With the sudden emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic forcing countries to close schools, the education of students worldwide had become a major challenge. Schools were forced to switch to online education, as that proved to be the only feasible option considering the adverse circumstances. The purpose of this research is to facilitate a quick transition to distance education should another lockdown be implemented. This is achieved by performing a literature review to determine how online education is regarded by students, along with what its advantages and challenges are. A survey has also been administered, with the purpose of assessing the usability of certain web conferencing platforms used in online education. The findings and results indicate an improving attitude towards degrees and courses acquired by online education, whilst also including the pitfalls and challenges teachers currently face during online education. The results of the survey suggest that certain web conferencing platforms appeal to the students more, with Big Blue Button being the platform most respondents rated favourably in the survey. Student feedback indicates that the transition to online education was successful, albeit somewhat challenging.

The word smart is very popular these days, as a result of nearly everything being digital today. Background information: In this digital world, everything is interconnected by smart devices. The driving force behind this is today’s Industry 4.0 environment, which is affected by many factors, including the ergonomic and safe design of new technology, ensuring the safety of factory operators, whilst increasing productivity and profits. The authors answer the following research questions: Are AR/VR systems or devices proposed for industrial use capable of meeting the needs of the industry (including sustainability)? Are these AR/VR devices designed to ensure easy use and efficient training of factory operators? Do the proposals of the reviewed research papers place sufficient emphasis on creating ergonomic workplaces? These publications were categorized into three subcategories based on the used key technology, research or application area, and their main purposes. Conclusion: Virtual reality, augmented reality, and IoT are becoming increasingly more suitable for industrial use, despite facing scrutiny and criticism.