Artificial Intelligence (AI) has gradually become an ever-increasing feature of today's society through an ongoing and often nonlinear diffusion of AI-powered applications. Education couldn't be an exception, where we observe utilisation of AI for different purposes, varying from adaptive learning platforms to content creation, translations, virtual tutoring, and enhancement of learning support, among others. In the light of such developments, nevertheless, ethical implications should be revisited. The increasing use of Artificial Intelligence in Education invites commentators to explore practices of responsible use and ethical considerations. For example, transparency, data privacy, protection, bias and fairness are just some of the ethical considerations that need to be addressed at the intersection of AI and education. The current paper explores the relationship of AI and ethics for students in a Cypriot University. The analysis draws on the findings of a survey conducted among students to identify what ethical requirements and considerations are aware of amidst ongoing AI use. A number of important practical implications stem by the findings that may be important for educators and university administrators. Among others, the findings suggest that although students are not very knowledgeable about data privacy and ethical implications, they still have a sense about the importance of protection - something that underlines the role of Higher Education Institutions in training and guiding learners in their AI-powered learning journey.

This study explores students' familiarity, usage patterns, and perceptions of Generative AI (GenAI) tools, focusing on their potential applications in education. Using a structured questionnaire, data were collected from 167 respondents to assess familiarity with AI, GenAI, and specific interfaces such as ChatGPT, Dall-E and Google Gemini. Findings indicate that while most respondents are somewhat familiar with AI and GenAI, familiarity with specific tools varies significantly, with ChatGPT being the most recognized and used. Text-based tools dominate usage, primarily for tasks like explaining concepts, summarizing content, and translation. Challenges encountered include issues with accuracy, ease of use, and instruction specificity. Despite these challenges, respondents identify personalized learning resources, automated grading systems, and virtual tutors as the most valuable educational applications. The study highlights the transformative potential of GenAI in education while underscoring the need for improved tool design and expanded training to optimize its adoption.

Artificial Intelligence (AI), a transformative, multifaceted force is gaining recognition for its potential impact on all aspects of business; its applications can vary, depending on the specific industry and firm. The present study assesses the AI awareness of 4 0 doctoral students attending an international summer school program regarding the value of AI applications in improving business processes, and cost effectiveness. The participants responded to an online survey after the completion of the program. The results indicated that the participants strongly prefer automation, secure and cost-effective processes which they claim lead to improved and increased competitiveness. Although they also value the accuracy and speed of several applications such as ChatGPT and other LLMs, they also expressed concern, about data privacy, security, ethical implications, biases and regulation. In addition, they stated concerns about AI's impact on human dignity and the likelihood of wealth inequality, stating that AI may widen global inequality, exacerbating inequality both between countries and within-countries. Furthermore, one fourth of the participants indicated that what hindered their place of work to implement AI applications was the high initial cost, fear of security risks, loss of jobs contributing to colleagues' unemployment, and lack of AI specialized skills, as they are witnessing an AI skills gap. Moreover, the participants in terms of human communication, commented on AI's capability of absorbing immense amounts of information quickly and efficiently, however, human language, human communication is so unique that it cannot be replicated by any other species; AI has no idea what it is saying or writing, thus leading to loss or dramatic reduction in human communication. They believe that AI in business should serve as a driver for innovation and growth, contributing to decision-making enhancement and its successful integration into various business functions, covering all business transactions. Embracing with caution AI within an innovative organizational culture is of utmost importance for any industry. The findings of the current study underline AI's value and recommend to leverage its benefits. The findings also serve as guides for universities curriculum development and modification to accommodate stated concerns.

Technological advancement goes through ongoing alterations, re-writing the rules and norms of social relationships among members in society. One area that has particularly affected behaviors in the last few years is the use of social media. Many people use social media for communication with friends and relatives, news sharing, being informed about world events, posting personal stories etc. Within this context, the current paper explores diverse aspects related to the selection and usage of social media along with practices related to user-generated content by university students. More specifically, topics such as which social media are used more often and for what reasons, frequency of usage and posting on social media, network size, types of user generated content are explored. The analysis draws on findings collected through a survey from learners at all levels of higher education. While some of the findings resonate with existing studies, such as the popularity of Instagram and Facebook, the relatively long hours young people spent on social media and the importance of connecting with friends and family, other findings are quite unexpected, including responders' preferences for physical rather than online interaction with followers, as well as the rise of real names in social media as opposed to pseudonyms and anonymity.

