Higher education institutions promote flexible learning environment to students in accomplishing learning objectives. By allowing ‘everywhere and anytime’ environment to students for learning plus technical infrastructure, they may have more opportunities to learn and practice their knowledge for achieving success. The purpose of the study is to document and give some elaboration on their experience in blended learning environment. By obtaining result form survey from 139 students with science and technology background, this study highlights three elements of blended learning namely achievement in learning, improvement of learning skill and adoption of social presence. There is a positive perception in blended learning environment among students of Computer Science. According to the results, blended learning in i-Learn platform offers great flexibility, which allows students to have easy access to allows learning at any time and place.

Abstract. This paper presents results of an experimental study for concrete column filled poly vinyl chloride (PVC) tubes confined by plain socket with 5.8 & 6.8 mm thicknesses, 102 mm diameter and 100 mm depth. The total of five concrete filled columns using PVC tubes (CFT PVC) was tested to investigate the columns' behaviour. The column is 700 mm height, 100 mm external diameter and 3.5 mm tube thickness with different thickness of plain socket. The results presented include maximum axial load, plain socket confinement effect, the mode of failure, and lateral PVC strain. The axial load enhancement of PVC-concrete columns confined using plain socket shows an increment of 21.3% up to 55.2% and axial strain from 21% to 40% compared with displacement for control composite columns at 192 kN ultimate load.

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Abstract. Foamed concrete is known as lightweight concrete that proven in the low range of densities with good strength. Numerous studies were conducted to investigate its performance in term of mechanical properties. However, these investigations are still not adequate in the requirement of failure and damage mechanisms. This is due to the lack of knowledge on fracture energy that governs the crack resistance of foamed concrete. Therefore, this paper presents the numerical prediction of fracture energy of foamed concrete using the combined finite-discrete element method. The notched beam was modelled in the two-dimensional with unstructured mesh elements and a simple material model of Rotating Crack. The results of numerical prediction signify that various notch depths have an apparent impact toward fracture energy of foamed concrete.

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