Flexible curriculum design for quantitative skills development: Building on the insights gained during COVID-19

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, technology-enhanced learning and its relation to student engagement, and the necessity of good student-staff relationships for creating a successful education environment were evident. The COVID-19 pandemic forced higher education to adapt to a challenging technology-led learning environment that demanded, inter alia, high levels of flexibility and human-centredness. Valuable lessons were learned that highlighted new perspectives on curriculum design and delivery in a normalised, technology-driven environment. Against the background of COVID-19-related literature on teaching and learning, the authors reflect on their insights regarding curriculum design and delivery of two quantitative skills modules during the COVID-19 pandemic, and its impact on further curriculum planning. The focus of the article is on the intentional flexibility built into curriculum offerings during 2020-2022. The study reviewed flexibility on three levels, namely student, facilitator (staff) and delivery levels, through a multi-method research methodology. Quantitative data related to the academic performance of 2 949 students enrolled for the two quantitative skills modules from 2020 to 2022. Qualitative data related to themes through thematic analysis of student and facilitator surveys, focusgroup discussions and semi-structured interviews. The improved student academic performance reported by the study could be attributed to, amongst other factors, 1) flexibility of the selected delivery option, 2) positive staff and student experiences and engagement, and 3) intentional inclusion of activities promoting student-staff relationships. The good academic results obtained during the pandemic led to important curriculum decisions for a normalised future for these modules, which will be built on flexibility and human-centredness. Among these decisions is to continue presenting the modules in an online environment, even though traditional face-to-face teaching options are available.

Concern for Self-Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Canada: How to Tell an Intersectional Story Using Quantitative Data?

Rooted in Black feminism, intersectionality theory entered critical legal studies and travelled to public health and beyond. This chapter demonstrates one of many ways to apply intersectionality theory using a descriptive intercategorical approach to quantitative data. In so doing, I attempt to tell an intersectional story to make visible the intersectional inequalities for Canadians' concerns for self-health during the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic. For pedagogical purposes, I share a subset of Statistics Canada's COVID-19 Impacts Survey 2020 dataset of 239,143 participants and Stata code to encourage students to practice estimating intersectional outcomes and ask questions to explicate health inequalities. Although interrogating the systems of power is critical, this project does not statistically analyse but draws on the literature to discuss how interacting power structures might shape intersectional peoples' experiences. In addition, the analysed dataset is not representative of the Canadian population. Nonetheless, it might be helpful to showcase a case study on introductory-level quantitative intersectionality research. I hope, despite these limitations, this case study and the pedagogical tools will contribute to greater access to intersectionality research, generating a cadre of intersectionality data translators in public health. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Analysis of e-Employee Discipline Implementation during COVID-19 Pandemic in the Workplace

e-Employee Discipline is the electronic and remote conduction of employee discipline procedure during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study is a quantitative descriptive study that focused on assessing and analyzing the implementation of e-Employee Discipline Procedure. Convenient purposive sampling technique was assigned to 150 employees who were employed during COVID-19 pandemic in Metro Manila as the respondents in this study. Furthermore, a survey was utilized to gather quantitative data. Moreover, a one-on-one interview using the data gathered in the statistical result was utilized to gather qualitative data. The demographic profile, majority are male (60%) who age 22 to 25 years old (34%), who are college graduates (48.7%), having an entry level job position (46.7%) and working in art/media/communication industry (35.3%) during the COVID-19 pandemic. The respondents find that the implementation of the e-Employee Discipline Procedure as fair and effective in terms of proper documentation procedures, handling of confidentiality, safety and security ( = 4.64;σ = 0.68). However, the challenge is that the respondents moderately agree that the procedure of employee discipline that is conducted remotely is somehow a bit far off with what is usually done in the office (face-to-face) ( = 4.38;σ = 1.30). The absence of physical touch and non-verbal cues like tone of voice, body language and hand gesture are something that the respondents are longing for. Pandemic really detached people from the warmth of each other. Conducting employee discipline which oftentimes has dealt with emotions remotely finds the respondents longing for the physical presence of being heard. © 2023 ACM.