Intellectual Property (IP) is an integral part of every business organization large or small, including Technology companies needing to build around and establish themselves on intellectual property. Managing Intellectual Property is a very sophisticated and complex function, which involves not only managers, but technologists as well, since it requires a combination of special knowledge and skills in Law, Business Processes, and Innovation. Therefore, Higher Education institutions need to educate not only Law students about IP; technology major students should also receive a profound interdisciplinary education built in collaboration with Law schools, covering the core IP disciplines – patent, copyright, trademark, and trade secrets. The current paper reports on the pedagogical approaches used to design an undergraduate interdisciplinary course for technology major students, in Higher Education (HE). By employing a more holistic approach to IP Management, the course shall aim at enriching students’ knowledge by offering a solid theoretical basis on up-to-date insights in industry practices. The suggestions of the paper are expected to assist educators and practitioners to acquire the necessary knowledge on such interdisciplinary course development and teaching. This course aims to be beneficial not only to science but also to engineering and business students.

The Metaverse technology is an innovation that is expected to have far-reaching effects in many areas of life, including education. It could potentially significantly change the way education is provided, by enabling immersive teaching and learning experiences in both virtual and conventional class environments. A key aspect of its potential adoption concerns the extent to which learners consider it useful and easy to use. This paper aims to contribute to the understanding of Metaverse utilization through a study of students’ opinion in a Cypriot University. The study investigates the level of students’ knowledge about the Metaverse, what educational activities they are interested in engaging in and their perceptions of a Metaverse as a Learning Environment ease of use and usefulness. Results suggest that the majority of students are aware of the term Metaverse but do not know much about working in such a learning environment. Moreover, they are interested mainly in doing experiments that are dangerous in real life, learning languages and using it for 3D simulation. At the same time, they have a relatively positive perception of its usefulness and ease of use.

Digitization is an ever-increasing feature of today's society and the ongoing and often nonlinear diffusion of technology has an impact on several aspects of work. For example., existing methods and processes often need to change., established cultures are challenged., new knowledge is necessary., whereas ethical implications should be revisited. Moreover., while technology changes., it also alters the skills needed by graduates., especially in terms of social and ethical competences. The current paper explores the relationship of societal and ethical considerations for students in the light of technology diffusion., and whether education needs to employ specific learning strategies in the curriculum to instill ethical values and skills to technology major students. The analysis draws on the findings of a survey conducted among students to identify what ethical requirements and tools are aware of., how such ethical considerations can be applied at the workplace and the ethical implications for the technologies they currently use. A number of important practical implications stem by the findings., which may be linked to societal and ethical considerations in education.

In the light of increasing digitization, organizations, trade unions, human resource practitioners and other stakeholders need to evaluate the changes brought by technology diffusion on employment. This is because technological transformation is often linked to employment controversies and challenges. Varying from worker-monitoring and loss of privacy, to fewer employment opportunities and replacement of humans by machines, technology is behind some of the tensions appearing today in labor relations and human resource management. Within this framework, the purpose of the paper is to examine how technology students perceive technology-led change, its possible impact on human resources, and whether curriculum should include ethical dimensions to better prepare them for their future career. In other words, does Digital Transformation necessitate a change in education so that students (and future technology graduates) get equipped with the necessary ethical mindset and human resource management skills? Following this line of thought, the current study is conducted at the intersection of digitization, human resource management, and business ethics. The analysis draws on the findings of a survey, conducted among undergraduate and postgraduate technology students in December 2022. A number of important practical implications stem by the findings, which can be linked to existing learning strategies and pedagogy.

Metaverse, an immersive virtual world that is facilitated by the use of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), is expected to be soon part of our lives. Indeed, in some areas, such as in the game industry, this revolutionary technology is already being used. In the context of education, however, metaverse is not yet being extensively utilized and its possible usage is currently being debated. To contribute to this debate, the current study explores students' and educators' perceptions of metaverse and its potential to be used in education. To study these questions a mixed research approach was employed combining both quantitative and qualitative data collection. Specifically, an online questionnaire was distributed to students and semi structured interviews have been conducted with lecturers. Results suggest that students and teachers have a relatively good understanding of metaverse and foresee its utilization in education in the next few years. They remain open about the extent to which this will happen and divided as how fundamental a change it will be.

