Low integrity is a challenge for any organization. However, most organizations emphasize integrity without explaining what is required of an individual with high integrity. Exhibiting high integrity is necessary for academics; yet, the level of academic integrity remains unclear. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine the integrity level of academicians in a Malaysian public university. This paper shares the findings on the level of integrity of academics based on a questionnaire completed by 213 academicians. Data were collected by survey questionnaire and was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. An overall mean score of 9.45 from a possible 10.0 indicated a high level of integrity among academics. The self-evaluation results by academics also demonstrated that they have attained integrity at a high level for their generic task, teaching and learning, research and publications and service for community with a mean score between 9.36 and 9.49. The value with the highest mean score was for “service to community”, whereas the lowest was for “research and publication”. These findings show that the university has successfully instilled values of integrity among academicians. Nevertheless, the university must continue to enhance academic integrity by exploring religiosity. Using Google Scholar, a literature search identified an Islam-based academic integrity model to explain the quantitative findings. Finally, a mixed method approach and involving all universities in Malaysia are recommended to further the findings of this study.
The issue of academic achievement among Chinese university students is emerging due to difficulties in finding employment. This study investigates the structural relationships between social support, goal orientation, and academic achievement with the aim of enhancing students’ academic performance and facilitating sustained employability. Data were collected from 202 college students in South China, revealing that students’ levels of social support, goal orientation, and academic achievement were all moderate. Lower-grade students, in comparison to higher-grade students, exhibited lower levels of social support, goal orientation, and academic achievement. Additionally, students from lower economic backgrounds tended to lack social support. Among the factors of social support, goal orientation, and academic achievement, there were positive correlations among these three variables. Social support significantly and positively influenced goal orientation and academic achievement. Specifically, the sub-factors of social support, school support, and teacher support had differential effects, with school support enhancing academic achievement and teacher support boosting goal orientation. Goal orientation also significantly and positively impacted students’ academic achievement, with the sub-factor of mastery goals having a stronger influence. Goal orientation partially mediated the relationship between social support and academic achievement. This study discusses limitations and provides insights for future research.
This cross-sectional study examines the knowledge, perception, and practice of health professions students and academics in Jordan concerning halal pharmaceuticals. Health professions students and academics from various universities in Jordan were surveyed using a structured questionnaire. Data analysis included descriptive statistics and inferential tests to identify factors affecting knowledge, perception, and practice. Participants had a high level of awareness regarding general halal and haram concepts, but there was relatively lower awareness of the term “halal pharmaceuticals” and detailed information about non-halal ingredients. Knowledge scores varied between students and academics, with academics scoring higher. Participants exhibited positive perceptions, acknowledging the importance of knowledge about halal pharmaceuticals and patients’ rights to inquire about medication sources and ingredients. Concerns were raised about the potential controversy surrounding the topic. This research contributes to understanding the role of halal pharmaceuticals in healthcare, particularly in predominantly Muslim countries. The findings highlight the importance of integrating education on halal pharmaceuticals into healthcare curricula, emphasizing patient-centered care, and addressing cultural and religious sensitivity. There is a need for tailored educational approaches and sensitivity training to bridge the gap between knowledge and practice.
The research explores academia and industry experts’ viewpoints regarding the innovative progression of Virtual Reality (VR)-based safety tools customized for technical and vocational education training (TVET) within commercial kitchen contexts. Developing a VR-based safety tools holistic framework is crucial in identifying constructs to mitigate the risks prevalent in commercial kitchens, encompassing physical, chemical, biological, ergonomic, and psychosocial hazards workers encounter. Introducing VR-based safety training represents a proactive strategy to bolster education and training standards, especially given the historically limited attention directed toward workers’ physical and mental well-being in this sector. This study pursues a primary objective: validating a framework for VR-based kitchen safety within TVET’s hospitality programs. In addition to on-site observations, the research conducted semi-structured interviews with 16 participants, including safety training coordinators, food service coordinators, and IT experts. Participants supplemented qualitative insights by completing a 7-Likert scale survey. Utilizing the Fuzzy Delphi technique, seven constructs were delineated. The validation process underscored three pivotal constructs essential for the VR safety framework’s development: VR kitchen design, interactive applications, and hazard identification. These findings significantly affect the hospitality industry’s safety standards and training methodologies within commercial kitchen environments.
The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic led to the need to move educational processes to virtual environments and increase the use of digital tools for different teaching uses. This led to a change in the habits of using information and communication technologies (ICT), especially in higher education. This work analyzes the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the frequency of use of different ICT tools in a sample of 950 Latin American university professors while focusing on the area of knowledge of the participating professors. To this end, a validated questionnaire has been used, the responses of which have been statistically analyzed. As a result, it has been proven that participants give high ratings to ICT but show insufficient digital competences for its use. The use of ICT tools has increased in all areas after the pandemic but in a diverse way. Differences have been identified in the areas of knowledge regarding the use of ICT for different uses before the pandemic. In this sense, the results suggest that Humanities professors are the ones who least use ICT for didactic purposes. On the other hand, after the pandemic, the use of ICT for communication purposes has been homogenized among the different knowledge areas.
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