Psychosocial effects of COVID-19 in Ecuadorian university professors

The objective of this work is to analyze the psychosocial effects of COVID-19 on Ecuadorian university professors, for which a quantitative research of descriptive and correlational nature was developed. Two instruments were applied, based on the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales and the Burnout questionnaire to the selected sample, in three public universities of easy access and linkage with the researchers. The population consisted of professors with appointment: 682 from the Technical University of Manabí, 678 from the Lay University Eloy Alfaro de Manabí, and 131 from the State University of Southern Manabí, from which a sample of 246, 246 and 98 professors was selected respectively. From the results it is derived that depression, anxiety, and stress were configured in psychosocial effects, which have had an impact during the COVID-19 pandemic on the professors of the universities studied, due to the pressure originated by new emerging methodological structures, the acquisition of other competences associated to technology, health and the risks of contagion, death and by the pedagogical attention through virtuality, unexpectedly arisen in times of pandemic.

Perceptions about the Assessment in Emergency Virtual Education Due to COVID-19: A Study with University Students from Lima

The COVID-19 pandemic forced a large section of Peruvian universities to design systems for emergency virtual education. This required professors to quickly learn how to use teaching platforms, digital tools and a wide range of technological skills. In this context, it is remarkable that formative assessment may have been the pedagogical action with the greatest number of challenges, tensions and problems, due to the lack of preparation of many professors to apply performance tests and provide effective feedback. Given this, it is presumed that these insufficiencies (previously exhibited in face-to-face education) were transferred to virtual classrooms in the framework of the health emergency. A survey study was carried out on 240 students from a private university in Lima to find out their perceptions and preferences regarding the tests that their professors administered in the virtual classrooms. It was found that the students were assessed, for the most part, with multiple choice tests. In addition, it was found that the students recognized that the essay tests were the most important for their education, but they preferred multiple choice tests. Finally, it was found that law school students were mostly assessed with essay tests and psychology students with oral tests.

Analysis of the Psychosocial Factors of University Professors

The present study is a proposal of a questionnaire of psychosocial factors for university professors based in a standard proposed in the Mexican law that considers the International Labor Organization recommendation. The study is based on five dimensions: Work environment, factors for the activity, organization of working time, leadership and relationships and work and organizational environment. The information was collected among 300 teachers with a wide range of tenure and conditions at work in Mexico. Also, the questionnaire was developed during the pandemic of COVID-19 which affected the job this kind of professionals. We performed an exploratory factor analysis to evaluate each one of the five dimensions using questionnaires previously validated by different authors. We obtained one dimension for the work environment factor, two dimensions for the factor for the activity, one dimension for the organization of working time, three dimensions for the factor leadership and relations at work and two dimensions for the organizational environment factor. The results showed that the questionnaire is valid and can be used as a tool to improve the conditions of work at universities. We found that the dimension insecurity and leadership were the worst evaluated by university teachers. This questionnaire could be used to promote safety conditions after the sanitary emergency and to promote a healthy environment among workers. © 2023 by Cherkas Global University All rights reserved. Published in the USA

The predictive ability of emotional creativity in motivation for adaptive innovation among university professors under COVID-19 epidemic: An international study.

Emotional creativity (EC) refers to cognitive abilities and personality traits related to the originality of emotional experience and expression. Previous studies have found that the COVID-19 epidemic and the restrictions imposed increased the levels of negative emotions, which obstructed adaptation. This research suggests that EC predicts the motivation for innovative adaptive behavior under the restrictions of COVID-19. In the case study of university professors, we show that EC predicts the motivation to creatively capitalize on the imposed online teaching in looking for innovative research and personal development. Methodologically, we rely on the Emotional Creativity Inventory (ECI) administered to a sample of 463 university professors (41.5% men, aged 22-100. M ± SD = 45.53 ± 11.46, median 44) from the Czech Republic (N = 137), Slovak Republic (N = 61), and Russia (N = 265). The indicators for motivation for innovative performance included motivations to use distant methods of scientific research, to look for partners for conducting scientific research in other cities or abroad, to conduct interdisciplinary research, starting distance learning to enhance qualifications, and the perception that due to online teaching, there is more time for personal development. We employ a set of ordinal regression analyses controlling for age, gender, position (lecturer, researcher, and manager), type of science (formal, natural, social, and applied), and country. The results suggest that Emotional Creativity and its three components predict the motivation of university professors to creatively capitalize on the imposed online teaching in looking for innovative research and personal development under the conditions of COVID-19. Furthermore, our results confirmed the gender and age differences in EC. The differences in EC according to position (lecturer, researcher, and manager) and type of science were not statistically significant. These results compel us to be aware of the importance of the emotional side of creativity to optimize stress-related behavior under the conditions of limited abilities to continue as usual. More space devoted to the manifestation of all the aspects of emotional creativity would improve adaptation to challenging circumstances and even allow one to capitalize on new opportunities. Moreover, we suggest that if personal intrinsic Emotional Creativity is high, the crises, such as the COVID-19 epidemic, may improve adaptation and trigger creative outcomes.

