Social Transformations in India, Myanmar, and Thailand: Volume II: Identity and Grassroots for Democratic: Progress

This book explores the multifaceted obstacles to social change that India, Myanmar and Thailand face, and ways to overcome them. With a collection of essays that identify common challenges and salient features affecting diverse communities, this volume examines topics from subnational and local perspectives across the peripheries. The book argues that identity-based divisions have created a system of oppression and political contention that have led to conflicts of different kinds, and hence serving as the common cause of different social issues. At the same time, such issues have created space for marginalized groups around the world to call for change. The volume recognizes that social transformation comes into being through an active process of deconstructing and reconstructing shared norms and ideas. The contents in this book are thus centered around two focuses: The impacts of identities and grassroots. Both of these aspects are at the heart of each country's transformations towards democracy, peace, justice, and freedom. Under this framework, the chapters cover a diverse range of common issues, such as, minority grievances, gender inequality, ethnic identity, grassroots power in alliance-making towards community peace, recovery and resilience, digital freedom, democracy assistance and communication, and bridging multiple divides. As identity-based cleavages are daily lived experiences for individuals and communities, it requires grassroots initiatives and alliances as well as democratic communication to tackle obstacles at the root. Ultimately, the book convinces readers that social transformations must begin at the individual to communal level and local to national level. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2022.

Smart Healthcare: Future Applications & Challenges

After the outbreak of corona virus, all counties are paying special attention to their healthcare infrastructure. During second phase of covid-19, entire world has seen health care crisis. Large number of people died globally. Entire world was affected mentally or physically. There is a great need to strengthen the healthcare infrastructure, to vaccinate the population against covid virus infection and to take proper precaution to avoid spread of the virus, so that the world will not see such deadly days again. This paper discusses how technologies like Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Drones etc can help in remote monitoring of patients, judicious hospital admission, conscious distribution of lifesaving drugs etc. Investment in technology with not only help in the reduction of spread of the virus but will also help in fighting with all other future pandemics. All the countries must have to invest more on latest technologies in their healthcare to make themselves ready for such future pandemics. When the things will improve, the new normal will be very much different from the life that was before pandemic. IoT, AI and other technologies will become the non-separatable part of our life. © 2023 Bharati Vidyapeeth, New Delhi.

Analysis of the effectiveness of the implementation of digital technologies in the educational process of medical HEIs: challenges, optimization

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the more intensive use of digital technologies in higher medical education. The purpose of the study was to analyze the effectiveness of the implementation of digital technologies in the educational process of Ukrainian medical universities, to identify the current challenges e-learning faces, and to propose potential ways of optimization. General scientific methods (for example analysis, synthesis) specific pedagogical methods (specification, ion, comparison forecasting) were used for the research. The results outline the main advantages of using digital technologies in the medical higher school system. Attention is also drawn to the main challenges that have a certain negative impact on the educational process. Among the latter, problems with the practical training of future doctors were noted since distance learning does not provide an opportunity to fully implement skills building component. The results also highlight possible ways to solve the problems of using digital technologies in medical higher education institutions. It is proposed to introduce to use not only distance learning technologies, but to combine them with the traditional approach and independent learning. It is emphasized about further studies, as empirical measurements of the effectiveness of distance education in the medical field. And, this effectivenessstill needs to be ultimately proven.

Measurement and Evaluation Challenges in Distance Education: Systematic Review and Qualitative Meta-Synthesis

The challenges experienced in measurement and evaluation during the distance education process among student and instructor groups are discussed in the study. A qualitative meta-synthesis method is used in this research. Twenty studies were included in the meta-synthesis. The challenges experienced by the instructors are program utilization, technological inadequacies, a lack of in-service seminars, online exam diversity, inconsistency between what is measured and what is intended to be measured, interference of other features with the measurement, unsuitability of the measurement tools, academic dishonesty, lack of control over online exam diversity, preparation and grading challenges, infrastructural issues, and a lack or latency of feedback. Challenges experienced by learners include alienation to the electronic environment, language, technological inadequacies, lack of materials, validity-reliability issues, application difficulty, lack of guidance in exams, infrastructural issues, network problems, lack of interest and motivation, anxiety about online exams, and avoidance and resistance to self-disclosure in virtual environments.

