Guidelines for a vigorous on-line learning in a civil engineering programme

The main objective of this study was to develop important guidelines and specifications for a vigorous and effective on-line learning specific to the civil engineering programme using a quantitative survey and analysis. A comprehensive survey was distributed during the spring semester 2021-2022 to civil engineering students at Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University, Al Khobar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with the primary purpose of establishing the main requirements and recommendations for an efficient and compelling on-line learning in the programme. This study aimed to point out the variables influencing the quality of on-line learning, including administrative support, course content, course design, instructor characteristics, learner characteristics, social support and technological support. Although the Covid-19 pandemic is nearly over and students are mostly back to the traditional face-to-face learning, the authors expect that the outcomes and recommendations from this study will complement existing virtual learning guidelines and will guide future educational policy makers developing hybrid learning that can optimise efficient on-line and face-to-face modes. © 2023 WIETE

Bolstering Economic Growth in the Arab Region Through Commercialization of Research Outcomes

Despite the prevailing socio-political and diverse economic situation Arab countries have sustained over three long decades, the Arab region is currently experiencing pronounced economic growth largely attributed to the huge reservoirs of natural resources disbursed across the region. In contrast, many countries around the world, that would exhibit close resemblances to the economic dynamics of the Arab region, have had immense developments, crossing economic boundaries, and attaining competitive edges industrially and economically at the world stage. In the context of the current COVID-19 pandemic, for instance, Arab countries are left with little option but to delve into their own higher education research and development strategies to slowly unpack and replicate viable forms of technology into their local economies. In this chapter, we address current barriers, challenges and difficulties that have impacted severely the current adverse situations while exploring solutions and potential opportunities that are direly needed to transform the rather primitive, less competitive and outdated industrial paradigms into industrial pursuits that would leverage core industries to catalyze real economic growth. In so doing, we address industrial venues harnessing ongoing endeavors around the academic sector in ways that would veer academic outcomes in a direction that would invigorate serious world-class industrial formations. Along the way, we shall be addressing notions like innovation and entrepreneurship, intellectual property (IP) management, and start-up evolutions leading ultimately to spinoffs and thereon to small and medium enterprises (SMEs);the primary levers for job creation and real economic growth under any productively functional economy. Meanwhile, we explore the various contributions, if any, which have taken place in the Arab region as a result of ongoing endeavors of researchers to bolster economic growth and incentivize viable paths towards contriving real industrial models. This is considering a multitude of research pursuits around Arab universities and within indigenous research centers, a great many of which were receiving funding through local funding agencies or via international sponsors to carry the research wheel forward. Based on that, we draw conclusions, offer recommendations, and suggest policies that are commensurate with the United Nations 2030 Strategic Development Goals, which have become the benchmarks against which various world economies would fare. We also assess the impact of research endeavors, which have taken place in the Arab region, and whether they have, in fact, contributed to the evolution of livable industrial pursuits for the Arab world. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.

Impact of COVID-19 on Electric Energy Consumption

COVID-19 has been a source of great disruption to governments and people ali over the world. Health care systems have been overwhelmed, already destabilized financial markets further jeopardized, with oil and energy markets plunging into crises and economic activities coming to severe halts. To keep people connected while working from home and upholding life-saving facilities in hospitals and around industrial regimes, reliable affordable electricity is imminent. As an immediate consequence of the pandemic, much pressure has befallen countries with low-energy reserves, where the energy sectors involved had already been staggering and facing major challenges ahead of COVID-19. Jordan's, being of these impacted countries, peak demand on electricity decreased by 17.5% by early April 2020 compared with the mean 2019 levels. Based on the ARMA and ARIMA models obtained, the impact on 2020 electricity demand in Jordan depends on the durations and levels of the confinement/s, with a low estimate of 2.76% if pre pandemic conditions return by mid-September (2020), and a high estimate of 7% if some restrictions remain in effect worldwide until the end of 2020. This article reports the short-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the energy sector in Jordan, with Jordan being a typical example of many such countries worldwide. This will help leverage contingencies and good planning that would help the energy sectors worldwide remain within some sustainable regime/s. © 2021 IEEE.

Effects of students’ home environment, tools, and technology used on online learning experience in a civil engineering program

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused major disruptions in every sector of human activity around the world. The education sector is no exception. Due to physical restrictions in accessing campus infrastructures, students and instructors at academic institutions have forcibly adapted to the new norm of virtual learning with mixed expectations and outcomes. There have been several studies conducted by educational practitioners since the pandemic began, which mostly focused on how academic constituents quickly adapt to virtual learning in a general sense. The main objective of this study is to examine the effects of virtual learning infrastructure and environment on student learning, specific to the civil engineering program at Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University (PMU). A survey was distributed to civil engineering students at PMU at the end of the fall 2020 term to gather perceptions about virtual learning and check the adequacy of online learning tools and associated environments. Student performance during virtual learning in terms of grade achievement was also investigated and compared with a normal situation. In general, it was found that students are satisfied with the current technology used to facilitate virtual learning. The anticipated outcomes of this study, including online technology readiness, curriculum adjustment, and teaching styles or methods, are to be used for virtual learning improvement should the current pandemic restriction extend to the end of the 2020–21 academic year and possibly far beyond. © 2021, International Journal of Information and Education Technology. All rights reserved.

The effect of the spread of the new COVID-19 on the psychological and social adaptation of families of persons with disabilities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND Helping families of persons with disabilities in times of the spread of COVID-19 is a major step to ensure their social and psychological adaptation. This call comes from the fact that from a health perspective, persons with disabilities have less immunity and are more vulnerable to deceases and infections. Many families of persons with disabilities have also expressed their concerns regarding the safety of their disabled member/s. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the impact of the new COVID-19 on the psychological and social adjustment of families of persons with disabilities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. PARTICIPANTS AND PROCEDURE The sample of the study was chosen randomly from the Asir region. The sample consisted of any member of the families of persons with disabilities (parents and siblings). Participants responded to a questionnaire, which was sent electronically via WhatsApp to the families of persons with disabilities. The questionnaire gathered demographic information about the disabled member from the family (age and level of disability). The questionnaire underwent statistical treatment to extract data for analysis. RESULTS The results showed less ability for families of persons with disabilities to adapt psychologically and socially to the spread of COVID-19. The findings revealed the existence of fundamental differences in the levels of psychological and social adaptation among these families due to the level of disability of their member and due to the variable of age, and in favor of the age group of 11-15 years. The study recommended providing safe methods of communication with families of persons with disabilities to reduce the feeling of psychological isolation and loneliness as much as possible during the quarantine or curfew periods. CONCLUSIONS This study explored the levels of psychological and social adaptation of families of persons with disabilities in the time of COVID-19. The spread of the virus created a crisis in different counties and millions of people were infected. Persons with disabilities are among the categories affected most by the infection of the virus due to their weak immunity and their health problems. Therefore, response plans need to take measures that cover the needs of persons with disabilities and their families.