Abbas El‐Zein, David Airey, Peter Bowden and Henriikka Clarkeburn
The aim of this paper is to explore the rationale for teaching sustainability and engineering ethics within a decision‐making paradigm, and critically appraise ways of achieving…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this paper is to explore the rationale for teaching sustainability and engineering ethics within a decision‐making paradigm, and critically appraise ways of achieving related learning outcomes.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper presents the experience of the School of Civil Engineering at the University of Sydney in teaching environmental sustainability and engineering ethics to third‐year undergraduate students. It discusses the objectives of the course and the merits and drawbacks of incorporating ethics and sustainability in the same teaching framework. In addition, it evaluates ways of incorporating theoretical and applied perspectives on sustainability.
Findings
Ethics and sustainability overlap but do not coincide; incorporating them in the same engineering course can be effective, provided that points of linkage are clearly recognized in the syllabus, a suitable combination of theory and practical applications is drawn upon and adequate teaching methods, including decision‐making case problems, are used.
Research limitations/implications
While environmental sustainability, economic rationality and ethical reasoning can be easily fitted into the syllabus, social sustainability is more difficult to teach because it requires a significant conceptual departure from deep‐seated preconceptions on the part of students and teachers, and does not lend itself easily to conventional classroom activity, such as lectures and weekly workshops. Further research on effective ways of incorporating social sustainability in engineering curricula is therefore needed.
Originality/value
The paper evaluates sustainability issues within the context of civil engineering education.
Details
Keywords
Diana Koroleva and Nazir Jogezai
The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the desire path of using GAI in higher education, including expectations, apprehensions, and the way forward.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the desire path of using GAI in higher education, including expectations, apprehensions, and the way forward.
Design/methodology/approach
This qualitative study employs thematic analysis, scrutinizing 11 interviews with innovative higher education faculty. The methodology section details the utilization of GAI (Chat GPT) for conducting thematic analysis on interviews, showcasing academics' practical application of this technology for research purposes.
Findings
Stakeholders expect continuous improvement in technology, overdependence, advocate for gradual adjustment, and emphasize context-dependent technology utilization. Concerns encompass issues such as data reliability, ethical considerations, risks of undermining fundamental aspects, limitations in fully replacing human involvement, and worries about personal responsibility.
Practical implications
Recommendations include flexible regulations, data-driven decision-making, professional development, diverse stakeholder engagement, and promoting distributed responsibility.
Originality/value
This study offers valuable insights into the use of GAI in higher education, formulating policies that encourage innovation without hampering effectiveness.
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Keywords
Xinran Yang, Junhui Du, Hongshuo Chen, Chuanjin Cui, Haibin Liu and Xuechao Zhang
Field-effect transistor (FET) has excellent electronic properties and inherent signal amplification, and with the development of nanomaterials technology, FET biosensors with…
Abstract
Purpose
Field-effect transistor (FET) has excellent electronic properties and inherent signal amplification, and with the development of nanomaterials technology, FET biosensors with nanomaterials as channels play an important role in the field of heavy metal ion detection. This paper aims to review the research progress of silicon nanowire, graphene and carbon nanotube field-effect tube biosensors for heavy metal ion detection, so as to provide technical support and practical experience for the application and promotion of FET.
Design/methodology/approach
The article introduces the structure and principle of three kinds of FET with three kinds of nanomaterials, namely, silicon nanowires, graphene and carbon nanotubes, as the channels, and lists examples of the detection of common heavy metal ions by the three kinds of FET sensors in recent years. The article focuses on the advantages and disadvantages of the three sensors, puts forward measures to improve the performance of the FET and looks forward to its future development direction.
Findings
Compared with conventional instrumental analytical methods, FETs prepared using nanomaterials as channels have the advantages of fast response speed, high sensitivity and good selectivity, among which the diversified processing methods of graphene, the multi-heavy metal ions detection of silicon nanowires and the very low detection limit and wider detection range of carbon nanotubes have made them one of the most promising detection tools in the field of heavy metal ions detection. Of course, through in-depth analysis, this type of sensor has certain limitations, such as high cost and strict process requirements, which are yet to be solved.
Originality/value
This paper elaborates on the detection principle and classification of field-effect tube, investigates and researches the application status of three kinds of FET biosensors in the detection of common heavy metal ions. By comparing the advantages and disadvantages of each of the three sensors in practical applications, the paper focuses on the feasibility of improvement measures, looks forward to the development trend in the field of heavy metal detection and ultimately promotes the application of field-effect tube development technology to continue to progress, so that its performance continues to improve and the application field is constantly expanding.