Central-European Journal of New Technologies in Research, Education and Practice

Educational Issues Raised by the Availability of the Quantum Computer

Ferenc Koczka — 2023-05-09

The development of quantum computers is bringing major changes to the IT sector. These computers, based on completely new principles, can provide effective solutions to previously unsolvable problems. Regulations have already been introduced in the European Union and Hungarian law to confirm that we are getting closer to the era of quantum computers. Therefore, we believe that education and teachers should follow the development of these machines so that future students in the field of information technology, whether they are IT teachers, physicists, or programmers, are not caught unawares. In this article, we present some examples from abroad where quantum computing topics are already included at certain levels of education.

Chatbot Development using APIs and Integration into the MOOC

Kovan Mzwri — 2023-05-09

In recent years, chatbot technologies have evolved into modern information and communication technology applications that perform many virtual tasks, including learning. One of the challenges in improving the chatbot is the insufficient knowledge base of chatbots, including education-oriented conversational agents, the challenges in connecting the chatbot with course content on Massive Open Online Course platforms. In this study, a chatbot was developed to answer questions using publicly available technologies, specifically Application Program Interfaces (APIs) that promise convenient user accessibility via APIs, such as the Facebook Messenger platform along with wit.ai API, Canvas MOOC API, and Wikipedia API.
API technologies were used to connect the chatbot to selected course content on the MOOC platform as well as to large knowledge bases such as Wikipedia to expand the knowledge base of the Conversational Agent. The course selected for the chatbot integration was on general informatics topics. Most course participants interacted with the chatbot via the Facebook Messenger platform using their handheld devices. Thus, integrating the chatbot into a widely used platform such as Facebook Messenger is a convenient and effective way for reaching learners. The API technology enabled an efficient connection between the chatbot and third-party apps, including the Messenger app, wit.ai, Canvas MOOC, and Wikipedia. This was due to the variety, richness, manipulation capabilities, and format of data that an API can transfer. In addition, the Wikipedia API seemed to be a vast source of information for expanding the chatbot's knowledge base. Not all of the queries posed to the chatbot were part of the course content. Some participants questioned the personality of the chatbot and were curious about the persona of the conversational agent. This suggests that a chatbot that has been endowed with some personality traits is stimulating and more likely to be accepted by learners.

Talent Targeting at secondary school – Pilot Study

Pál György Sarmasági — 2023-05-09

All students have the right to an education that is appropriate to their ability, but this is not the case in practice, either at home or internationally. Public education focuses on the middle of the Gaussian curve, and deviating from it in either direction is unfortunate, especially for students with a talent for computer science. The first step in providing the right level of education and talent management is to identify the students concerned. To support this aim, the article presents a complex approach used in business. The identification of the target group, its dynamic management, and the organization of the necessary measurements into a coherent concept form the theoretical background of an ongoing experiment.