Perspectives, stakeholders, and competences Editorial

Purpose: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) was closed temporarily. During this historical lockdown, the face-to-face mode classroom was temporarily got replaced by a virtual classroom. The objective of this study was to analyze the impact of nationwide lockdown on the benefits of the virtual classroom for the teaching-learning process for teachers and students due to change in the teaching-learning process in higher education during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design: A total of 893 responses have been used for this study. We have collected data through a structured questionnaire on a Likert scale from 305 teachers and 588 students of Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) from all India levels. Descriptive and frequency statistics, t-test was used in SPSS software to analyze the data collected through the primary source. Findings: The mean difference between expected benefits from the virtual classroom and actual benefits from the classroom is positive for students as well as faculty members. That indicates the overall mean of expected benefits is higher than the overall mean of actual benefits, and that difference value is 0.250055, with a Sig.(2-tailed) value of 0.036 which is less than 0.05 for teachers and 0.3872827, with a Sig. (2-tailed) value of 0.000 which is less than 0.05 for students. That indicates the significant difference between means of actual benefits and expected. The mean value of the expected benefit is higher than the mean value of actual benefits for 11 pairs and 08 pairs in the case of teachers and students respectively. Discussion: Technical barriers are the reasons for not being able to attend the expected benefits from virtual classrooms in full capacity by students as well as by faculty members. Poor digital skills of teachers and students, lack of electricity facilities, less availability and accessibility of internet, connection issues, inadequate facilities, training, funding, and unacceptability of technology, etc. were the barriers to online education at the time of closure of colleges due to COVID-19 pandemic Onyema et al. (2020). Students can also have a casual attitude, less attendance, feeling of isolation and less interaction can lead to mental distress, spending more time in front of a computer could be hazardous for health too Surkhali and Garbuja (2020). Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) faculty members, as well as students, were not able to perceive actual benefits in full in comparison to expected benefits due to the presence of challenges in the virtual classroom as moderators. The higher education authorities, colleges/institutes/universities need to fix the above issues to enhance the quality of the teaching-learning process. The higher education authorities, institutes/colleges/universities must work together to resolve the issues and challenges of virtual classrooms to improve their effectiveness of the virtual classroom. Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) may provide technical support, and training to the faculty members as well as students for a better experience in the virtual classroom. Students who are lacking technical infrastructures such as computers/laptops and internet connectivity may be provided by Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) with financial and technical support to these students.

Perspectives, stakeholders, and competences

The papers in this Edition of the Journal comprise six 'general papers' and six in the COVID-19 section. Together, the papers clearly illustrate our theme Perspectives, stakeholders, and competences. While the papers comprising the general part of this Edition represent a diverse range of countries (Brazil, Iran, Spain, Turkey), there are some common themes. One cluster of papers is concerned with student outcomes or the professional competence of teacher trainees. The other cluster is interested in aspects of university strategy, whether financial or related to the university mission. The papers challenge us to consider the benefits of stakeholder engagement and multiple perspectives on policies, strategies, student or professional outcomes with their respective definitions, and specific educational interventions. Consequently, the methodologies and methods are appropriately diverse, involving bibliometric analysis, qualitative analysis (grounded theory, content, and textual analysis) the use of digital tools and statistics. From a theoretical lens, we encounter concepts such as parallax, historical and contemporary worldviews on education and the various philosophies on the nature of the university. Within a socio-political framework, we are introduced to the nuances of national government policies and their country-based impact that is shaped by local cultural traditions in education and attitude. Despite the range of topic, context and methods, each paper demonstrates a commitment to improving educational practice, research and student or staff experience.

NÓIS É PONTE E ATRAVESSA QUALQUER RIO*: NOTES WOMEN, CHILDREN, PERIPHERAL COLLECTIVES AND THE COMMON (OR, WHEN THE PANDEMIC IT’S JUST ANOTHER ELEMENT)

This paper aims to reflect on relations between women and children connected to peripheral collectives from the extremes of the South and East districts of the city of São Paulo that suffered some alterations during the COVID-19 pandemic. For that, it approaches the concept of common, in order to define collectives, due to their similarity of principles. After a mapping intended to know the acting regions of the collectives, interviews, podcasts, and websites were used as resources that made possible the understanding of their purposes and practices. In the conclusions, the role of actions performed by women in relation to the children as inspiring to non-hierarchical and communitarian projects of society were reiterated. © 2022, Centro de Estudos Educacao e Sociedade - CEDES. All rights reserved.

