Blockchain technologies offer transformative potential in terms of addressing the security, trust, and identity management issues that exist in large-scale Internet of Things (IoT) deployments. This narrative review provides a comprehensive survey of various studies, focusing on decentralized identity management, trust mechanisms, smart contracts, privacy preservation, and real-world IoT applications. According to the literature, blockchain-based solutions provide robust authentication through mechanisms such as Physical Unclonable Functions (PUFs), enhance transparency via smart contract-enabled reputation systems, and significantly mitigate vulnerabilities, including single points of failure and Sybil attacks. Smart contracts enable secure interactions by automating resource allocation, access control, and verification. Cryptographic tools, including zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs), proxy re-encryption, and Merkle trees, further improve data privacy and device integrity. Despite these advantages, challenges persist in areas such as scalability, regulatory and compliance issues, privacy and security concerns, resource constraints, and interoperability. By reviewing the current state-of-the-art literature, this review emphasizes the importance of establishing standardized protocols, performance benchmarks, and robust regulatory frameworks to achieve scalable and secure blockchain-integrated IoT solutions, and provides emerging trends and future research directions for the integration of blockchain technology into the IoT ecosystem.

Medical education has undergone significant transformations, driven by rapid technological advancements. This systematic review aims to map and analyze educational technology trends from the late 1970s to 2024, tracing their evolution and their Impacts on competency development. Following PRISMA guidelines, a comprehensive search was conducted across seven databases in August 2024, yielding 18 studies published between 1978 and 2024 for qualitative, thematic synthesis. The findings indicate that technology integration has evolved through distinct trends. While simulation-based approaches were most frequently reported to enhance clinical reasoning and psychomotor skills, blended learning was highlighted for enabling flexible delivery, and other technologies, such as e-learning platforms and Web 2.0 tools, also played significant roles in supporting knowledge acquisition and collaborative learning. Despite these benefits, high costs, infrastructure limitations, and the need for specialized faculty training were identified as persistent barriers to adoption. In conclusion, the literature review indicates that technological trends have enriched medical education by fostering interactive, accessible, and flexible learning environments. Future strategies must therefore focus on developing scalable, cost-effective solutions. A dedicated systematic review of AI’s trajectory and impact is strongly recommended as a critical next step, building upon the historical foundation laid by this study.

Effects of the Computer Mediated Communication Interaction on Vocabulary Improvement

Although artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly transforming healthcare systems, its systematic integration into undergraduate medical education (UME

Creativity is increasingly recognized as an essential 21st-century skill, critical for innovation, problem-solving, and personal growth. Educational systems have responded by prioritizing creative thinking, prompting researchers to explore the potential of Learning Analytics (LA) to support and enhance creativity. This systematic review synthesizes empirical studies, theoretical frameworks, and methodological innovations from databases such as Web of Science, Scopus, ERIC, ProQuest, and Google Scholar, examining how creativity is operationalized within LA contexts. The review identifies diverse assessment frameworks, encompassing divergent thinking tests, product-based evaluations, behavioral metrics, and process-oriented assessments, often underpinned by the “4 Ps of Creativity” framework (Person, Process, Product, Press). Tools such as automated scoring systems, multimodal analytics, and AI-enhanced assessments demonstrate the potential to objectively and reliably capture creative processes and outcomes. However, significant challenges remain, including definitional ambiguity, inconsistent metrics, scalability issues, and ethical concerns related to data privacy. This review underscores the transformative capacity of LA to foster creativity in education while highlighting the critical need for standardized, robust methodologies and inclusive frameworks. By addressing identified gaps, future research can advance innovative approaches to assess and cultivate creativity using LA.

Learning new vocabulary is one of the challenges in language learning yet crucial for mastering another language. It is also essential in any discipline or professional field where mastering new terminology is indispensable. This paper presents an evaluation of efficacy and usability of a custom-built, targeted and learnable tablet-based app for teaching an extensively researched vocabulary learning strategy, the keyword method, and for facilitating learning of new vocabulary with the aid of this method. In the experimental study reported here, participants learned to use the keyword method, applied it in learning new vocabulary and tested the recall of this newly learned vocabulary within the designed app. The effectiveness of the use of the keyword method taught within the app environment was compared to the effectiveness of the use of the traditional keyword method. Results suggest that the mobile app was a preferred and an effective tool in learning new vocabulary.