This research aims to evaluate the level of postsecondary student satisfaction with online learning platforms and learning experiences during the novel coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). This paper is based on the premise of transformative learning theories [1], which describe the learners’ authority and investment over their learning. Quantitative research was carried out using a survey that was sent out to 283 students enrolled at one higher education institution in KSA. These data were analyzed using SPSS. Average Mean Score (AMS) was used for data analysis, where the results are validated using the Standard Deviation (SD), Skewness and Kurtosis test, and Cronbach Alpha test. The research findings revealed that the students are satisfied with the university staff and faculty members who agreed on specific online platforms to use, grading system, assessment options, training workshops, online technical support, and more. The research findings also showed that participants were highly satisfied with Google Hangouts the most for lecture delivery, followed by Google Classroom and LMS (Moodle) for course management and assessments. With only respect to the students’ online learning experiences, the COVID-19 situation within this study context was handled adequately. This study calls for further research into the integration of professional development workshops and practical training courses for online learning and teaching to endorse innovative teaching techniques and alternative assessment plans for instructors, learners, administrators, and policymakers.

Construction industry plays main part in the financial development of a country and occupies an essential position in the state’s growth policies. Construction industry generates thousands of jobs into different sectors to accommodate people according to its capabilities. On the contrary, it faces huge number of claims, as a result it gives birth to various problems including additional cost and time to complete the project. Therefore, this paper aims to identify the common types and causes of claims generally occur in construction industry and specifically in large scale projects. A detailed literature review has been carried out for this research and covers past research papers of the last two decades. The results showed delay in claims and extra work claim submitted by the parties, they are the main types of claims followed by contract ambiguity claims, extension of time claim and suspension of work claims. Delay of payment is the most important cause of claim followed by incomplete design, variation order, change order by owner, lack of communication and in last poor project management. It is concluded that proper contract documentation should be done and early error identification in contract documents, drawings and specifications should be highlighted. Finally, it is recommended to adopt proper claim management policy and procedures to address the queries by all parties. This paper will be used to design future guidelines in managing claims in large scale construction projects to improve the performance of construction industry.

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The construction industry (CI) has a significant impact on the environment and on climate change due to the emission of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide. Globally accepted Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), specifically SDG 7 (Access to Affordable, Reliable, Sustainable and Modern Energy for All), SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) stress the responsible utilization of energy in various industries, including construction. The CI uses almost half of the world’s produced energy. Therefore, this research presents insights into the efficient use of energy in the building sector and shows how energy efficiency can be achieved by altering different parameters and components like orientation, materials, glazing, and HVAC systems through a case study of a hospital building in Green Building Studio (GBS). This paper also aims to use the Building Information Modelling (BIM) approach to make environmentally sustainable decisions to reduce energy waste in projects. Initially, beneficial factors of BIM on green buildings were identified in the literature and later ranked, based on expert opinions collected using a set of questionnaires. Average Index was used for data analysis. The identified benefits were validated by conducting energy analyses on a hospital model through 3D BIM. It was concluded that a substantial share of energy cost, carbon dioxide (CO2), and electricity can be saved using this approach. It was determined that a quick and sustainable design process, improved energy efficiency, enhanced building performance, and provision of better design alternatives are the key benefits of the adoption of BIM by such projects. A Cronbach’s alpha value of 0.822 was obtained, which further validates the results. The proposed approach may lead future structures to be sustainable and enriches the culture of energy-efficient green buildings.

Bibliometric methods are used to access various elements in any data set. Similarly, this study uses a bibliometric method to evaluate the research performance of the University of the Punjab (PU), the oldest university of Pakistan. A peer university from a neighboring country, India, has been selected in this study along with three state-owned universities of Pakistan. The research yield of selected universities was analyzed since their establishment until 2019. The data were retrieved from the Scopus database in February 2020. The guidelines of the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education were used to select the peer universities. It has been analyzed that steady progress in research productivity was observed during the 20th century and in the last few years of the 19th century. A focus shift was observed with the onset of the 21st century and a rapid increase in research publications was observed in Pakistani universities. Around 92% of research studies of the University of the Punjab were carried out during the first 20 years of the 21st century and it leads the compared peer universities in terms of the number of research publications and the citations. It is also analyzed that there is a tendency among the authors of studied universities to publish their research articles in subscription-based journals. The authors affiliated with the University of the Punjab are more inclined to publish their research in open access journals as compared to the researchers of other studied universities. It is also observed that publications with single authors received a low average of citations per document while the publications with six or more authors had the highest average citations. The study recommends collaborative efforts for carrying out research and publication in open access journals is encouraged because of greater visibility, access, and impact.

Research discovers new knowledge, ideas, and technologies essential in driving the future of society and humanity. Without research, a relevant and modern country cannot exist. Similarly, the research output of universities and degree-awarding institutes (DAIs) plays a significant role in higher education and development of any country. Research fosters professional excellence in faculty, important for delivering outstanding student education and training. Therefore, this research is an evaluation of the research output of higher education DAIs in the capital of Pakistan. This research was conducted in four steps: (a) data collection: where the data were extracted from Scopus for the years 2008–2017; (b) data cleansing and labeling: which included removal of nonrequired contents and labeling of nonnumeric data to meaningful classes; (c) feature selection: useful features according to proposed research questions were selected; and (d) data analysis: data were analyzed according to research questions and results obtained from experiments with the help of statistical tools. It is concluded that with only 1% of country’s population and around 11% of Higher Education Commission’s (HEC) recognized universities geographically located at Islamabad Capital Territory, Islamabad-based universities and DAIs contributed 34% of the total publications of Pakistan produced during the study time period. This shows Islamabad-based universities and DAIs standing at the national level. The public sector universities shared the major portion of total publications of the studied universities. Private sector universities and DAIs shared 8% of the total publications.

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This paper adds to the existing body of knowledge on green procurement approaches and sustainability theories for procurement management. It provides practical factors that can directly help the practitioners in implementing green procurement in construction projects. Green procurement is a new era in the construction industry of Pakistan. Thus, this paper aims to quantify the factors improving the adoption of green procurement in construction projects. A detailed literature review has been conducted to design and develop a conceptual model for green procurement. The study intricates the perception of 77 experienced practitioners involved in handling construction projects. The model was analyzed and validated with a partial least squares structural equation modeling technique with SmartPLS V3 software. The model results indicate that market factors and techniques play an essential role in enhancing green procurement acceptance and adoption. This study highlights the gap in achieving sustainability and controlling the environmental impacts caused by construction activities. It assists the construction practitioners to implement the green procurement for better environmental and sustainable performance.