Hybrid approaches to teaching: Re-imagining the teaching of a foundational science course during a global pandemic

Access to scientific knowledge, and teaching in the sciences, is believed to be about training because scientific knowledge is, generally, specialised. However, for students to gain full epistemological access in the sciences, they also need to be inducted as scientists and learners of science. We use Bernstein's regulative and instructional discourse to engage with the notion of epistemological access and effectiveness of a foundational science course. We examine how the course can cultivate scientific identities amongst first year students at a recently established South African university. Our analysis assesses the impact of the forced shift from contact teaching to Emergency Remote Teaching due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We demonstrate that the course was able to begin to facilitate the cultivation of different kinds of knowers in science. However, several gaps remain. Thus, we argue that foundational science lecturers should focus on hybrid teaching approaches to promote enhanced learning amongst students. © 2022.

Delaying admission to inpatient rehabilitation worsens outcome for stroke patients: Detrimental impact of COVID-19 on stroke survivors

Introduction: Inpatient rehabilitation (IPR) is crucial to recovery after stroke. COVID-19, however, has led to delays in post-stroke admission to IPR due to transmission concerns. Objective: We evaluated the effect of time from stroke onset to IPR admission on post-stroke recovery Design: A retrospective analysis of 680 patients with acute stroke or intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), admitted to IPR between APR-2017 and AUG-2019. Association between time from stroke onset to IPR and discharge FIM-Motor Total and FIM-Motor Total with transfers scores was studied, after adjusting for sex, age at onset, stroke severity and type. Multiple linear regression models were conducted for outcomes discharge: (FIM-Motor Total) and (FIM-Motor Total with transfers) (Table 1). Square transformations were used to satisfy model assumptions. Ordinal logistic regression models were run for outcomes discharge FIM subset scores categorized as independent (6-7), needs supervision (5), and needs assistance (1-4, reference). The primary variable of interest was days onset to IPR, adjusted for stroke severity (admit FIM subset scores), sex, stroke type and age. (Table 2). The proportional odds assumption was verified using Brant test. Results: An inverse relationship was observed between days from onset to IPR and discharge FIMMotor with and without transfers. Time from stroke onset to IPR admission was associated with decreased discharge FIM-Motor and FIM-Motor with transfers, after adjusting for other covariates. Among FIM subset discharges, an additional day also resulted in a 2-5% decrease in the odds of being more independent. Conclusion: Delays to IPR admission result in decreased motor function gains and lower chance of independence. In addition to current community education practices, acute care hospitals and IPR facilities must review their processes to remove delays. These processes include requirements for COVID disease testing and IPR acceptance policies.