ABSTRACT
Face to face activities at universities became difficult in the spring of 2020 with the worldwide outbreak of the SARS virus version COVID19. The initial information was that all classes were to be done online for a short period only, and we believed that we would return to the classroom in two weeks. But within a short period, all face-To-face classes were cancelled and replaced with remote lectures utilizing online Learning Management Systems (LMS) and video conferencing. For many colleges, most classes are still conducted this way in the spring of 2021. The large scale of online education has exposed a number of problems and challenges that although somewhat known have taken on greater significance. This paper describes online teaching models, learning styles, engagement, and interaction models to create a foundation for a set of patterns that capture ways of dealing with these problems-solutions that have been developed and applied for online education even before the pandemic hit but are now being more broadly used. The paper was written over the course of 3 semesters, with examples from teaching at 3 different colleges, depicting the transition from face-To-face teaching coming to an abrupt halt and the rapid transition to pure on-line mode. To support remote activities, the universities contracted some sort of software. St John's University contracted Cisco WebEx, which was available to faculty and students. The City University of New York, (CUNY) system has unique software within each College. At The College of Technology, we used Collaborate Ultra, a tool part of the LMS (Blackboard). Baruch College offered this tool and Zoom was offered with a license from the school. During the second semester, zoom licensing was enhanced and offered throughout the CUNY system. Most of the patterns in this paper depend on an LMS system being in place, as they cover practical topics like course design and how to deal with testing and exams, but also move into areas of student engagement and motivation. Definitions of user experience may be vague and conflicting, as each student and school is unique. The motivation of this paper was the pandemic;however, the findings show engagement as being positive, and yet still exploratory. We engage with technology because it allows us to achieve our purposes. This work contributes to the understanding of how we can apply patterns for online education and shows the start of a whole new pattern language that can benefit educators as well as students as we move forward with a new educational model. © 2022 ACM.
ABSTRACT
Finnish authorities provide undocumented migrants with at least emergency healthcare services, but very few (if any) undocumented migrants use these or other public healthcare services. There are challenges to accessing healthcare, including language, culture or communication, inadequate information, difficult opening times, lack of specialised services, fear of using such services, and lack of networks relating to social and healthcare services. The provision of wider healthcare services and prevention of illnesses is actually less expensive for countries than providing undocumented migrants with only emergency healthcare. This chapter discusses the undocumented migrants’ access to healthcare and their use of healthcare services. The Constitution of Finland guarantees emergency healthcare services for everyone staying in Finland, including undocumented migrants;however, the actual provision of healthcare (emergency or otherwise) for undocumented migrants varies greatly among local municipalities. Furthermore, few migrants use these available services. The majority turn to unofficial services, with some risk for themselves and the local community. The chapter highlights issues regarding the mental and physical health of undocumented migrants, who often suffer from trauma, which is not properly treated. It also discusses the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on undocumented migrants in Finland. © 2021, The Author(s).
ABSTRACT
The phenomenon of irregular migration is very complex in the EU, including Finland. Definitions and practices regarding asylum seekers, refugees, and undocumented migrants are blurred. The laws and immigration policies also attempt to define and enact fixed categories by which to classify undocumented migrants, but these people always escape such legal boundaries through their actions, decisions, and migratory behaviours. In this chapter, we study the asylum-related legislation and processes from the viewpoints of both the authorities who decide whether to grant international protection, and the undocumented migrants who request asylum. The chapter describes the Finnish asylum process in detail, and explains how the undocumented migrants (mostly former asylum seekers) we studied experienced it. Some countries tolerate undocumented migrants, allowing them to work and have access to many public services. In other countries, such as Finland, they are denied the right to work and barely have access to healthcare. Being an undocumented migrant is simultaneously about becoming an undocumented migrant, and failing the asylum process is the most common path to becoming an undocumented migrant. We also indicate how, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of new asylum applications in Finland decreased by more than half. © 2021, The Author(s).