An Exploratory-Descriptive Study on the Impact of COVID-19 on Teaching and Learning: The Experiences of Student Nurses in the Rural-Based Historically Disadvantaged University of South Africa.

Covid-19 has disrupted normal working conditions as people were not allowed to assemble in one place. There is a limit that is placed on the number of people congregating in public areas, and these measures also affect the education system worldwide. The purpose of the study was to explore nursing students' experiences in a historically disadvantaged rural-based university on the impact of Covid-19 on teaching and learning. The study employed an exploratory-descriptive qualitative design among nursing students who were purposively sampled to participate in the study. A qualitative self-administered open-ended online google form was used to collect data. Thematic analysis was employed for this study. All ethical measures were respected during this study. Interviews were conducted with 68 participants, including 12 undergraduate second-year students, 7 third-year students, and 49 fourth-year students. A total of 51 females and 17 males participated in this study. The study yielded several themes, including participants' expression of their experiences related to teaching and learning during the national lockdown, participants' views on the impact of COVID-19 on teaching and learning/research, and Participants suggested sustainable strategies to promote teaching and learning during the national lockdown. In conclusion, the role of preceptors in all clinical areas should be strengthened to improve clinical teaching and learning. The researchers recommend strengthening collaboration among university lecturers for sharing ideas and finding innovative solutions appropriate for handling any pandemic that threatens teaching and learning processes.

Peer teaching under pandemic conditions - options and challenges of online tutorials on practical skills.

Background: Within days, the corona crisis has forced the "Lernzentrum", as well as all other places of training and further education, to discontinue classroom teaching at German universities and vocational schools. In order to start teaching online, tutors had to face the challenge to develop new digital learning formats (virtual classrooms) for the peer teaching of practical skills within a short time. This paper aims at outlining the project of developing e-tutorials with regard to the teaching of practical skills. Methodology: After analyzing the classroom lessons (n=30), some of the tutorials were transformed into digital formats. These so-called "e-tutorials" were held via a digital platform. They have been evaluated continuously with a standardized online questionnaire. The results of this evaluation have been analyzed descriptively. Results: From 27/04/2020 to 17/07/2020 eleven different e-tutorial formats were offered on 246 dates. The evaluation revealed a high degree of acceptance with these course offers as well as with the implementation by the tutors. Interpretation: During the pandemic crisis the substitution of peer teaching into forms of e-tutorials was considered valuable; however, these learning formats present challenges, especially with regard to the interaction between teachers and students. They cannot therefore fully replace the peer teaching of practical skills.

Effects of pulmonary rehabilitation training based on WeChat App on pulmonary function, adverse mood and quality of life of COVID-19 patients: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as a fatal epidemic has swept across the world, especially in India where the epidemic situation is the most serious. For COVID-19 patients, pulmonary rehabilitation training plays a significant role. However, it is still a controversial issue regarding the efficacy of WeChat APP-based pulmonary rehabilitation training in improving lung function, quality of life and bad mood of COVID-19 patients. To clarify this issue, a meta-analysis was conducted in this present study, so as to provide a basis for rehabilitation guidance of COVID-19 patients. METHODS: We systematically searched PubMed, medRxiv, Web of Science, Scopus, Chinese Science Citation Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, Chinese Scientific Journal Database, and Wan-fang databases in May 2021 to identify randomized controlled trials and evaluate the effects of WeChat APP-based pulmonary rehabilitation training for COVID-19. Two researchers independently carried out data extraction. On the other hand, literature quality evaluation on the quality and meta-analysis of the included literature was performed with Revman5.3 software. RESULTS: The results of this meta-analysis will be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal for publication. CONCLUSION: This study will provide reliable evidence-based evidence on the effects of WeChat APP-based pulmonary rehabilitation training on lung function, bad mood, and quality of life in patients with COVID-19. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval was not required for this study. The systematic review will be published in a peer-reviewed journal, presented at conferences, and shared on social media platforms. OSF REGISTRATION NUMBER: DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/MKXCH.

