Polymer science and engineering

The role of well designed and prepared instructional materials in teaching sciences is imperative in view of the complex and abstract nature of some science subjects. It is argued that for science teachers to be more successful in their teachings, thus alleviating the unclear perception of the scientific concepts and theories. This study investigated the effectiveness of locally made instructional materials on students' academic performance and retention in science education in the eastern province of Rwanda. Two research questions were formulated, and the research design is known as a quasi-experimental research design, specifically the pretest post-test non-randomized control group design was used. The study was carried out among students of Senior Two A and B (SS2A and SS2B) in secondary schools located in the eastern province of Rwanda. Senior Two A (SS2A) students were treated as the control group, and senior two B (SS2B) were treated as the experimental group. Both groups were taught the same topic using standard instructional materials and assessed to measure their academic performance. Another topic was taught to both classes Senior Two A with standard instructional materials and Senior Two B With locally made materials. Again both groups were assessed to measure their academic performance. The sample of the study consisted of eighty-two students, forty two teachers, and four headteachers. Research instruments used in this study were observation, interviews, questionnaires, and tests to provide scores. The results showed that students in the control group failed compared to students in the experimental group taught by using locally made materials. It is authoritative that course instructors should be encouraged to admire the effectiveness of locally made instructional materials so as to motivate, encourage active participation thereby improving science students' overall academic performance.

This study aimed at determining the challenges for Higher Learning Institutions (HLIs) in the development of the surrounding community. A case study of Integrated Polytechnic Regional College located in Musanze district (IPRC Musanze). The community in the vicinity of the Higher Learning Institutions undoubtedly expects their significant contributions in terms of daily lives. Over the past decades, studies that relate the paramount importance of learning institutions and people's lives improvement have been largely undertaken. For instance, the creation of employment, lowering the degree of illiteracy of the community members. This study was conducted with the purpose of identifying diverse challenges faced by Higher Learning Institutions while trying to engage themselves in the development of the surrounding community in the Musanze District, Rwanda. The questionnaires and interviews were used as the main instruments of data collection. There were questionnaires distributed to the IPRC Musanze staff and interviews conducted with IPRC Musanze Senior Managers, Local authorities of IPRC Musanze, and as well people residing around IPRC Musanze. The study yielded both quantitative and qualitative data. Findings from the study clearly indicated that there are challenges for Higher Learning Institutions to engage in the development of the surrounding community as for instance the study showed that a greater number of respondents strongly agree that the pre-hypothesized challenges extremely constitute a hindrance for Higher Learning Institutions to significantly address socioeconomic problems of the surrounding communities. The study suggested that the Ministry of Education should allocate sufficient budget line for community outreach as well as research and innovation in Higher Learning Institutions. The Higher Education Council (HEC), Rwanda Polytechnic (RP) and Workforce Development Authority (WDA) should consider effective teaching and learning, research and innovation, accountability in leadership thereby focusing on community outreach as the major criteria of any best higher learning institution thus reinforcing them to put more effort in the above-mentioned roles.

This study aimed at determining the challenges for Higher Learning Institutions (HLIs) in the development of the surrounding community. A case study of Integrated Polytechnic Regional College located in Musanze district (IPRC Musanze). The community in the vicinity of the Higher Learning Institutions undoubtedly expects their significant contributions in terms of daily lives. Over the past decades, studies that relate the paramount importance of learning institutions and people's lives improvement have been largely undertaken. For instance, the creation of employment, lowering the degree of illiteracy of the community members. This study was conducted with the purpose of identifying diverse challenges faced by Higher Learning Institutions while trying to engage themselves in the development of the surrounding community in the Musanze District, Rwanda. The questionnaires and interviews were used as the main instruments of data collection. There were questionnaires distributed to the IPRC Musanze staff and interviews conducted with IPRC Musanze Senior Managers, Local authorities of IPRC Musanze, and as well people residing around IPRC Musanze. The study yielded both quantitative and qualitative data. Findings from the study clearly indicated that there are challenges for Higher Learning Institutions to engage in the development of the surrounding community as for instance the study showed that a greater number of respondents strongly agree that the pre-hypothesized challenges extremely constitute a hindrance for Higher Learning Institutions to significantly address socioeconomic problems of the surrounding communities. The study suggested that the Ministry of Education should allocate sufficient budget line for community outreach as well as research and innovation in Higher Learning Institutions. The Higher Education Council (HEC), Rwanda Polytechnic (RP) and Workforce Development Authority (WDA) should consider effective teaching and learning, research and innovation, accountability in leadership thereby focusing on community outreach as the major criteria of any best higher learning institution thus reinforcing them to put more effort in the above-mentioned roles.