Resilience and responsiveness in challenging times

The papers in this Edition of the Journal comprise five 'general papers' and five in the COVID 19 section. Together, the papers clearly illustrate our theme of 'Resilience and responsiveness'. The general papers mark states of transition, whether student, staff, or institution;the capacity and ability of stakeholders to be responsive to trends and more importantly their resilience to unfolding circumstances. Examples of these transitions include, academics learning new ways of education (outcome-based education, measuring aspects of the Bologna Process);institutions sustaining historical models of education, mission, and strategies;students experiencing and reacting to changes in the educational experience as pedagogies, processes, modes of delivery and philosophies change around them. In the COVID-19 section, resilience and responsiveness are evident driven by the need to face the challenges of the moment and times.

Whole-Body Cryostimulation: A Rehabilitation Booster in Post-COVID Patients? A Case Series

Given the severity and prevalence of post-COVID-19 symptoms in the general population, the identification of boosters for rehabilitation programs appears to be of paramount importance. The purpose of this case series is to provide some preliminary evidence about the role of whole-body cryostimulation (WBC) as an effective adjuvant for the recovery of patients with the post-COVID-19 condition (PCC). We recruited seven patients with previously confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection and symptoms of PCC of different severities for a comprehensive rehabilitation program, including WBC. The main symptoms were dyspnea, chronic and muscular fatigue, chronic pain, and poor sleep quality. Moreover, some patients presented high levels of hematological markers of inflammation. Because we provided a range of interventions, including nutritional and psychological support along with physical exercise and physiotherapy, we could not determine to what extent WBC may per se have accounted for the clinical and functional improvements. However, for all reported cases, it was observed that the introduction of WBC sessions represented a turning point in the patient’s subjective and objective improvements related to health and functioning. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

New realities, new challenges: Future proofing?: Introduction

The papers in this edition of the Journal bridge the gap between initiatives that occurred before the pandemic and those developed in response to the pandemic. They illustrate how an institution's ability to implement rapid change is to some extent predicated on the institutional culture and adaptability before crises arise. © University of Deusto.

Nutritional status in post SARS-Cov2 rehabilitation patients.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: After prolonged hospitalization, the assessment of nutritional status and the identification of adequate nutritional support is of paramount importance. In this observational study, we aimed at assessing the presence of a malnutrition condition in SARS-Cov2 patients after the acute phase and the effects of a multidisciplinary rehabilitation program on nutritional and functional status. METHODS: We recruited 48 patients (26 males/22 females) admitted to our Rehabilitation Unit after discharge from acute Covid Hospitals in northern Italy with negative swab for SARS-Cov2. We used the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) criteria to identify patients with different degrees of malnutrition. Patients underwent a 3 to 4-week individual multidisciplinary rehabilitation program consisting of nutritional intervention (energy intake 27to30 kcal/die/kg and protein intake 1-1.3 g/die/kg), exercise for total body conditioning and progressive aerobic exercise with cycle- and arm-ergometer (45 min, 5 days/week). At admission and discharge from our Rehabilitation Unit, body composition and phase angle (PhA) (BIA101 Akern), muscle strength (handgrip, HG) and physical performance (Timed-Up-and-Go, TUG) were assessed. RESULTS: At admission in all patients the mean weight loss, as compared to the habitual weight, was -12.1 (7.6)%, mean BMI was 25.9 (7.9) kg/m2, mean Appendicular Skeletal Muscle Index (ASMI) was 6.6 (1.7) kg/m2 for males and 5.4 (1.4) kg/m2 for females, mean phase angle was 2.9 (0.9)°, mean muscle strength (HG) was 21.1 (7.8) kg for males and 16.4 (5.9) kg for females, mean TUG value was 23.7 (19.2) s. Based on GLIM criteria 29 patients (60% of the total) showed a malnutrition condition. 7 out of those 29 patients (24%) presented a mild/moderate grade and 22 patients (76%) a severe grade. After a rehabilitation program of an average duration of 25 days (range 13-46) ASMI increased, with statistically significant differences only in females (p = 0.001) and HG improved only in males (p = 0.0014). In all of the patients, body weight did not change, CRP/albumin (p < 0.05) and TUG (p < 0.001) were reduced and PhA increased (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: We diagnosed a malnutrition condition in 60% of our post SARS-Cov2 patients. An individualized nutritional intervention with adequate energy and protein intake combined with tailored aerobic and strengthening exercise improved nutritional and functional status.