No abstract

No abstract

This article is concerned with the development of seismic fragility curves for typical mid-rise plane reinforced concrete moment-resisting frames in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), which is considered as low-seismicity area. Two structural models; four-and eight-storey moment-resisting frames were considered. Three cities with different seismic intensities, Abha, Jazan and Al-Sharaf, were selected to cover various values of mapped spectral accelerations in KSA. The 0.2-s spectral accelerations range from 0.21 to 0.66 g, while the 1.0-s spectral accelerations range from 0.061 to 0.23 g. The structural models were designed under dead, live and seismic loads of these cities according to the Saudi Building Code. Incremental dynamic analysis was performed under 12 ground motions using SeismoStruct. Five performance levels, namely, operational, immediate occupancy, damage control, life safety and collapse prevention were considered and monitored in the analysis. Fragility curves were developed for the structural models of the three cities considering the five selected performance levels.

COVID-19 is a serious epidemic that has an unmistakable impact on all aspects of our lives, including the educational process. Most of the world has adopted Virtual Classes (VCs) to sustain teaching and learning. While prior research about such e-learning technologies has been focusing on the initial adoption, this research investigates the factors influencing the students’ desire and intention to continue using VCs, especially after the crisis subsides. This study extends the literature by developing a model that integrates pre-and post-adoption constructs and incorporates technological characteristics, namely, task technology fit, convenience, and compatibility into the Expectation Confirmation Model (ECM) to study the post-adoption Continuance Intention (CI) of VCs. The model is empirically validated using the partial least squares–structural equation modelling method and proved to have a reasonable description power (R2=62%) in terms of students’ CI. The survey empirical data is also supported by interviews with some students. The results support all the hypothesized relationships and confirm that the integration of technical characteristics in the ECM provides an appropriate framework to explain students’ intention to continue using VCs, which forms a good base for practitioners to consider a wide range of technological features for preparing applications. Yet, the model still requires to be extended with other stakeholders, including teachers, and other constructs like personal, psychological, social, and environmental factors.

Abstract-International educational institutes are aiming to be accredited by local and international accreditation agencies such as the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) and so forth to be recognized by stakeholders. The institutes are striving to meet the stakeholders' expectations by integrating quality in all standards of educational practices and guarantee a continuous improvement. This study has acknowledged the principal barriers that need to be addressed and resolved such as collection & population of data, time constrains, compensation and lack of guidance and expertise. A web-based survey was conducted to identify the obstacles and the respondents' expectations in the optimization process for accreditation. This research proposes an Intelligent Web-Based Accreditation System (IWBAS) that addresses the above issues and streamline the accreditation process.