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Student Learning Experiences in Higher Education: Investigating a Quantity Surveying Programme in Malaysia
Get PDFHigher education institutions (HEIs) play a crucial role in fostering quality education. This paper examines the attributes that influence student learning experiences in a quantity surveying (QS) programme in a Malaysian private HEI and uncovers the underlying factors involved. The significance of these attributes as recognised by the students, obtained through a questionnaire survey, are subsequently presented. The findings reveal that the five most important attributes are closely related to the lecturer, namely the lecturer’s preparedness, responsiveness, interpersonal and communication skills, clarity and academic experiences. An exploratory factor analysis identifies the five major underlying factors to be the quality of academic learning to relate to professionalism and competency of lecturers, quality of academic services and support facilities, interpersonal connections and external considerations, curriculum structure and physical environment and facilities. Understanding these factors could help HEIs to devise effective strategies to enhance the quality of service and programme in higher education, which can result in a greater impact on the effectiveness of contemporary QS education and the reputation of the HEI as well as fostering student satisfaction and loyalty
Online Capacity Building in Anatomy Knowledge for High School Biology Teachers: Community-University Partnerships in Indonesia During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Get PDFThis anatomical program for high-school biology teachers, a university-driven capacity- building exercise, achieved its aims of: (1) determining the participants’ profiles; (2) increasing the anatomical knowledge of participants; and (3) evaluating the online program. The webinar program comprised 4 lectures, including discussion, preceded and followed by a test consisting of 19 anatomy questions. Of 867 high-school biology teachers who registered an interest, 222 completed the post-program test and feedback questionnaire; however, only 153 (111 females, 42 males) completed both pre-program and post-program tests and the feedback questionnaire. A significant (P<0.001) increase in the overall post-program scores (88.9%: male 89.5±16.52%; female 88.7±17.38%) compared to the pre-program test scores (56.3%: male 56.1±15.66%; female 56.5±16.82%) was observed, the increase being irrespective of age, level of education or teaching experience. The program attracted participants from throughout Indonesia rather than just those close to the university. There was an overall improvement in test scores, supporting the effectiveness and efficiency of the online anatomy program. More than 60% of participants stated that the program met their needs in terms of the level of anatomy knowledge, and that the topics were of interest, well presented and relevant to their teaching. This study may provide useful information for future community-university studies in this area
An Integrated Paradigm for Managing Efficient Knowledge Transfer: Towards a More Comprehensive Philosophy of Transferring Knowledge in the Construction Industry
Get PDFThe efficient knowledge transfer among project group members can help those individuals do their jobs more successfully. However, there are challenges with effective and efficient knowledge transfer within the construction industry. Past research has assumed that all information can be articulated and codified, thus focusing on the transfer that generates the supply of knowledge. There seems not to be a comprehensive strategy for dealing with reverse, intra-firm information transfer that considers several elements and the interconnections between them. The current study developed a conceptual framework that comprehensively overviews knowledge transmission variables. A total of 128 papers from Scopus and Web of Science and publisher databases like Taylor & Francis, Elsevier, Emerald Insight, and Google Scholar were evaluated between 1990 and 2021. The data were evaluated using ATLAS.ti 9 software tool. The study contributed significantly to the impression of knowledge transfer by the construction industry. It also suggests that organisations should inspire and increase the involvement and evaluation of knowledge dissemination. In addition, a set of factors for efficient information transfer was identified and described in detail. Effective communication strategies should include establishing regular and efficient communication, creating a community of practice with common goals, creating a sense of urgency and connection to the challenge, and continuously transferring information amongst organisation members
Investigating the Relationship between Occupational Stress and Work-Life Balance among Indian Construction Professionals
Get PDFThe construction industry has long been recognized as a stressful industry, due to its complexity and management of a large number of stakeholders. Occupational stress causes a negative impact on both the work and personal life of professionals. Previous studies have established that occupational stress of construction professionals is strongly associated with low productivity, high absenteeism, and poor work performance. However, there is a lack of scientific studies that provide linkages between occupational stressors and the dimensions of work-life balance. The present research aims to study the perceived level of occupational stress and assess its relationship with the dimensions of work-life balance among construction professionals. Within an established theoretical framework, eight hypotheses were formulated to investigate the above relationship. A cross-sectional survey-based approach was adopted to assess the level of occupational stress and work-life balance. The survey was administered among construction project managers, project engineers, and