RLT Journal

Private universities are increasingly shaping the global higher education landscape, with distance education playing a key role in their expansion. While research has explored institutional and policy factors influencing private higher education, the role of student satisfaction within this framework remains underexamined. This study addresses this gap by analysing the success factors of private distance universities from a student perspective. Utilising text mining on over 10,000 student reviews from a public rating platform, a co-occurrence network analysis identified key themes linked to student satisfaction. The findings reveal that private distance universities successfully fulfil the core psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness, as outlined in Self-Determination Theory. Flexible study structures, accessible digital learning environments, and effective student support systems emerged as crucial factors. These insights align with international research, emphasising that distance education facilitates self-directed learning but requires robust institutional support to foster competence and engagement. This study contributes to the field of higher education and distance learning research by demonstrating the impact of technology-enhanced learning environments on student satisfaction. It calls for comparative studies between private and public distance universities, underscoring the need for longitudinal analyses of evolving student expectations and digital education models in a global context.

Digital literacy is a critical competency in education across all levels, from primary to higher education. It includes skills such as technical proficiency, information evaluation, online collaboration, creativity and ethical technology use. This study conducts a Systematic Literature Review (SLR), following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, to examine types of instruments used to assess students’ digital literacy, the competencies targeted and the methodological challenges in their development. A total of 23 peer-reviewed articles published between 2014 and 2024 were selected from Scopus, PubMed, Crossref and ERIC. This review shows that assessment instruments include Likert scale-based questionnaires, framework-aligned tools (DigComp and DQ Framework) and digital performance-based methods. These instruments are applied across diverse educational settings: primary, secondary, tertiary and adult education with varying emphases based on age and learning context. Whilst core competencies are addressed, several limitations persist, such as reliance on self-reporting, limited cross-cultural validation and lack of authentic performance assessment. This study highlights the need for more comprehensive, validated and context-sensitive instruments that integrate digital safety, ethics and practical digital skills. The findings offer insights for researchers, educators and policymakers to improve digital literacy measurement across education sectors.

Traditional teaching methods in Aircraft Maintenance Technology (AMT) often struggle to maintain student engagement, motivation, and knowledge retention. While gamification has been recognised as a potential solution, its application in AMT education remains underexplored, particularly in bridging theoretical knowledge with practical skill acquisition. This study investigates the effectiveness of Kahoot-based gamification in enhancing student engagement, motivation, knowledge retention, and practical skills development. A mixed-methods approach was employed, integrating quantitative surveys, pre- and post-assessments, and qualitative interviews with students and instructors. The study assessed 120 participants, revealing statistically significant improvements: engagement increased by 43.8%, motivation by 55.2%, knowledge retention by 41.2%, and practical skills by 51.6%. Qualitative findings supported these results, with students reporting higher participation, improved concept recall, and greater enthusiasm. Instructors observed enhanced confidence in applying theoretical knowledge. Despite these benefits, challenges such as internet connectivity issues, time constraints, and question format limitations were identified. The study recommends a blended learning approach integrating gamification with hands-on training, scenario-based exercises, and emerging technologies such as Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality. Beyond AMT, these findings highlight gamification’s potential in technical and vocational education, emphasising the need for future research on adaptive gamification models and AI-driven learning platforms.

For this study, 350 university students in Germany were surveyed to understand how they perceive ChatGPT’s educational advantages and challenges. Using a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, it found out that students tend to see ChatGPT as helpful for academic performance (53.14%), writing (47.14%), and exam preparation (50.00%). Nonetheless, a large majority of people expressed doubt regarding its ability to understand queries (61.72%), reliability (52.29%), privacy (52.57%), bias (47.43%), security (55.14%) and displaced jobs (56.29%). These concerns were reinforced by open ended responses, which showed that attitudes towards AI can be based on factors such as a person’s digital literacy and their experience with AI. In the study, the researchers propose a need to incorporate AI education into curricula in order to teach students to critically assess AI- generated content and to identify biases. Moreover, it suggests setting ethical standards that AI systems need to meet such as accuracy, security, and transparency. Perspectives between cultures vary, and require the teacher to conduct more global research, and approach teaching context specifically. The overarching goal is to promote the thoughtful, ethical, and context-aware integration of AI into educational practices worldwide.

The integration of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools, such as ChatGPT and DALL-E, presents transformative opportunities and challenges for K-12 education. This mixed-methods study investigates educators’ perceptions, familiarity, and preparedness for AI adoption, as well as institutional strategies and barriers. Quantitative findings indicate strong relationships between AI familiarity, perceived readiness, and institutional planning stages. Qualitative analysis highlights challenges such as insufficient professional development, ethical concerns, and infrastructural inequities, alongside opportunities for enhancing personalised learning and operational efficiency. The findings underscore the need for targeted training, equitable resource access, and clear institutional policies to ensure effective and ethical AI integration. This research offers actionable insights for educators, policymakers, and leaders seeking to navigate AI’s potential in K-12 education.