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During the pandemic of COVID-19 educational institutions have adopted the online teaching and learning mechanisms. This has led to some challenges in teaching programming courses as those considered to be one of the most difficult disciplines. In this research paper, the online teaching methods in addition to the online assessments' methods are discussed and reviewed. A survey for students and instructors is carried out to study the effectiveness of these teaching and assessments methods, and whether students and instructors would like to continue using them after COVID. The survey included students and faculty members from Ahlia University in the Kingdom of Bahrain and University of Business and Technology in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Results are then analyzed and discussed. © 2023 IEEE.
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The emergence and global spread of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is critical to understanding how to prevent or control a future viral pandemic. We review the tools used for this retrospective search, their limits, and results obtained from China, France, Italy and the USA. We examine possible scenarios for the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 in the human population. We consider the Chinese city of Wuhan where the first cases of atypical pneumonia were attributed to SARS-CoV-2 and from where the disease spread worldwide. Possible superspreading events include the Wuhan-based 7th Military World Games on October 18-27, 2019 and the Chinese New Year holidays from January 25 to February 2, 2020. Several clues point to an early regional circulation of SARS-CoV-2 in northern Italy (Lombardi) as soon as September/October 2019 and in France in November/December 2019, if not before. With the goal of preventing future pandemics, we call for additional retrospective studies designed to trace the origin of SARS-CoV-2.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , COVID-19/epidemiology , China/epidemiology , Humans , Pandemics/prevention & control , Retrospective Studies , SARS-CoV-2ABSTRACT
Cloud technology usage in nowadays companies constantly grows every year. Moreover, the COVID-19 situation caused even a higher acceleration of cloud adoption. A higher portion of deployed cloud services, however, means also a higher number of exploitable attack vectors. For that reason, risk assessment of the cloud environment plays a significant role for the companies. The target of this paper is to present a risk assessment method specialized in the cloud environment that supports companies with the identification and assessments of the cloud risks. The method itself is based on ISO/IEC 27005 standard and addresses a list of predefined cloud risks. Besides, the paper also presents the risk score calculation definition. The risk assessment method is then applied to an accounting company in a form of a case study. As a result, 24 risks are identified and assessed within the case study where each risk included also exemplary countermeasures. Further, this paper includes a description of the selected cloud risks. © 2022 Slovak Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
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The article discusses the prospects for increasing the tax potential of the Republic of Karakalpakstan based on the analysis of methods for assessing the tax potential of the region. In particular, an effective budgetary-tax system is reflected in the structure of state budget revenues, as well as ongoing reforms in the sectors of the economy in the regions and changes in world prices for raw materials. In this, the author notes the impact of coronavirus on the economy of Uzbekistan. That is, during the global coronavirus pandemic, the implementation of preferential and other measures provided for certain sectors of the economy and business in the country had a negative impact on the mobilization of budget revenues in 2020. However, the essence of these benefits provided on the basis of a number of important decrees and resolutions of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan to mitigate the negative impact of the crisis on the economy and stimulate the real sector of the economy through taxes is highlighted. In this regard, a deep analysis was carried out with information on the results of the work done in the Republic of Karakalpakstan on the above in the context of the regions of the region. From the above, the author carried out a comparative analysis of the effectiveness of the results of the representative tax system method with the factual (additive) method widely used in international practice for assessing tax potential. The effectiveness of the results of tax revenues is based on a static state and the economic efficiency of the representative tax system method in the formation of budget revenues of the Republic of Karakalpakstan has been proven. The author proposes the application of the representative tax system method to increase the tax potential of the local budget of the Republic of Karakalpakstan in the future. Copyright © 2022, Anka Publishers. All rights reserved.
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Introduction: Pharmacology is one of the fundamental components of the undergraduate pharmacy curriculum, providing core knowledge on the mechanisms of drug action and toxicity, consequently laying the foundational concepts in rational pharmacotherapeutic decisions. The Covid-19 pandemic has urgently forced educational institutions to transition to online remote learning. This unprecedented move has not only affected teaching and learning, but also assessments, a known factor in driving student learning. This study served to determine students' preference and perceptions of the assessments utilised for pharmacology courses in the undergraduate pharmacy programme, during the online and distance learning period. Methods: An online survey questionnaire was developed and distributed to students enrolled in the Bachelor of Pharmacy (B. Pharm) programme at the Faculty of Pharmacy, UiTM Selangor Puncak Alam Campus. Three hundred and fourteen students participated in the study. Collected data was then analysed using SPSS version 26. Results: Findings revealed that the majority of students preferred multiple choice questions (MCQs) test the most. Problem-based learning (PBL) was also among the most favoured especially among 3rd year students. In term of perceptions, this study disclosed that students acknowledged all assessments conducted for pharmacology courses contributed to their understanding towards course material, knowledge strength, analytical and critical thinking skills, problem analysis and learning feedback. Conclusion: Although the findings were mostly positive, a more thorough investigation is needed to identify how these assessments can be improved. Regular review on how curriculums are delivered and assessed are imperative in order to implement necessary measures for improving learning outcomes. © 2022 UPM Press. All rights reserved.
