Determining the most significant nodes in complex networks is more crucial for a broad spectrum of applications. In order to assess a node’s significance, traditional centrality metrics are largely based on the network’s structural configuration. However, the asymmetric link between a node’s structural features, including local information, and its functional value is not well captured by them. To overcome these issues, we propose a machine learning approach for node assessment that identifies the nonlinear interaction between network structure and node functionality. We implement a system that derives features for each node as a vector, by utilizing the traditional existing centrality measures like degree (D), betweenness (B), closeness (C), katz (K), clustering coefficient (CC), pagerank (PR), global relative change in average closeness (GRAC), global relative change in average clustering coefficient (GRACC), global relative change in average katz (GRAK), global relative change in average betweenness (GRAB), global relative change in average pagerank (GRAPR), and global relative change in average degree (GRAD). The system incorporates the infection rate as a key factor in contagion modelling, labelling each node by its verified spreading ability through Independent Cascade and SIR simulations. Our main objective is to comprehend the underlying relationship between a disease’s actual spreading capacity and its rate of infection using machine learning techniques. The machine learning model effectiveness is evaluated in two scenarios: (1) exhibits higher accuracy than traditional centrality measures when trained and tested on the same network, (2) while GRACC, GRAK, GRAPR, GRAB, GRAC, and GRAD outperform the machine learning techniques when trained data is from one network and tested data is from another network. The suggested machine learning method exhibits an accuracy of 25% higher than existing centrality approaches in two distinct scenarios, highlighting its potential in a wide range of applications.

School teachers, both experienced and novice, are bound to follow the predesigned K-12 curriculum focusing primarily on theoretical content knowledge. They have only limited opportunities to get acquainted with experiential teaching methods incorporating practical laboratory experiments. Deficiency of practical knowledge upskill programs predominantly affects teaching competence in subjects like basic electronics. Fostering electronics teaching competency is often ignored despite the higher significance of electronics. Further, there is a scarcity of research studies on the effectiveness of practical electronics training for school teachers. Against this backdrop, this paper explores the impact of a hands-on training cum experimentation program for school teachers organized by the IEEE Education Society (EdSoc) Kerala Chapter. Titled as ‘School Teachers' Electronics Practicals Upskilling Program (STEP-UP),‘ it envisioned upskilling school teachers of Kerala, a southern state in India. The STEP-UP was focused on basic electronics engineering for day-to-day applications. To study the impact of STEP-UP on school teachers, we used the Kirkpatrick model, an established method for evaluating training programs. The impact assessment of the training program is deliberated based on the revised Kirkpatrick model with the integration of STEP-UP keywords. It was inferred from the study that school teachers are interested in actively participating in practical skill development programs. Moreover, teachers' degree of involvement emphasizes the potential of such programs in enhancing teaching quality rooted in experiential learning. The paper ends with offering a few suggestions and recommendations in accordance with the research findings on the impact of STEP-UP.

The engineering education today emphasizes the need to combine book learning with real-world application. However, much of the research done by undergraduates, which could be very valuable, is scattered and not fully used. To address this, a new tool called “AI-based Research Companion (ARC)” has been developed. ARC leverages advanced Generative AI technology, including GPT-4, to systematically organize, enhance, and offer personalized recommendations for undergraduate research projects. This platform is more than a simple tool; it aims to inspire undergraduates to dive into research by making the process approachable and engaging, thus increasing participation in research activities. Initial assessments of ARC have revealed an encouraging rise in student engagement with research, indicating a shift towards more research-oriented projects. The integration of GPT-4 within ARC stands out significantly; it precisely addresses the detailed demands of undergraduate research by providing a tailored, intelligent exploration pathway. By incorporating GPT-4's advanced features with a user-centric design, ARC emerges as an innovative platform, emphasizing the pivotal role of Generative AI in enhancing and expanding undergraduate research initiatives.