Exploring Challenges Experienced by Teachers in Implementing Inclusive Education in Classrooms: A South African Perspective

The implementation of inclusive education in schools in South Africa has not been fully achieved despite the existence of numerous policies on the same. However, there is very scanty information on current issues that are faced by teachers during the pandemic. Therefore, the present study sought to examine challenges experienced by teachers in implementing inclusive education in classrooms within a South African context. In this study, Bronfenbrenner's ecological theory was adopted. The phenomenological research design was adopted for this study. The selected sample size in this study was eight participants obtained using purposive sampling method. In this study, semi-structured interview was used as the data collection tool. Thematic framework was adopted to analyse data in this study. The study reported that there were four main themes on classroom challenges faced by teachers namely, limited instructional time, inadequate resources, inadequate support and lastly, impact of COVID-19 pandemic. The study recommends that teachers should adopt collaborative practices with school base support teams which had the capacity to mobilise several resources available on the local community to enhance implementation of inclusive education.

Optimising students' participation during emergency remote teaching in the Covid-19 pandemic

This study examined issues related to students' participation and online absenteeism among students at Zimbabwe's universities during COVID-19 induced online teaching and learning. More specifically, the study examined some of the ethical issues related to students' participation and assessment during online learning in selected universities in Zimbabwe. The study also examined some of the strategies that can be adopted to optimize students' participation during online learning to make online learning a more honest and interactive endeavour. To fully understand the challenges related to participation and online absenteeism, the study extrapolated the perspectives of students and academic staff who had adopted online learning since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The research was a mixed-methods study, employing a descriptive-analytical approach which utilised three main methods of data collection. Firstly, semi-structured questionnaires distributed electronically among participants in the selected universities were used to collect research data. Secondly, follow-up online focus-group discussions (FGDs) were conducted to elicit participants' views on some of the ethical challenges posed by online learning and possible strategies for dealing with the challenges. Finally, follow-up telephone interviews were also conducted with lecturers with the same objective as the FGDs. The study's population consisted of 110 students and 77 academic staff randomly selected from six universities in Zimbabwe. Two of the selected universities were privately owned and four were public universities. The study showed some of the technological and pedagogical issues regarding students' participation and strategies for optimising students' participation during online learning. The study also shared some of the ethical challenges that arose from the adoption of online teaching and assessment systems and the policy, resource and training interventions needed to make online learning more interactive, while at the same time safeguarding academic integrity. The findings of this study, therefore, have implications for universities, learners and academic staff if online learning programmes are to be successful. Firstly, universities for instance, need to ensure that students and academic staff have the prerequisite technological resources to ensure that optimal active learning takes place. Secondly, to address the shortage of resources, universities should ensure that their libraries migrate from physical to digital libraries. Universities should also ensure that both academic staff and students receive the necessary training to access these digital libraries and the services they offer.

CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN BEEKEEPING AND HONEY PRODUCTION DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC – A SHORT REVIEW

Honey bees in beekeeping are commonly involved in honey production and as planned pollinators worldwide. However, at the beginning of the covid-19 pandemic, the hardworking little creatures suffered many difficulties. The entire supply chain was blocked. Consequently, the challenges directly affected honey and crop production worldwide. The pandemic issues like travel restrictions and limited access to apiaries had a detrimental influence on beekeepers' activity. Earlier sales decline during the crisis had an economic impact, with some beneficial impacts, like a rise in demand for health-related goods. However, the challenges come with opportunities, which lead to a pointy surge in demand for honey which paved the way for many women entrepreneurs as beekeepers to meet the local demands, which helps the rural economy to be sustained. Another intriguing benefit is that a drastic drop in pollution helped bees get back to their normal routine, which led to a drastic increase in honey production during the pandemic as opposed to what they experienced in normal times. This article briefly outlines such challenges faced by the beekeepers and the honey producers and also focuses on the new opportunities that rendered many values to the producers during the pandemic © Penerbit UMT

The Pandemic in Latin America and the challenges of Human Rights

The purpose of the present study is to know the impacts of Covid19 on the structures of governmental institutions in Latin America and the effects on Human Rights in terms of health and education, for example. For the analysis, we consider some elements such as the functioning of political parties, the arbitrariness of power, fiscal transparency and public spending, allowing us to take a picture of the reality to be studied regarding the quality of democracy in these countries, and also considering the cooperation efforts, in the normative and institutional scopes inside and out. As we seek to relate Human Rights and Democracy, we focus on the ethical dimension of the new challenges facing Latin America. The exposition, sometimes detailed, of situations that illustrate the malfunctioning of institutions came from observation and review of a diverse literature, and from different perspectives specifically in the scope of International Relations. © 2022, UNIV CARLOSIII MADRID. All rights reserved.