site engineers in the Indian context. With 285 valid responses, relative importance index and multiple regression analysis methods were utilised to analyse the collected data. The findings revealed major stressors that contribute to high levels of occupational stress under work-related and organisation-related stressor categories. The top five identified stressors included job nature demands coordination with multiple stakeholders, tight time frame for work, unstable working hours, bureaucracy, and quantitative work overload. With regards to the relationship between the categories of occupational stress and work-life balance, the results indicate that work-related stressors are significantly and positively related to work interference to personal life (WIPL) and personal life interference to work (PLIW) and negatively relate to work enhancement of personal life (WEPL) and personal life enhancement of work (PLEW). In the case of organisation-related stressors, both organisation policy and organisation position-related stressors significantly and positively influence WIPL however, no significant relationship was noticed with PLIW, WEPL, and PLEW. While the existing studies have provided evidence that work-life imbalance causes occupational stress, one of the major contributions of the present study is that it provides valid scientific evidence that occupational stress significantly influences work-life life balance negatively. The study’s findings with regards to unveiling the relationship between the categories of occupational stressors and dimensions of work-life balance would help organisations derive relevant policies for creating a supportive work environment. To this end, the paper advances our collective understanding of occupational stress and work-life balance with multiple dimensions and perspectives
Strategies to Minimise the Impact of COVID-19 on the Construction Industry: A Case Study of Construction Site Clusters in Malaysia
Get PDFMalaysia has seen the third wave of infection since the start of the global COVID-19 pandemic, with approximately 103 construction sites involving over 14,667 workers reported from April 2020 to February 2021. This has led to limited progress in construction projects or a complete halt, resulting in late project delivery. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the factors influencing the spread of COVID-19 and the strategies taken by the affected construction sites to mitigate the spread of the outbreak. The researchers adopted a case study approach with a multiple-case design and discusses the use of an in-depth interviewing method to collect rich data on the studied phenomenon. Data were collected from three construction sites. The sites were mixed development projects in nature and provided in-depth, rigorous, and robust information. Based on the results, two categories of factors influencing the spread of COVID-19 were established. These are primary and secondary factors, such as workers’ mobilisation, uncontrolled movement of workers, and the limited practice of social distancing. Furthermore, evidence suggests that the strategies adopted to control the effects of the pandemic were a combination of government enforcement and initiatives taken by construction companies. This paper concludes that an early identification of the causes of the spread will enable appropriate implementation strategies to control the outbreak. This study is an attempt to present the experiences of one developing country as an example of a means of dealing with unexpected pandemics or other intractable diseases that can affect project delivery
Health and Safety Integration into the Procurement Stages of Public Construction Projects in Developing Countries: A Case of Ghana
Get PDFThe potential to promote health and safety (H&S) through public procurement has resulted in increased expectation for public sector clients to integrate H&S matters into their procurement decisions and practices. Developing countries are however far behind in this endeavour. Using qualitative research, therefore, this study explored how public clients integrate H&S into the procurement of public works. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with 20 contractors and public sector clients who have vast experience in the procurement of public works. The data was analysed using both inductive and deductive thematic analyses. The findings show that the extent of H&S integration into the procurement process depended on the funding source(s) for public projects. H&S matters are generally overlooked in the various procurement stages for public projects funded by the government, while in those funded by international development agencies, H&S matters are prioritized, and therefore, given considerable attention. The research contributes to construction H&S improvement research in developing countries by giving insight into the extent of H&S integration into public procurement. It also contributes to the understanding of the influence of funding sources on the extent to which H&S matters are integrated into public procurement in developing countries
Edgeways Logic: The Space and Language of In-betweenness in New Delhi’s Roadside Shrines
No full textThis article focuses on the vernacular spaces of roadside tombs—or mazaars—of anonymous saints (commonly referred to as ‘Zinda Pir Baba’) in the heart of the contemporary Indian capital, New Delhi. These mazaars are located along the megacity\u27s main roads and constitute a shared space where Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs perform rituals in ways that do not classify or identify them as members of rival religious communities. The custodians of grave-shrines shape and reshape social and religious inclusiveness along vernacular and contemporary planes. Simultaneously, the makeshift environments of grave-shrines create a space of in-betweenness that ruptures gender roles, sidelines histories of power, and contests urban planning in India’s capital city.