2020 family medicine postgraduate examinations at The University of the West Indies: successes and challenges in the time of COVID-19 pandemic.

Little has been published regarding postgraduate assessments during the COVID-19 pandemic. There is an urgent need to graduate well-trained specialists including family physicians who play a key role in patient care. The successes and challenges encountered in mounting qualifying 2020 Family Medicine examinations during the COVID-19 pandemic at the University of the West Indies are described in this paper. Human resource, planning, use of technology and virtual environments are discussed, which enabled successful examinations at this multicampus regional site.

A Framework for Developing Holistic Leaders.

Advocating for holistic leaders' development, holistic leadership is defined and contrasted with other developmental approaches. A model that frames four dimensions of development is presented. These dimensions include self-awareness and values identification, relational capacity, problem solving and action orientation, and other orientation. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2021;52(5):211-213.].

Necessity is the mother of invention: how the COVID-19 pandemic could change medical student placements for the better.

COVID-19 led to the widespread withdrawal of face-to-face hospital-based clinical placements, with many medical schools switching to online learning. This precipitated concern about potential negative impact on clinical and interprofessional skill acquisition. To overcome this problem, we piloted a 12-week COVID-19 safe face-to-face clinical placement for 16 medical students at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases, London, during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 infection control measures necessitated that students remained in 'social bubbles' for placement duration. This facilitated an apprenticeship-style teaching approach, integrating students into the clinical team for placement duration. Team-based learning was adopted to develop and deliver content. Teaching comprised weekly seminars, experiential ward-based attachments and participation in quality improvement and research projects. The taught content was evaluated through qualitative feedback, reflective practice, and pre-apprenticeship and post-apprenticeship confidence questionnaires across 17 domains. Students' confidence improved in 14 of 17 domains (p<0.05). Reflective practice indicated that students valued the apprenticeship model, preferring the longer clinical attachment to existent shorter, fragmented clinical placements. Students described improved critical thinking, group cohesion, teamwork, self-confidence, self-worth and communication skills. This article describes a framework for the safe and effective delivery of a longer face-to-face apprenticeship-based clinical placement during an infectious disease pandemic. Longer apprenticeship-style attachments have hidden benefits to general professional training, which should be explored by medical schools both during the COVID-19 pandemic and, possibly, for any future clinical placements.

The Effectiveness of a Serious Game Versus Online Lectures for Improving Medical Students' Coronavirus Disease 2019 Knowledge.

Objective: The sudden disruption of university teaching caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has forced universities to switch to online teaching. It is vital for graduating medical students to learn about COVID-19 because they are likely to treat COVID-19 patients after graduation. We developed a COVID-19 lesson for medical students that used either an online lecture or a serious game that we designed. The aim of this study is to explore the effectiveness of a serious game versus online lectures for improving medical students' COVID-19 knowledge. Materials and Methods: From our university's database of knowledge scores, we collected the prelesson, postlesson, and final test knowledge scores of the students who participated in the lesson and conducted a retrospective comparative analysis. Results: An analysis of scores concerning knowledge of COVID-19 from prelesson and postlesson tests shows that both teaching methods produce significant increases in short-term knowledge, with no statistical difference between the two methods (P > 0.05). The final test scores, however, show that the group of students who used the game-based computer application scored significantly higher in knowledge retention than did the online lecture group (P = 0.001). Conclusion: In the context of the disruption of traditional university teaching caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the serious game we designed is potentially an effective option for online medical education about COVID-19, particularly in terms of its capacity for improved knowledge retention.

Electronic Distance Learning of Pre-clinical Studies During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Preliminary Study of Medical Student Responses and Potential Future Impact.