Smart-thing design by children at a distance: How to engage them and make them learn

In recent years, research in Child-Computer Interaction has shifted the focus from design with children, giving them a voice in the design process, to design by children to bring child participants different benefits, such as engagement and learning. However, design workshops, encompassing different stages, are challenging in terms of engagement and learning, e.g., they require prolonged commitment and concentration. They are potentially more challenging when held at a distance, as in recent years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper explores at-a-distance smart-thing design by children, how it can engage different children and support their learning in programming. The paper reports a series of design workshops with 20 children, aged from 8 to 16 years old, all held at a distance. They were all organised with the DigiSNaP design framework and toolkit. The first workshop enabled children to explore what smart things are, to start ideating their own smart things and to scaffold their programming. The other workshops enabled children to evolve their own smart-thing ideas and programs. Data were gathered in relation to children's engagement and learning from different sources. Results are promising for future editions of smart-thing design at a distance or in a hybrid modality. They are discussed along with guidelines for smart-thing design by children at a distance. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Nanomaterial-based smart coatings for antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral activities

Infectious diseases caused by different pathogens (parasites, protozoa, bacteria, viruses, and fungi) have affected the world at various times in the form of epidemics and pandemics. The coronavirus has also directly affected the world's economy and public health. Various drugs such as antibiotics, antimicrobials, antifungals, and antivirals have been investigated to combat these diseases. However, these fatal infections are still a major concern because of their transmission through contaminated surfaces, human-to-human contact, airborne diffusion, and microbial resistance. Therefore, considerable efforts are required to suppress the transmission of these pathogens. Smart coatings are able to sense their environment and adapt their properties according to the stimulus. Furthermore, various parameters of coating technology can be controlled on a molecular level to influence the morphology. Nanomaterial (NM)-based smart coatings are 99.99% effective against bacteria, viruses, and fungi because of the unique properties of NMs involved. Moreover, NM-based smart coatings are 1000-fold more efficient than traditional coating technologies. Besides their antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial application, they are anticorrosive and self-cleaning. This chapter summarizes various NM-based smart coatings (organic, inorganic, and carbon) implemented in antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral applications. Furthermore, the application of these coatings in various fields and their associated challenges will be discussed. © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A Review on the analysis of Behavioral pattern of Students during pandemic COVID-19

The widespread of (covid-19) has become the major reason for many physical illnesses in addition to psychological encounters to the whole world. The psychological challenges brought in due to the Covid-19 pandemic have resulted in decrease in the learning curve of students to a very large extent risking the academic ability of students due to psychological/mental health. Hence it is a challenge to identify valid cues for disorientation in the learning ability of the student at the right time and to suggest necessary support and guidance. This paper aims to describe about the work done so far and analyzes the future challenges to be addressed based on the learning curve of a student and gives an insight of how a student can be identified to be psychologically disturbed. © 2023 IEEE.

Where is science heading? The main challenges before today's scientists?

Anecdotal and historical accounts of science suggest that in earlier times, researchers pursued science more as a hobby at their own pace with support and encouragement from patrons and communities. This leads to inequality in scientific research, where some fields and researchers may have an easier time obtaining funding and resources, while other fields and researchers may lack this support, making it difficult to conduct meaningful research. Progress of science needs efforts from the researchers with a poly-disciplinary mindset as well as mono-disciplinary strengths.[[5]] The role of science is evident to everyone from the recent example, i.e., protecting eight billion people from the devastating effects of COVID-19 pandemic. Millions of researchers are now pursuing science as opposed to thousands and hundreds of researchers in the earlier periods of science. [Extracted from the article] Copyright of Drying Technology 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.)

Seize the day or seize theses? The challenges in undergraduate thesis writing

Thesis writing is an endeavour that many undergraduate students have to surmount coupled with its inevitable challenges. Consequently, this study was conducted to investigate the diverse thesis writing challenges experienced by arts and humanities students enrolled in Bachelor of Arts degrees in Communication, English Language, and Filipino Language in a state university in the northern part of Luzon, Philippines. A descriptive phenomenology was utilised via focus group discussions to collect data. Through thematic analysis, three main themes or facets of the diverse challenges in thesis writing have been identified. The facets are (1) student-emanating;(2) adviser-emanating;and (3) pandemic/emergency remote teaching-emanating. This research adds to the literature on the challenges in undergraduate thesis writing during emergency remote teaching, provides an input towards pedagogical implications, and recommends future research directions.