Digitization is becoming a prevalent feature of modern workplace. However, while technology changes, it also alters the expectations of the industry in terms of graduates’ knowledge and skills. This change, in turn, necessitates a change in education so that students get equipped with the necessary technology and strategy skills prior to employment. The current paper explores the relationship of technology and strategy in a business school. The analysis draws on the findings of a survey, conducted among students, to identify what technologies students use during lessons, what technologies they are aware of, and what opportunities they get to strategize throughout their learning journey. A number of important practical implications stem by the findings, which can be linked to existing learning strategies and pedagogy.

Digital Transformation is a three-dimensional model of change comprising Culture, Processes and Technology that can transform organizations leading them to the future. Since progressive companies seek for leaders who can design and manage digital strategy, there is a need for Higher Education Programs that will prepare future DT experts. This study reports on the process of developing a Distance Learning ‘Master of Science in Digital Transformation Management’ Program at a private University in Cyprus. The paper describes and explains the philosophy and foundation that underline the new program; reports on the program’s evaluation by experts from the fields of Management Information Systems, Management, Business Strategy, Human Resource Management, and Humanities and Social Sciences; describes the Program, including its academic path; and recommends that, before designing such specialized programs, higher educational institutions should include multidisciplinary expert feedback in their feasibility studies.

Experiential learning has been a core notion in higher education for nearly half a century. However, the application of experiential learning practices on virtual classes is somewhat limited. In this paper, we test different practices of experiential learning intended for online learning. We draw on electronic end-of-module surveys, which have been completed by students upon completion of the class. The sample concerns the completed questionnaires of 197 post-graduate students. Based on these findings, we present a three-pillar model which relies on a) online communities, b) learning-by-doing as part of continuous assessment and, c) multicultural teamwork, to promote experiential learning by replicating a `workplace environment'.

This paper explores the views and experiences of students after the transition from face-to-face to online learning as a result of Covid-19 contingency plan. Most importantly, almost a year since the transition, the study explores the perceived student benefit or loss that occurred through online learning - in a private university in Cyprus. Also, the study examines how the transition is likely to influence students' future education choices. A computer-administered questionnaire was sent to undergraduate students in the field of computing and management. The findings suggest that although students enjoyed several aspects of online learning (such as the recorded lecturers), the overwhelming majority believes that face-to-face is superior. The results of the study may assist educators adjust or enrich their post-pandemic learning offerings accordingly.

This paper analyzes technology major students' experience in combining in campus work and study. Using structured interviews, it examines the factors influencing students' choice, the challenges and benefits of the experience, the skills developed and the impact on their studies. Results suggest that students choose to work for financial reasons and for gaining work experience, but also because of lecturer encouragement. Regarding the challenges in working and studying, the main one was managing time, while benefits include gaining work experience, widening social circle/socialization and putting in practice what was learned in class. The main skills developed were time management, critical thinking and problem solving, written and verbal communication, and teamwork. Finally, the impact on studies is mostly seen as positive since, despite time pressures, students feel that work has helped them appreciate the application of theoretical knowledge gained in class and made them more organized and improved their ability to work with deadlines.

This study explores the dynamics that arise within multidisciplinary and multicultural teams working on real life cases and authentic problems and the effectiveness of such dynamics on the learning process of the Undergraduate Course “Management of Innovation and Technology” at the University of Nicosia. For the purpose of this study, a mixed method approach has been used combining qualitative and quantitative analyses. The data has been elicited through online questionnaires and the lecturer’s direct observation notes. The results of the study indicate that Multidisciplinary and Multicultural Knowledge Transfer and Sharing take place among peers coming from diverse disciplines and cultures. The paper highlights the significance of multidisciplinary and multicultural collaboration in teamworking using Case-based and Problem-based Learning activities. These types of activities expose the teams to complex real-life cases and authentic problems to solve, and equip students with knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in today’s competitive global marketplace.

