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This study attempts to conduct a post-occupancy assessment of the primary technical, functional and behavioral features in a student housing facility at the Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology campus in Nagpur, India to see if the students are satisfied with the residential hostel's environs and facilities.

The study reviews knowledge areas pertinent to the technical, functional and behavioral performance of student housing facilities by looking at the body of accessible literature. Even though the literature review gave a thorough overview of the broad issues, it was essential to learn about the situation as it is and addresses the specific issues brought up to undertake a thorough evaluation, just as every in-depth study depends on a reliable methodology. Therefore, a methodology appropriate for the research was developed, which helped in identifying relevant attributes for the questionnaire to be used for the survey. This aided in analyzing the building's performance evaluation through the sole users of the hostel which are the students. The survey data is analyzed by statical methods using SPSS software to identify the key determinants of satisfaction in students' residential hostels and if these are affected by the gender of the students.

The survey results were examined to determine the level of satisfaction with the selected performance aspects, and the major determinants governing it. The findings concluded that most of the technical and functional determinants of satisfaction in hostels are identified the same by both genders, except for some of the attributes in behavioral elements. The research looked at how well key success elements in the student housing facility had been implemented.

Research is carried out in CFTI only wherein architecture is one of the branches.

Planning professionals, architects, housing managers and facility managers involved in the design, construction and management of student housing facilities might benefit from feedback from a post-occupancy evaluation. The post-occupancy study can therefore aid in continually enhancing the standard and effectiveness of the facilities for planning, constructing, managing and maintaining student residential housing.

The purpose of this study is to test whether equity theory (ET) – which posits that individuals compare their outcome/input ratio to the ratio of a “comparison other” and classify individuals as Benevolent, Equity Sensity, and Entitled – applies to the modern workplace of global virtual teams (GVT), where work is mostly intellectual, geographically dispersed and online, making individual effort nearly impossible to observe directly.

Using a sample of 1,343 GVTs comprised 6,347 individuals from 137 countries, this study tests three ET’s predictions in the GVT context: a negative, linear relationship between Benevolents’ perceptions of equity and job satisfaction in GVTs; an inverted U-shaped relationship between Equity Sensitives’ perceptions of equity and job satisfaction in GVTs; and a positive, linear relationship between Entitleds’ perceptions of equity and job satisfaction in GVTs.

Although the second prediction of ET is supported, the first and third have statistically significant opposite signs.

The research has important ramifications for management studies in explaining differences in organizational behavior in GVTs as opposed to traditional work settings.

The authors conclude that the main novelty with ET in GVTs is that GVTs are an environment stingy with satisfaction for “takers” (Entitleds) and generous in satisfaction for “givers” (Benevolents).

The purpose of the paper is to describe the development and implementation of a specialized Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) designed to enhance the knowledge and skills related to sustainability in students with Down Syndrome. This VLE serves as a means to make sustainable concepts more accessible and comprehensible to this specific student group, with the aim of promoting their engagement and understanding of sustainability, environmental awareness, recycling, and sustainable construction. The ultimate goal is to empower students with Down syndrome by providing them with a tailored educational tool that facilitates their learning in a manner that is engaging and effective.

The approach outlines the overarching plan for creating the e-learning platform, including the technological choices and design considerations necessary to make it effective and accessible for students with Down Syndrome. It's a fundamental component of the methodology, as it sets the direction for the platform's development and aligns with the objectives of the study. And also encompass the strategy for teaching and learning sustainability aspects to students with Down syndrome.

Positive Feedback from Tutors and Professionals: The feedback from tutors and professionals is generally positive, with 91.4% finding the platform to be well-organized and 88.6% considering the content adequate and understandable. This suggests that the VLE met the needs and expectations of educators and professionals involved in the learning process. Utility for Professional Practice: Approximately 80% of tutors and professionals found the platform useful for their professional practice, indicating that it has practical applications beyond student learning. This information highlights the success and potential impact of the VLE for this specific target group.

The study may not have explored the depth of sustainability concepts covered within the VLE. Future research could delve into the specifics of the content and its effectiveness in teaching complex sustainability topics.

The incorporation of universal design principles in the VLE development could serve as a model for creating inclusive e-learning platforms. This has broader implications for improving digital accessibility in education. The positive feedback from tutors and professionals suggests the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in education. Professionals from various fields, including special education and sustainability, can work together to create effective and inclusive learning tools.

This study can contribute to the broader discussion on inclusive education and the effective use of technology to enhance learning experiences for individuals with disabilities.