Values and ethics in the teaching profession

The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a crisis that has had not only far-reaching consequences on our health and economy but also on education systems around the world. It has prompted educational institutions to take measures to continue to teach and support students at a distance, as well as to prepare for the long-term impact of the crisis on teaching. As institutions continue to create and implement solutions for distance learning, new ethical issues and challenges arise as major points of consideration. Building ethical frameworks to facilitate learning systems that support both students and educators is becoming a top priority around the world. As we move through the COVID-19 crisis, the values and professional competences of teachers must be critically examined. Serious ethical dilemmas face educational institutions now and in the future. A successful response and adaptation to the ongoing crisis with a focus on ethical concerns will result in institutions of learning that are more robust and resilient, and that will continue to effectively educate future generations of students. This chapter focuses on values and professional competence, the education system during the pandemic, and new ethical challenges after the pandemic. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021. All rights reserved.

Institutions, corruption and transparency in effective healthcare public procurement: Evidence from Central and Eastern Europe

The benefits of good procurement practices in the healthcare sector are well known. Indeed, the importance of transparent, effective and efficient procurement of medical goods and services has gained momentum even more in light of the recent Covid-19 pandemic. However, there is little evidence of how traditional factors occurring on a procedure or contract level affect the effectiveness of public purchases when they take play in different institutional environments. This paper, therefore, contributes to this evidence using a large sample of public contracts in healthcare sectors awarded in 11 Central and East European Countries. The results support the previous evidence on the important role of transparency and open competitive bidding. Procedures with a prior call for competition and allowing for an unrestricted number of competitors lead to cost-effective contracts and higher direct savings. Effective government and lessening corruption have proven to facilitate better procurement outcomes, considering the financial aspects of awarded contracts. Moreover, the results on the effects of institutions contribute to the current academic debate by providing insight into the mechanism of obtaining cost-effectiveness and showing that strong institutions can play an important role in mitigating the adverse procurement outcomes related to less transparent and competition-restricting procedures.

Digital Threats and Challenges to Netizens Generation Media Education (Indonesian Case)

This article aims to explain how the threats and challenges to netizens generation are increasingly massive after the catastrophic COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia. Social restrictions have forced people to work at home, and this exponential migration to the digital world gives birth to new threats and challenges for netizens. There needs to be an effort to measure the digital competencies that netizens must have in order not to become victims or actors of cyber threat disruption. Concerns about the future of netizens generation welfare because technological developments have become a digital deficit, namely people's cognitive abilities will be challenged in various ways including their capacity to think analytically, memory, focus, creativity, reflection, and mental resilience. We currently live in a culture promoting attention-deficit disorder due to hyperconnectivity. There needs to be a conscious effort to provide awareness to master digital literacy competencies in an effort to defend the country. Indonesian school for nine years does not guarantee a person has digital competence. Digital literacy should be included in the early childhood to the higher education curriculum. The spirit of having this competence is to become a citizen following the norms of Pancasila as an Indonesian foundational philosophical theory and ideology.

Financial Technology: Digital Legal Challenges and Indonesia's Economic Prospects After Covid-19 Outbreak

Online loans are one of the financing business models organized using applications on the internet, the online loan business is currently developing so fast because it offers loans that can reach a sufficiently large amount with easy terms, procedures and transaction processes, all intended to improve people's economic conditions. However, its implementation still sparks many legal problems and presents challenges for digital law in Indonesia. This study aims to study the challenges faced by Indonesian digital law due to the growth of the online loan business and to explore how the prospects of the online loan (fintech) business in improving the economic conditions of the Indonesian people. This research used empirical juridical methods, a case, and a statutory approach. The results showed that the challenges faced by Indonesian law in anticipating the growth of online businesses tainted by various legal cases require a more comprehensive rule of law in the form of legislation, thereby supporting the growth of prospects of the online loan business in an effort to improve the economy of the people of the state. © 2022, University of Muhammadiyah Malang. All rights reserved.

