Teaching civics/history and english to adult lawful permanent residents with limited english proficiency at local libraries: Challenges and practices during the COVID-19 pandemic

This chapter introduces a citizenship instruction program offered by the Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) program at Oklahoma City University (OCU) in collaboration with two local libraries in the Oklahoma City metro area with a grant funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the Oklahoma Department of Libraries. It specifically discusses the challenges that teachers and learners have encountered during the COVID-19 pandemic and the approaches utilized to address these challenges. Implications of this experience for instruction of civics/history and civics-based English, as well as the professionalization of ESL teachers, post-COVID-19 are discussed. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021. All rights reserved.

The rate of secondary infections and diagnostic challenges in critically ill patients with COVID-19

Introduction: Patients admitted to intensive care with severe SARSCoV- 2 infection frequently present with sepsis. These patients are at a higher risk of developing a secondary infection, but this can be difficult to distinguish from the primary viral infection [1]. Liberal use of broad-spectrum antibiotics can lead to proliferation of antimicrobial resistant organisms. We aimed to identify the rates of bacterial secondary infections and antimicrobial usage in critically ill COVID-19 patients. Methods: We performed a retrospective review of case records for patients admitted to critical care from three hospitals in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board, Scotland. Patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection admitted to high dependency or intensive care were eligible. We collected data on background patient demographics, comorbidities, admission SOFA scores, antimicrobial usage, and positive microbiological cultures from within a 10-day period. Cultured organisms that were unlikely to be clinically significant were excluded. Results: Records for 105 patients admitted between December 2020 and September 2021 were reviewed. At admission to critical care, 100% met the criteria for sepsis in accordance with the Sepsis-3 International Consensus definition, and 33% went on to develop septic shock [2]. The mortality rate was 34%. All patients received corticosteroids, and 74% were treated with an IL-6 receptor antagonist. Half of the patients had at least one clinically significant positive microbial culture, however a much higher proportion (73%) were treated with antibiotics. Conclusions: Secondary infections can be difficult to diagnose in the presence of severe COVID-19 disease, with a disproportionally high use of antibiotics relative to positive cultures. Additional diagnostic tools would be useful in this patient population to aid in antimicrobial stewardship.

Accessibility challenges in lab simulations

Adapting in-person learning activities such as labs for online courses presents many challenges for educators and is of particular interest during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this paper, we describe accessibility challenges and solutions in an implementation of lab simulations for an Occupational Health and Safety course. The labs simulate measuring and evaluating workplace noise, light and heat levels, as well as evaluating personal hearing thresholds. Accessibility challenges in navigation, performing measurements and perceiving feedback are discussed, as well as the application of accessible web development techniques to solve them. © 2021 Owner/Author.