Mobile devices' popularity, particularly tablets and smartphones, has increased over the last years as a result of their versatility and multifunctionality. That consequently led to a wide daily use by everyone and especially among young people. Since 2010 the sales market for mobile devices has not stopped growing. This is justified by the fact that these devices present many advantages, namely usability, portability, versatility, adaptability and an ability to customize individual experiences. In the context of the teaching-learning process, mobile devices allow overcoming the temporal and physical boundaries of the classroom, since information is omnipresent and no longer limited to a specific time and place for learning, thus promoting the mLearning. In this way it is important to analyze the use of mLearning, particularly the acceptance rate and uses of mobile technologies devices in higher education Portuguese institutions. In order to answering this issue, this paper analyzes the evolution and trends in the use of mobile technologies in higher education institutions in Portugal (North region) between

Cross-Company Churn Prediction (CCCP) is a domain of research where one company (target) is lacking enough data and can use data from another company (source) to predict customer churn successfully. To support CCCP, the cross-company data is usually transformed to a set of similar normal distribution of target company data prior to building a CCCP model. However, it is still unclear which data transformation method is most effective in CCCP. Also, the impact of data transformation methods on CCCP model performance using different classifiers have not been comprehensively explored in the telecommunication sector. In this study, we devised a model for CCCP using data transformation methods (i.e., log, z-score, rank and box-cox) and presented not only an extensive comparison to validate the impact of these transformation methods in CCCP, but also evaluated the performance of underlying baseline classifiers (i.e., Naive Bayes (NB), K-Nearest Neighbour (KNN), Gradient Boosted Tree (GBT), Single Rule Induction (SRI) and Deep learner Neural net (DP)) for customer churn prediction in telecommunication sector using the above mentioned data transformation methods. We performed experiments on publicly available datasets related to the telecommunication sector. The results demonstrated that most of the data transformation methods (e.g., log, rank, and box-cox) improve the performance of CCCP significantly. However, the Z-Score data transformation method could not achieve better results as compared to the rest of the data transformation methods in this study. Moreover, it is also investigated that the CCCP model based on NB outperform on transformed data and DP, KNN and GBT performed on the average, while SRI classifier did not show significant results in term of the commonly used evaluation measures (i.e., probability of detection, probability of false alarm, area under the curve and g-mean).

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The creation and usage of serious games on virtual reality (VR) and/or interactive platforms for the teaching of architecture, construction, urban planning, and other derived areas, such as security and risk prevention, require design processes, studies, and research that lead to further consolidation expansion. In that sense, this paper presents two main aims developed: the improvement of a virtual navigation system through the results of previous user studies and mixed research (quantitative and qualitative) improved based on the user perception for educational and professional uses. The VR system used is based on Unreal Engine programming of the HTC Vive sensor. This study is related to the GAME4City 3.0 and a broader project focused on gamified visualization and its educational uses in architectural and urban projects. The results reflect great interest, good usability, and high motivation for further usage for all types of users. However, an apparent resistance to deepen its use continues to be perceived in academia. Based on the research results, weak points of educational gamified systems have been identified, and the main differences and needs in user profiles’ function. With these data, progress regarding implementing this kind of system at the teaching and professional levels must be pursued.

Due to the global pandemic (COVID-19) currently facing humanity, a new environment that promotes teaching–learning is now emerging. This environment that challenges traditional teaching practices created an opportunity for the technology industry to capitalize on by developing creative e-learning platforms that empowers the teaching–learning process, during this ‘emergency’ situation. E-learning scenario is an important element to be considered, as it offers a host of benefits, such as reducing costs, allowing for education on-demand, etc., to its adopters. However, the application of this could bring some challenges, as some of the existing online platforms are not conducive to support clear communication among academic staff. This paper describes a report identifying the main problems faced by teachers and students from different countries in Latin America, when using e-learning platforms in a lockdown scenario, reporting the importance to include aspects related with emotions and awareness.

The main aim of this study is to assess the spatial perception of historical world heritage buildings using wearable technologies in an educational framework. The proposal seeks to complement the real experience of visiting the Casa Batllo´ Museum, an emblematic space (1904-1906, Antonio Gaudı´, Barcelona). The main innovative feature of the project is focused on the usability assessment of the videoguide indoor location-based system. The article addresses the first phase of a more complex project, analyzing the behavior of architecture students previously trained in modeling of complex buildings, in order to improve the system for a second phase that will be developed with students with special needs. Using an indoor location system for watching multimedia contents, we can improve the access, the visit, and the spatial perception of historical places for all kinds of students, with or without

The aim of this article is to study how students currently understand the conception of space through different media and how that understanding helps them to intervene in the space. Firstly, the process of teaching and learning as well as innovative supporting technologies are analysed, revealing the characteristics of the contemporary student profile and better ways of teaching according to it. Secondly, we describe the evaluation of an experiment with a virtual reality (VR) system for urban project design with students of architecture from two universities. The premise is that the technology used in VR is familiar to the current profile of students. This paper aims to study the advantages and disadvantages of this trend and to find a balance. To do so, we use a quantitative method to evaluate students' profiles and their level of satisfaction with the system. The results were obtained by a questionnaire and a survey, which show the role and use of technologies in the students' environment and the degree of satisfaction when using it in the educational processes. In line with our assumptions, the value of satisfaction in the use of an advanced visualization technology in the classroom reveals a high level of motivation, in general, with differentiation between students in their first and last phases of studies.

The pervasive games (PG) have had a great reception in recent years. This kind of games combines the virtual world with the real world to generate extensions of reality in terms of time, space and social interaction. These extensions have involved users in experiences as varied as those exposed by augmented reality and the location of the player or mixed reality scenarios. In the educational context, games have been integrated little by little into learning processes. Specifically, PG have shown to have a higher level of immersion in people's daily activities. Therefore, a greater impact is generated when integrating the technologies of the PG and the narrative of a story that is told through the gaming experience. In order to explore some fields, we focus the study on the narrative and geolocation applied to close spaces, it is a way of giving an enriched experience to the player through a digital transformation perspective. For this reason, it is necessary to have a platform that allows the creation and edition of PG based on narrative to increase the motivation of higher education students. This article describes the creation of a platform that integrates tools for creating stories and editing narrative content in the game experiences. The main objective is focused on increasing the motivation of students in educational processes. Specifically, the platform allows the creation of pervasive gaming experiences in closed spaces on university campuses. In addition, the results of a test case developed with the platform and its validation through statistical tools and gameplay metrics are exposed, thus demonstrating the increase in students' motivation through the use of PG.