Perceptions of pre-service teachers on breakout room micro-teaching with Zoom

Due to the emergence of Covid-19, many educators moved from a face-to-face teaching environment to an online microteaching setting using Zoom. This study explores pre-service teachers' perspectives on microteaching within Zoom's breakout rooms. The authors approached this study from a positivist-postpositivist perspective employing a mixed-methods methodology. The exploratory sequential mixed-method design employed here combines qualitative and quantitative data. Analysis entailed open coding of data from Zoom recordings and statistical analysis of a post-course survey. Convenience sampling of pre-service teachers (PSTs) from a teacher education teaching method course provided the data sets. Findings indicate that microteaching activities within breakout rooms facilitated an environment where pre-service teachers engaged and conversed with peers while developing teaching skills. PSTs valued breakout room interactions, though males and females valued different aspects. Finally, although the findings suggest that microteaching in Zoom's breakout rooms is effective, the findings indicate that the pre-service teachers desired a return to the classroom. This research extends previous research on online microteaching student experiences by providing recommendations regarding microteaching via video conferences.

Comparison of Exclamation Mark Usage as Message Nuances in Digital Chat Communication Between Japanese and Indonesian

Exclamation mark or kantanfu in Japanese, is one of written language elements used to convey expressions. Based on exclamation mark usage, the meaning and nuance of a sentence could differ. Amidst the COVID19 pandemic that limits one's interaction to another, the frequency of digital communication has significantly increased. Digital communication through chats has become an activity that cannot be separated from everyday life. Therefore, it is important to understand exclamation marks correctly. The aim of this study is to avoid misunderstandings that could happen through chats in Japanese. This study will compare the use and interpretation of exclamation marks in Japanese chat between Indonesians and Japanese. Japanese chat messages containing exclamation marks were analyzed using Hymes' SPEAKING theory. This study uses Creswell's convergent mixed methods, with quantitative data of Indonesians' questionnaire survey results, and qualitative data of interviews with Japanese people. Study results show that there are differences in the use and function of exclamation marks between Indonesians and Japanese. © 2022 IEEE.

Community-Centered Assessment to Inform Pandemic Response in Georgia (US).

The Georgia Community Engagement Alliance (CEAL) Against COVID-19 Disparities Project conducts community-engaged research and outreach to address misinformation and mistrust, to promote inclusion of diverse racial and ethnic populations in clinical trials and increase testing and vaccination uptake. Guided by its Community Coalition Board, The GEORGIA CEAL Survey was administered among Black and Latinx Georgia 18 years and older to learn about community knowledge, perceptions, understandings, and behaviors regarding COVID-19 testing and vaccines. Survey dissemination occurred using survey links generated through Qualtrics and disseminated among board members and other statewide networks. Characteristics of focus counties were (a) highest proportion of 18 years and older Black and Latinx residents; (b) lowest COVID-19 testing rates; and (c) highest SVI values. The final sample included 2082 surveyed respondents. The majority of participants were men (57.1%) and Latinx (62.8%). Approximately half of the sample was aged 18-30 (49.2%); the mean age of the sample was 33.2 years (SD = 9.0), ranging from 18 to 82 years of age. Trusted sources of COVID-19 information that significantly predicted the likelihood of vaccination included their doctor/health care provider (p-value: 0.0054), a clinic (p-value: 0.006), and university hospitals (p-value: 0.0024). Latinx/non-Latinx, Blacks vs. Latinx, Whites were significantly less likely to get tested and/or vaccinated. Non-Latinx, Blacks had higher mean knowledge scores than Latinx, Whites (12.1 vs. 10.9, p < 0.001) and Latinx, Blacks (12.1 vs. 9.6, respectively, p < 0.001). The mean knowledge score was significantly lower in men compared to women (10.3 vs. 11.0, p = 0.001), in those who had been previously tested for COVID-19 compared to those who had never been tested (10.5 vs. 11.5, respectively, p = 0.005), and in those who did not receive any dose of vaccination compared to those who were fully vaccinated (10.0 vs. 11.0, respectively, p < 0.001). These data provide a benchmark for future comparisons of the trajectory of public attitudes and practices related to the COVID-19 pandemic. They also point to the importance of tailoring communication strategies to specific cultural, racial, and ethnic groups to ensure that community-specific barriers to and determinants of health-seeking behaviors are appropriately addressed.