Modeling the interplay between emotion regulation, self-efficacy, and L2 grit in higher education.

Teaching in higher education is critical and fraught with potential vicissitudes, which necessitates the presence of efficient professors armed with positive attributes to perform effectively. Although it is generally accepted that emotion regulation (ER) has numerous benefits for language teachers, in particular university professors, little is known about how it interacts with two other important constructs, i.e., self-efficacy and L2 grit. Furthermore, the effect of ER on L2 teacher grit has not been sufficiently investigated. To fill this gap, the current study was to test a structural model of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) university professors' ER, self-efficacy, and L2 grit. The participants were 356 Iranian EFL university professors who completed the Language Teacher Emotion Regulation Inventory (LTERI), the Teacher Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES), and the L2-Teacher Grit Scale (L2TGS). The results of Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) revealed that ER and self-efficacy were strong predictors of L2 grit. Moreover, the significant role of self-efficacy on ER was discovered. The implications of this study may foster effective teaching in higher education, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts on education.

Integración De Herramientas Tecnológicas En Los Procesos De Enseñanza Y Aprendizaje Por Profesores De Educación Superior En El Marco De La Contingencia Por Covid-19

El presente estudio con enfoque cualitativo tuvo como objetivo describir la experiencia de los profesores del Instituto Tecnológico de Sonora, universidad pública en el Estado de Sonora, México, acerca de la integración de herramientas tecnológicas en su práctica docente, durante la contingencia sanitaria. Participaron once profesores en una entrevista mediante un muestreo propositivo por conveniencia de la licenciatura en Ciencias de la Educación. Emergieron tres categorías a) transición acelerada al ambiente virtual, se caracterizó por ser confusa, de incertidumbre, complicada, viviendo procesos de capacitaciones y adecuaciones en sus hogares;b) adaptación al uso de herramientas que vivieron se experimentó de forma distinta;c) apropiación de la tecnología, caracterizada por cambios significativos en actitud. Se concluye que, si bien el conocimiento que se tenía antes de la pandemia señalaba que la incorporación de la tecnología en los procesos educativos debía ser gradual y sistemática, esto no se presentó tal cual.Alternate : This qualitative approach study aimed to describe the experience of the professors of the Technological Institute of Sonora, a public university in the State of Sonora, Mexico, about the integration of technological tools in their teaching practice, during the health contingency. Eleven professors participated through a purposeful sampling for convenience of the bachelor degree in Education. Three categories emerged: a) accelerated transition to the virtual environment, characterized by being confusing, uncertain, complicated, experiencing training and adaptation processes in their homes;b) adaptation to the use of tools that they experienced was experienced in a different way;c) appropriation of technology, characterized by significant changes in attitude. It is concluded that, although the knowledge that was had before the pandemic indicated that the incorporation of technology in educational processes should be gradual and systematic, this was not presented as it is.

The Transition from Face-to-Face to Remote Mode: Experience of University Professors in the Pandemic Context

The objective of this investigation is to acknowledge the experience of university professors during the COVID-19 contingency by following their transition from a face-to-face to a distant teaching modality. To do this, we started from the naturalistic paradigm, the qualitative approach, and the phenomenological method, considering the narrative and the teacher evaluation for the data collection. The participants in this study were 24 pedagogy professors from a private university in Mexico City. One of the main findings in the transition from face-to-face to distant modality was the importance of institutional support and organizational culture. The other one is related to change management and commitment to the educational process for both teachers and students. In addition to planning flexibility and student learning, as the center of teaching activity, personal interaction can be favored through teaching strategies that promote participation and that are supported by technology.

