Perspectives on the Role of Mysticism as an Inter-religious Meta-narrative in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic

COVID-19 has shown the inescapable connectedness of human beings. The virus does not defer to any geography, be it physical, mental or spiritual. Hard questions about collective and personal priorities and responsibilities loom in the face of disease, death and financial ruin. Mysticism is concerned with these questions, which highlight the boundary between life as we know it and the great Unknown. Many mystics embark on their spiritual journey as a result of severe crisis or trauma. Perennialism, social constructivism, and participatory theory are modern theoretical and philosophical perspectives on mysticism. These theories are presented and discussed in this chapter with the purpose of identifying arguments for or against mysticism as a unifying inter-religious meta-narrative in the context of COVID-19. The discussion and conclusion find a unifying narrative in its acknowledgement of altruism as a universal theme within the different mystical traditions. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.

Key issues and pedagogical implications in the design of Digital Educational Escape rooms

Educational Escape rooms are game-based environments that may involve students of all school orders in engaging learning experiences. COVID- 9 pandemic has increased the proliferation of escape rooms in a digital format whose use appeared meaningful for their generative effects on knowledge acquisition and on 21st century skills development. Nevertheless, the design of educational escape rooms is an essential process requiring a deep knowledge of both game design principles and learning design approaches. Moreover, teachers and educators willing to design and to experiment escape rooms with their students need to know how to connect these principles belonging to apparently distant fields and to balance them, to make these learning environments effective from an educational point of view and, at the same time, highly and intrinsically motivating. The aim of this contribution is to focus on the design related aspects of educational digital escape rooms, providing a pedagogical foundation and discussing implications for learning. A Design-Based Research (DBR) has been conducted, involving two cohorts of undergraduate students who attended the Game-based learning course in the last two academic years. The educational escape rooms designed by them in the two editions of the course, corresponding to two iterations of a DBR cycle, were compared to investigate if the progressive enhancement of the design approach has affected the quality of the realized educational escape rooms. From evaluation of DEERs designed by students a taxonomy was derived that, listing the main design characteristics for the development of DEERs, can be used as a tool that can guide educational designers in the development of effective DEERs, where game aspects are closely intertwined with the educational ones.

Adam Smith Reconsidered: History, Liberty, and the Foundations of Modern Politics: by Paul Sagar, Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 248 pp, ISBN: 9780691210834, Publication Date: 2022

Smith, argues Sagar, is more concerned with politics than morality, his work attuned to political struggles generating our ways of life and value orders. It remains commonplace to meet academics who still view Adam Smith as an egoist, a theorist of self-interest. [Extracted from the article] Copyright of Perspectives on Political Science is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

A phenomenological examination of work engagement and work-family enrichment in healthcare professionals who are mothers during the COVID-19 pandemic

Approximately two years after Coronavirus (COVID-19) was declared in 2020, virtually all aspects of how individuals live and work has changed. In particular, the COVID-19 Pandemic has intensified the responsibilities of healthcare professionals at home and work. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study aims to understand the role of work engagement and work-family enrichment in helping healthcare professionals who are mothers handle the COVID- 19 Pandemic. The main research question was: What are the lived experiences of work engagement and work-family enrichment in healthcare professionals who are mothers during the COVID-19 Pandemic? This study examines how healthcare professionals who are mothers reflect on their in-hospital experiences regarding their work engagement and work-family enrichment. This study examines the relationship between work engagement, work-family enrichment, and work-family conflict. The study was conducted using social constructivism as the theoretical framework. The current study was conducted in light of the COVID-19Pandemic. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Teaching Sports and Exercises Science: experiences and life skills of a lecturer

The following document reports the experiences and life skills developed under the current didactic situation in Sports and Exercise Science. In particular, the manuscript discusses the pedagogic theories that should be fostered to improve the return to campus. The real-life experiences are presented in light of the Social and Emotional Learning and the Learning by Doing theories. The following document aims to reflect on social constructivism and embodied theories to improve the new (post-covid) learning environment. The introduction focuses on the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education benchmark statement and progresses to the most recent Blended approaches. With reflections upon in-class assessments, spaces and pace. In conclusion, the cartesian dualism (body-mind) is discussed and ideas for future research in pedagogy are presented to improve teaching and learning experiences in the post-covid scenario. Insegnare Scienze Motorie: esperienze e abilità di un docente universitario. Il documento ha come scopo quello di riflettere sul costruttivismo sociale e sulle embodied theories per migliorare il nuovo ambiente di apprendimento (post-covid). Il seguente documento riporta le esperienze e le abilità sviluppate nell‘attuale situazione didattica, nello specifico riguardo le scienze motorie. In particolare, nel testo sono discusse le teorie pedagogiche che dovrebbero essere incoraggiate per migliorare il ritorno in aula. Le esperienze didattiche sono presentate alla luce delle teorie dell‘apprendimento sociale ed emotivo e del Learning by Doing. L‘introduzione si concentra sul Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education benchmark e presenta i più recenti approcci didattici definiti Blended, con l'aggiunta di riflessioni su valutazioni, spazi e ritmo della classe. In conclusione, viene discusso il dualismo cartesiano (corpo-mente) e vengono presentate idee per future ricerche in pedagogia al fine di migliorare le esperienze di insegnamento e di apprendimento nello scenario post-covid.

