading blockchain application scenarios are credential verification and record-sharing.At the protocol level,we obtain equivocal results regarding the technical realization of projects,e.g.,their underlying blockchain types and storage models.At the application level,when discussing the potential of different projects,we find that most of them address adaptability,complexity decomposition,and cost reduction requirements between HEIs;interest diversity and stakeholder collaboration between HEIs and business actors;privacy and trust between HEIs and students.

Determinants of Satisfaction at Work and Its Reflections on Performance

This study examines the relationship between job satisfaction and performance,investigating personality traits and satisfaction aspects among employees of a Federal Higher Education Institution.A questionnaire was administered to 658 participants,using structural equation modeling for analysis.Results highlighted that challenging work,neuroticism,and self-esteem significantly influenced overall workplace satisfaction,while general satisfaction,self-efficacy,and lack of attention were key determinants of work performance.This emphasizes the importance for managers to prioritize factors enhancing employee satisfaction,as it positively correlates with job performance.

Optimizing University Faculty Teams: Addressing the Talent Mobility Challenges in the Context of “Double First-Class” Initiative

With the advancement of the“Double First-Class”initiative,universities are increasingly focusing on attracting top-tier talent to enhance faculty quality and strengthen academic disciplines.The blind competition for high-end talent among universities reflects an overshadowing of academic values by economic considerations,neglecting the growth patterns of top talent and the development laws of higher education.This study investigates and reflects on the real-world challenges of faculty mobility in universities,aiming to provide effective guidance for managing university faculty teams.

Higher Education For Sustainability:A Global Perspective

Higher education institutions have an essential role in sustainability.They are key agents in the education of future leaders that will contribute to the successful United Nations Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs)imple-mentation.The geography of SDGs this implementation is very heterogeneous,but it is clear that higher education institutions contribute decisively to creating a mindset that facilitates the dissemination of SDGs principle.This perspective paper analyses the impacts of higher education on sustainability and the challenges and barriers as-sociated with this process.Higher education contributes decisively to the SDGs implementation,but especially to Goal 1(end poverty in all its forms everywhere),Goal 3(ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages),Goal 5(gender equality),Goal 8(decent work and economic growth),Goal 12(responsible consumption and production),Goal 13(climate change)and Goal 16(peace,justice and strong institutions).As a transfor-mational agent,the higher education sector has a tremendous impact on students’habit and contribution to a prosperous society.However,to establish the required change in education,sustainability principles need to be at the heart of higher institutions strategy(e.g.,curricula,modus operandi)and is key to be incorporated in the organisational culture.Only by leading by example,the external influence in the society will be possible(e.g.,implementing SDGs key aspects such as gender quality,reduce waste reduction and energy consumption).For this to be a reality,different communication methods with students are needed(e.g.,different student academic levels).Nevertheless,critical challenges need to be tackled in the institutions inside and outside the institution environment,such as incorporating sustainability principles,political environment and stakeholders’interest.

Enlightenment of the Talent Training Mode of Japan's Colleges and Universities to China's five-year Higher Vocational Education

Since Jimei navigation College of Fujian Province started five-year junior college education in 1984,five-year higher vocational education has become one of the important forms of Higher Vocational Education in China.In the 1960s,with the rapid development of Japan's economy,there was a shortage of technical personnel.In order to cultivate a large number of technical personnel in a short period of time,Japan's specialized colleges and universities recruited junior high school graduates,studied in school for five years,and obtained an associate's degree after graduation,which provided a large number of technical personnel for the development of Japan's basic industry manufacturing industry.By combing the development process of Japan's colleges and universities,this paper studies Japan's colleges and universities from the aspects of school running subjects,talent training objectives,training methods and evaluation methods.It can provide the basis and implementation methods for China to better promote the convergence of secondary and higher vocational education,strengthen the training of secondary and higher vocational education,and provide theoretical basis and practical experience for improving the quality of five-year higher vocational education.

Higher Education in Taiwan： An Analysis of Trends Using the Theory of Punctuated Equilibrium

Taiwan is currently facing the serious challenge of decreasing enrollment in higher education institutes （HEIs） due to the oversupply of these institutions and decreasing birthrates. This has necessitated that policymakers implement new policies to meet the demands of the market. This paper uses punctuated equilibrium theory （PET） to explain the circumstances that led to the overexpansion of Taiwan＇s higher education institutions over the past decades. This article also analyzes the social contexts and ramifications of social conflict regarding public expectations and policy changes in the ideology of the educational reform movement.

Multimodal Approach to Teaching English in Higher Education

With the deepening of educational reform and the continuous development of the times,the traditional English teaching model has been difficult to meet the current society’s demand for requirements of English talents.Therefore,from the perspective of multi-mode,colleges and universities should recognize the shortcomings of traditional English teaching mode,and actively innovate and reform English teaching through various effective ways,so as to cultivate talents that meet the needs of social development.The author investigates and analyzes the multimodal theory and proposes an effective way to teach English in higher education under the multimodal vision.It is hoped that it will help to improve the quality of English language teaching in higher education institutions.

New Features and Trends of Higher Education during the Epidemic Period

The epidemic that ravaged the world has had impact on every element of human endeavors,including education.This devastation was evident in the speed with which several countries'ministries of education shut down school activities and halted academic sessions.In the wake of the epidemic,several trends and features has emerged in the higher education sector as higher education institutions tries to create methods to offset the disruptive impacts of the COVID-19 epidemic on their activities and operations.The trends that will shape the future of the higher education industry are not new.However,the epidemic on the other hand has hastened their progress.It has become evident over the last year what the post-epidemic higher education institutions will look like.The rapid speed of change that has already begun will continue.It is in tandem to this that this paper identifies and discusses some of the emerging trends and new features of higher education in the epidemic period.