Dashboard Framework. A Tool for Threat Monitoring on the Example of Covid-19

The aim of the study is to create a dashboard framework to monitor the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic based on quantitative and qualitative data processing. The theoretical part propounds the basic assumptions underlying the concept of the dashboard framework. The paper presents the most important functions of the dashboard framework and examples of its adoption. The limitations related to the dashboard framework development are also indicated. As part of empirical research, an original model of the Dash-Cov framework was designed, enabling the acquisition and processing of quantitative and qualitative data on the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The developed model was pre-validated. Over 25,000 records and around 100,000 tweets were analyzed. The adopted research methods included statistical analysis and text analysis methods, in particular the sentiment analysis and the topic modeling. © 2022 IEEE Computer Society. All rights reserved.

Blended Learning Approach: Students' versus Lecturers' Views from a South African Rural University

There is a current paradigm shift within institutions of higher learning in terms of how teaching and learning take place. This radical transition has been forced globally as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, which saw the higher education sector implementing drastic changes in terms of remote learning. It seems there is a misunderstanding of the term blended learning based on the students' and lecturers' views from a selected South African university. A mixed method approach was used to collect both qualitative and quantitative data. An online questionnaire was distributed to learners to get quantitative data. On the other hand, lecturers were engaged through interviews within a workshop. An experimental approach using the university's learning management system known as WiseUp was used. Both traditional and online modes of deliverables are common within a case. Findings show different understanding of the term blended learning and the differences in preferred activities within the blended mode. The paper provides some examples of good applications of blended learning. As higher education institutions try to embrace blended learning techniques, there is a need to engage and improve awareness of the meaning of this approach. © 2022 IEEE.

National qualifications in Scotland: A lightning rod for public concern about equity during the pandemic

Scotland, traditionally, has high levels of confidence in teachers. Fairness and justice are key concepts in policy and practice in Scottish education. For more than 100 years, the high‐stakes assessment system in Scotland, with the Scottish Higher qualification at its heart, has been crucial to that sense of opportunity and justice. However, in 2019–2020, public confidence in high‐stakes assessment in Scotland, as in other United Kingdom countries, was dented. In Scotland, the Covid‐19 pandemic meant that schools were closed, teachers provided online learning opportunities for pupils working at home and, for the first time in 130 years, it was not possible to run national examinations. To ensure that learners were not further disadvantaged, alternative approaches to gathering evidence for qualifications were instigated. However, these results were challenged as socially unjust and the results that had been nationally moderated were replaced by results based on locally moderated teachers' professional judgement. As Scotland looks to qualifications beyond Covid‐19, trust must be re‐built. This article reports on a participative research project that sought to understand public perceptions of standards and fairness across a range of key communities following this experience. Drawing on both qualitative and quantitative data, we analyse factors which affected trust in National Qualifications under the pandemic. The evidence suggests that when considering what matters for qualifications to be trusted, technocratic solutions are likely to be rejected by stakeholders. Understanding and responding to what led to the mistrust of qualifications in Scotland will be crucial to inform its future qualifications system.

Trait emotional intelligence and flourishing: The mediating role of positive coping behaviour