Students engagement in distant learning: How much influence do the critical factors have for success in academic performance?

This research identifies the critical factors of student engagement and distance learning that will improve academic performance during a pandemic. The fuzzy Delphi method and fuzzy analytical hierarchy process method are applied to this research, which is a multicriteria decision-making technique. A survey is conducted and evaluated based on experts' opinions. The social constructivism theory was selected to be applied here;it supports student engagement and distance-learning factors' relationships with academic performance. After the analysis, the six most significant factors are evaluated. It is observed that Social isolation (C1), Technology effectiveness (C2), Social status enhancement (C3), Student Competency (C4), Motivation (C5), and Satisfaction (C6) are the highest-ranking factors that increase academic performance. On the basis of the results, it is suggested that management's primary responsibility is to provide training and guidance to instructors/teachers to enhance, motivate the students, and create opportunities for every student to improve their academic performance in a pandemic situation through distance learning.

A phenomenological examination of work engagement and work-family enrichment in healthcare professionals who are mothers during the COVID-19 pandemic

Approximately two years after Coronavirus (COVID-19) was declared in 2020, virtually all aspects of how individuals live and work has changed. In particular, the COVID-19 Pandemic has intensified the responsibilities of healthcare professionals at home and work. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study aims to understand the role of work engagement and work-family enrichment in helping healthcare professionals who are mothers handle the COVID- 19 Pandemic. The main research question was: What are the lived experiences of work engagement and work-family enrichment in healthcare professionals who are mothers during the COVID-19 Pandemic? This study examines how healthcare professionals who are mothers reflect on their in-hospital experiences regarding their work engagement and work-family enrichment. This study examines the relationship between work engagement, work-family enrichment, and work-family conflict. The study was conducted using social constructivism as the theoretical framework. The current study was conducted in light of the COVID-19Pandemic. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Utilizing Blogs on ESL learners' vocabulary learning through social constructivist theory: A descriptive study.

During this period in history, the advancement of technology is developing at a fast pace, and it is becoming more important to every normal person. In particular, the smart phone, which is quickly becoming one of the most frequently used gadgets in ordinary life, is no longer considered a luxury commodity. Because of the COVID-19 epidemic, students are not required to utilise textbooks while studying. Beyond textbooks, there are numerous other media that may be used to advance an individual's education and development. The purpose of this research study is to investigate the effect of social media, namely Blogs, on the vocabulary acquisition of ESL students. A questionnaire was adopted for data collection from 60 people from different universities, and the results were analysed using a descriptive method. Following the responses given by the respondents, it was noticed that a lot of ESL learners believed that using Blogs to improve vocabulary development is beneficial since it raises the degree of involvement in studying. The current research investigates the use of social constructivist theory in the teaching of ESL learners. The purpose of this study report is to demonstrate the statistically significant impact of the use of Blogs on the growth of learners' vocabulary. Finally, the article concluded that, in light of the descriptive study, the social constructivist method is very significant in English language learning, particularly in vocabulary development. The following objectives were established for the study through Descriptive Method of Social Constructivist Theory of Learning Vocabulary:•To explore the relationship between the use of Blogs and an interest in ESL learners' vocabulary knowledge.•To identify the effect of Blogs on the development of English vocabulary among ESL learners by using social constructivist theory.•To examine the effect of using Blogs on students' capacity to improve their vocabulary usage.

Developing a Framework for Online Collaborative Learning Tools in the Attitude Domain: A Fuzzy Delphi Method

Developing students’ attitude domain is as important as developing their cognitive strategies and motor skills, because attitude-related affective skills help students establish ways of inquiry, become active learners, build a sense of responsibility for their own learning, and promote lifelong learning. However, many higher education institutions (HEIs) have overlooked the development of students’ attitude due to difficulties designing instruction that evaluates attitude, which is perceived to be subjective. Therefore, instructors need to ensure they incorporate the attitude domain into lesson planning, activity design, lesson delivery, and assessment approaches. However, it is recognized that developing the attitude domain online is difficult compared to the face-to-face setting, given that HEIs are currently undertaking teaching activities remotely on digital platforms due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Although effective teaching with technology includes the design of instructional strategies that are linked to the types of skills instructors wish students to learn, instructional strategies for attitude-related skills are less well-defined than those for cognitive skills. There also seems to be little to no guidance on how to support and develop attitude skills in HEIs. Hence, this study seeks to develop a framework for attitude development by employing the Fuzzy Delphi Method to obtain a consensus among 16 experts. The results reveal suitable collaborative learning tools and corresponding assessments to develop the attitude domain among students. This framework provides a guideline for instructors to plan their teaching of the attitude domain from the aspects of instructional strategies, collaborative learning tools, and assessment measures. © 2022 by Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.

