Response to the impact of COVID-19 by health professions education institutions in Africa: a case study on preparedness for remote learning and teaching

BackgroundAfrica, like other parts of the world, continuously strives to deliver quality health professions education. These efforts are influenced to a larger extent by the socio-economic and cultural context of the region, but also by what happens globally. The global disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 necessitated the implementation of emergency remote teaching to continue delivering on the mandate of educating future health professionals. The purpose of this research was to describe the response of selected health professions education institutions in Southern Africa to the impact of COVID-19 and their preparedness for remote learning and teaching.MethodsA case study design was applied using an adapted ADKAR model as a conceptual framework for data interpretation. The purposively selected study population consisted of educators, students, and administrators in undergraduate medical and nursing programmes from six institutions in five countries.ResultsA total of 1307 respondents provided data for the study. Many of the institutions were caught off-guard when most educators and almost all students were required to leave their universities and go home. Stakeholders immediately became aware of the need to adopt online approaches as an emergency measure. In all programmes, educators, students, and administrators agreed that change was desired, and students realised that they had to take charge of their own learning independently. Overall educators reported confidence in the ability to use of standard Microsoft software, while knowledge of learning management systems proved more challenging for both educators and students. Many stakeholders, especially students and administrators, reported uncertainty about their ability to function in the new reality. Conducive family dynamics, a quiet space to study, good connectivity, a reliable electricity supply and appropriate devices were reported to reinforce learning and teaching.ConclusionsThe findings highlight the need for higher education institutions to prepare for alternative modes to face-to-face learning and teaching approaches with the ultimate aim of transitioning to full online learning more expeditiously. This requires scaling up educational infrastructure, prioritising strategic directives driving continuous professional development of educators and fostering co-constructivist approaches towards student centered education.

Remote Learning Readiness and Challenges: Perceptions and Experiences among Tertiary State University Management Students

COVID-19 has disrupted the education system globally, leading education institutions to migrate into remote learning. This study on online learning readiness and competence was conducted among management students on their perceptions on the importance of, and the confidence level of their online learning competence factors. Using the Student Readiness for Online Learning (SROL) instrument, the results show that the students consider Technical Competence as very important and that they are somewhat confident with their online learning competence. Both perceptions of the importance of the online competence factors and competency levels significantly correlate with the students' self-report of whether or not they have learned in the course. Among the eight online learning challenges, the students find the "lack of technical skills in using online learning” as the least challenging. This study concludes with the recommendations that pedagogical and technological interventions be pursued to address the inadequacies in the online teaching-learning process. © 2021, University of San Jose-Recoletos. All rights reserved.

Design of virtual learning experiences for microcontroller programming during COVID-19 pandemic

The social distancing imposed by Covid-19 impacted the development of educational activities at all levels. Engineering education was specially challenged by the suspension of face-to-face activities, which paused the development of laboratory practices. The present work accounts for the design of virtual learning experiences in a Microcontrollers course. The free online tools 'Tinkercad Circuits' and 'Arduino' were used to simulate circuit programming and connections. These tools also allowed remote collaboration between students and teachers during lockdown. The results of the Mechatronics Engineering students (n=30) show that programming skills and hardware knowledge were developed. Additionally, the activities had a positive response from the students. On the other hand, according to the psychomotor domain taxonomy, the students had obstacles to their full development. It is concluded on the importance of integrating simulation to the development of activities and laboratory practices, as well as the advantages of hybrid teaching formats. © 2023 IEEE.