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Boundaries and Crossings: Religious Fluidity in Twenty-first Century India
Get PDFFollowing Partition, newly independent India adopted a constitution based on secularism and rights for minorities. In recent years, under the Bharatiya Janata Paty government, this model of society has been steadily eroded and supplanted by one favouring Hindu nationalism. This shift has changed the ways in which various religious communities relate to each other as well as their relationship with the state. In this special issue, we examine how these social and political shifts have impacted on the willingness of individuals to engage across religious boundaries and highlight instances of continuing religious cosmopolitanism.  
\u27Do you own your freedom?\u27 Reflecting on Cape Town youths\u27 aspirations to be free
Get PDFYoung people make up half of the world’s population and constitute the majority of the population across the Global South (Cooper et al. 2019). In South Africa, the youth constitute one-third of the country’s population, many of whom belong to the so-called ‘born free’ generation. The ‘born free’ generation typically refers to those who were born after the end of Apartheid, or those who were coming of age after 1994. The youth, particularly in cities of the South, represent an excluded majority in terms of access to meaningful employment and quality living environments.
This article reflects on a research project which used narrative photovoice as a method to engage a group of 13 young people from Mitchell’s Plain, Philippi and Gugulethu; poor marginalised areas in Cape Town. Narrative photovoice combines photography with writing to give participants an opportunity to convey particular stories or issues through their photography. Through a process of co-production and collaboration between academic researchers, a community-based organisation (CBO) called ‘Youth for Change’ and a creative enterprise called ‘noDREAD’productions, the youth were engaged in a creative process using photographs to tell stories about themselves, their communities and the broader city context in which they live.
This article draws on Appadurai’s notion of the ‘capacity to aspire’ to make sense of the aspirations and dreams the participants talk about through their photographs; how they navigate structural, psychological and other factors which impede their aspirations and their freedom, and how they make sense of their everyday realities. The article advances two interlinked arguments: firstly, it makes visible the ‘navigational capacity’ of youth from marginalised neighbourhoods and their capacity to aspire amidst multiple constraints. It does so by illustrating how the youth grapple with the idea and experience of freedom in their everyday life. Secondly, it makes a case for the use of photovoice as a method that is well positioned to (a) capture the visual dimension of youth aspirations and (b) allow for co-production between the different stakeholders
Capacity, voice and opportunity: advancing municipal engagement in Canadian federal relations
Get PDFIn Canada, municipalities are involved in an increasing number of policy areas, but they remain largely absent from the nation’s system of intergovernmental relations. Municipal representatives do not attend First Ministers’ meetings that gather the Prime Minister and heads of each province and territory. They are also largely excluded from intergovernmental councils or committees focused on specific policy areas. Nor do they participate in the negotiation of most intergovernmental agreements.
This paper explores how Canada’s intergovernmental infrastructure could be reformed to include municipalities. It does so through an analysis of how other countries have made space for municipalities in their intergovernmental processes. After drawing five lessons from international experience, the paper concludes with four approaches to reforming intergovernmental relations in Canada: (1) ensure municipalities have the capacity, voice and structures to participate effectively in intergovernmental relations; (2) increase municipal involvement in provincial policy-making, including potentially through co-governed intergovernmental councils; (3) as far as possible, eliminate unfunded mandates(ie responsibilities devolved without adequate funding to discharge them) through, for example, provincial legislation or provincial–municipal intergovernmental agreements that require consultation on the fiscal impacts of draft legislation or regulation on municipalities; (4) strengthen trilateral (national/provincial/municipal) relations, including through location-specific or policy-specific agreements, and trilateral intergovernmental councils
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