On-line Meetings for Educating the Minds of Future Safety Engineers during the COVID Pandemic: An Experience Report

World-wide opportunities for “meetings of minds” was the goal of the research of visionaries who contributed to the creation of networked communication systems. During 2020, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, educational institutes massively exploited these systems enabling virtual spaces of synchronous and asynchronous meetings among students and among students and teachers. Technology alone, however, is not sufficient. Technological Pedagogical And Content Knowledge (TPACK) and competence are paramount. In this paper, I report about my experience in pedagogically designing and implementing an on-line version of an advanced master course on safety-critical systems engineering, conceived and delivered as a series of Zoom-based, and Community-Of-Inquiry (COI)-oriented meetings plus Canvas-based threads of discussions for educating the minds of future safety and software engineers. I also report about the limited but still talkative COI-specific questionnaire-based evaluation, conducted with the purpose of better understanding the limits of moving the course on line and elicit areas of improvement, given that likely education on-line is now here to stay. Finally, I elaborate on a roadmap for future development, based on the results from the first instance. Copyright © 2021 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda. All rights reserved.

‘Virtually Pen Green’: developing a synchronous teaching response for adult learners studying early childhood degree programmes during COVID-19

This article explores an idea the researchers are calling Andragogical Isomorphism. The idea being that adults who are motivated to learn become academic when in non-linear relationships with other learners and their tutors. When all are able to be curious, vulnerable and confident shifts in academic capabilities occur. The global pandemic COVID-19 in 2020 brought with it exceptional challenges in education across the globe. Adaptations to teach virtually were expected almost immediately, educators needed to facilitate learning experiences in an unfamiliar, virtual world with little or no previous training. Research was conducted to gather feedback to capture how the recreation of face-to-face teaching online impacted female, undergraduate early years students. The researchers spent time reflecting on the principles that underpin their practice of working with mature learners. Essential elements of social constructivism alongside the critical nature of highly effective andragogical practice and the importance of practice wisdom/life experiences are explored. The benefits of reflection and gaining academic recognition are considered, as are the implications of these within the sector. The results suggest a principled synchronous teaching approach that attends to emotional and cognitive needs, could lead to internalising an altered sense of self in academia – Andragogical Isomorphism.

Metaphors of War in Effective and Ineffective Coping of Medical Directors of COVID-19 Wards in Public Hospitals.

The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged medical professionals worldwide with an unprecedented need to provide care under conditions of complexity, uncertainty, and danger. These conditions, coupled with the unrelenting stress of overwhelming workloads, exhaustion, and decision-making fatigue, have forced clinicians to generate coping mechanisms. This qualitative study explored the use of metaphors as a coping mechanism by clinical directors of COVID-19 wards in Israeli public general hospitals while they were exposed to death and trauma throughout the pandemic's first wave in Israel (March to June 2020). The study employs discourse methodology and metaphor mapping analysis to capture the personal, organizational, and social dimensions of effective and ineffective processes of coping with an extreme health crisis. Analysis revealed that the metaphors that clinical directors used reflect a dual process of mediating and generating the social construction of meaning and facilitating effective and ineffective coping. Effective coping was facilitated by war metaphors that created a sense of mission and meaningfulness at both the organizational and the individual levels. War metaphors that generated a sense of isolation and sacrifice intensified helplessness and fear, which undermined coping. We propose actionable recommendations to enhance effective coping for individuals and organizations in this ongoing pandemic.

Technological Education: An approach from Technopedagogical Constructivism

This study is developed within the framework of the changes brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic and social distancing in the educational field. The educational institutions closed their doors, being the technological mediation the key factor to give continuity to the classes. However, certain pedagogical / andragogical practices are not coupled to the technological context, which makes a harmonic pedagogical / andragogical orientation necessary with the use of technology based on the social constructivist paradigm of knowledge. Through a bibliometric analysis, the best positioned and most cited articles on issues of technology, pedagogy, andragogy and constructivism in Scopus are explored. In this way, the structured discussion between the authors analyzes results to recognize traits and concurrent variables in said studies. The conclusions of this first step offer us new horizons for pedagogy / andragogy with a techno-pedagogical constructivist approach. © 2021, Associacao Iberica de Sistemas e Tecnologias de Informacao. All rights reserved.