Predictors of Burnout Syndrome in university professors: An exploratory factor análisis

Introduction: Because of a series of psychological stress factors recognized in the teaching trajectory of university health programs, faculty are prone to experience Burnout Syndrome. Objective: To determine the predictors of burnout syndrome among medical school teachers at the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (Peruvian University Cayetano Heredia) and Universidad Tecnológica del Perú (Technological University of Peru). Methods: A cross-sectional study was applied to 262 teachers sampled from two of the medical school teachers in the Metropolitan Lima Region, using a random sequence generator. Data were collected using a questionnaire with consent to assess burnout syndrome using the Maslach Burnout Scale Inventory (MBI-GS) and were processed in SPSS version 23 with a significant p-value of 95%. Exploratory Factor Analysis was used to identify the determinants of burnout syndrome. Results: The mean Cronbach's alpha of 0.85 showed that the MBI-GS assessed the same underlying construct, the results showed a low prevalence of burnout (79.4%) in the surveyed teachers. In the dimensions, burnout (43.5%) and cynicism (60.3%) scale low, while professional efficacy is high (46.6%). Conclusions: Burnout syndrome was significantly influenced by gender and age group in all dimensions assessed with higher prevalence in teachers older than 54 years and male. However, a minority proportion of 8% was observed in teachers under 36 years of age of both genders;this shows that measures should minimize the percentage growth based on years of teaching service.Alternate :Introducción: Debido a una serie de factores de estrés psicológico reconocidos en la trayectoria docente de los programas universitarios de salud, en la facultad son propensos a experimentar el síndrome de burnout. Objetivo: Determinar los predictores del síndrome de burnout entre docentes de la facultad de medicina de la Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia y Universidad Tecnológica del Perú. Métodos: Estudio transversal aplicado a 262 docentes tras muestreo de dos de las facultades de medicina de la Región Lima Metropolitana, mediante un generador de secuencias aleatorias. Los datos se recopilaron mediante un cuestionario con el consentimiento para evaluar el síndrome de burnout mediante el Inventario de Escala Maslach Burnout (MBI-GS) y se procesaron en la versión 23 de SPSS con valor p significativo de 95%. Se utilizó el Análisis Factorial Exploratorio para identificar los determinantes del síndrome de burnout. Resultados: El alfa de Cronbach promedio de 0,85 mostró que el MBI-GS evaluó el mismo constructo subyacente, los resultados arrojaron una prevalencia baja de burnout (79.4%) en los docentes encuestados. En las dimensiones, agotamiento (43.5%) y cinismo (60.3%) la escala es baja, mientras que la eficacia profesional es alta (46.6%). Conclusiones: El síndrome de burnout fue influenciado significativamente por el género y grupo etario en todas las dimensiones valoradas con mayor prevalencia en docentes mayores de 54 años y masculinos. Sin embargo, se observó una proporción minoritaria de 8% en docentes menores de 36 años de ambos géneros;esto indica que se deben aplicar medidas para minimizar el crecimiento porcentual con base en los años de servicio docente.

Memoirs of Fellows and Corresponding Fellows of the Medieval Academy of America

An obituary for fellows and corresponding fellows of the Medieval Academy of America including George Hardin Brown who died on Nov 6, 2021 at the age of 90, Michael T. Clanchy who died of heart disease complicated by COVID-19 on Jan 29, 2021, and Peter Fergusson. Peter's thoughtful scholarship, as reflected in his publications and in papers he delivered to conferences, was widely and highly respected, as is evident from the list of contributors to the published Festschrift in his honor.

Didactic Use of Virtual Reality in Colombian Universities: Professors’ Perspective

This paper presents quantitative research on the perception of the didactic use of virtual reality by university professors in Colombia, with special attention to the differences according to their area of knowledge, as the main variable, and gender and digital generation, as secondary variables. The study involved 204 professors from different Colombian universities. As an instrument, a survey designed for this purpose was used with four scales that were used to measure, on a Likert scale, different dimensions involving the participants’ perception of the use of virtual reality in the classroom. The answers were analyzed statistically and the differences in the perceptions have been identified by means of parametric statistical tests according to the following: (i) area of knowledge, (ii) gender, (iii) digital generation of the participants. The results showed that the participants expressed high valuations of virtual reality, despite having intermediate or low levels of digital competence. Gaps were identified in terms of area of knowledge, gender, and digital generation (digital natives or immigrants) with respect to opinions of virtual reality and digital competence. The highest valuations of virtual reality are given by professors of Humanities, and by digital natives. It is suggested that Colombian universities implement training plans on digital competence for professors and that these plans be aimed at strengthening knowledge of virtual reality.

