Smart technologies are essential in improving higher education teaching and learning. The present study explores the factors that influence students’ behavioural intentions to adopt and use smart technologies in blended learning. Based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2) model, a survey of 305 students was conducted to collect data. A structural equation model was applied to analyse the data. The findings show that adopting smart technologies requires appropriate social context and organizational support. Moreover, the data indicated that performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, hedonic motivation, and habit are vital in determining students’ behavioural intention to use smart technologies. However, facilitating conditions and price value were found to have no significant impact on the students’ behavioural intention to use smart technologies. The study contributes to a better understanding of the nexus of blended learning and smart technologies, thus improving students’ experiences in blended learning settings.

Introduction: In the dynamic landscape of education, the fusion of technology and learning, commonly termed “technology-enhanced learning” (TEL), has emerged as a transformative phenomenon. This study focuses on the imperative integration of TEL in medical education, recognizing the diverse digital literacy levels of adult learners. The exploration introduces the innovative E-Portal training program, designed to empower health professions educators with essential skills for proficiently employing digital tools in instruction.Methodology: A dedicated team of medical educationists conducted a thorough investigation into E-curriculum design and delivery, employing the Moodle Learning Management System as the foundation for the E-Portal training program. The training, spanning crucial stages such as course design, content delivery, self-paced teaching, and quality assessment, facilitated participant progression at individual paces, unlocking subsequent steps upon meeting stipulated prerequisites. A pre-training questionnaire gauged participants’ comprehension of distance learning, e-learning, synchronous and asynchronous teaching, and self-directed study. Subsequent focus group discussion post-training generated rich insights into participants’ experiences, reflections, and identified challenges.Results: The results illuminate participants’ limited adeptness with e-learning terminology, successful assimilation of components and functionalities, and heightened confidence in online teaching practices. However, discerned challenges during implementation, such as technical hurdles and engagement issues, highlight the multifaceted nature of TEL integration. While the E-Portal training positively impacted preparedness, participant feedback advocates for improvements in assessment tools, technical training provisions, and exploration of alternative Learning Management Systems.Discussion and conclusion: Study emphasizes the ongoing need for diverse training methodologies across Learning Management Systems, acknowledging the evolving nature of education and technology. This study underscores the transformative role of a tailored E-Portal training program in seamlessly integrating digital tools into medical education. The comprehensive insights provided contribute to a nuanced understanding of the advantages, obstacles, and potential avenues for enhancement in curriculum delivery through technology-enhanced learning, thereby propelling the field forward.

An upsurge in global food prices in 2008 led to significantly higher food prices across the developing world. Global commodity prices have since declined but still remain volatile, but at the same time local food prices remain high in many countries. This study examines the potential impacts of the rise in food prices on poverty—income based poverty and calorie-based poverty- focusing on Pakistan, and its rural and urban areas. For this purpose, we used HIES data collected in three waves 2005–06, 2007–08 and 2010–11. Price elasticities are computed using binary Logistic regression method. The study results show that price of wheat, rice, milk, meat, fruit, pulses appear to distinguish the status of a household. Price elasticities shows that urban households are hit harder than rural households in calorie-poverty model. Overall, rising food prices are likely to lead higher poverty in Pakistan, as the negative impact on net consumers outweighs the benefits to producers. Therefore, effective strategy for eliminating poverty is far more concerned with price increases. Safety net programs can be more effective, but geographic targeting and other investments to strengthen safety nets are necessary to ensure that fewer people are affected by future crises. Government policies oriented towards relieving the food price pressure on the Pakistani poor should aim at lowering the prices of wheat, rice, eggs, oil, milk, and chicken.

Looking through the lens of ecological system theory, this paper used a mixed-method approach, based on 20 interviews and 208 Early Childhood Education (ECE) teacher questionnaires, to elaborate the position of ECE in Pakistan. The study indicates that ECE is between a rock and a hard place in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The findings further show that ECE is provided by less qualified and inexperienced teachers, who give less attention to the physical and psychological needs of the students. The classrooms are overcrowded and lack relevant teaching–learning materials. Moreover, the single-teacher policy and overcrowded classrooms hinder students’ motivation, the delivery of quality education and the development of good behaviors. These challenges are also the main causes of students’ dropouts. This paper increases people’s understanding of ECE and its challenges in Pakistan. For ECE development, the paper recommends separating ECE from primary schools and giving it a budget to purchase adequate and relevant resources.

The faculty development programs associated with positive outcomes are the ones that are designed in accordance with organizational needs, are based on a theoretical framework, target inter-professional learning and use multiple teaching strategies to teach a single skill. Rather than being short, one-time events, these programs are long term with contextual engagement of participants. To meet this challenge, a six-month long certificate course in health professions education, based on constructivist theory, was designed. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of this focused training, at Kirkpatrick level II, on learning of item writing skills by the participants. This quasi-experimental study was conducted from January 2019 to June 2020 at National University of Medical Sciences, Pakistan. A total of 133 faculty members were enrolled in the program. Of these, data from 124 students (75 male and 49 female participants), who had passed our CHPE program, was included in the study. The longitudinal engagement comprised of three steps. In step 1(pre-intervention) participants submitted 5MCQs each, resulting in a total of 620 MCQs. For the step 2 (intervention), a six-hour workshop on writing single best MCQs with peer and faculty feedback during the five-day long face to face session was conducted for all the participants. Subsequently four courses including learning theories, curriculum planning, teaching and learning and assessment were delivered over the course of next six months with special focus on building participants’ capacity on blueprinting so as to highlight the linkages between various courses and their significance through a single snapshot document. An assignment on writing single best MCQs was given as part of course on assessment and faculty gave individual feedback to participants. Finally, for the step 3- post intervention, the skills were tested in the end of program exam. A validated checklist was used to score the items on quality parameters. A total of 1800 MCQ items (600 at each step) were analyzed at these three points of intervention; and the scores obtained were compared to assess if the item writing skills had improved. The average scores across three steps showed an increasing trend. The Friedman ANOVA test results indicated that there was a statistically significant difference across the three time points with a value of test statistics χ2 (2, n = 600 = 955.86, P < 0.05). The Wilcoxon signed rank test showed significant differences between each pair of steps, supporting the finding of an improvement trend in the scores across all steps. Step 3 had the highest value of mean ranks (20.24 ± 0.05) and a higher median score (Md = 21). Bonferroni correction showed that at the threshold level of 0.0167, all three comparisons are still statistically significant. Contextual engagement of participants through a longitudinal faculty development program, incorporating varied teaching techniques like individual and group work, practice and prompt feedback and peer review, improves participants’ MCQ writing skills, such that they construct MCQs that assess higher cognitive skills with fewer item writing flaws.

Poverty is a big threat to prosperity in developing countries like Pakistan. Alleviating poverty needs concerted efforts including how to measure and analyze poverty. Therefore, this paper employs synthetic panel technique and uses repeated cross-sections household survey dataset (Household Integrated and Economic Survey (HIES)) of Pakistan for 2010–11 and 2015–16, to derive poverty bounds for Pakistan. The findings of the paper suggest that 17% of population still remains in poverty in 2015–16 as they were in 2010–11. They don’t move in or out of poverty. In the same periods 19% population affected by poverty. The 2.5% poor’s of 2010–11 moves out of poverty in 2015–16. This constitutes the first attempt to provide an insight into poverty dynamics in Pakistan using the available survey data.