Online Interactive Flipped Classroom Teaching in Pediatrics for Medical Undergraduates.

OBJECTIVES: To introduce online flipped classroom teaching for medical undergraduates in Pediatrics and to assess students' engagement and satisfaction with the students and faculty with the flipped classroom teaching method. METHODS: An interventional education study was conducted on online flipped classrooms for final-year medical undergraduates. The core team of faculty members was identified, students and faculty were sensitized, and pre-reading material and feedback forms were validated. Students were engaged using the Socrative app, and feedback from students and faculty was collected using Google Forms. RESULTS: One hundred sixty students and six faculty members participated in the study. During the scheduled class, 91.9% of students were engaged. The majority of the students strongly agreed that the flipped classroom was interesting (87.2%) and interactive (87%) and developed an interest in the subject of Pediatrics (86%). Faculty were also motivated to adopt this method. CONCLUSION: The present study revealed that introducing flipped classroom strategy in an online model improved students' engagement and increased their interest in the subject.

The effect of psychological factors on financial behaviour among older Australians: Evidence from the early stages of COVID-19 pandemic.

The current study investigated the association between psychological factors and financial behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic in older people. Older people were chosen compared to other age groups because of the relatively greater impact in this age group of suboptimal financial decisions on future financial wellbeing. We hypothesised that the psychological factors facilitating general wellbeing during the COVID-I9 pandemic, i.e., positive mental wellbeing, hope, and positive coping, will have positive effects on financial behaviour. Based on telephone interviews, 1501 older Australians (Men = 750 and Women = 751; 55-64y = 630; > 65y = 871) completed an omnibus questionnaire examining coping, hope, mental wellbeing, and financial behaviour. Data was analysed using logistic regression and an ordinary and two-stage least square frameworks. Analyses revealed that the psychological factors identified as facilitating general wellbeing during the COVID-I9 pandemic also facilitated positive financial behaviour with hope and mental wellbeing emerging as significant determinants. Based on weightings from principal component analysis, one item each from the hope and mental wellbeing scale with eigenvalues > 1 were found to be robust predictors of positive financial behaviours. In conclusion, the findings support the assumption that the psychological factors associated with general wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic are also associated with positive financial behaviour. They further raise the possibility that single hope and positive mental well-being items can also be used to monitor psychological health and predict financial behaviour in older people and, in particular, at times of crisis. The latter may be useful measures for government to monitor psychological and financial wellbeing and inform policy for supporting older people at times of crisis.

Dynamics of relationship between stock markets of SAARC countries during COVID-19 pandemic

Purpose The paper investigates the dynamic relationship among the stock markets of South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach Daily time-series data of four SAARC countries: India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, from February 13th, 2013 to March 31st, 2021 are used. The study considers stock prices prior to the blowout of COVID-19 and during the onset of the pandemic. The novel estimation procedure of the autoregressive distributed lag model is used while the results are also confirmed by post-estimation techniques. Findings The study confirms that the COVID-19 contagion has adversely influenced the stock returns of SAARC countries. The findings signify that the pattern of cointegration has significantly different regularities in the pattern of causality in the long run and short run during the COVID-19 crisis. Overall, the study revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic has weakened the dynamic connection among the stock markets of SAARC countries. Practical implications To dampen uncertainties generated by the COVID-19 pandemic, the authorities and central banks should be equipped with efficient strategies and guidelines to cope with the crisis created by the pandemic. Further, governments should focus on assuaging the panic faced by investors and enhancing the confidence of domestic as well as foreign investors. Further, the weakened integration of financial markets during the crisis offers opportunities for speculative and arbitrage gains for investors. Originality/value The research work is an innovative effort to analyze the impression led by COVID-19 on the SAARC stock markets integration.