Library Therapeutic Landscape Support for Covid-19 Pandemic-Related Student Well-Being in Academic Libraries

In response to increasing the prevalence and severity of mental health illnesses among university students, schools and universities have increased their well-being initiatives and programmes. Multiple campus entities, such as academic libraries, increasingly contribute to the well-being of students. Well-being influences academic outcomes;hence, libraries implement well-being efforts to enhance learning and student education in general. Library Therapeutic Landscape (LTL) is the concept of transforming libraries into environments conducive to healing. Therapeutic environments contribute to the health of students. The study explains LTL for social wellbeing. It analyses the gap and trend and provides suggestions for developing effective wellness initiatives. Finally, the article outlines LTL social well-being initiatives that improve students' well-being.

Functional data analysis: Exploratory tools on Covid-19 pandemic

Coronavirus disease 2019, also known as Covid-19, is caused by a novel coronavirus called the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus. The Covid-19 disease has become a severe threat to all countries globally, and the World Health Organization has labeled it a global pandemic. This study employs a modern statistical method known as functional data analysis, to examine the pattern of Covid-19 incidents in Malaysia. Smoothing functional data, which includes the summary of functional data, functional principal component, and functional outliers, are used to investigate the disease's characteristics. The functional principal component will capture the variation of the smoothing curves while their scores are utilised to cluster the Covid-19 cases. In addition, the functional graphical methods consist of rainbow plot, functional bagplot, and functional high density region are then used to identify outliers that were not visible in the original data plot. Functional data analysis provides more comprehensive methods than conventional statistical methods in identifying the pattern of Covid-19 incidence particularly in considering their temporal dynamics. © 2023 Author(s).

Perception of Fourth year MBBS students regarding online learning during Covid-19 pandemic

Aim: To assess the perception of fourth year MBBS students regarding online learning during Covid 19 pandemic. Study Design: Cross sectional survey. Setting(s): Department of Community Medicine, Lahore Medical and Dental College, Lahore. Duration of study: Four months, from April to July, 2022. Study population: All students registered in fourth year MBBS. Methodology: A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 154 study participants. It consisting of two sections. The first part consisted of background information of study participants. The second portion assessed the perception of students regarding online education during Covid 19.The data was recorded and analyzed using SPSS version 21. Data were described in the form of frequencies and percentages and presented as tables. Result(s): Study participants included 51% females, 57%-day scholars and 83% who had done FSc. Around 62% did not find online learning effective, 73% had communication difficulties, 75% liked self-directed approach of online learning but 74% thought that it was difficult to collaborate with each other, 71% found time management easy, though it was difficult to ask questions and receiving answers (59%). Around 78% of students perceived lack of satisfaction compared with class room learning, 66% preferred face to face learning and 73% found online education less comprehensible than class room activities. Among students, 53% recognised online learning as enjoyable and 34% wanted it to be done regularly, as 32%students never experienced any difficulty during online sessions. The main issues faced in online activities were absence of internet connection (85%), poor computer skills (73%), electricity breakdown (85%) and lack of concentration (80%). Practical implication: The present study highlighted that majority of fourth year MBBS students preferred classroom learning in comparison with online sessions. In light of pandemic, online education has proven valuable in managing sudden crisis, which is why it was important to understand the student perception regarding online education during covid-19 at Lahore Medical and Dental College, Lahore. Conclusion(s): Compared with males, higher number of females complained of lack of internet access and having poor computer skills. Seminars and regular training must be undertaken by medical colleges for their staff and students to inculcate interest and highlight the importance of online education as one of the tools for learning. Online education must be made more interactive and student cantered to create interest and improve student concentration.Copyright © 2023 Lahore Medical And Dental College. All rights reserved.

EMPLOYEE SATISFACTION IN THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS INDUSTRY IN MALAYSIA

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a decline in employee satisfaction. It would appear that ensuring the contentment of one's workforce in their place of employment is the most significant obstacle that companies must overcome. Therefore, this study examined the effects of wages and welfare, relations with superiors, and learning and development on employee satisfaction in Malaysia. The study employed a cross-sectional design, and the research instruments were adapted from several prior studies. Employees working for a telecommunications company in Malaysia completed a total of 162 questionnaires online. The research hypotheses were analysed using SPSS Version 26.0. The findings show that although relations with superiors had a significant positive effect on employee satisfaction, learning and development had an even stronger positive effect. On the other hand, wages and welfare did not display a significant effect on employee satisfaction. This study makes a unique contribution to theoretical understanding by investigating these factors in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic as intrinsic and extrinsic components impacting employee satisfaction. Additionally, this research gives corporate organisations vital insights to ensure they can maintain a competitive edge in their industry. © 2022 Conscientia Beam. All Rights Reserved.

Using the Health Belief Model to Assess Graduate Emotional Wellness: An Empirical Study from Malaysia

Graduate well-being is foundational to academic success, and they are becoming more and more vulnerable. This is as they suffer from mental health challenges like anxiety and depression at rates six times higher than the general population. When the nature of their educational experience changes, such as when they had to stay in their homes during the COVID-19 pandemic, the stress on their mental health increases. The number of cases of emotional wellness among university students is considered a public health problem, but these young people often do not seek appropriate treatment. This study, therefore, aims to identify the influence of health behavior factors on graduate emotional wellness. This study used a questionnaire with a cross-sectional survey design. Questionnaires were distributed online to graduates from selected Private and Public Higher Education Institutions in Malaysia. The Partial Least Square Equation Model (PLS-SEM) was used to analyze the results of the study. Overall findings indicate that the health behavior factors have a significant influence on graduate emotional wellness. The findings from this study will benefit the management, academics, counselors, and other entities, including the Students' Representative Council, in identifying ways to improve services and upgrade the necessary facilities to enhance the graduate's emotional wellness.

Knowledge and Practice about COVID-19 among Medical Students

Background: Covid-19 pandemic has brought the world to a standstill where the only hope to end this is the prevention and control of the disease. Medical students hold significant importance in this crisis as being the individuals at increased risk as well as future health care providers. Aim: To assess the knowledge and practice regarding Covid-19 Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at Lahore Medical and Dental College, Tulspura. The duration of study was three months from Feb 2021 till April 2021 after the approval of synopsis by IRB committee, LMDC. Study Population included final year MBBS students. Sample size was n=113.Sampling technique used was non-probability convenience sampling technique. Data collection was done using a structured questionnaire consisting of three sections viz socio demographic characteristics, knowledge and practice about Covid-19. Data entry and analysis was done using IBM SPSS version 21. Results: Study participants included 48.7% males and 51.3% females. Most of the students 99.1% were aware of the Covid-19 pandemic. About 99.1% students also knew that it is an infectious disease and 96.5% knew that a virus is the causative agent of Covid-19. However, 84.1% had correct knowledge regarding the incubation period of the disease. Maximum respondents 73.5% believed that everyone is equally susceptible to get infected with Covid-19. Fever and cough are the most common symptoms of the disease and internet and electronic media are most common source of information regarding Covid-19. Majority 46% of respondents did not adopt good practice of regular washing of hands. Nearly 63.7% ate healthy food and 73.5% maintained healthy life style focusing on outbreak Conclusion: The medical students had adequate basic knowledge regarding the disease, electronic media and internet being the most common source of knowledge. The practices of mask wearing and adoption of healthy lifestyle were widely adopted yet the practice of hand hygiene and reduced social mobility was poorly conducted.