This paper aims to identify main challenges in the transition from engineering to management and analyse how management education can assist in this transition. In relation to the first aim it suggests that key challenges relate to delegating, communicating, directing, convincing, guiding others and being dependent on them. In relation to the second, it proposes that in addition to presenting management theory, offering examples, opportunity to practice with feedback, and case-based learning can help. More specific suggestions include developing delegation and communication skills, highlighting personality and cultural differences and managing diversity.

The growing pace of innovation in terms of products and business models, forces organizations to seek innovative engineers who can build for the future, not just through a technical job, but through a wide range of management roles in any industry, the government and even academia. Engineering managers are distinguished from other managers as they have the ability to apply engineering principles and skills in organizing and managing people and projects. Some of the most important questions that this paper considers, are the following: Is engineering education in line with today's engineering profession demands? Which are the most appropriate teaching methods that need to be implemented in order for higher education to promote understanding of academic content at much higher levels? This paper presents a modified framework on how 21st century interdisciplinary themes derived from core subjects in Finance, Economics, Business and Entrepreneurship, have been weaved into the MSc Engineering Management (MScEM) Program (at the University of Nicosia), so that students of the program are trained to become 21st century industry leaders.

Over the past years, one of the most commonly used student-centered approaches to teaching has been Case-Based Learning (CBL). In particular, CBL is used in engineering, sciences, social sciences, and professional education. This type of learning ensures active participation and leads to innovative solutions to problems. This study investigates the implementation of CBL in the multidisciplinary, undergraduate Management of Innovation and Technology Course (MGT-372) at the University of Nicosia. For the purpose of the study, the data were elicited through student questionnaires, as well as the lecturer's journal observation notes on CBL. The results indicate that CBL can be an effective learning method helping students to develop their analytical, critical thinking and collaboration skills, which help them understand how to manage technology and innovation within an organizational context.

Industry employers have traditionally been involved with the academia serving in advisory boards and as internship providers. In both cases, their involvement contributes to the development of undergraduate and graduate program curriculums and offering general advice on workforce skills and competencies. This paper describes the collaboration efforts among the Department of Management and MIS of the University of Nicosia, guest lecturers from various disciplines and Game Industry Experts in the creation and implementation of the new industry-driven MIS-465 Business and Management of Games Course. More specifically, the study reports on the design, development and implementation of the course with Game Industry Experts and guest lecturers from other fields playing an active role. Organizational, pedagogical and practical ideas associated with the immersion of students in an industry-driven course are addressed. A suggested framework is presented for educators who want to deliver industry-driven courses.

Student internship programs are characterized by their non-traditional educational approach based on experiential learning, taking students out into the industry to gain experience in their field of study. This case study presents the new Task-Based Internship (TBI) course offered by the School of Business, University of Nicosia, Cyprus. The course is examined in terms of benefits and areas for improvement based on the students' course evaluation. The student feedback on their TBI experience has been elicited through an online questionnaire. The study provides useful information for institution administrators and educators and recommends the TBI course to be included in the various curriculums of the general Business Field.

Virtual Worlds (or virtual environments) are becoming more popular than ever before, transforming the global business environment. These new Virtual Environment Platforms offer employees opportunities towards powerful computing and data analysis. The current study presents the various practices of Virtual Worlds, examines available platforms, proposes best practices and implements a Virtual World by adopting its technologies in an Energy Sector Company in Cyprus. Further, by analyzing data collected in focus groups, this work, examines how managers may be motivated and whether they are ready to overcome concerns that have to do with the business value and prospective gains when a business adopts virtual worlds as a venue for learning. The findings of this work are expected to assist companies who wish to develop an Open Source Virtual World Platform.

The scientific and technical challenges of this work were met by creating a software core of information technology for CSCL. This software has been adapted as a CSCL system at a private secondary school. This cost-effective technology is designed to be flexible, and it can easily adapt and be modified according to the requirements and specifications of other institutions. The Collaborative Learning Tool is implemented by integrating open source, cross platform products such as Fedena, BigBlueButton and Joomla.