This paper presents the System for Emotion and Engagement Recognition in Education (SEERE), a cutting-edge advancement integrating computer vision and deep learning tech-nologies to evaluate real-time student engagement through facial emotion recognition and eye tracking. SEERE, a transformative educational tool built on the robust YOLO V8 architecture, customizes the FER2013 dataset, making use of meticulously annotated emotion and eye position data. It goes further, es-tablishing a unique ‘concentration metric,’ a quantitative index of student engagement, bridging a gap in modern responsive teaching approaches. Higher concentration metrics signal height-ened student engagement, offering educators real-time data to adjust teaching techniques and feedback accordingly. The paper provides a thorough review of facial emotion recognition models, setting the stage for understanding the innovative strides made by SEERE. Detailed discussions on the prototype's design and architecture are followed by initial experimental results, reinforcing the system's validity and potential.

The innate ability to recognize facial expressions and associated emotions is fundamental to human communication. Technology advancements have enabled computers to perform similar tasks to a considerable extent, opening versatile applications in diverse domains. In particular, Facial Emotion Recognition (FER) technology has recently been widely explored for investigating student engagement in classroom settings. While previous research studies mainly captivated the FER practice in engagement detection, far too little attention has been paid to the real-time emotional states of students during classroom interactions. In this regard, this paper introduces the In-Class Student Emotion and Engagement Detection System (iSEEDS), a novel AI-based approach for pinpointing learners' emotional states during classroom lectures. The iSEEDS employs Convo-lutional Neural Network (CNN) models for emotion detection and corresponding eye movement analysis. The system can help educators respond in real-time to students' emotional states and engagement levels. It can support responsive teaching by initiating remedial feedback in accordance with students' current emotions and engagement. A detailed literature review of existing emotion recognition models is presented as a background of iSEEDS development. Then the initial prototype model design and illustrative test results are discussed. Potential applications of iSEEDS and future research directions are also elaborated.

The COVID-19 pandemic has reformed the teaching-learning processes in engineering education across the globe. Virtual classrooms substituted physical classrooms with the widespread use of online meeting platforms. The proliferation of virtual classrooms not only paved the way for accelerated digital transformation but also brought back some elementary issues in engineering education. Many engineering students face difficulties in comprehending the fundamental concepts in their courses during virtual learning. As real-world engineering solutions depend on conceptual clarity, misconceptions of basic engineering principles need to be taken seriously. If not identified, analysed and corrected with constructive feedback, misconceptions on various engineering topics can create challenging obstacles in learning. Against this backdrop, this research study introduces a novel solution titled Classification of Students Misconceptions in Individualised Learning Environment (C-SMILE). The primary objective of the C-SMILE system is to examine the usefulness of personalised automated feedback to students to enhance their conceptual understanding by pinpointing their misconceptions. Besides, we propose a method by which students’ misconceptions can be effectively classified for every instructional objective in every engineering course using machine learning techniques. Our pilot-study results show that the proposed C-SMILE system can precisely classify students’ misconceptions in engineering education settings.

Agriculture is an innovative way of cultivating crops where the resources are optimized to reduce the harmful impacts on environment and to get better crop yields. India has immense opportunities to make use of the potential of Agri-Tech solutions as majority of farmers possess small land holdings. Ecological sustainability is another significant challenge currently needed to be addressed. The paper propose a Smart-Agri architecture based on digital systems with available technologies for incorporating the factors required for better crop yield and to maintain a sustainable ecosystem. The architecture specifically caters to the need of Small Cardamom which is grown in hilly regions and is particularly much delicate to the climate changes. Due to the rampant use of fertilizers and pesticides, lot of degradation has happened to the Cardamom hill reserve zones over past few decades. In the system, data is to be collected from different parts of a farm using mesh connected ZigBee network making a low-power framework, to monitor soil and plant health and analyze data for finding implications to sort out recommendations meeting sustainability and crop goals. The proposed architecture aims to optimize the resources for small farms by assessing the needs of farmlands. This helps to mitigate the adverse effects on nature.