Engaging with Industry in the Classroom Through the Use of Online Technology

A long established method of learning in Irish third level education has been the collaboration of colleges with Industry in the form of work placement. Workplaces provide a diversity of learning that is contextualised, socialised and not readily available in traditional learning contexts (Sheridan & Linehan, 2013). Because the workplace is the context of practice, learning in the workplace is considered a form of authentic learning informed by real contexts, activities, and best practice (Franz, 2008). The placement of students is often a difficult process and not always practical with large class sizes. Therefore, it is necessary to reimagine how we engage with industry and foster relationships within the context of an online environment. We describe (1) a workshop designed to provide an authentic learning experience for large undergraduate classes, and (2) evaluation of students learning in relation to Level 8 standards (QQI, 2014): Knowledge, Know How and Competence. The workshop is delivered using a blend of online and traditional classroom environments. The appeal of the workshop is in fostering relationships with industrial partners. Students are, randomly assigned to groups and tasked with addressing a complex workplace case scenario. Scenarios are provided by the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) and represent real situations encountered in the regulation of medicines. In a limited timeframe, students must research the problem, identify a course of action and present findings to the HPRA via online technology. HPRA representatives give immediate feedback on each case. Learning is assessed in relation to Level 8 standards using a survey tool. Data indicates that participants develop insight into their own professional competencies in relation to teamwork & communication, specialised knowledge of the industry and problem solving skills. Key to the success of the workshop is framing the student presentations in a professional context

Engaging with industry in the classroom through the use of online technology

A long established method of learning in Irish third level education has been the collaboration\ud of colleges with Industry in the form of work placement. Workplaces provide a diversity of\ud learning that is contextualised, socialised and not readily available in traditional learning\ud contexts (Sheridan & Linehan, 2013). Because the workplace is the context of practice,\ud learning in the workplace is considered a form of authentic learning informed by real contexts,\ud activities, and best practice (Franz, 2008). The placement of students is often a difficult\ud process and not always practical with large class sizes. Therefore, it is necessary to\ud reimagine how we engage with industry and foster relationships within the context of an\ud online environment. We describe (1) a workshop designed to provide an authentic learning\ud experience for large undergraduate classes, and (2) evaluation of students learning in relation\ud to Level 8 standards (QQI, 2014): Knowledge, Know How and Competence. The workshop is\ud delivered using a blend of online and traditional classroom environments. The appeal of the\ud workshop is in fostering relationships with industrial partners. Students are, randomly\ud assigned to groups and tasked with addressing a complex workplace case scenario.\ud Scenarios are provided by the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) and represent\ud real situations encountered in the regulation of medicines. In a limited timeframe, students\ud must research the problem, identify a course of action and present findings to the HPRA via\ud online technology. HPRA representatives give immediate feedback on each case. Learning\ud is assessed in relation to Level 8 standards using a survey tool. Data indicates that\ud participants develop insight into their own professional competencies in relation to teamwork\ud & communication, specialised knowledge of the industry and problem solving skills. Key to\ud the success of the workshop is framing the student presentations in a professional context

New insights into the efficient charge transfer of ternary chalcogenides composites of TiO2

Abstract A two-step solvothermal synthesis was adopted to prepare AgXSe2-TiO2 (X = In, Bi) composites. DFT study of the pristine parent samples showed the formation of the hexagonal phase of AgBiSe2, and tetragonal phase of AgInSe2 and TiO2, which corroborated the experimentally synthesised structures. Both the AgBiSe2-TiO2 and AgInSe2-TiO2 composites displayed enhanced visible light absorption and reduced band gap in the UV-DRS patterns. The XPS results exhibited a shift in binding energy values and the TEM results showed the formation of spherical nanoparticles of both AgBiSe2 and AgInSe2. The PL signals displayed delayed recombination of the photogenerated excitons. The as synthesised materials were studied for their photocatalytic efficiency, by hydrogen generation, degradation of doxycycline, and antimicrobial disinfection (E. coli and S. aureus). The composite samples illustrated more than 95 % degradation results within 180 min and showed 5 log reductions of bacterial strains within 30 min of light irradiation. The hydrogen production outcomes were significantly improved as the AgBiSe2 and AgInSe2 based composites illustrated 180-fold and 250-fold enhanced output compared to their parent samples. The enhanced photocatalytic efficiency displayed is attributed to the delayed charge recombination of the photogenerated electron-hole pairs in the AgXSe2-TiO2 interface. Formation of a p-n nano heterojunction for AgBiSe2-TiO2 and type II heterojunction for AgInSe2-TiO2 composite are explained

Electrospun Fibres of Chitosan/PVP for the Effective Chemotherapeutic Drug Delivery of 5-Fluorouracil

Electrospun nanofibrous mats consisting of chitosan (CS) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) were constructed. Tuning of solution and process parameters was performed and resulted in an electrospun system containing a 6:4 ratio of PVP:CS. This is a significant increase in the proportion of spun CS on the previously reported highest ratio PVP:CS blend. SEM analysis showed that the nanofibrous mats with 4 wt% CS/6 wt% PVP (sample E) comprised homogenous, uniform fibres with an average diameter of 0.569 μm. XPS analysis showed that the surface of the samples consisted of PVP. Raman and FTIR analysis revealed intermolecular interactions (via H-bonding) between PVP and CS. In FTIR spectra, the contribution of chitosan to CS/PVP complexes was shown by the downshift of the C=O band and by the linear increase in intensity of C-O stretching in CS. XPS analysis showed a smaller shift at the binding energy 531 eV, which relates to the amide of the acetylated functional groups. The obtained results demonstrate a sensitivity of Raman and FTIR tests to the presence of chitosan in PVP:CS blend. The chemotherapy drug 5-Fu was incorporated into the constructs and cell viability studies were performed. WST-8 viability assay showed that exposure of A549 human alveolar basal epithelial cells to 10 mg/mL 5-Fu loaded fibres was most effective at killing cells over 24 h. On the other hand, the constructs with loading of 1 mg/mL of drug were not efficient at killing A549 human alveolar basal epithelial cells. This study showed that CS/PVP/5-Fu constructs have potential in chemotherapeutic drug delivery systems

Ternary Metal Chalcogenide Heterostructure (AgInS2–TiO2) Nanocomposites for Visible Light Photocatalytic Applications

Hybrid nanoarchitectures of AgInS2 and TiO2 photocatalysts were prepared by using a modified sol–gel method. The experimental results reveal that these nanocomposites display enhanced visible light absorption and effective charge carrier separation compared to their pristine parent samples (AgInS2 or TiO2). 0.5 wt % AgInS2 loading was found to be the optimum concentration for photocatalytic applications. More than 95% of doxycycline degradation was achieved within 180 min of solar light illumination. Similarly, the dopant concentrations at lower values (<2 wt %) exhibited 300 times higher H2 generation rate under visible light irradiation compared to AgInS2 and TiO2. The microbial strains (Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus) exhibited a 99.999% reduction within half an hour of simulated solar light illumination. The computational investigation was employed to understand the structural, electronic, and the dielectric properties of AgInS2 and TiO2 composites. The improved photocatalytic results are explained as a result of the decreased rate of exciton recombination. The current investigation opens up new insights into the use of novel ternary heterostructure nanocomposites for improved visible light activity