A Novel Framework for Modeling Person-to-Person Transmission of Respiratory Diseases.

From the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers assessed the impact of the disease in terms of loss of life, medical load, economic damage, and other key metrics of resiliency and consequence mitigation; these studies sought to parametrize the critical components of a disease transmission model and the resulting analyses were informative but often lacked critical parameters or a discussion of parameter sensitivities. Using SARS-CoV-2 as a case study, we present a robust modeling framework that considers disease transmissibility from the source through transport and dispersion and infectivity. The framework is designed to work across a range of particle sizes and estimate the generation rate, environmental fate, deposited dose, and infection, allowing for end-to-end analysis that can be transitioned to individual and population health models. In this paper, we perform sensitivity analysis on the model framework to demonstrate how it can be used to advance and prioritize research efforts by highlighting critical parameters for further analyses.

Academic integrity, STEM education, and COVID-19: a call to action

With the global pandemic educators have had to move their courses to virtual spaces, and this quick change has brought up concerns, especially in STEM education where there are ongoing discussions of adapting laboratories and shifting lecture and assessment practices to online learning. One issue that has become more pressing, beyond the financial and technological implications, is that of academic integrity violations. This position paper looks at the intersection academic integrity and equity and social justice in STEM higher education, where there is a lack of research and publications exploring the inequities that exist. The researchers have expertise in these areas and hold positions in as faculty, student, and advisor. The paper’s main focus represents a review of the current literature and calls educators to action to change the narratives in STEM and higher education, taking into account the impact of COVID-19 and the shift in the education conversations that have happened due to the pandemic.

Exploring academic integrity and mental health during COVID-19: Rapid review

Purpose: The goal of this study was to understand the relationship between academic integrity and students’ mental health during the COVID-19 crisis. Methods: We employed a rapid review method to identify relevant data sources using our university library search tool, which offers access to 1026 individual databases. We searched for sources relating to the concepts of (a) COVID-19 crisis;(b) academic integrity;and (c) mental health. We delimited our search to sources published between 01 January and 15 May 2020. Results: Our search resulted in a preliminary data set of sources (N=60). Further screening resulted in a total nine (n=9) sources, which were reviewed in detail. Data showed an amplification of students’ anxiety and stress during the pandemic, especially for matters relating to academic integrity. E-proctoring of examinations emerged as point of particular concern, as there were early indications in the literature that such services have proliferated rapidly during the crisis, with little known about the possible impact of electronic remote proctoring on students’ well-being. Implications: Recommendations are made for further research to better understand the impact of e-proctoring of remote examinations on students’ mental health, as well as the connections between academic integrity and student well-being in general.

Doctoral student reflections of blended learning before and during covid-19

Purpose: Οur study aimed to address the central research question: how were our experiences as graduate students in a blended learning professional doctoral program changed by the COVID-19 crisis? The study adds to a growing body of literature on blended learning graduate programs. Methods: We employed action research as our central methodology and leveraged narrative inquiry to elevate our (students’) voices. The two participant-researchers responded to a series of questions supported by narrative reflections from their common academic supervisor. Emergent themes were identified in the data using narrative analysis techniques for coding qualitative data into themes. This was followed by a second phase of data collection and analysis after the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: Τhe researchers identified four themes within the data: 1. balancing doctoral work with professional and personal responsibilities;2. cohort provides formal and informal support;3. individuality of the experience;and 4. supervisory group support. Implications: Οur study offers a number of key learnings that may benefit researchers studying blended learning programs. The key learnings suggest benefits to cohort-based, blended learning programs, as well as difficulties that may emerge in the individuality of the experience, when encountering crises, as well as more generally.