Data warehousing (DW) is a widespread and essential practice in business organizations that support the data analytic and decision-making process. Despite the importance of DW in complex organizations, the adoption of a data warehouse (DWH) in education is apparently lower compared with other industries. To clarify this situation, this paper presents a systematic mapping that includes the study of empirical research papers from 2008 to 2018 on the topic of DW in education. For this paper, we applied a qualitative and quantitative approach based on a four-stage research method with the objective to have a holistic view of DWHs in education. After filtering and applying the proposed method, 34 relevant papers were identified and studied in detail. The study revealed interesting facts; for example, Kimball’s approach is the most applied methodology for DWH design in education. In addition, a mapping between this comprehensive collection of research papers covering educational DW and six dimensions of analysis (schema proposal, analysis of the user requirements, analysis of the business requirements, effectiveness, implementation, and data analysis) was performed. From this analysis, we discovered that the star schema is the most implemented approach. The purpose of the mapping was to explore and identify the priority areas of research and the research gaps within the academic community. These gaps are a source of opportunities to start new lines of research. This work was supported by Universidad Tecnológica Equinoccial.

College desertion is one of the problems currently addressed by most higher education institutions throughout Latin America. From different investigations, it is known that a large percentage of students do not complete their studies, with the consequent social cost associated with this phenomenon. Some countries have begun to design deep improvement processes to increase retention in the first years of university studies. The process considered for the improvement of the desertion is through the data mining, the use of its algorithms allows discovering patterns in the students that help to explain this effect. The algorithms also identify the independent variables that influence the desertion and analyze them according to a level of depth previously established by the interested parties. The purpose of this study is to determine a model that explains the desertion of undergraduate students at the university and design actions that tend towards the decrease of the desertion.

This paper presents the description of a project to develop an accessible indoor plan to help blind people to localize landmarks within a building from a pedagogical perspective. This project has been employed to foster engineering students to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills to use technologies and tools to develop accessible engineering products within the context of a collaborative learning experience. This paper describe the step by step process followed to make an accessible indoor plan that complies with WCAG 2.0 accessibility guidelines. Also, conclusions and future work regarding the potentialities of the approach used in this project for generating collaborative learning experiences are presented.

The growing importance of data analytics is leading to a shift in data management strategy at many companies, moving away from simple data storage towards adopting Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) query analysis. Concurrently, NoSQL databases are gaining ground as the preferred choice for storing and querying analytical data. This article presents a comprehensive, systematic mapping, aiming to consolidate research efforts related to the integration of OLAP with NoSQL databases in Big Data environments. After identifying 1646 initial research studies from scientific digital repositories, a thorough examination of their content resulted in the acceptance of 22 studies. Utilizing the snowballing technique, an additional three studies were selected, culminating in a final corpus of twenty-five relevant articles. This review addresses the growing importance of leveraging NoSQL databases for OLAP query analysis in response to increasing data analytics demands. By identifying the most commonly used NoSQL databases with OLAP, such as column-oriented and document-oriented, prevalent OLAP modeling methods, such as Relational Online Analytical Processing (ROLAP) and Multidimensional Online Analytical Processing (MOLAP), and suggested models for batch and real-time processing, among other results, this research provides a roadmap for organizations navigating the integration of OLAP with NoSQL. Additionally, exploring computational resource requirements and performance benchmarks facilitates informed decision making and promotes advancements in Big Data analytics. The main findings of this review provide valuable insights and updated information regarding the integration of OLAP cubes with NoSQL databases to benefit future research, industry practitioners, and academia alike. This consolidation of research efforts not only promotes innovative solutions but also promises reduced operational costs compared to traditional database systems.

En los últimos años el término pensamiento computacional y el lenguaje de programación Scratch han irrumpido en el escenario de la enseñanza, primordialmente a nivel de educación básica y bachillerato. Sin embargo, no se evidencian estudios que fundamenten el uso del lenguaje Scratch a nivel superior, por lo que, se constituyó en objetivo de la presente investigación, la verificación del desarrollo del pensamiento computacional entre los estudiantes de Primer Semestre de la Carrera de Informática de la Universidad Central del Ecuador con base a las ocho dimensiones del pensamiento computacional que son: identificación de patrones, uso de instrucciones, variables, secuencia, operadores, reuso, abstracción y funcionamiento y detección de errores. Con esta finalidad se aplicó un diseño cuasiexperimental con preprueba-postprueba y grupos intactos, con enfoque cuantitativo, de campo con apoyo documental y de nivel explicativo. Posteriormente, para los análisis estadísticos se utilizó la herramienta SPSS, tanto para el cálculo de las medidas de tendencia central y la desviación estándar, así como en la comprobación de las hipótesis mediante pruebas T y en la elaboración de figuras estadísticas. Los resultados obtenidos evidenciaron un mayor desarrollo en los niveles del pensamiento computacional con los estudiantes de Primer Semestre de la Carrera de Informática de la Universidad Central del Ecuador que emplearon Scratch.

The pandemic caused by COVID-19 impacted the entire world, but technological progress led to the appearance of new and innovative emerging technologies (ETs). These technologies proved to have a wide potential for use as support in education, but being a new technology, certain complications arose when it came to their application in the educational model. Nowadays, there are many digital technologies, so it is necessary to identify those that can be used in today’s education. Digital technologies have been implemented in all types of sectors, one of them being education, and the use of these technologies translates into significant improvements in educational processes and learning outcomes. Despite this, there is currently little research on the use of ETs as a support in the academic process. This research uses systematic mapping (SM) of the last 5 years, together with the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model to identify the use and acceptance of ETs in higher education. For the SM, a keyword search string was used in three scientific databases (Scopus, Web of Science, and IEEE Xplore). To apply the UTAUT, a survey was conducted with 120 students on the acceptance of ETs as support in higher education. The results obtained indicate that ETs provide some optimization of educational processes, with greater immersion and application of knowledge when using technologies such as augmented reality, virtual reality, and mobile learning. Likewise, ETs can motivate students, allowing them to reach new academic and professional achievements.

Nowadays, one of the learning resources in the educational area are serious games, also called training games; they are games designed with a different purpose than fun, whose main objective is to reinforce the new concepts more creatively. However, not all existing serious games are accessible in a way that allows access to a more significant number of users. Therefore, this research proposes to apply a combined method to evaluate accessibility in serious games, considering the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1. As a case study, we evaluated the accessibility of 82 serious games developed by Physical Education Technology Interactive Simulations at the University of Colorado. We propose to replicate this combined method for users with various types of disabilities, considering the various accessibility barriers. As future work, we suggest generating an accessibility heuristic evaluation focused on serious games, based on the accessibility issues identified. Finally, we believe it is essential to strengthen accessibility policies in each country, as well as implement best practices that generate innovation by incorporating diversity in building and designing more inclusive serious games.