A Case Study on Student Experiences of Social VR in a Remote STEM Classroom

Extended reality (XR) technologies continue gaining traction in multiple higher education contexts. As XR becomes more commercially accessible to students and universities, its convenience for educational purposes presents a renewed potential for exploration. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, there is also a growing interest in cross-platform, socially orientated software for remote educational practices. However, the precise role of XR technologies and how they contribute to student experiences of remote learning, particularly the unique affordances of social virtual reality (VR) for evoking an embodied sense of presence, is relatively unknown. Based on real-world experiences, we present a case study on a social VR intervention in a remote higher education classroom to inspire Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) researchers to investigate further the issues that arise from our practice-based research. Our motivations were to report, analyze, and summarize everyday virtual learning environment (VLE) challenges, identify design considerations for VLE technologies, and comment on social VR's utility in delivering Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) subjects in a remote setting. We apply a practical approach to investigate and identify potential HCI problems, capture the unique experiences of STEM students during the lockdown, and explore the effects of tutorial activities that give students agency in constructing VLEs. The findings of this student-focused case study draw attention to the design of social VR activities that support conventional, web browser-based VLEs. © 2023 Owner/Author.

Assessing behavioral learning loss: measurement and treatment Issues in the time of COVID-19

To date, most studies seeking to explore the impact of COVID-19 school closures on student outcomes have focused on cognitive/academic losses. This study explores changes in adaptive behaviors experienced by children and youth with autism spectrum disorders or other developmental disabilities when in-person, one-to-one behavior training was converted to telehealth delivery. Participants in this study were rated on the Adaptive Behavior Assessment System, 3rd Edition (ABAS-3) at three data points: pre-COVID;six months after COVID closure;and 12 months after COVID closure. ABAS-3 standard scores were evaluated to determine any losses or gains in adaptive behavior that occurred during the COVID shutdown of in-person programming. Issues related to assessment of behavior and delivery of telehealth programming are discussed. © 2023 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Adaptation of Environmental and Sustainability Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The delivery of environment and sustainability education in pre-service teacher programmes was challenged due to the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown conditions. In this chapter, we examine our histories and experiences as three academics adapting environment and sustainability education during forced remote learning. While there is research regarding remote learning, an examination of the unique circumstances that transpired when shifting to forced remote learning conditions during a pandemic is necessary. Using collaborative autoethnography, we explore meaning making and how we adapted our thinking and delivery from outdoor experiential activities to remote learning activities whilst trying to create meaningful experiences for our students who were restricted in their environments. Drawing on Yuval-Davis' theory of situated intersectionality, we recognise that adapting to forced remote learning gave us an opportunity to lean on each other for support despite the various academic stages we occupied. Our diverse histories and experiences re-emerged in a collective and yet different learning space. The situated intersectionality of our collaboration and the physicality of our present locations enhanced how we learnt and worked together by deepening our own understanding and practices. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2022.

Education as "Mental Vaccine:" Designing Educational Materials About COVID-19

This brief chapter is about a statewide project to create educational materials that now have two complementary goals: to help teachers deliver classes that meet new Michigan social studies standards, and to help students learn about COVID-19. The first part of the project was underway before the pandemic began, but (like most educational-development activity) it was complicated by COVID-related lockdown rules, remote-learning efforts, and budget problems. This chapter has examples and brief descriptions of five separate but related efforts: a preliminary "stop-gap” lesson about COVID-19, a program to review online materials about the disease, some COVID-19 insertions into curriculum units that are currently being developed and tested, a lesson that uses an existing graphic organizer to put COVID-19 into context with other historic pandemics, and a framework for a COVID-knowledge discussion platform. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.

Digital undergraduate medical education and patient and carer involvement: a rapid systematic review of current practice.