Orientation: Personality and emotion-related predispositions cause individuals to respond differently to environmental stressors, resulting in different wellness outcomes. Research purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the mediating role of positive coping behaviour in the association between trait emotional intelligence and flourishing. Motivation for the study: Research shows that emotionally intelligent people experience higher subjective well-being and psychological functioning. Yet, few studies have examined the pathway through which trait emotional intelligence leads to improved well-being, especially in times of uncertainty and change. Research approach/design and method: A cross-sectional survey design was used to collect quantitative data from a convenience sample of knowledge workers in South Africa. The participants' self-evaluations were measured using the Assessing Emotional Scale, the Positive Coping Behaviour Inventory and the Flourishing Scale. Statistical analyses included the use of descriptive statistics, the assessment of model fit, the evaluation of bivariate correlations and mediation analyses. Main findings: The results show that the significant association between trait emotional intelligence and flourishing is attributable to the positive coping behaviour capabilities of emotionally intelligent individuals. Practical/managerial implications: In a work environment characterised by the unknown and unpredictable, organisations should remain focused on enhancing employees' emotion-related abilities and personal psychosocial resources. Contribution/value-add: By focusing on the mediating role of positive coping behaviours in the relationship between trait emotional intelligence and flourishing, this study contributes to existing knowledge regarding the pathway through which specific dispositional characteristics influence well-being outcomes at work.

Multimodal Learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Exploring Students' Preferences

This study explores students' preferences for the various online learning activities that leveraged digital learning tools. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from 23 education major students who learned online during the COVID-19 pandemic. Students found the multimodal activities effective in making them stay focused, engaged and acquire new knowledge and skills at a deeper level. © ICCE 2022.All rights reserved.

The Positive Impact of ERP Usage on Business Process Outcomes and Organizational Agility

Initially, many companies implemented Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) to process business transactions. However, because of COVID-19 and competitive pressure, companies expect ERP to play a higher role in increasing business process outcomes and agility. This study investigates the effects of ERP usage on business process outcomes and organizational agility in one of the largest telecommunication companies in Indonesia as the company struggles to redefine its huge ERP investment. The research deployed a purposive sampling technique involving 170 employees in one of the largest telecommunication companies in Indonesia who use an ERP system. Quantitative data was collected through online surveys using a 5-point Likert scale questionnaire. Interviews and observations were also conducted as a complement to the quantitative data. The findings of our study suggested that there are significant positive effects of ERP usage on organizational agility and business process outcomes. Furthermore, business process outcomes positively impacts organizational agility. © 2022 IEEE.

Gift of fantasy: investigating how fantasy in digital game impacts game brand immersion

PurposeThis research aims to extend brand relationship theory to the domain of online gaming by augmenting the understanding of the role played by fantasy state in digital game in impacting gamers' immersive relationships with digital game brands. In this quest, the research examines how fantasy state in game (FSG) creates game brand immersion (GBI) through the mediation of emotional game brand attachment (EGBA) and the roles of individual's need for escapism (NE) and anxious attachment style (AAS) in moderating the aforementioned relationships.Design/methodology/approachThe research employs a pre-test followed by two quantitative studies. Quantitative data were analyzed using the PROCESS macro.FindingsResults from Study 1 illustrate that perceived fantasy in game generates EGBA, which, in turn, predicts GBI. Further, Study 2 establishes that the effect of fantasy in game on EGBA is moderated by gamer's NE. The moderating effect of NE is moderated by individual's AAS.Originality/valueValue of the study lies in extending consumer–brand relationship theory to digital gaming domain which enhances the understanding of how fantasy state in digital game can lead to GBI and the roles played by individual personality characteristics like escapism motivation and AAS in the process.

Correlational analysis of the learning process of higher-level students in times of covid-19

As of the start of COVID-19 pandemic, the need to change the modality in which classes were being taught arose in the administrative computer systems undergraduate program of the faculty of accounting and administration of the Universidad Veracruzana, which brought within the problem to ensure that the learning process was equally effective under dual modality. The main goal of the presented research is to carry out a correlational analysis to determine if certain variables had a positive impact in the students learning process under the face-to-face and virtual modalities. An exploratory and descriptive research was carried under a quantitative data collection to test a hypothesis based on a statistical and inferential analysis. The research shows, it can be stated that the learning delivery model for the selected sample was better under the face-to-face modality. And that the use of technological platforms for online classes was a factor that positively contributed to online learning. © 2022 IEEE.

