Paper Presentations - Understanding the Purpose Driven University

Exposure to various notions of physical beauty on social media has led to cases of bullying and body shaming in primary and secondary schools. In response to this, Taylor’s University School of Education has launched a community project under its Impact Lab: Education for All to promote body positivity in a primary and secondary school in Subang Jaya, Malaysia. Using a narrative research design, this paper aims to present the perspectives and perceptions of Taylor’s University students and the local school children on how this collaborative community project in line with UN SDG 4.7 (Quality Education) enabled them to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable lifestyle and culture of harmony in their schools. Interviews with the project participants (university student volunteers and partner school children students) are triangulated with documentary evidence (i.e., portfolios, journals) and observation field notes. The results from data analysis using ATLAS.ti rendered the following themes: student involvement; engagement with school community; acquiring new knowledge and skills; and, dealing with challenges with the community project. The findings of this narrative research may guide other project developers ways to create a meaningful learning engagement for student volunteers and community participants, as well as a productive partnership with relevant stakeholders towards the achievement of UN Sustainable Development Goals related to education for a purpose-driven university.

The goal of a learning strategy through education research and advocacy is to promote a complete approach to accomplishing agreed goals for sustainable development. The Clean Technology Impact Lab was founded with the goal of designing and implementing projects/programs that incorporate SDGs 6 and 7 into the curriculum, as well as fostering research and advocacy for sustainable water and energy practices. The learning strategy intends to foster collaborations among academic institutions, government agencies, and non-governmental groups to address community water and energy concerns. This includes incorporating sustainable water and energy techniques into academic curricula and providing training programs for process stakeholders. By providing evidence-based information on the impact of water and energy practices on sustainable development goals, research and advocacy strive to play a crucial role in supporting the learning strategy. Advocacy in particular entails engaging legislators, community leaders, and stakeholders in order to encourage the adoption of sustainable water and energy policies as well as the achievement of the target Indicators. Overall, the goal of the purpose-driven learning method is to increase capacity and raise knowledge about the necessity of sustainable water and energy practices in order to meet target metrics. This impact lab accelerates the achievement of the purpose learning strategy by incorporating these goals into the curriculum as well as supporting research and advocacy for the building of a more sustainable future. In this paper, we describe the accelerator's alignment from the conceptualization stage to the evolution of the initial impact it generated, and we position the accelerator as a sustainable model that is simple, easy to adopt, and will be the future of the Education 5.0 framework.

The purpose driven Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) utilize their resources, knowledge, and people to continuously and intentionally contribute to the communities and the environment in which they operate through research, teaching learning, and services. The purpose of this study is to measure the impact of knowledge management enablers, process, and intellectual capital (IC) on HEIs research activities performance. This study responds to the previous studies' gaps in the relevant literature from the perspective of resource based and knowledge based theories, social cognitive theory,and social exchange theory by proposing a holistic, integrated framework depicting relationships among the KM enablers, processes, IC, and HEIs performance. Employee Self Efficacy (ESE) is recognized as a moderator in the relationship between KM enablers and KM processes with HEIs’ performance. In addition, organizational trust (OT) was examined as a mediator in the relationship between IC and HEIs’ performance. Following the quantitative and cross sectional research design, data were collected through a self administered questionnaire from academics and academics in management positions of private HEIs in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS SEM) data analysis technique was applied to test the hypothesized relationships. The study findings showed KM enablers, process, and IC have a significant relationship with HEIs’ research performance which implies that they can be used as measures for HEIs when they need to evaluate the success of research activities performance and accomplish the outcomes. Whereas ESE and OT have not influenced the direction and the strength of the relationship between the KM processes and HEIs performance. This implies that the ESE and OT cannot be used as mediators to measures to impact the research