BACKGROUND: Involving patients and carers in medical students' learning aims to centralise the perspective of healthcare users and supports our future medical workforce in the development of key skills. Medical schools are increasingly using digital technology for teaching and it is timely to understand how to maintain patient and carer involvement in this context. METHODS: Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid EMBASE and medRxiv were searched in October 2020 and reference lists of key articles were hand searched. Eligible studies reported authentic patient or carer involvement in undergraduate medical education where technology was also used. Study quality was assessed by the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT). Levels of patient or carer involvement were assessed using Towle et al.'s (2010) taxonomy, from Level 1 (lowest level) to Level 6 (highest level). RESULTS: Twenty studies were included in this systematic review. In 70% of studies, patients and carers featured in video or web-based case scenarios with no interaction between healthcare users and students. The remaining 30% of studies reported real-time interactions between students and patients via remote clinical encounters. Digital teaching sessions involving patients or carers were perceived to be valuable by students and educators, and increased student engagement, patient-centred attitudes, clinical knowledge, and communication skills. No studies reported the perspective of patients or carers. DISCUSSION: Digital technology has not yet driven higher levels of patient and carer involvement in medical training. "Live" interactions between students and patients are becoming more common but challenges need addressing to ensure positive experiences for all involved. Future teaching should enhance the role of patients and carers in medical education and support them to overcome any potential barriers to doing so remotely.

Mental health and academic experiences among U.S. college students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

When the COVID-19 pandemic began, U.S. college students reported increased anxiety and depression. This study examines mental health among U.S college students during the subsequent 2020-2021 academic year by surveying students at the end of the fall 2020 and the spring 2021 semesters. Our data provide cross-sectional snapshots and longitudinal changes. Both surveys included the PSS, GAD-7, PHQ-8, questions about students' academic experiences and sense of belonging in online, in-person, and hybrid classes, and additional questions regarding behaviors, living circumstances, and demographics. The spring 2021 study included a larger, stratified sample of eight demographic groups, and we added scales to examine relationships between mental health and students' perceptions of their universities' COVID-19 policies. Our results show higher-than-normal frequencies of mental health struggles throughout the 2020-2021 academic year, and these were substantially higher for female college students, but by spring 2021, the levels did not vary substantially by race/ethnicity, living circumstances, vaccination status, or perceptions of university COVID-19 policies. Mental health struggles inversely correlated with scales of academic and non-academic experiences, but the struggles positively correlated with time on social media. In both semesters, students reported more positive experiences with in-person classes, though all class types were rated higher in the spring semester, indicating improvements in college students' course experiences as the pandemic continued. Furthermore, our longitudinal data indicate the persistence of mental health struggles across semesters. Overall, these studies show factors that contributed to mental health challenges among college students as the pandemic continued.

Learning From Recorded Lectures: Perceptions of Students With ADHD.

With the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, education systems worldwide, including higher education institutions, switched to remote learning in various modes, including recordings of lectures and lessons. Learning this way can be especially effective for students with Attention Deficit/Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) who have difficulties maintaining organization, focus, and concentration. Hence, this qualitative study used semi-structured interviews to examine the perceptions of 12 students with ADHD that studied from recorded lectures from the perspective of the symptoms that define this disorder. Findings showed that learning from recordings of lectures gave students a sense of control over the learning in terms of pace, place, time, and convenience. The research contributes to understanding how to tailor accessible remote learning to students with ADHD.

Exploration of Immersive Virtual Reality in Teaching Veterinary Orthopedics.

The COVID-19 pandemic has catalyzed the use of novel teaching modalities to enhance the provision of remote veterinary education. In this study, we describe the use of immersive virtual reality (iVR) as a teaching aid for veterinary medicine students during their orthopedics clinical rotation. Student sentiments were assessed using voluntary electronic surveys taken by veterinary students before and after the rotation. The most noteworthy benefits students reported were improved engagement with the course content, information retention, radiographic interpretation, and clinical reasoning skills. Obstacles encountered during the initial stages of the program included financial and temporal investment in equipment and content development, technical troubleshooting, and motion sickness. Though it is unlikely that iVR will ever fully replace hands-on learning experiences, it presents an educational opportunity to supplement traditional learning methods, motivate students, and fill information gaps. As iVR technology continues to evolve and improve, potential applications in the veterinary curriculum grow, making the modality's use progressively more advantageous. Although this study describes its application in an orthopedic setting, the versatility of the iVR modality lends the potential for it to be implemented in a number of clinical and didactic settings.