ABSTRACT
Introduction: The consequences for the COVID-19 pandemic in the newborns of affected mothers remains unknown. Previous clinical experiences with other infections during pregnancy lead to considered pregnant women and their offspring especially vulnerable for SARS-COV-2. That is, the underlying physiopathological changes caused by the infection (e.g. storm of cytokines, micro-coagulation in placenta or vertical transmission) could clearly compromise fetal neurodevelopment. Objective(s): To analyze the impact of maternal SARS-COV-2 infection during pregnancy in early neurodevelopment of infants gestated during the COVID-19 pandemic period compared to those gestated immediately prior (2017-2021). Method(s): 212 pregnant women (14% infected) were followed throughout their pregnancy and postpartum, including newborn development. SARS-COV-2 infection was serologically confirmed during pregnancy. The Brazelton Neonatal Assessment Scale (NBAS) was administered at 6 weeks old by a trained neonatologist to evaluate neurological, social and behavioral aspects of newborn's functioning. Differences in NBAS scores between cases and controls were tested by ANOVAs. All the analysis were adjusted for maternal age, sociodemographic status, anxious-depressive symptomatology, infant's sex and gestational age at birth and NBAS, and for the period of gestation (previous or during COVID-19 pandemic). Result(s): NBAS social interactive dimension was significantly decreased in those infants exposed to prenatal SARS-COV-2 (F= 4.248, p=.043), particularly when the infection occurred before the week 20 of gestation. Gestation during COVID-19 pandemic did not alter NBAS subscales. Conclusion(s): SARS-COV-2 infection during pregnancy seems to be associated with lower NBAS scores on social dimension in 6 weeks old exposed newborns.
ABSTRACT
After more than 2 years of the pandemic caused by COVID-19, a gradual return to face-to-face teaching has been taking place. Therefore, administrators need to establish procedures to facilitate and ensure the quality of teaching during this process. The purpose of this article is to describe the strengths and challenges of implementing Blended Learning (BL). The design used is consistent with a secondary investigation of a narrative review. As a result, several recommendations are presented for building institutional frameworks that enable the implementation of high-quality BL models in the context of a gradual return to face-to-face courses in higher education. From a theoretical and contextual perspective, considerations for transitioning to this model are discussed, based on lessons learned from emergency remote education. We conclude that the present post-pandemic scenario constitutes a pivotal moment for determining the way education is delivered in higher education.
ABSTRACT
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, young university students had to adjust to the emergency remote education provided by the online education modality. To know about the impact of this situation, the objective of this work was to validate the Scale of Experiences of University Students in Virtual Education (EEEV). A total of 2841 Chilean university students participated, with a mean age of 23.42 years (SD=7.72), of which 20% were engineering students. The EEEV arose from the adaptation of the questionnaire of expectations towards virtual education in university students during the COVID-19 pandemic, composed of six dimensions (Relationship with peers, Online learning, Online teaching, Self-efficacy for online learning, Online evaluation, and Comparison with face-to-face education). The psychometric properties of the EEEV version were verified. Validity estimations were performed using confirmatory factor analysis, finding a good fit, and maintaining the original version's factors. As for the dimensions, the internal consistency coefficient for the total scale was adequate. Therefore, it is concluded that the EEEV is a valid and reliable scale for measuring the experiences of university students in the context of emergency remote education.