Online delivery and assessment during COVID-19: safeguarding academic integrity

Globally, the number of COVID-19 cases continues to rise daily despite strict measures being adopted by many countries. Consequently, universities closed down to minimise the face-to-face contacts, and the majority of the universities are now conducting degree programmes through online delivery. Remote online delivery and assessment are novel experiences for many universities, which presents many challenges, particularly when safeguarding academic integrity. For example, invigilated assessments, often considered as more secure, are not an option given the current situation and detecting any cheating would be significantly challenging. This paper reviews assessment security in the digital domain and critically evaluates the practices from different universities in safeguarding academic integrity, including associated challenges

Online Delivery of Teaching and Laboratory Practices:Continuity of University Programmes during COVID-19 Pandemic

A great number of universities worldwide are having their education interrupted, partially or fully, by the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Consequently, an increasing number of universities have taken the steps necessary to transform their teaching, including laboratory workshops into an online or blended mode of delivery. Irrespective of the measures taken, universities must continue to maintain their high academic standards and provide a high-quality student experience as required for delivery of learning outcomes associated with each degree programme. This has created a challenge across the higher education landscape, where academics had to switch to remote teaching and dierent approaches to achieving laboratory delivery. As a result, students have not been receiving face-to-face teaching, and access to laboratory facilities has been limited or nearly impossible. This paper reviews numerous approaches taken by universities to deliver teaching and laboratory practices remotely, in consideration of the COVID-19 pandemic, whilst also considering the potential impacts on the student learning experience. This review is primarily focused on the fields of engineering, science and technology, based on published literature including books, reviewing web-based provision of selected universities, institutional and national policy documents

Academic Standards and Quality Assurance: The Impact of COVID-19 on University Degree Programs

COVID-19, caused by a member of the coronavirus family of viruses, has spread to most countries around the world since it was first recorded in humans in China in late 2019. Closing universities and cancelling all face-to-face activities have become a COVID-19 inevitable reality in many parts of the world. Its impact on university programs, particularly to maintain academic standards and quality assurance procedures, has become significantly more challenging and complex. New ways of working digitally, to minimize disruption to daily operations, have also led to enormous anxiety and uncertainty within the student population, and meeting students’ expectations has also become significantly more difficult. This paper reviews actions taken by universities to safeguard high academic standards and quality assurance procedures during this time and appraise the challenges and impacts on students’ academic performance

UV Light Assisted NO2Sensing by SnO2/Graphene Oxide Composite

Nitric oxide (NO2) is one of the air pollutants that pose serious environmental concerns over the years. In this study, SnO2 nanowires were synthesized by evaporation-condensation method and graphene oxide were synthesized using modified Hummers method for low temperature NO2 detection. Drop cast method was used to transfer graphene oxide (GO), to form composite GO-metal oxide p-n junctions. With integration of reduce graphene oxide (rGO), the UV light absorption was enhanced. This metal oxide composite has shown a reversible response in detecting low concentrations of NO2 under UV irradiation, with a working temperature range of 50–150 °C. Pure SnO2 shows 20% response to NO2 (4 ppm) in dark conditions, while the response increasesupto60%usingUVirradiationat50°C.Furthermore, SnO2/rGOshowsa40%ofresponse in dark, while the response increases to 160% under UV light illumination. This composite exhibits excellent recovery and maintains the baseline under UV light at low temperatures, which effectively overcome the drawbacks of low recovery typically shown by metal oxide gas sensors at low temperature

Educational leadership in times of crisis: lessons learned and the future of higher education in Sri Lanka

The right to education is fundamental, serving as the cornerstone for personal and societal changes. In this context, educational leadership plays a primary and significant role. Higher education (HE) leadership focuses at all times and especially in crises largely on decision-making affecting the pedagogical approaches and the quality of education. The responsibility, therefore, placed on higher educational institutions even under normal circumstances is quite considerable, let alone during crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. In the beginning, and with each intermittent resurgence, the pandemic challenged and moved the boundaries of educational leadership globally in an unprecedented way highlighting the need for Higher Educational Institutes (HEIs) to assess and reorient leadership attitudes and behaviours in the delivery of quality education. In this milieu, Sri Lanka provides a unique example of a country that has weathered a health crisis since 2020 with a ripple effect in educational, social, and economic spheres and endured a state higher education sector that was already beleaguered for decades by pedagogical, administrative, unemployment, militant faction and violence-related crises and challenges. The primary objective of the chapter is to examine the higher educational leadership of state and affiliated universities in Sri Lanka during the COVID-19 pandemic in the backdrop of the ongoing three-fold and related crises from 2020 to 2023 to highlight leadership initiatives (or lack thereof) in facing crises from HEI administrative, academic, and student (including students with disabilities) angles in the delivery of education in tandem with pre-existing ‘crises’. It includes the educational, social, and economic repercussions in its aftermath through accommodations and adaptations of university administrators, teachers, and students using primary and secondary data. Accordingly, the Chapter recommends as viable the crisis leadership framework proposed by Ralph Gigliotti in 2017 to surmount current and future crises and challenges while mitigating pre-existing ones

Seed-Assisted Growth of TiO2 Nanowires by Thermal Oxidation for Chemical Gas Sensing

Herein, we report the catalyst assisted growth of TiO2 one-dimensional (1D) nanowires (NWs) on alumina substrates by the thermal oxidation technique. RF magnetron sputtering was used to deposit a thin Ti metallic layer on the alumina substrate, followed by an Au catalytic layer on the Ti metallic one. Thermal oxidation was carried out in an oxygen deficient environment. The optimal thermal growth temperature was 700 °C, in a mixture environment composed by Ar and O2. As a comparison, Ti films were also oxidized without the presence of the Au catalyst. However, without the Au catalyst, no growth of nanowires was observed. Furthermore, the effect of the oxidation temperature and the film thickness were also investigated. SEM, TEM, and EDX studies demonstrated the presence of Au nanoparticles on top of the NWs, indicating that the Au catalyst drove the growth process. Raman spectroscopy revealed the Rutile crystalline phase of TiO2 NWs. Gas testing measurements were carried out in the presence of a relative humidity of 40%, showing a reversible response to ethanol and H2 at various concentrations. Thanks to the moderate temperature and the easiness of the process, the presented synthesis technique is suitable to grow TiO2 NWs for many different applications