Digital implementation of the Once-Only Principle (OOP) reduces the administrative burden of accessing public services and enhances public administration performance. It also facilitates the mobility of citizens and businesses within the European Union through legal and effective EU-wide evidence. However, despite the existence of several semantic standards, a lack of an ontology for EU-wide evidence persists, primarily due to the low level of EU harmonisation of information that may prove compliance with procedural requirements. Building EU-wide evidence involves several cross-border communities of practice, composed of experts with different technical, legal, organisational, semantic, idiomatic and cultural backgrounds, spanning various public administration levels and sectors. This diversity introduces a range of cross-border, socio-technical challenges that have not been directly addressed in existing literature or by European projects and initiatives. Based on the lessons learned from the Digital Europe for All (DE4A) large-scale pilot project, the DE4A EU-wide OOP Semantic Elicitation Framework (DEOSEF) is proposed to guide business and semantic experts in the elicitation of EU-wide evidence for target public services, through a collaborative, context-aware, and iterative agile process involving diverse communities of practice. This paper presents DEOSEF as a foundational step for future initiatives involving a combined semantic elicitation-creation of EU-wide evidence.

Implementing electronic health services with a patient-centric focus while adapting to the know-how of local contexts is a challenge. This paper addresses this challenge by establishing a template of modular requirements for designing a viable Electronic Health Record (EHR) system that enables transmission and sharing of patient data across primary, secondary, and specialized care, ensuring versatility in diverse healthcare environments and across varying socio-economic landscapes. The research is anchored in design science and employs an action research strategy, using northern Brazil as empirical case. The approach builds on generic requirements from standards established by the European Union, Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR), and the Swedish ePrescription journal system. These requirements are refined and adapted to the Brazilian context through a participatory method, considering development disparities across municipalities and aligning with national policy. A key feature is the integration of knowledge graphs, which, when combined with fieldwork iterations involving healthcare professionals and patient association representatives, facilitated the extraction of patient-centric requirements. Strategies from Brazilian healthcare policies targeting chronic kidney disease, selected as a significant challenge for specialized healthcare in emergent areas, were incorporated to generalize the design of EHR modules aimed at prevention and monitoring of population at risk. Results support that harmonization towards legacy system is strongly advised and discourage the introduction of systems designed from scratch.

Digitalization of the processes of public service has been the focus of e-government research for more than decades, but how the provisioning process can be improved using new and disruptive technologies is something that has not been fully comprehended in the related research or practice. This is becoming highly relevant in the present since digital facilities are expanding across borders under the European single digital market initiative including the once-only principle (OOP) and single digital gateway regulation (SDGR). How disruptive technology can improve the quality of cross-border information transfer was a key task in the European Union-funded project Digital Europe for All. However, on the way forward to efficient and effective integration of these technologies into the cross-broader public service provision, a barrier was identified, namely, the lack of knowledge of such applications at local and national levels. This lack of clarity of how and in which ways successful disruptive technologies impact public service urges us to systematically review the status of the methods and applications in contemporary research. Hence this research instruments a systematic review of disruptive technologies in e-government. The results of the analysis of about 400 scientific articles screened through a pre-defined selection protocol using automatic text mining methods show the trends on topics (keywords) (1) policy development support systems (2) understanding model services systems, (3) smart governance systems citizens, (4) technology policy process develops and (5) health data social policy technology. After closer reading 21 articles that are directly relevant are selected for deeper analysis. The outcome of the literature study showed majority of selected studies are focused on discussions, application proposals, different assessment tools or framework definitions for deploying AI for public services.

Electronic identification and authentication, in contrast to classical password-based authentication systems, is reaching a level of the norm of person identification in a digital-by-default society. Secure, trusted as well as simple, lightweight, easy to use and privacy-preserved solutions are hence in demand, specifically when government services are offered through digital means. Digital health or eHealth services, however, are relatively complex due to the additional privacy and security needs in managing patient data. The European eIDAS regulation is enabling digital public services authentication, predominantly targeting EU citizens. This paper highlights advantages of an eID wallet in mitigating challenges in the Brazilian healthcare system and aligning to European standards. A Sweden—Brazil healthcare collaboration is used as a case study of electronic identification of health professionals for provision at care units in Brazil. The outcome of the paper includes the potential advantages of an eID wallet to mitigate some of the identified challenges in the Brazilian healthcare system. It also extends the analysis to a comparison of such eID wallet requirements for use in the European context. Based on the consolidated requirement list derived in this paper a technical system for an eID wallet that complies with both European and Brazilian regulations can be designed.

The ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine has significantly affected Ukraine's higher education system. Students and faculty need to relocate and conduct teaching and learning online and remotely instead of meeting physically at campus. There is substantial infrastructure damage to universities, electricity and facilities in general in the country. Furthermore, the war impacts on students and teachers wellbeing and health. The Swedish Institute funded a capacity building program for university teachers in Ukraine to support: "U-Train - Training to Teach Online in Wartime and After", 2023-2024. Stockholm university and Ivan Franko National University of Lviv were the partners in this program which addressed the digital transformation from campus to online teaching to maintain education continuity in higher education. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a the capacity-building program.

The specific research questions are:

1. How did Ukrainian teachers perceive the ICT capacity-building program?

2. According to Ukrainian teachers, what were the most significant outcomes of the program?

A mixed method approach was used including an online survey, participant observations of online seminars, and document analysis of final reports written by teachers about their Online Course Improvement Activity (OCIA). The survey results demonstrated the program's overall positive adoption with participants acknowledging advancements in teaching practices and professional growth. Notably, the online seminars which covered topics from AI integration in higher education to digital examinations received excellent feedback confirming their usefulness and efficacy in enhancing teaching skills. Challenges such as unreliable Internet connectivity and frequent interruptions because of bomb alarms and adjusting to new teaching methods were identified. The OCIA initiatives included a variety of activities aimed at meeting specific educational needs identified by the teachers themselves in their own courses such as how to assess arabic writing skills on a distance, updating legal education, improving botany courses, ICT in mathematics courses, and so on. In conclusion, the ICT capacity-building program has been effective in improving the overall skills of teachers during the war in Ukraine. The Ukrainian teachers appreciated the capacity program´s contribution in addressing disruptions and problems when conducting courses during challenging times. Despite facing obstacles like unreliable internet access and power cuts the educators valued the program for fostering resilience, professional development, and collaboration, highlighting its significance in enhancing teaching approaches in wartime conditions. The most significant outcomes of the capacity-building program according to the Ukrainian teachers were advancements in technological proficiency (100%), better student engagement (67%), and collaborative opportunities (67%). Furthermore, they learned new teaching methodologies and were inspired to explore topics such as AI integration in education, digital assessment methods, and student well-being concerns indicating a continued focus on technology integration and addressing significant educational obstacles. The participants expressed a strong interest in being being part of an extended and scaled-up version of this program which ends in June 2024.

Online and digital education, which was once perceived as demanding financially and academically, became the most viable option to continue teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite their lack of prior experience, capabilities, or willingness, many teachers shifted their courses online in a short period to continue teaching during the pandemic. To understand the efficacy in making such a shift, the nature of digital capabilities the teachers recognise within themselves and if these capabilities correlate with their socio-cultural and geographical backgrounds are to be realised. In this study, two cases from the global North and South are compared to investigate the similarities and differences in making choices of digital tools, and, to capture their digital affordances and ability to manage technology in the teaching and learning process. A representative sample of 50 teachers from two higher education institutions are used to capture the perceptions. The discovered trends in the choice of tools may shed light on region-specific disparities in digital affordances in technology-enhanced learning and global digital education development.

The traditional subject of information search and retrieval (IR) paradigm shifted to an entirely new era since artificial intelligence (AI) techniques were introduced into the field. Browser-based IR solutions powered by AI for personalised recommendations-based information retrieval, such as the Google search engine, were one of the early examples. The IR field has advanced to its next level with the newest conversational applications based on large language model (LLM) techniques. It is becoming clear that Generative Pretrained Transformer (GPT) applications such as ChatGPT will significantly impact information retrieval behaviour in the education sector. Though this application has become widespread in acclaim, no previous study has shown its impact on information seeking and retrieval. However, based on the observation of the fast penetration of this technology and the growth of public interest, a pre-assumption was built that it is essential to investigate if students may also be showing a similar interest in this new tool. Hence, this study is set up to systematically and empirically explore how ChatGPT influences the IR behaviour of students in HEIs. A survey approach is utilised to collect the perceived IR behaviour through a questionnaire administered to 60 students in HEIs. The findings reveal that the tool is already widely known among HEI students. They also perceived the use of the tool in the context of information retrieval and proclaimed its usefulness, acknowledging its efficiency (reduced time) in finding information. Furthermore, the technology has considerably affected the typical use of other conventional information retrieval and search engine tools. On the contrary, 10% of the respondents are less likely to use ChatGPT during information seeking for various reasons, from credibility and relevance to technology infrastructure issues such as connectivity. Although a deeper analysis is required to establish a general conclusion on how and in which ways GPT-based models will override contemporary IR practices, the study outcome provides evidence for a possible behavioural change among HEI students in their IR habits in the future.