Student perspectives on the challenges of an online orientation at a large South African university during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic that began in March 2020 gave rise to a number of challenges for first-year experience activities at universities globally. One of the key challenges was the process of onboarding first-year students through an orientation programme that could not take place face-to-face as per the norm. In 2021, the first-year orientation at a large South African university in this study moved to an online platform, becoming a week-long programme conducted on Microsoft Teams and comprising a variety of live and pre-recorded videos. The programme included seven core learning sessions designed to introduce the students to key services available at the university and to lay the foundation for student success. Using data from the university's 2021 Orientation Week (O-Week) Survey, this paper seeks to explore - from the perspective of the students - the core challenges associated with an online orientation during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study employs descriptive statistics to decipher the profile of the survey respondents as well as participants' experience of various learning sessions. A thematic approach was used to analyse the open-ended questions to provide the contextual perspectives on the challenges that students experienced with online orientation. The study identified five categories of challenges, which had a negative impact on their process of transitioning into the university environment. The study's findings will help universities to understand the drawbacks of online orientation as well as provide empirical guidance for them as to how they could leverage online orientation for student success in shaping the remote, blended, and hybrid learning discourse. The particular university under discussion subsequently used these findings as guidelines to conceptualise a new three-week blended orientation programme, Gateway to Success, which was introduced at the beginning of 2022.

Professional shariah audit training via the e-learning approach during COVID-19: challenges and prospects

PurposeThis study aims to explore and identify potential challenges and prospects for conducting the professional shariah audit training programme via an e-learning approach during coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).Design/methodology/approachQuestionnaires were administered to 296 participants who were enrolled in the professional shariah audit training programme via e-learning during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in 2020. These participants were final-year students from selected Malaysian public universities.FindingsFindings show that several main challenges are faced in adopting an e-learning approach for conducting the professional shariah audit training programme such as the inability to do more hands-on, group and physical activities, different understandings based on academic backgrounds, difficulty in learning practical and technical topics, technical issues and problems during e-learning sessions. These lead to the unsuitability of conducting professional training via the e-learning approach. In terms of prospects of knowledge learnt via the e-learning approach, participants showed that they are able to master all six modules covered in the professional shariah audit training programme via the e-learning approach. These include (1) shariah principles;(2) shariah governance;(3) Islamic financial transactions;(4) shariah risk management;(5) shariah audit planning and programme;and (6) shariah audit fieldwork and communication.Practical implicationsBased on the findings, it is suggested to have more time spent and earlier preparation on the learning contents and sessions, more discussion on actual contents and practical exercises and competency of the trainers in delivering e-learning sessions.Originality/valueThis study is believed to be one among the pioneering studies on the potential challenges and prospects in adopting e-learning for conducting the professional shariah audit training programme due to COVID-19.

Youth challenges in Namibia during COVID-19: Engaging joblessness, violence, and e-learning

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and harsh lockdown regulations have impacted the wellbeing of the youth globally. The pandemic has also caused significant mortality and morbidity, creating daunting health and socio-economic challenges. The restrictive measures that have been put in place by many countries to contain the spread of the virus negatively affected the livelihood of youth. Namibia was equally impacted by the pandemic. The country introduced preventative measures to contain the spread of COVID-19, ranging from closure of social spaces, schools, recreational facilities, businesses, among others. These had unintended consequences on the livelihood of youth and their families. The main objective of the chapter is to better understand the impact of young people's chronic exposure to joblessness, violence, education disruptions on their wellbeing. Specifically, the chapter examines the extent to which protective measures influenced changes in violence, access to sexual and reproductive health as well as land and housing. The study utilized a desk review, relying on secondary data and policy documents. The findings indicated that retaining contact with friends and pursuing leisure activities are key to the wellbeing of young people. In addition, financial worries emanating from job losses and low economic acitivities also exacerbated young people's livelihood. Furthermore, having the youth and adults at home all day long, resulting from closing of schools and workplaces, increased family conflicts and violence. Consequently, victims of domestic violence were unable to access places of safety and other psychosocial support services. The study further indicated that the implementation of e-learning was threatened by the lack of ICT infrastructure and the capacity of teachers and learners to access and use e-learning platforms. Moreover, the youth indicated that they felt isolated and lacked motivation which is usually derived from interaction with their peers. The chapter therefore, recommends the creation of targeted youth interventions including employment opportunities, entrepreneurship, poverty reduction programs, as well as investment in ICT infrastructure and training. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)