The study addresses a crucial gap in the field of sustainability education by focusing on students with Down syndrome. It highlights the importance of making sustainability education inclusive and accessible to a diverse range of learners, including those with disabilities. This originality contributes to the broader discourse on inclusive education and environmental awareness. The development of a specialized Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) for this specific target group is an original contribution. It demonstrates the potential for adapting educational technology to meet the unique needs of students with Down syndrome, potentially serving as a model for future educational tool development.

The purpose of the study is to investigate the impact of perceived value and academic entitlement on the online engagement of university students. The mediating effect of technostress inhibitor and teacher behavior between perceived value, entitlement and student engagement was also examined.

The study used a quantitative research methodology, with data collected through a survey of 304 undergraduate students from a public university in Bahrain.

The findings showed that perceived value and academic entitlement were significant predictors of online student engagement. At the same time, only technostress inhibitor was found to mediate those associations. An unexpected result was entitlement's positive and significant impact on student engagement.

University decision-makers are strongly advised to enhance perceived value and support mechanisms for engagement, address technology-related concerns and improve teacher capacity and students' online learning experience.

The study makes a distinct contribution by investigating how perceived value, academic entitlement, technostress inhibitors and teacher behavior influence student engagement in the online higher education context.

Based on the principles of the human capital theory, this study investigates the role of the quality management system (QMS) in higher education institutions (HEIs) in developing successful employability attributes among graduates. Considering industry as a prominent stakeholder in academia, the authors took industry–academia collaboration as the mediating variable.

Using the European Foundation for Quality Management model, the author analyzed how QMS in public HEIs located in London, the United Kingdom (UK), impacts business management, computer science and engineering students' employability. Following the nonprobability convenience sampling technique, this study included data from 324 local and international students.

The structural analysis identified QMS as a significant factor in enhancing students' employability, and industry–academia collaboration is found to act as a partial mediator in this relationship.

The management of HEIs in developing countries can take valuable guidelines from this study and integrate QMS in their institutions in developing their students' employability, as it is being done by HEIs in the UK.

The objective of this paper is to study the efficacy of the ASPECTSS Design Index's concepts as drivers of design intervention for educational environments for students on the autism spectrum. Based on the seven principles of acoustics, spatial sequencing, escape spaces, compartmentalization, transitions, sensory zoning and safety, ASPECTSS formed the basis for a preliminary post-occupancy evaluation (POE) and survey of an existing school environment.

Concepts drawn from the review of other strategies for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) friendly design were integrated with the seven ASPECTSS principles to create a design framework and consequent design retro-fit for a Pre-K-12th grade public school for students on the autism spectrum. The following design interventions were proposed: colour-coding based navigation; acoustical treatments in key circulation spaces; introduction of transition alcoves; classroom reorganisation using compartmentalization principles and the introduction of escape spaces for de-escalation. Specifically, a classroom template of modules of ASPECTSS-compliant layouts was provided to all staff. The efficacy and impact of these interventions were assessed using a whole campus online staff survey with further probing using classroom observations and subsequent interviews.

The results show alignment between the implementation of the ASPECTSS informed design interventions and responses to nine of the Likert scale items were all significantly lower than the middle response, indicating a high degree of satisfaction from survey respondents. These questions and responses related to the colour scheme facilitating ease of navigation for visitors of the school, the acoustics of the building successfully mitigating sound magnification and subsequently student distractibility, the organisation of the classrooms enhancing learning and the de-escalation zones allowing improved management of disruptive behaviours in the classroom.

This study focuses primarily on the Autism ASPECTSS Design Index as a framework for assessing classroom efficacy. Other tools and frameworks may produce different insights. A single school site was studied. Validation of these findings in other school environments is necessary before generalising these strategies at scale. The use of qualitative tools, primarily teacher and staff surveys, provides one lens into the efficacy of these design strategies. Further research using measurable biometric indicators such as heart-rate and stress levels measured through wearable technology could provide a first step towards the triangulation of these findings.

These findings could help provide more standardised best practices for designing learning environments for autism, potentially providing supportive strategies with real impact on learning quality, skill development and knowledge acquisition in school environments. This could potentially have economic implications by supporting more efficient progress for autistic students through their school curriculum.

Similar to economic impact, if validated and generalised, these findings could help with sense of accomplishment, general mental health improvement, alleviation of family stress and potential reduction of stigma in the autism community.

There is a slowly emerging field of design guidance for autism schools, but very little empirical evidence on the measurable efficacy of these strategies. This research provides one type of such evidence, as measured by the perceived impact from the point of view of staff and teachers at the school.