"Involve Me and I Learn": Active Learning in a Hybrid Medical Biochemistry First Year Course on an American-Style MD Program in the UAE.

Perceived as a subject with abstract jargon, requiring extensive memorization of complex metabolic pathways, chemical structures, and names, students lose sight of the significance of biochemistry on their MD journey (Afshar M, Han Z. Teaching and learning medical biochemistry: Perspectives from a student and an educator. Med Sci Educ. 2014;24:339-41.). A disconnect between what is taught in the classroom and its application to clinical settings arises through over emphasis on the need to pass board exams, documented to be a poor measure of core competencies. Employing active learning strategies with meaningful activities with clinical applications, centered around the curriculum, cognitively engages students and is a deviation from the didactic way in which biochemistry is traditionally taught.

Having a Break or Being Imprisoned: Influence of Subjective Interpretations of Quarantine and Isolation on Boredom.

Boredom has been identified as one of the greatest psychological challenges when staying at home during quarantine and isolation. However, this does not mean that the situation necessarily causes boredom. On the basis of 13 explorative interviews with bored and non-bored persons who have been under quarantine or in isolation, we explain why boredom is related to a subjective interpretation process rather than being a direct consequence of the objective situation. Specifically, we show that participants vary significantly in their interpretations of staying at home and, thus, also in their experience of boredom. While the non-bored participants interpret the situation as a relief or as irrelevant, the bored participants interpret it as a major restriction that only some are able to cope with.

'Virtually Pen Green': developing a synchronous teaching response for adult learners studying early childhood degree programmes during COVID-19

This article explores an idea the researchers are calling Andragogical Isomorphism. The idea being that adults who are motivated to learn become academic when in non-linear relationships with other learners and their tutors. When all are able to be curious, vulnerable and confident shifts in academic capabilities occur. The global pandemic COVID-19 in 2020 brought with it exceptional challenges in education across the globe. Adaptations to teach virtually were expected almost immediately, educators needed to facilitate learning experiences in an unfamiliar, virtual world with little or no previous training. Research was conducted to gather feedback to capture how the recreation of face-to-face teaching online impacted female, undergraduate early years students. The researchers spent time reflecting on the principles that underpin their practice of working with mature learners. Essential elements of social constructivism alongside the critical nature of highly effective andragogical practice and the importance of practice wisdom/life experiences are explored. The benefits of reflection and gaining academic recognition are considered, as are the implications of these within the sector. The results suggest a principled synchronous teaching approach that attends to emotional and cognitive needs, could lead to internalising an altered sense of self in academia - Andragogical Isomorphism.

Social learning from media: The need for a culturally diachronic developmental psychology.

Since the proliferation of television sets into households began over half a century ago there has been widespread interest in the impact that viewing has on young children's development. Such interest has grown with the increasing availability of smart phones and tablets. In this review we examine the literature documenting human social learning and how this learning is impacted when the instructing agent appears on a screen instead of face-to-face. We then explore the shifting nature of screen-based media, with a focus on the increasingly socio-normative manner information is portrayed. We discuss how the changing nature of screen technology might be altering how children interpret what they see, and raise the possibility that this may render prevailing evidence as historical documentation, rather than setting out established developmental milestones that transcend the period in which they were documented. We contend that recognizing the significance of historically changing contexts in developmental psychology is timely when the COVID-19 climate is pushing data collection on-line for many labs, often using tasks that were developed primarily for face-to-face contexts.

Practical approaches to pedagogically rich online tutorials in health professions education.

Health professions education in tertiary, industrial and other contexts often entails face-to-face small group learning through tutorials. The current novel coronavirus, COVID-19, has reduced face-to-face contact, and this has challenged how health professionals and clinical students can access training, accreditation and development. Online and other remote mechanisms are available to tutors and course designers; however, they might not feel comfortable with such affordances, in light of expectations to so rapidly change familiar teaching and delivery styles. This may result in the loss of interaction and disruption of peer learning, which are hallmarks of the small group tutorial. Collaborative learning is essential to develop and refine an emerging sense of belonging to a professional community through formal studies, and interactive learning is a requirement for some registered health professions to satisfy ongoing professional accreditation. Online media has been used to promote social learning in regional, rural and remote communities for some time. Strategies for learning activity design and tutor training are proposed to equip course designers and educators to support health professions education remotely, through the synchronous, online small group. This may herald a new era of increased access to training and professional development for non-urban learners, beyond COVID-19.