The European Commission emphasises the need for educational institutions to integrate digital technologies in their teaching, learning and organisational practices. This study contributes to the field of digital transformation of schools by proposing and validating a Framework for Digitally Mature Schools (FDMS) and an instrument for assessing the level of schools’ digital maturity. The FDMS and the instrument recognise five areas divided into 38 elements described across five different levels in the form of a rubric. This assessment instrument enables schools to measure their current level of digital maturity and pinpoint the areas that require improvements. The developed Framework and instrument support educational institutions in the assessment, promotion and integration of digital technologies in their teaching, learning and organisational practices.

This paper presents results of a large pilot project among Croatian primary and secondary schools focused on digital maturity of schools. It explores relationships between indicators that influence the overall digital maturity level of a school with the main aim to identify the main drivers of digital maturity. It also reveals key steps in the development of the Framework for Digitally Mature Schools in Croatia and the instrument for assessing digital maturity of schools. The instrument evaluation involved 151 primary and secondary schools in Croatia that were assessed against maturity levels. Descriptive statistics is used to identify and explain correlations between 38 indicators of digital maturity of schools. Results obtained from the instrument show that 50 percent of schools in Croatia are in the initial phase of maturity and 43 percent of them are e-enabled which in respect to 5 different maturity levels corresponds to levels 2 and 3 respectively. An on-line system developed for this purpose, besides it features the instrument itself and enables schools to benchmark between themselves, identifies critical indicators for each school that require improvement in order for school to make progress against maturity level.

COVID-19 has accelerated the shift to blended or fully online learning environments, enforcing educational institutions to embrace technology and offer their students an online or at least blended learning experience

In social robots, AI has been seamlessly integrated to enable them to be programmed to perform a wide range of tasks, from basic movements and interactions to more complex functions, such as assisting in education. This comprehensive review delves into the multifaceted use of social robots in primary and secondary education, addressing key aspects such as trends, theoretical foundations, application domains, and ethical considerations. Guided by four primary research questions, the study reveals notable trends, with the NAO robot emerging prominently in educational settings, particularly among primary school-age children. Application domains explored include language learning, computational thinking, social and emotional development, creativity support, musical instrument practice, and library activities, showcasing the diverse roles social robots play as teaching assistants, peers, and companions. However, ethical concerns and data privacy issues surface, posing risks such as transparency issues, dependency on robots, reduced human interaction, and potential job displacement. The study stresses the need for extensive longitudinal studies and collaborative efforts to responsibly integrate social robots into education, emphasizing the necessity for collaboration among educators, policymakers, developers, and privacy experts to establish clear guidelines prioritizing students' well-being En los robots sociales, la IA se ha integrado perfectamente para permitirles programarse para realizar una amplia gama de tareas, desde movimientos e interacciones básicos hasta funciones más complejas, como ayudar en la educación. Esta revisión integral profundiza en el uso multifacético de los robots sociales en la educación primaria y secundaria, abordando aspectos clave como tendencias, fundamentos teóricos, dominios de aplicación y consideraciones éticas. Guiado por cuatro preguntas de investigación principales, el estudio revela tendencias notables, en las que el robot NAO emerge de manera destacada en entornos educativos, particularmente entre los niños en edad de escuela primaria. Los dominios de aplicación explorados incluyen el aprendizaje de idiomas, el pensamiento computacional, el desarrollo social y emocional, el apoyo a la creatividad, la práctica de instrumentos musicales y las actividades de la biblioteca, mostrando las diversas funciones que desempeñan los robots sociales como asistentes de enseñanza, pares y acompañantes. Sin embargo, surgen preocupaciones éticas y problemas de privacidad de datos, lo que plantea riesgos como problemas de transparencia, dependencia de robots, interacción humana reducida y posible desplazamiento laboral. El estudio enfatiza la necesidad de realizar estudios longitudinales extensos y esfuerzos de colaboración para integrar responsablemente los robots sociales en la educación, enfatizando la necesidad de colaboración entre educadores, formuladores de políticas, desarrolladores y expertos en privacidad para establecer pautas claras que prioricen el bienestar de los estudiantes.

This paper discusses the effect of a gamified learning system for students of the master course on Web Design and Programming performed at the Faculty of Organization and Informatics. A new set of usability metrics was derived from web-based learning usability, user experience and instructional design literature and incorporated into the questionnaire which consists of three main categories: Usability, Educational Usability and User Experience. The main contribution of this paper is the development and validation of a questionnaire for measuring the usability of a gamified e-learning course from students’ perspective. Usability practitioners can use the developed metrics with confidence when evaluating the design of a gamified e-learning course in order to improve students’ engagement and motivation.