The positive correlation between students’ internship and employability is well documented. However, there is no consensus on its relationship with academic performance. Previous studies investigated the Bachelor level: in the UK, the so-called sandwich placement is positively correlated; in the US, the results are mixed. This study aims to expand the scientific literature and focuses on Politecnico di Torino, Italy: the cases of the Industrial and Management Engineering Bachelor (BA) and Master of Science (MS) degree programs are examined.

The academic performance of 2,279 BA students and 2,560 MS students graduated between 2016 and 2021 is examined. Ordinary least square models are employed to test the relationship between grades and internship, controlling for ex ante academic scores, gender, age and geographical origin.

The results show a small robust negative correlation between internship and grades, especially at the bachelor level, where potentially a self-selection occurs. At the master level, the negative relationship is significant but very small and might be partially determined by the marks of the exams substituting the internship.

This study contributes to the empirical research on the relationship between students’ grade and internship and suggests the presence of complementarities in several ways: the Italian context, characterized by an optional internship is examined, both at the BA and MS level. Universities that intend to organize internship as overlapping with lectures and exams should be cautious, especially when considering the BA level students, whose maturity and skills are less developed than MS ones.

The purpose of this study was to obtain valuable insights into students’ engagement and experiences within the virtual learning environment, especially in the context of crises. Among the innumerable challenges people throughout the world faced during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, those of students in institutions of higher education needing to engage in online academic studies are of special interest. Using an online survey, this study could predict students’ online engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic through three theoretical frameworks: the students’ academic motivation to study, the Big Five personality traits, and loneliness, and with a new tool measuring the participation in the Zoom platform.

To examine the psychological and technological factors predicting the students’ engagement, this study surveyed 547 students from different academic institutions of higher learning.

Findings show that the less lonely the students felt, the less neurotic they were, and the higher they scored in levels of extroversion, agreeableness, consciousnesses and openness to experience, the greater their engagement in their academic studies. In addition, students who were older, more educated, with higher intrinsic motivation and lower lack of motivation were more engaged in their online academic studies. Finally, participating in classes through the Zoom platform and experiencing it positively was a significant predictor of higher academic engagement.

Recognizing these factors can enable educators, institutions of higher learning, counselling services and students to obtain tools for higher engagement in online learning.

This study aims to assess the usability of augmented reality (AR) based mobile app for excavation and earthmoving processes using a novel tool entitled Excavator Augmented Reality (EAR).

A mixed-methods research approach was used through conducting experimentation to collect qualitative and quantitative data collected from the Sri Lankan construction sector. EAR app was used for experimentation in outdoor areas examining how a 360° tracked hydraulic excavator can be navigated in different physical environments similar to the real prospected job.

The findings reveal that EAR could make a considerable impact on enhancing productivity, safety and training processes. However, the developed EAR App subjected to assessment demonstrated the highest satisfaction gap for the auditory aspects. Among the remaining criterion, the satisfaction met user expectations for comfortability and no-risk practice. An analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT analysis) conducted revealed that visualising the excavator activities and the requirements of improved features were the highest agreed strengths and weaknesses of the EAR. Among the opportunities for improvement, the necessity of improving emergency and safety reached the highest agreement. Moreover, the study presented the challenges in introducing mobile augmented reality (MAR) to the construction sector under the political, economic, sociocultural, technological, environmental and legal (PESTEL) model along with solutions to be taken.

This study provides a novel approach to addressing the safety, productivity and training concerns in heavy mobile plants and machinery on construction sites which remains to be unexplored to this end.

The purpose of this study is to understand the meaning of the term well-being as conceptualised by parents, grandparents, principals and teachers in the Irish primary education system.

A hermeneutic phenomenological approach was adopted to understand the nature and meaning of the phenomenon of well-being. Interviews were carried out with 54 principals, teachers, parents and grandparents from a representative sample of primary schools in Ireland. Each participant was asked the same, open, question: “What does well-being mean to you?” Responses were transcribed verbatim and analysed using a combination of the principles of the hermeneutic circle and Braun and Clarke’s framework for thematic analysis.

Three conceptualisations of well-being were identified (1) well-being is about being happy, (2) well-being is about being healthy and safe and (3) well-being is something you “do”.

To the best of our knowledge this paper is the first of its kind to describe how well-being is conceptualised by adults in Irish primary school contexts. In particular it highlights how neoliberal conceptualisations of well-being as a “thing”, a commodity exchanged on assumptions of individualism, moralism and bio-economism, have crept into the education of our youngest citizens.