The Global Research Network for Verified Scholars

Disputes are inevitable in construction projects. There are different causes for these disputes which require more time, cost, and effort of project teams to find resolutions. Therefore, disputes impact negatively on project performance which can result in unsuccessful project completion. Poor communication between the teams is one of the causes of disputes. Therefore, by identifying the factors that affect communication effectiveness, project leaders can manage project communication effectively with well-defined information distribution methods. The purpose of this study was to emphasize the importance of effective communication to minimize disputes in construction projects. The objective was to identify the factors that improve the project team’s communication. Existing publications from 2019 to 2022 were studied as secondary resources for this study. This study revealed five factors that affect effective communication between the teams for a construction project together with research gaps and future research areas.

Large-scale infrastructure projects contribute to economic development, connectivity, energy security, and social welfare. However, they can also generate substantial environmental and social impacts. This study examines how environmental and social sustainability are incorporated into large-scale infrastructure decision-making through a multiple-case study analysis of three major projects: the Jakarta–Bandung High-Speed Rail in Indonesia, the Belo Monte Dam in Brazil, and the Adani Carmichael Mine in Australia. The cases represent different infrastructure contexts and reveal recurring tensions between economic development objectives, environmental protection, community interests, and long-term sustainability. Through cross-case analysis, the study identifies common challenges including the prioritisation of economic and strategic objectives, limitations in stakeholder participation, ecological impacts, and inadequate consideration of long-term social and environmental consequences. The findings indicate that regulatory compliance and conventional project appraisal do not necessarily ensure sustainable or socially legitimate infrastructure outcomes. The study therefore highlights the need to embed environmental and social considerations throughout infrastructure planning, assessment, approval, and governance. It proposes strengthened stakeholder participation, sustainability and ethical assessments, adaptive decision-making, climate-impact accounting, and biodiversity and social safeguards as key governance measures. The study concludes that sustainable infrastructure requires decision-making approaches that move beyond project delivery and procedural compliance towards integrated environmental and social sustainability.

This study examined how integrating personalized learning, self-regulated learning, and technology can enhance students’ learning quality and meet the evolving needs of higher education. While earlier research often explored these areas separately, this review examines their combined potential to enhance learner autonomy and learning outcomes. Using PRISMA for data selection and VOSviewer for data analysis, 112 Scopus-indexed publications (published during 2006–2023) were examined through bibliometric techniques to identify research trends, influential journals, and emerging opportunities. Following the quantitative analysis, a systematic qualitative synthesis was conducted, focusing on the 10 most-cited studies. The analysis revealed key themes such as ‘learning analytics’, ‘scaffolding for self-regulation’, ‘technological mediation of learning’, and emerging areas, including ‘learning analytics’, ‘smart environments’, and ‘intelligent tutoring’. Building on these insights, the study proposes a pedagogical framework that leverages technology to promote self-regulation, enhance the use of cognitive strategies, and improve academic performance. The findings highlight the dynamic role of technology-enabled pedagogy and suggest that future research should focus on specialized and technology-driven approaches to optimize personalized learning.

Purpose – The COVID-19 pandemic has compelled higher education institutions (HEI) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and globally to shift to a new pedagogy that is sustainable and resilient to crises and disruptions. It necessitated the integration of technologies as part of pedagogical innovation and modification of higher education practices – advancing toward a more holistic integration of physical and digital tools and methods to enable more flexible, creative, collaborative and participatory learning. In terms of pedagogy, an open approach to learning is essential, combining in-person teaching with technological tools and onlinelearning. Design/methodology/approach – This paper examines theoretical and empirical literature to define the potential benefits of utilizing open educational practices (OEP) in higher education, including better access, furthering equity and enhancing teaching, learning and assessment. Findings – It proposes a comprehensive framework built on a continuum of open pedagogy (OP) that comprises "Emphasis," "Essentials," and “Evolution”. Based on this framework, a set of recommendations for using OEP for successful knowledge building is provided. Originality/value – The research determined the significance of increased OEP involvement for sustainable learning possibilities and the UAE’s initiatives in developing educators to support innovative pedagogies and technology-enabled teaching-learning standards. The study suggests placing more emphasis on faculty and student scaffolding while using OP for better learning experiences and outcomes, as well as more institutional support and the need for policy development to transform the UAE into a global hub for sustainable education. (PDF) Utilizing open educational practices to support sustainable higher education in the United Arab Emirates.

The Covid-19 pandemic has caused a paradigm shift in terms of the adoption of technology in the realm of education, leading to a greater understanding of the advantages of blended learning. Higher educational institutions globally and in the United Arab Emirates have experienced this shift and have recognized that this approach can offer the necessary opportunities and flexibility to meet the demands of future education. This study aims to integrate the strengths of agile learning and blended learning to explore the possibility of developing new pedagogical practices to meet the various learning requirements of learners. The emergence of the blended learning paradigm, and agile approaches to ensure flexibility and sustainability in higher education are covered in this study. It explores theoretical and empirical literature to outline the potential benefits of blended learning, especially in the UAE, influenced by governmental development strategies, technological integration, and pedagogical innovations. This paper proposed an integrated holistic agile blended learning framework for fostering innovation in university teaching and learning. A fishbone analysis approach was utilized to identify possible barriers to implement agile blended learning, and a checklist for reviewing the progress of implementation and continuous improvement was suggested. This study highlights the importance of developing self-organized active learners, building more focus on scaffolding for faculty and students, as well as more institutional support and advanced infrastructure to support the agile blended learning process. It drives further research into flexible, learner-centered, and sustainable practices across higher education.