BACKGROUND: Social distancing, implemented to decrease the spread of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), forced major changes in medical practices, including an abrupt transition from face-to-face to remote patient care. Pre-clinical medical studies were concomitantly switched to electronic distance learning. OBJECTIVES: To explore potential implications of COVID-19 on future pre-clinical medical studies. METHODS: We examined responses of pre-clinical medical students to the remote electronic learning in terms of quality of and satisfaction with teaching and technical support, attendance to classes, and the desire to continue electronic learning in the post-epidemic era. A survey of responses from first-year students at the Adelson School of Medicine was conducted. To optimize the reliability of the survey, a single research assistant conducted telephone interviews with each student, using a structured questionnaire concerning aspects of participation and satisfaction with teaching and with technical components of the remote electronic learning. RESULTS: With 100% response rate, the students reported high satisfaction with the electronic learning regarding its quality, online interactions, instructions given, technical assistance, and availability of recording for future studies. Most of the students (68.6%) noted a preference to continue < 90% of the learning online in the post-outbreak era. A high level of overall satisfaction and a low rate of technical problems during electronic learning were significantly correlated with the desire to continue online learning (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The high satisfaction and the positive experience with the electronic distance learning imposed by the COVID-19 epidemic implied a successful transition and might induce future changes in pre-clinical medical studies.

Transition to Virtual Learning During the Coronavirus Disease-2019 Crisis in Iran: Opportunity Or Challenge?

COVID-19 is a respiratory disease that can spread from one person to person. This virus is a novel coronavirus that was first identified during an investigation into an outbreak in Wuhan, China. Iran's novel coronavirus cases reached 17,361 on 17 March, while death toll reached approximately 1,135. Its first death was officially announced on 20 February 2020 in Qom. The 2019 coronavirus pandemic has affected educational systems around the world, Also in Iran, and led to the closure of face to face courses in schools and universities. Therefore, virtual education can be seen as a turning point in education of these days in Iran.

Adapting to a new reality: COVID-19 coronavirus and online education in the health professions.

The current novel coronavirus, COVID-19, has effected a significant change in the way industry-based and tertiary health professions education (HPE) can occur. Advice for strict, widespread social distancing has catalysed the transformation of course delivery into fully online design across nations. This is problematic for HPE, which has traditionally relied on face-to-face learner interaction, in the form of skills laboratories, simulation training and industry-based clinical placements. The transition to online-only course delivery has brought with it a need to address particular issues regarding the construction and delivery of quality curricula and education activities. It is in this context that regional, rural and remote health professionals and academics can provide invaluable insights into the use of technology to overcome the tyranny of distance, promote high-quality online HPE and enable the ongoing development of communities of practice. This article is the first in a series addressing the risks and opportunities in the current transition to online HPE, providing practical solutions for educators who are now unable to embrace more traditional face-to-face HPE delivery methods and activities.

A Randomized Trial of Instructor-Led Training Versus Video Lesson in Training Health Care Providers in Proper Donning and Doffing of Personal Protective Equipment.

OBJECTIVE: This study compared live instructor-led training with video-based instruction in personal protective equipment (PPE) donning and doffing. It assessed the difference in performance between (1) attending 1 instructor-led training session in donning and doffing PPE at 1 month prior to assessment, and (2) watching training videos for 1 month. METHODS: This randomized controlled trial pilot study divided 21 medical students and junior doctors into 2 groups. Control group participants attended 1 instructor-led training session. Video group participants watched training videos demonstrating the same procedures, which they could freely watch again at home. After 1 month, a doctor performed a blind evaluation of performance using checklists. RESULTS: Nineteen participants were assessed after 1 month. The mean donning score was 84.8/100 for the instructor-led group and 88/100 for the video group; mean effect size was 3.2 (95% CI: -7.5 to 9.5). The mean doffing score was 79.1/100 for the instructor-led group and 73.9/100 for the video group; mean effect size was 5.2 (95% CI: -7.6 to 18). CONCLUSION: Our study found no significant difference in donning and doffing scores between instructor-led and video lessons. Video training could be a fast and resource-efficient method of training in PPE donning and doffing in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.