On-site and Online Academic Performance During the Pandemic

This article analyzes the on-site and online academic performance obtained in a written communication course at a Peruvian university in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The methodology applied corresponds to Grounded Theory in data collected and codified through two procedures: the reconstruction of pedagogical strategies and the interpretation of quantitative data corresponding to learning outcomes. Despite the adverse context, it is concluded that the effective use of pedagogical approaches overcomes situational constraints. Moreover, it achieves similar learning outcomes in both face-to-face and online modalities. © 2022 IEEE.

Digital platforms in health care: evaluating workers' expectations and profiles during pandemic time

After the COVID-19, the search for innovative organizational and occupational change are essential to the achievement of sustainable health and economic targets. Instead, to fight the pandemic, one of the remedies is precisely to isolate one's own. The treatment for the most serious infections is treated in hospital, with working hours and emotional loads, not previously known by doctors and nurses. The study's aim is to examine the various expectations and profiles of doctors and nurses during a pandemic. The study's aim is to identify, using a regression analysis, the elements that both concerned health workers and those who assisted in supporting and overcoming this extended crisis. The data analysis highlights the strategic significance of the organization in the sector, specifically in respect to structures and services. In the context of the complex health organization, the conclusions suggest possible activities to be performed in order to execute an organizational change.

Surfacing Inequities and Their Broader Implications in the CS Education Research Community

Problem. Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) need to be embedded throughout the computer science education (CSEd) research community in order to achieve empirically-based strategies in CSEd that is responsive to the needs of all of its constituents. However, there are no comprehensive studies that investigate what the barriers and challenges to DEI are among CSEd researchers. Research Question. When considering DEI among the CSEd research community, what barriers and challenges do different CSEd researchers face when conducting research? Method. We conducted a systematic literature review, developed a survey from the literature, and analyzed the quantitative and qualitative data from participants (n=72). Findings. Beyond finding that over half of the participants reported the COVID-19 pandemic as a barrier to engaging in research, participants reported that working more than an average 40-hour work week each year was a challenge. The lack of computing education being recognized as a subdiscipline within CS departments also was a barrier. Participants also reported that a lack of 1) awareness and adoption of practices from other education research fields and 2) general educational research theory were significant challenges for the CSEd research field. With respect to DEI, participants noted that lack of diversity among CSEd research partners/collaborators, among CSEd researchers in the community and among CSEd research community leadership are challenges for the community. Implications. Employing cultural competence is integral to CSEd research as we, as a community, inherently navigate differences in identities among researchers, and between researchers, practitioners, and participants in the currently unrepresentative and inequitable state of our field. As we grow our attitude, awareness, knowledge, and skill in cultural competence, we produce better-equipped allies, and greater resilience and belonging among community members from historically marginalized groups. We urge the community and relevant stakeholders to understand how to remove the barriers and challenges identified in our study. © 2022 ACM.