This paper reports the findings of a research study on the attitude of Indian teacher educators towards technology-enabled learning (TEL); if any age, gender, teaching position, and mode of teaching differences existed in their attitude; and their attitude to TEL post-pandemic when the imposed remote teaching may cease to exist. An online survey was conducted on 20 teacher education institutions, to which 112 educators responded. The results indicated that teacher educators had positive attitude towards TEL generally; that age, gender and teaching position did not influence their attitude to TEL, though open and distance learning (ODL) teacher educators showed more positive attitude than their campus-based counterparts. Their attitude towards use of TEL, post-Covid, focused more on the parameters of open educational resources (OER), institutional repository, multimedia-based teaching, and faculty capacity building. The results have been discussed in relation to previous research studies, the existing teacher education policy, and institutional contexts of teacher education.

Noise pollution is increasing in this era as countries' development is faster. This noise pollution causes serious non-auditory effects on human health. As a result, it needs effective controls on noise pollution. Hence, use a natural fibre reinforced composite for acoustical applications. Natural fibre-reinforced composites have various benefits, such as being eco-friendly, easy to manufacture, and effective in cost, and natural fibre improves the sound absorption, mechanical strength, and structural stability of the composite. The present review describes various techniques for measuring the acoustical and mechanical characteristics of natural fibre-reinforced composites. In addition to these acoustical (sound absorption coefficient, sound transmission losses, etc.) and mechanical (tensile, flexural, impact, etc.) characteristics are reviewed. Furthermore, this review paper studied an influencing parameter that affects the acoustical and mechanical characteristics of natural fibre-reinforced composites. these influencing parameters, such as fibre properties, density, porosity, sample thickness, binder amount, and filler material. In natural fibre-reinforced composites, increasing the percentage of the fibre density, binder amount, and filler material enhances sound absorption and mechanical strength, but these parameters have certain limitations, and crossing the limitation decreases the characteristics. reduce the porosity, decrease sound absorption, and increase sample thickness to increase acoustical characteristics. The conclusion states that the acoustical and mechanical characteristics of natural fibre-reinforced composites are enhanced when considering the performance-influencing parameters.

Abstract Dragonflies (Order: Odonata) are important components of freshwater ecosystems and serve as useful indicators of environmental and ecological conditions. The present study was conducted to investigate the systematic diversity and distribution of dragonflies in District Khairpur, Sindh, Pakistan. Field surveys were carried out in different habitats, including ponds, canals, seasonal streams, marshy areas, wetlands, agricultural fields, and other freshwater-associated sites across the district. Dragonflies were collected through direct observation, photography, and standard sampling techniques during suitable periods of the year. Specimens were identified using external morphological characters and available taxonomic keys, with particular attention to diagnostic features of the head, thorax, abdomen, wings, and wing venation. The study recorded 13 species of dragonflies, representing different genera and families of Odonata. Species composition and abundance varied among sampling sites, reflecting differences in habitat characteristics and availability of freshwater resources. The findings provide baseline information on the systematic diversity and distribution of dragonflies in District Khairpur and contribute to the knowledge of Odonata fauna of Sindh, Pakistan. The study also highlights the ecological importance of freshwater habitats for maintaining dragonfly diversity. Further investigations using molecular techniques, long-term monitoring, and detailed ecological studies are recommended to strengthen the taxonomic status and conservation assessment of dragonflies in the region. Keywords: Odonata, Dragonflies, Systematics, Species Diversity, Distribution, Khairpur, Sindh, Pakistan.

This chapter presents a comprehensive qualitative investigation into the transformative implementation of metaverse technologies combined with gamification mechanisms in Hong Kong's TVET wine education sector. Drawing on purposive interviews with 12 respondents comprising wine educators, students, technology implementers, and industry stakeholders, this study examines how immersive virtual environments create engaging, accessible, and practically relevant learning experiences in vocational wine education. The findings reveal that metaverse-gamified learning environments substantially enhance student engagement, motivation, and practical comprehension in TVET wine schools through simulated vineyard exploration, virtual wine tasting scenarios, and collaborative problem-solving challenges. However, significant barriers, including technological infrastructure constraints, content development capacity, pedagogical readiness, and cost implications, impede wider adoption.

Automation boosts productivity but may endanger professional identity and well-being when generative and agentic AI enter knowledge jobs quickly. Human elements of AI adoption are understudied, especially qualitative methodologies that capture lived experiences. Productivity improvements are clearly established. Explore knowledge workers' emotional and psychological reactions to AI-driven developments and how they handle the automation-augmentation conundrum. This study contrasts technology-focused research with employee psychological adaption. Semi-structured interviews with 25 knowledge workers in financial services, creative industries, and professional services. Data evaluated using reflexive thematic analysis to discover perceptual, affective, and coping tendencies. Ambivalent acceptance – excitement and anxiety; identity friction – perceived deskilling versus augmented creativity; coping through re-crafting – proactive role redesign; and organisational buffers – psychological safety and transparent communication mitigate negative outcomes. Employee psychological adaptation to AI is modelled in this research, expanding the automation-augmentation conundrum with unique coping mechanisms and practical suggestions for human-centered AI governance. Organisational support, effective communication, and identity rebuilding are crucial to optimal adaption results.