Experiences of university teachers with rotational blended learning during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative case study.

This qualitative case study examines the self-efficacy of university teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic as they struggle to incorporate new technology, teaching strategies, and curriculum delivery in the shift from total remote learning to biweekly rotation learning--two weeks of face-to-face learning and two weeks online. This study was conducted over one full semester among university teachers teaching undergraduate students with the rotation model at one federal university located in the United Arab Emirates. A case study design was used as a methodology to guide this research with a primary data collection method of semi-structured interviews of 11 teachers corroborated by both in-person and online classroom observations. Participating teachers were from various colleges within the university, including medicine, education, business, law, humanities, and science. The data from the interviews and observations were analyzed using thematic analysis, which yielded the following six themes: (1) continuously changing expectations, (2) mixed feelings regarding technology self-efficacy, (3) loss of learning among undergraduate students, (4) trial and error with teaching strategies, (5) the need to consult with students in the teaching and learning process, and (6) the shift from struggle to resilience. The results of the study indicated that having clearer expectations, proper technology training, and intradepartmental collaboration may help educators overcome the challenges associated with the hybrid rotation model. These results are expounded thoroughly along with relevant implications for robust leadership practices to enhance the quality of teaching and learning during potential future crises.

Nutritional needs of children with disabilities in the UAE: understanding predictors and mediators of nutritional knowledge and practices.

BACKGROUND: There is a high estimated prevalence of obesity and poor eating habits among children with disabilities. Unfortunately, the extent of parental and teachers' awareness of the dietary needs and nutritional requirements of children with disabilities has been understudied. This study aims to explore the predictors and mediators of nutritional knowledge and practices among parents and teachers of children with disabilities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) using Nutbeam's hierarchical health literacy model as a framework to test three hypotheses. METHODS: A total of 149 parents and teachers were recruited from rehabilitation centres in two of the seven Emirates in the UAE. The revised Food and Nutritional Literacy Scale (FNLIT) was used for data collection. The revised scale was validated and its reliability was assessed using SPSS and AMOS version 28 to compute exploratory factor analysis and structural equation modelling (confirmatory factor analysis and path analysis), respectively. RESULTS: The results confirmed a four-factor structure for FNLIT, and all three hypotheses were supported by the study findings. We confirmed a relationship between understanding and practical nutritional skills (Hypothesis I), and found that two practical nutritional skills, functional and interactive, combined to predict the understanding of nutritional needs of children with disabilities (Hypothesis II). Hypothesis III was partially supported in that participant type mediated the relationship between functional, interactive, and understanding factors. The convergent and discriminant validities of the scale were confirmed, and path analysis showed the ability of practical skills to predict knowledge. CONCLUSION: The study concludes on the need for public education on nutritional needs as well as developing the capacity of teachers and parents to implement appropriate eating programmes for children with disabilities.