Soft skills are becoming equally crucial as hard skills in today's labour market. In contrast to hard skills which are teachable typically through formal education, soft skills are non-technical and interpersonal, allowing individuals to be able to find and succeed in their studies, jobs, and professional life. Despite the increasing emphasis on soft skills, many university students are either unaware of or neglect enhancing them. Soft skills deficiency among university students has become a significant concern for employers, educators, and policymakers, as it negatively affects students' academic performance and future employment prospects. The purpose of this study is to investigate students’ perceptions of the demand for soft skills and the possibility and availability of learning opportunities. The expected outcomes intend to provide insights about awareness of soft skills among students and pathways to reduce the soft skills gap through training provisions in higher education settings. Furthermore, it aims to find out how the young generation (mainly Generation Z) would perceive digitalisation and specifically gamification as a solution to facilitate soft skills training. This is a mixed method study, in which, an open survey was the data collection media. The survey was conducted during the spring semester of 2023 and analysed using visualisation and summarisation methods. Based on the outcome of 66 master’s and bachelor's students attending the digitalisation courses in two classes in Sweden, over 50% of the students perceived a lack of soft skills in their curricula. They were also positive toward the use of gamification as an effective digital strategy, recognising it as a powerful tool to facilitate training and developing soft skills as a part of formal learning in higher education. As a suggested approach, gamifying soft skills training potentially creates simulations that mimic real-world situations to allow students to practice and develop their soft skills in a safe and low-stakes training environment. This facilitates training soft skills for better communication and collaboration during their academic journey and after their graduation and to prepare students for successful careers.

Technology has become an indispensable element in education that challenges conventional teaching. The pandemic significantly forced a paradigm shift in education from traditional methods to digital platforms. Emerging technology expanded the teacher’s role faster than predicted, and technology has become a significant criterion in defining 21st-century teachers. Teachers had to upgrade education and act as change agents in creating and managing technology-enhanced learning environments requiring teachers to be digitally literate. Considering teachers as significant stakeholders, this paper investigates how literature contributes to the knowledge of their perceptions of digital literacy in education by systematically investigating 59 research articles searched in EBSCO discovery services, covering commonly included 80 different databases in the default search. The review focuses on how teachers use technology, their challenges, and what teachers expect from successful technology integration. Results revealed a contradiction between expectations for technology integration into education before the pandemic and the experience after the lockdown. Even though teachers are confident using basic technology, many have observed a disconnect between technology and pedagogy that emphasises digital literacy’s need. Teachers struggle with technology integration due to lack of knowledge, accessibility, cost, disconnection, infrastructure, time, workload, and technology anxiety Therefore, teachers expect institutions to play a significant role in integrating technology by assisting them in mitigating challenges that require defining the institutional role of a technology-integrated learning environment.

Digital transformation of the health domain is in the spotlight of the digitalization of public services across the globe. In line with Brazil's digital agenda (ICP Brazil), digitalization has been accelerated in Brazil in the recent past. eID or digital ID is a recognized and trusted person identification solution when seeking public services using digital means. ICP Brazil has listed several eID solutions in use at different levels of maturity, security and usability. However, it is also essential that the health sector requires an eID service with comparatively higher security and privacy level than an eID used for other public services, due to the sensitivity of health data and processes. This leads to a question of how adequate the current eID solutions are in health service provisions, specifically for patients. Unfortunately, the current knowledge domain lacks the evidence for a concrete answer to this question, and in such circumstances, a thorough and deep analysis of current eID solutions is in demand. This study results in such an attempt and will systematically analyse the technical viability and the issues/opportunities of the available eID services. The outcome leads to proposing a way forward for a suitable eID solution that can be used for the digital health domain in Brazil. It furthermore leads to showing the need for a cloud-based and federated wallet solution instead of eIDs with individual trust certificates. The next step of this work is to define the concrete requirements for a complete solution of the eID system for the health domain.