THE RELATIONSHIP OF EXISTENTIAL AND ECONOMIC CONCERNS WITH THE TRUST IN GOVERNMENT DURING THE PANDEMIC

The aim of this study is to analyze the relationship between people's existential and economic concerns and their trust in the government during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this context, it is aimed to obtain in-depth information about the direction of government-individual relations during the pandemic, how the policies regarding trust in the government during and after the pandemic are perceived, the relationship between the duties and responsibilities assigned to the government and the existential and economic concerns of individuals. In line with these purposes, the method of the study was determined as the explanatory sequential mixed method. In this framework, firstly, quantitative data collection and analysis process was carried out, and qualitative research was carried out with the results obtained from there. According to quantitative findings;As the trust in the government and its institutions increases, there is a regression in the existential concerns of individuals. On the other hand, it has been determined that there is no relationship between gender and trust in the government, but existential concerns are related;there is a significant difference between trust in the government and existential concerns according to work-occupational status;trust in the government and existential concerns decrease as age increases;as religious commitment increases, existential concerns decrease, while trust in the government increases. In addition, it has been observed that there is a significant relationship between the economic concerns of individuals and their trust in the government and their existential concerns. It was understood that the empirical and descriptive analysis results were also supported by the qualitative findings, and it was determined that they largely overlapped with the relevant literature. Bu çalışmanın amacı COV1D-19 salgını sürecinde insanların varoluşsal ve iktisadi kaygılarının devlete güvenle ilişkisini incelemektir. Bu baǧlamda, devlet-birey ilişkilerinin salgın sürecinde nasıl bir yön izlediǧi, devlete duyulan güven konusunda salgın dönemi ve sonrası politikaların nasıl algılandıǧı, devlete biçilen görev ve sorumluluklar ile bireylerin varoluşsal ve iktisadi kaygıları arasında nasıl bir ilişki olduǧu hakkında derinlemesine bilgilerin edinilmesi amaçlanmıştır. Söz konusu amaçlar doǧrultusunda çalışmanın yöntemi açıklayıcı sıralı karma yöntem olarak belirlenmiştir. Bu çerçevede öncelikle nicel veri toplama ve analiz süreci yapılmış, buradan çıkan sonuçlarla nitel araştırma gerçekleştirilmiştir. Nicel bulgulara göre;devlete ve kurumlarına güven arttıkça, bireylerin varoluşsal kaygılarında bir gerileme söz konusudur. Öte yandan cinsiyet ile devlete güven arasında ilişki bulunmadıǧı ancak varoluşsal kaygılar ilişkili olduǧu;iş-meslek durumlarına göre devlete güven ve varoluşsal kaygılar arasında anlamlı bir farklılık olduǧu;yaş arttıkça devlete güven ve varoluşsal kaygıların düştüǧü;dini baǧlılık arttıkça varoluşsal kaygılar azalırken, devlete güvenin arttıǧı tespit edilmiştir. Ayrıca bireylerin iktisadi kaygıları ile devlete güven ve varoluşsal kaygıları arasında da anlamlı bir ilişki olduǧu görülmüştür. Ampirik ve betimleyici analiz sonuçlarının nitel bulgular tarafından da desteklendiǧi anlaşılmış, büyük oranda ilgili literatürle de örtüştüǧü tespit edilmiştir.

[en] Deaths from COVID-19 in Spain during the ‘first wave’: Quantitative data and its journalistic treatment

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought controversies regarding the quantification of deaths in many countries. Mainly, discussions were fuelled by the sudden change of the criteria being applied, the limited testing and tracing capacities, and the collapse of the healthcare system. This work analyzes the journalistic treatment for the case of Spain, which is one of the European countries with the highest number of cases and deaths during the ‘first wave’. Firstly, it provides a technical discussion about the coherence, traceability and limitations of available quantitative open data sources. Official data sources (in particular: the Ministry of Health, the Mortality Monitoring System (MoMo) of the National Epidemiology Center and the National Institute of Statistics (INE)) and nonofficial data sources are considered. Secondly, an analysis of the public discussion on these data is proposed through journalistic coverage by the main national newspapers. An amount of 700 informative pieces are considered and the most used data sources and the evolution of the number of pieces per newspaper are studied, in addition to offering a qualitative approach about the main topics of discussion. Finally, suggestions of improvement and future research are gathered, for the reliability of mortality data as a way to enhance learning and resilience for future crises, their journalistic treatment and their historical record. © 2022. Revista General de Informacion y Documentacion.All Rights Reserved

Comics Contains Traditional Ecological Knowledge as a Learning Media in Rural Primary School During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) in Tawangmangu is thought to have been forgotten by the community, so it is important to maintain its sustainability. The purpose of this study was to identify TEK materials needed by teachers and primary school students as teaching materials presented through comic media. Questionnaires and interviews were used to collect quantitative and qualitative data. The participants consisted of 21 teachers and 102 primary school students in Tawangmangu. The results show that all TEK materials are considered important and needed by almost all teachers because they contain positive educational values, have relevance to the themes and sub-themes of primary school materials, have relevance to all subjects, and some teachers are not native Tawangmangu foreigners with local TEK. The most interesting TEK material for students is folkltales about the origin of corn and vegetables. The teacher and students stated that the TEK material in all comics (volumes 1-4) was presented in a clear and interesting manner. They also support the development of the comic because it can work as a medium of learning and entertainment while participating in distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. © 2021 ACM.