Development and construction of China's higher education libraries

Libraries in China's higher education institutions have been developing in keeping pace with the flourishing development of China's higher education. This article aims to make an introduction to the construction of China's higher education libraries, especially the recent three decades' achievements since China's reform and opening-up in 1978. In this article, the authors draw a general picture of the development of libraries in China's higher education institutions, covering such eight aspects as management, types and positioning,organizational structure and personnel, expenditure and buildings, reader service, building and sharing of resources as well as automation system.

Exploring the Potentialities of Automatic Extraction of University Webometric Information

Purpose:The main objective of this work is to show the potentialities of recently developed approaches for automatic knowledge extraction directly from the universities’websites.The information automatically extracted can be potentially updated with a frequency higher than once per year,and be safe from manipulations or misinterpretations.Moreover,this approach allows us flexibility in collecting indicators about the efficiency of universities’websites and their effectiveness in disseminating key contents.These new indicators can complement traditional indicators of scientific research(e.g.number of articles and number of citations)and teaching(e.g.number of students and graduates)by introducing further dimensions to allow new insights for“profiling”the analyzed universities.Design/methodology/approach:Webometrics relies on web mining methods and techniques to perform quantitative analyses of the web.This study implements an advanced application of the webometric approach,exploiting all the three categories of web mining:web content mining;web structure mining;web usage mining.The information to compute our indicators has been extracted from the universities’websites by using web scraping and text mining techniques.The scraped information has been stored in a NoSQL DB according to a semistructured form to allow for retrieving information efficiently by text mining techniques.This provides increased flexibility in the design of new indicators,opening the door to new types of analyses.Some data have also been collected by means of batch interrogations of search engines(Bing,www.bing.com)or from a leading provider of Web analytics(SimilarWeb,http://www.similarweb.com).The information extracted from the Web has been combined with the University structural information taken from the European Tertiary Education Register(https://eter.joanneum.at/#/home),a database collecting information on Higher Education Institutions(HEIs)at European level.All the above was used to perform a clusterization of 79 Italian universities based on structural and digital indicators.Findings:The main findings of this study concern the evaluation of the potential in digitalization of universities,in particular by presenting techniques for the automatic extraction of information from the web to build indicators of quality and impact of universities’websites.These indicators can complement traditional indicators and can be used to identify groups of universities with common features using clustering techniques working with the above indicators.Research limitations:The results reported in this study refers to Italian universities only,but the approach could be extended to other university systems abroad.Practical implications:The approach proposed in this study and its illustration on Italian universities show the usefulness of recently introduced automatic data extraction and web scraping approaches and its practical relevance for characterizing and profiling the activities of universities on the basis of their websites.The approach could be applied to other university systems.Originality/value:This work applies for the first time to university websites some recently introduced techniques for automatic knowledge extraction based on web scraping,optical character recognition and nontrivial text mining operations(Bruni&Bianchi,2020).

E-Learning during COVID-19 Outbreak: Cloud Computing Adoption in Indian Public Universities

In the COVID-19 pandemic situation,the need to adopt cloud computing(CC)applications by education institutions,in general,and higher education(HE)institutions,in particular,has especially increased to engage students in an online mode and remotely carrying out research.The adoption of CC across various sectors,including HE,has been picking momentum in the developing countries in the last few years.In the Indian context,the CC adaptation in the HE sector(HES)remains a less thoroughly explored sector,and no comprehensive study is reported in the literature.Therefore,the aim of the present study is to overcome this research vacuum and examine the factors that impact the CC adoption(CCA)by HE institutions(HEIs)in India.The scope of the study is limited to public universities(PUs)in India.There are,in total,465 Indian PUs and among these 304 PUs,(i.e.,65%PUs)are surveyed using questionnaire-based research.The study has put forth a novel integrated technology adoption framework consisting of the Technology Acceptance Model(TAM),Technology-Organization-Environment(TOE),and Diffusion of Innovation(DOI)in the context of the HES.This integrated TAM-TOE-DOI framework is utilized in the study to analyze eleven hypotheses concerning factors of CCA that have been tested using structural equation modelling(SEM)and confirmatory factor analysis(CFA).The findings reveal that competitive advantage(CA),technology compatibility(TC),technology readiness(TR),senior leadership support,security concerns,government support,and vendor support are the significant contributing factors of CCA by Indian PUs.The study contends that whereas the rest of the factors positively affect the PUs’intention towards CCA,security concerns are a significant reason for the reluctance of these universities against adopting CC.The findings demonstrated the application of an integrated TAM-TOE-DOI framework to assess determining factors of CCA in Indian PUs.Further,the study has given useful insights into the successful CCA by Indian PUs,which will facilitate eLearning and remote working during COVID-19 or similar outbreak.

Legal status changes in Chinese higher education institutions in the education system reform

During the past twenty years,higher education institutions in China have gained enormous rights due to both the streamlining of administration and the decentralization of the government.Their legal status has hence changed dramatically.However,the expansion of their rights has also brought about the possibility of higher education institutions profiting by pursuing development.The influence of the market has begun to permeate higher education institutions,and this change has shown some characteristics of induced institutional changes.Accordingly,higher education institutions should be regulated from the perspective of public law,so as to ensure their public nature.