Behavioral inhibition in young adults has been identified as a potential precursor to social anxiety, affecting their adjustment and well-being. Detecting inhibition early and intervening in university settings is crucial for lowering social anxiety risk. Despite this, the impact of behavioral inhibition on social anxiety development in university settings lacks clarity. This paper aims to investigate the relationship between behavioral inhibition and the development of social anxiety in young adults. The study explores the nature of behavioral inhibition's relationship with social anxiety symptoms using a variety of methodologies including cross-sectional and correlation analysis, revealing consistent patterns across various studies. Furthermore, this study would utilize a survey administered to 267 respondents, employing a cross-sectional approach to gather data. This survey will include a few items designed to identify patterns of behavior linked to inhibition and social anxiety in educational environments. Through the survey, we expect to find a significant correlation between behavioral inhibition and social anxiety in university settings. The output of this study emphasizes recognizing behavioral inhibition as an early indicator of social anxiety in educational settings. Mental health interventions should address these factors, targeting shy behaviors in young adults. These findings could have substantial implications on community and government level interventions that try to address mental health issues in learning environments. It sheds light on the relationship between behavioral inhibition and social anxiety, highlighting the need for targeted university interventions to improve mental health outcomes in young individuals. Keywords: behavioral inhibition, social anxiety, university, young adults, mental health, educational environment

This paper addresses a common gap that frequently obstructs the learning experience for a seamless transition from theoretical knowledge to real world applications to produce value for student learning experience journey. The lack of hands on experience has a negative influence, hindering and demising their understanding of the dynamic demands in the engineering sector. A deliberate educational intervention was devised to study and produce a transforming tool to the mentioned gap through utilization of an integrated hackathon. The event served as an immersive educational agenda, incorporating lectures, group activities, and innovative tasks, all within specified and tight timelines. The hackathon, themed "Understanding the Purpose of Learning," is associated with Sustainable Development Goal 9 (SDG9), and participants are to produce economical solutions that have an impact on the user community. Two coaches from various nations were strategically appointed for cross institutional engagement and knowledge exchange. Students were asked to design and execute their own projects, which served as a tremendous accelerator for their learning journey, allowing them to apply theoretical principles in real world applications. The hackathon had a dramatic impact, as participants left with increased confidence in applying theoretical knowledge to real world projects. Participants' enthusiasm and ability in constructing projects from scratch have clearly increased, rising from 23% prior to the event to 85% thereafter. This demonstrates that organizing hackathons is one of the most successful ways to improve engineering education by emphasizing the critical relevance of hands on experience. This effort not only improves students' practical skills but also establishes a long term accelerator, cultivating engineering graduates who are well prepared for industry difficulties. Keywords: purpose driven, impact, industry, practical experience, innovation

This research explores the impact of experiential learning environments within educational settings on adolescent brain structure, connectivity, and their implications for learning outcomes. While substantial research has addressed the effects of adverse home environments on brain development, the influence of university environments remains a less-explored area. The primary objective of this conceptual study is to investigate the associations between experiential learning environments and brain structural modifications among university students. Utilizing neuroimaging techniques, including Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and connectivity analyses, this research examines how diverse elements within experiential learning settings, such as interactive learning spaces, project-based activities, and collaborative learning, relate to structural alterations and connectivity patterns in the adolescent brain. Adolescent participants at the university level will undergo neuroimaging assessments, accompanied by comprehensive cognitive evaluations measuring attention, memory, and learning abilities. Ethical protocols will be strictly adhered to, ensuring participant consent, confidentiality, and ethical guidelines throughout the study. Anticipated outcomes aim to uncover correlations between specific experiential learning elements and structural brain modifications, particularly within regions associated with learning processes, cognitive function, and memory retention in university students. The study intends to elucidate how these neurostructural changes influenced by experiential learning environments may contribute to enhanced learning outcomes and cognitive abilities among university students. The findings may inform educational strategies, curriculum design, and learning environments tailored to optimize brain development, foster enriched learning experiences, and drive positive changes within communities. Keywords: experiential learning, adolescent brain development, neuroimaging, learning outcomes, university environments