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The emergency transition to online learning due to COVID-19 has forced many sectors to respond quickly. The readiness of educational institutes to attend to the abrupt crisis and shift to teach remotely is practiced at different levels. Online assessment is one of them. Rapid advances in technology and software applications are changing the practices of assessment in innumerable ways. Teachers are encouraged to implement a diverse array of assessment methods to measure the learning process of their students in an online environment which may not be the same as conventional learning. Therefore, the current study aims to explore teachers' perspectives about online assessment during the COVID-19 pandemic in a Saudi context. This study endeavours to shed light on this aspect of online assessment by answering the main question of challenges and benefits faced by English teachers in an online environment. The study was qualitative in nature deploying semi-structured interviews with English instructors to collect data about the researched matter. The findings revealed that the most preferred online assessment tool teachers used to implement was the multiple-choice format. Also, the analysis showed that challenges associated with online assessment were diverse, and some of them were handled appropriately while others remained. For the advantages, they worked in favour of teachers, students and department. This was observed in the opportunities online assessment could provide to save time, easiness to design, take and record and objectivity in marking. Implications and recommendations were offered for further direction and research.
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Humanity has faced unprecedented chaos in the education sector due to the inevitable sudden adoption of online mode of learning during the pandemic. The complexities associated with technology-enabled learning and assessment have different connotations in developing countries due to a lack of infrastructure and awareness. Such countries can switch over to an online mode of education more frequently in the future due to highly volatile local political and cultural situations on top of the pandemic. This study evaluates the complexities associated with technology-enabled online assessment methods in Pakistan. Technology readiness and performance for the learning assessment of students are appraised through approaching approximately one thousand students from more than one hundred public and private sector engineering universities. A screened list of assessment alternatives and their influencing factors are then prioritized using the multi-actor multi-criteria analysis (MAMCA) by considering the perceptions of national policymakers, faculty members and students. The aggregate results reveal that, among the influencing factors, ‘mental health’ received the highest weightage, and stakeholders are indifferent to associated costs despite financial challenges. Automated MCQs secured the top position in the ranking list. Sensitivity analysis incorporates some disagreements among the stakeholders, which makes this study highly beneficial for policy modeling.
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To ensure high-quality educational processes, more educational research should be developed about student experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, the student's perception about distance learning education (under the current situation) could be used as input for instructors and educational institutions to guide their distance learning process. The primary aim of this research is to explore engineering undergraduate student's perceptions about the online assessment methods during the COVID-19 age. This paper presents an exploratory-descriptive study based on content and quantitative analysis tools. The main findings of this research concern the factors perceived as the main differences between the face-to-face and online assessment by a group of engineering students during the current pandemic. These factors are: teaching presence, self-efficacy, autonomy, teamwork, and coherence between assessment and class. Furthermore, in the analyzed state-of-the-art, the last three factors have not been reported. These results will be used to guide the improvement of future online assessment methods in our engineering school. © 2022, Rajarambapu Institute Of Technology. All rights reserved.
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The unavoidable transition to online education due to Covid-19 pandemic has impacted instruction at all grades and in all subject areas, including college level Mathematics courses. One of the issues that has been faced is the inability to proctor exams properly. Calculators with Computer Algebra Systems and their corresponding smart phone applications can provide not only answers to most problems, but they also provide solution steps. Mathematics departments at many institutions have established policies which regulated the use of calculators and smart phones in lectures and exams. However, lack of proper proctoring in online courses makes it possible for students to pass a course, even with a decent grade, without learning the concepts. On the other hand, as the use of computers became more common, many skills previously considered as required are not required anymore, such as learning how to use logarithmic tables to evaluate logarithms. In this study, we first demonstrate the capabilities of smart phone applications and provide tips for writing procedural problems that are not easily solvable by these apps. We show examples of problems that are solvable by the apps and suggestions to revise them. Second, we discuss general suggestions on how to revise the College Algebra instruction, especially for engineering students. Our suggestions aim to fill in the gaps that could potentially be created when these apps are commonly used among students. In summary, we review and revise College Algebra instruction and assessments to accept and incorporate the use of smart phone applications. Revised topics, together with effective assessment strategies will potentially improve learning outcomes, especially when the course is taught online. Our work concentrates on revision of College Algebra topics for Engineering students, but our strategy can be applied to revise other mathematics topics for any major. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2021