Today's technological, economic and social challenges force higher educational institutions to promote interdisciplinary reflection in order to help students understand challenging problems and frame feasible solutions. In engineering education, students need to go beyond technological knowledge and be motivated towards interdisciplinary and complex management education that will prepare them to become innovative engineer managers. The current paper reports on the pedagogical approaches used to prepare, develop and improve the delivery of ENMA-550 Product Development Process (PDP) graduate interdisciplinary course. The suggestions of the paper are expected to assist educators and practitioners to acquire the necessary knowledge on interdisciplinary course development and teaching in order to become interdisciplinary teachers.

The current study examines the integration of robotics as a learning tool (mindtool) in the teaching and learning process and its effectiveness in achieving specific learning objectives. Study's sample was twenty-one, 2ndgraders that attended eleven lessons, in October - November 2012. To achieve the above the educational robotics package Lego Mindstorms NXT was used. Case study methodology was employed and 3 data collection methods were used: reflective journals, classroom observations and an evaluation assignment. The students managed to easily build the robots and relatively easily program the robots. The study highlights robotics' effectiveness as a tool to develop students' knowledge and skills, and achieve specific learning objectives and its important role in developing student-centered environments.

Research suggests that almost half of engineering students switch to other majors or drop out mainly due to three key reasons: teaching and advising insufficiency; complexity of engineering curriculum; and a lack of `belonging' within engineering [1]. The current study measures the compatibility between engineering undergraduate students' personality types and their major of study in order to estimate the extent to which engineering students `belong' within engineering. An online questionnaire of Holland's typology of personality was used to obtain scores on students' personality types. Results suggest that the match between students' personality types and Engineering is relatively low. An improvement in this match could help avert engineering dropout.

Technological, economic and social challenges are continuous, influencing higher education institutions to equip students with the necessary knowledge, skills and competences to work in such challenging context. Today, in engineering education a fragmented, content-overloaded engineering curriculum is not offering engineering students the career field that will bring together the technological problem-solving and practical skills of engineering along the leadership, teamwork and collaboration, organizational and planning capabilities of business. The current work is a theoretical framework that highlights the importance of preparing future engineers to work in a developing technological, economic and social business context in higher education. More specifically the authors propose the incorporation, in computer and electrical engineering curriculum at the University of Nicosia, three management courses as business electives. Significant comments from industry professionals and academics are collected and reported.

This paper addresses the phenomenon of interdisciplinary learning (IL) in the higher education context. The study aims to examine the employment of interdisciplinary educational practice through a cloud environment - Applications (Google Apps). More specifically, through IL the authors aim to eliminate the fragmentation and the learning of isolated skills for two distinct undergraduate courses (MGT-372 Management of Innovation and Technology and MIS-151 Business Software Applications) allowing students through the use of technology (Google Apps) to increase their motivation for learning as well as develop abilities towards recognizing particularities, thinking critically, tolerating uncertainty, recognizing and appreciating ethical concerns. To address the above, the study employed a case study approach, collecting qualitative data through focus groups with students, online/in-class observations and lecturers comments.

Based on an earlier work, authors suggest that in higher education setting, improved learning experience for lecturers and students is possible through a meaningful collaboration, communication and authoring aiming the construction of knowledge by students [4]. The current work investigates the implementation of inquiry-based learning and the development of community of inquiry (CoI) through Google Applications for education in a higher education setting. More specifically, it provides evidence on how does cloud learning community is developed through the three presences of CoI: Teaching Presence (TP), Social Presence (SP) and Cognitive Presence (CP) for three Management Information Systems (MIS) courses. The CoI survey instrument was used to quantitatively examine the development of a CoI within the educational setting.

The concept of entrepreneurship and the idea of entrepreneurship education are not novel. Entrepreneurship education at the university level, is mostly taught in business schools. Entrepreneurial skills are for every student. This empirical study investigates the role of case-based learning (CBL) in relation to entrepreneurial skills development in MIS multidisciplinary undergraduate courses at the University of Nicosia. The study addresses the organizational, pedagogical and practical challenges associated with immersing students in CBL activities that expose them to entrepreneurial thinking. A case study approach was used, collecting qualitatively data through observations and focus groups with students and reports from the lecturer. A suggested framework is presented where CBL approach is used to develop entrepreneurial skills.