Evaluating the Impact of the Accounting Doctoral Scholars Program on Academic Accounting in the U.S

The accounting establishment and AICPA Foundation responded to an inadequate supply of new accounting faculty by creating the Accounting Doctoral Scholars (ADS) program. Between 2009 and 2018, the $17 million program enabled 105 practitioners to become audit and tax faculty. Based on market data and an ADS participant survey, we find an increase in doctoral graduates at ADS and non-ADS schools relative to pre-ADS years, and unmet demand for audit has decreased after ADS, whereas tax remains in need. Compared to the market, ADS graduates experienced somewhat better placements by moving up to more prestigious strata and were more likely to place at schools with a doctoral program. Additionally, we present results for ADS students' motivations, degree completion time, and differences between audit and tax participants. Our findings have important implications for academic accounting, business schools, regulators, and policymakers. We provide important context for changes in market trends preceding COVID-19.

Gender and AB0 Blood Type Differences in a Unicentric Group of University Professors in Southern Italy Who Received the Vaxzevria COVID-19 Vaccine: A Cross-Sectional Survey of Vaccine Side Effects, Attitudes, and Hesitation.

Vaccination has been a key protective behavior for COVID-19. This study investigated the clinical status of university professors administered the Vaxzevria COVID-19 vaccine, to monitor for any adverse reaction, and to understand attitude and hesitancy to vaccination. Data were collected through an online survey. The study received approval from the relevant ethics committee "Comitato Etico Campania Sud". Multivariate logistic regressions were used to calculate significant predictors of the outcomes of interest. A gender and AB0 blood type difference in adverse vaccine reactions was found. The multivariate logistic regression model showed that female gender, city residence, blood type A+ and B-, and chronic underlying medical conditions or comorbidities were more strongly implicated in the occurrence of adverse reactions, whereas blood type 0 Rh+ or blood type A Rh- were protective factors of adverse reactions to the Vaxzevria vaccine. Both genders did not show serious adverse reactions to the Vaxzevria vaccine. Based on our results, we are able to support the hypothesis that AB0 blood type and gender difference appear as predictors of Vaxzevria COVID-19 vaccine reactogenicity. Furthermore, in the study population, the degree of concern and hesitation to undergo vaccination was minimal.

Gestión del conocimiento en la enseñanza del derecho en tiempos del COVID-19

Este trabajo se planteó como objetivo interpretar la experiencia educativa de los docentes de introducción al derecho de una universidad privada de Lima Metropolitana. La metodología se sustentó en el método hermenéutico fenomenológico empleando una entrevista escrita a seis docentes universitarios de derecho considerando tres temáticas fundamentales. Los resultados dan cuenta de un proceso de transformación de la percepción y práctica de la enseñanza. Se concluye que es importante comprender que, a pesar de las dificultades descritas por los informantes, la educación del derecho comenzó a transformarse, llegando a darse una adecuada gestión del conocimiento, entendiendo que las vivencias cotidianas de los estudiantes serían fundamentales para implementar estrategias para la enseñanza virtual.Alternate :The objective of this work was to interpret the educational experience of introductory law teachers at a private university in Metropolitan Lima. The methodology was based on the phenomenological hermeneutical method using a written interview with six university professors of law considering three fundamental themes. The results show a process of transformation of the perception and practice of teaching. It is concluded that it is important to understand that, despite the difficulties described by the informants, law education began to transform, leading to an adequate management of knowledge, understanding that the daily experiences of the students would be fundamental to implement strategies for the virtual teaching.

A systematic literature review about the level of digital competences defined by DigCompEdu in higher education

Nowadays, we are facing a historical moment in which education practices are being transformed-mainly due to the increase of technologies and their massive use at all levels of society;thus, it is necessary to integrate them in educational settings. In this context, the aim of this paper is to analyse the level of technological competences of university professors. To this end, a systematic literature review based on the PRISMA methodology is carried out. The search was focused on WoS and SCOPUS databases. Initially, 815 documents were retrieved, and after applying the exclusion criteria 30 papers were selected. The selected papers have been analysed in detail and the final conclusions have been structured according to the DigCompEdu digital competence framework. The results show that the level of Digital Competences of University Professors (DCUP) is moderate, and highlight aspects to improve: Reflective Practice is not cited in any article, and Learner's Empowerment and Facilitating Students' Digital Competence are the least referred. These aspects should be considered for future research and, for this reason, it is recommended to carry out continuous training for university professors supported by the DigCompEdu framework.