This study presents an analysis of the impact of electronic commerce on proactive and posts active businesses in Rwanda. The study was conducted using a cross-sectional survey among the study population that closely perform various duties related to electronic commerce under the management of the Rwanda Revenue Authority, which is a revenue agency in Rwanda. Businesses are using e-commerce to implement mass customization strategies, producing large numbers of customized items to differentiate their products and services. E-commerce decreases distribution costs through a reduction in overhead, such as inventory, retail space, and so forth. In addition, the inefficiencies associated with paper processing are decreased or eliminated, and information flows are simplified or redefined, which results in further cost savings. Therefore, it is against this background that this study was designed to evaluate the impact of e-commerce on businesses in Rwanda. The project would be of great importance to the researchers, to the new/existing businesses, to the organizations, and to the country as a whole. There is no doubt that the current development and use of ICT, especially e-commerce and e-transactions, is solving some socioeconomic and legal challenges not only in Rwanda but also globally. The legal regime in Rwanda has been effectively changed to keep pace with these technological changes, thereby regulating e-transactions and e-commerce among business owners in Rwanda. The sample of this study consisted of twenty EBM project staffs in RRA, thirty-five business analysts, and forty business owners. These e-commerce platforms are likely to rapidly reach critical masses of stakeholders and reshape industries by defining new business practices. The results from this study could merely be a reference showing that electronic commerce is merely the means to embrace the success of businesses nationwide.

Natural polymer-based injectable hydrogels have gained significant appraisal as bio-based materials for tissue engineering applications. Contrary to their counterparts obtained from synthetic polymers, hydrogel formulations from naturally occurring polymers can be easily degraded in vivo. The effectiveness of these materials is linked to their capability for absorbing and retaining the huge amount of water in their interior cavities without bursting. Cells encapsulated into the matrices of hydrogels can grow as the later possess a highly waterlogged tissue similar to the extracellular matrix of human tissues. Several properties are of great importance when designing and synthesizing injectable formulations. Among others, biodegradability, gelation time, and biocompatibility should be tailored to meet the desired in vivo application. In this review, we discuss the methods of formation and the potential application of hydrogels derived from natural polymers for cell support. And finally, we suggest the way forward to optimizing the mechanical properties of hydrogels formed from natural polymers for improved in vivo applications. Graphical abstract

This study aimed at determining the challenges for Higher Learning Institutions (HLIs) in the development of the surrounding community. A case study of Integrated Polytechnic Regional College located in Musanze district (IPRC Musanze). The community in the vicinity of the Higher Learning Institutions undoubtedly expects their significant contributions in terms of daily lives. Over the past decades, studies that relate the paramount importance of learning institutions and people's lives improvement have been largely undertaken. For instance, the creation of employment, lowering the degree of illiteracy of the community members. This study was conducted with the purpose of identifying diverse challenges faced by Higher Learning Institutions while trying to engage themselves in the development of the surrounding community in the Musanze District, Rwanda. The questionnaires and interviews were used as the main instruments of data collection. There were questionnaires distributed to the IPRC Musanze staff and interviews conducted with IPRC Musanze Senior Managers, Local authorities of IPRC Musanze, and as well people residing around IPRC Musanze. The study yielded both quantitative and qualitative data. Findings from the study clearly indicated that there are challenges for Higher Learning Institutions to engage in the development of the surrounding community as for instance the study showed that a greater number of respondents strongly agree that the pre-hypothesized challenges extremely constitute a hindrance for Higher Learning Institutions to significantly address socioeconomic problems of the surrounding communities. The study suggested that the Ministry of Education should allocate sufficient budget line for community outreach as well as research and innovation in Higher Learning Institutions. The Higher Education Council (HEC), Rwanda Polytechnic (RP) and Workforce Development Authority (WDA) should consider effective teaching and learning, research and innovation, accountability in leadership thereby focusing on community outreach as the major criteria of any best higher learning institution thus reinforcing them to put more effort in the above-mentioned roles.

The cooperative learning approach abbreviated as CLA in this study has been extensively explored as a promising tool for boosting active participation in teaching and learning activities among learners in secondary schools. The present study investigated the advantages of using a cooperative learning approach in teaching sciences particularly, the nonrepresentational nature of Chemistry among learners could be alleviated when this approach is well implemented. Three groups of respondents were considered in this study namely teachers, director of studies, and head teachers to gain their understanding of the advantages of using CLA and constraints met during its implementation. Research tools used in this study are online survey designed in the form of questionnaires and distributed by using the link. Questions were formulated to get a general understanding of respondents in regard to the research model limited to the rationale of CLA in teaching and learning activities. 182 respondents participated in the survey but this study considered the calculated sample size of 125 respondents were further considered. The responses were scaled by using a psychometric scale commonly known as a Likert scale. Both qualitative and quantitative research methods were employed. The results obtained were analyzed and presented by using percentages of respondents. The results are found to be in the line with previous studies indicating that all elements of CLA greatly affect students' academic performance and from the results, it could be concluded that this approach is advantageous compared to traditional teaching methods.