Effect of Coronavirus on students' food security status: a case of University of Cape Coast, Ghana

Coronavirus is a novel virus that hit the world starting from developed countries to under-developed countries. Ghana is amongst the countries in Africa that observed some level of confinement by their government leading to the shutdown of various institutions including schools. The resulting impact of the policy saw students being more vulnerable to food insecurity and related issues. This paper examines the effect of Coronavirus on students' food insecurity status at the University of Cape Coast. The research design adopted for this study was the cross-sectional survey design with the University of Cape Coast, Ghana being the study area. A total of 291 students were randomly selected to participate in the study. Structured questionnaire was used for data collection. The findings of the study show that socioeconomic characteristics of students and food insecurity status showed no association. Students rated the extent of the effect of the pandemic as moderate and the major area of academic life affected was the change in the academic calendar. Class attendance was the most perceived effect of the pandemic. Students also reported that they were rarely food insecure. The study further found out that the best predictors of students' food insecurity were age, current level, insurance and employment status. The major challenge faced by students during Coronavirus was difficulties in their academics. This led students to adopt mitigation strategies such as online studies, paying heel to Coronavirus protocols, and self-support to mitigate the pandemic's impact. The study concluded that the academic activities of students of the University of Cape Coast were affected moderately by the pandemic and therefore recommends that the University of Cape Coast should improve its information and communication technology infrastructure to make online classes easier and the school should increase funding opportunity to less privilege students.

Digital Exclusion and COVID-19: Does Communication Technology Correlate with Wellbeing?

To explore the implications of digital use on the wellbeing of older people during the pandemic. 33 adults aged 70 and above responded to an online and phone survey, a communication technology usage questionnaire, and the Personal Wellbeing Index-Adult (PWI-A). A Spearman test determined the correlation between frequency of communication technology usage and wellbeing. A significant medium correlation (r=.488, p=.004) was found between frequent digital communication usage and a higher average score on the PWI-A. Significant correlations were found between frequent technology use and health satisfaction (r=.377, p=.03), a sense of personal security (r=.404, p=.02), and a sense of future security (r=.597, p≤.001). Of all the communication platforms, video calls and emails yielded the most significant positive correlations with personal wellbeing. Results suggest that frequent users of communication technology felt greater levels of wellbeing and life satisfaction during the pandemic than non-frequent users.

Communicating Science, Technology, and Environmental Issues: A Case Study of an Intercultural Learning Experience

This science communication case study analyzes an online international co-taught course where students practiced blog article conceptualization and production covering a wide variety of science and technology related issues. Students had an international experience during the COVID-19 pandemic, and gained experience in communicating science and technology to intercultural audiences. Through student article reviews, course evaluations and project reflections students demonstrated an adoption of new science communication skills and some key examples of changing perspective on issues such as environment and technology. They also enjoyed the opportunity to learn about new cultures, reflect on their own, and bond over life experiences. Copyright © 2022 van Kempen, Kristiansen and Feldpausch-Parker.