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The building industry has been deeply affected by the Covid-19 pandemic due to the cessation of many businesses and the changes in working methods. Building inspection is of great importance for ensuring safety and well-functioning steps in the building life cycle. This study aimed to determine the potential dangers threatening building inspection services during and after the Covid-19 pandemic. Accordingly, a risk assessment method based on a three-stage survey conducted with mainly construction inspection experts working in the Turkish construction industry was applied. Within this scope, both quantitative and qualitative data were utilized. An analysis of all findings concluded that careless inspection due to the shortening of site visits, unreliable remote inspection ways, and the everlasting paper-based bureaucratic steps of the system are the most threatening risk factors for building inspection mechanisms. All these risks have potential consequences, such as loss of life, crucial defects in building services, and the spread of the pandemic. Indirect risks are mainly caused by financial difficulties. In order to avoid all potential risks, standards should be introduced and technology-based precise remote control mechanisms should be improved through online tools and applications. Moreover, public bodies should provide adequate financial support. This study suggested immediate actions to be taken by the relevant parties against the impacts of Covid-19 by highlighting potential cases and their risks with regard to building inspection services. The implementation of such actions may enable practitioners to conduct more reliable inspections during and after the Covid-19 pandemic. © 2022 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Aiming at the problem of residents' need to travel during the epidemic, this paper designs a risk assessment method based on the spatial interaction of space-time objects in the epidemic-related area, and evaluates the epidemic risk in the associated area based on an improved gravity model and a one-dimensional steady-state water quality migration model. Based on the Floyd algorithm and according to the residents' choice preferences, an optimal path solution model that simultaneously considers the epidemic risk factor and travel distance is established and the algorithm is verified. An actual road network in Shenyang City was used for example verification, and the difference between the path guidance during the regular period and the epidemic period was compared. The results show that the improved Floyd algorithm can effectively avoid epidemic-related areas. As residents increase their preference for risk avoidance, the length of the guide path will gradually increase, but the risk of infection will gradually decrease. © 2021 SPIE.
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The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted the health care system and affected all sectors of society, including critical infrastructures. In turn, the impact on society's infrastructures has impacted back on the health care sector. These interactions have created a system of associated risks and outcomes, where the outcomes of risks are risks themselves and where the resulting consequences are complex vicious cycles. Traditional risks assessment methods cannot cope with interdependent risks. This paper describes a novel risk systemicity approach to elicit and mitigate the systemic risks of a major pandemic. The approach employed the internet-based software strategyfinder™ in workshops to elicit relevant risk information from sixteen appropriately selected experts from the health care sector and major sectors impacted by and impacting back on the health care sector. The risk information was processed with powerful analytical tools of strategyfinder to allow the experts to prioritise portfolios of strategies attacking the vicious cycles. © 2021 Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM. All rights reserved.
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Epidemiological restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic have raised legal and practical questions related to the provision of workplace risk assessment in home offices of teleworkers. The objective of this qualitative study was to analyze practical experience of employers and occupational safety and health experts performing workplace risk assessment in Latvia during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our findings suggest that employers have not sufficiently implemented their legal obligations related to workplace risk assessment which can result in an increased number of physical and mental health problems of teleworkers in the short term and in the future. Work from home has shown how different working conditions can be for the same type of work (office work); therefore, the promotion of personalized workplace risk assessment should be encouraged. Even if virtual workplace visits using photos and videos are not the traditional way the workplace risk assessment should be done, it is effective; workers who report that their employers assessed their working conditions report fewer health effects. The experience of workers in participation in workplace risk assessment for telework might change the level and role of worker participation in the management of health and safety hazards at work in general.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Workplace , Humans , Latvia/epidemiology , Pandemics , Risk Assessment , SARS-CoV-2ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Coronavirus (COVID19) appears to be an inflection point that is forcing a disruption in medical education. OBJECTIVE: The study aims to explore how medical schools in Egypt responded to COVID-19 pandemic regarding teaching and learning/assessment for undergraduate students. DESIGN: A mixed method exploratory 2-phase study was conducted. Data was collected through a questionnaire and focus groups. RESULTS: The responses of the participants were categorized according to main themes; University preparedness, Role of faculty in the transition, Role of ME units/Departments/National/Regional bodies in the transition, Role of Egyptian Knowledge Bank, New teaching methods/strategies, New assessment methods/strategies and Projection into the future. The staff level of preparedness for that unexpected shift was evaluated as optimum to high and a good leadership support was reported by 70% of them. They reported conflicting views about the proper role of medical education units but reinforced the idea of Egyptian Knowledge Bank's crucial role in this transition. Additionally, 64.1% of the participants identified a clinical skills teaching challenge and 76.3% of them reported absence of alternative methods for summative assessment. Finally, there is a communication problem with the students that leads to their detachment. CONCLUSIONS: Individuals moved faster than bodies and relied on support existing outside the universities when catastrophe happened. Many recommendations emerged including the need to integrate online learning into the curriculum at favorable percentages.