The impact of COVID-19 on student learning during the transition from remote to in-person learning: using mind mapping to identify and address faculty concerns.

The COVID-19 pandemic led to the suspension of in-person learning at many higher education institutions (HEIs) in March 2020. In response, HEIs transitioned most courses to online formats immediately and continued this mode of instruction through the 2020-2021 academic year. In fall 2021, numerous HEIs resumed in-person courses and some hybrid courses, and faculty began noting academic-related behavior deficiencies not previously observed in students. Focus groups of teaching faculty (n = 8) from one university department were conducted to gather information on changes in student academic-related behaviors attributed to the disruption of teaching and learning due to COVID-19 and to compare observed deficiencies with the university's undergraduate learning goals. Mind mapping software was utilized to capture themes and subthemes. Identified themes were related to problem-solving skills, grades, time management, attendance, and interpersonal communication, both in terms of student-to-student and student-to-faculty communication. For these identified areas, outcomes during the return to in-person learning were mostly undesirable. Based on these identified issues, suggested modifications that HEIs could use to modify course content and delivery to offset skill gaps and improve interpersonal communication were identified. Furthermore, observations may indicate that fully remote learning inhibited student learning and skill development during the 2020-2021 academic year. Future work should examine the effectiveness of the proposed modifications on student success.NEW & NOTEWORTHY This article contains information gathered from mind map-driven faculty focus group observations of student academic-related deficiencies resulting from transitioning from remote to in-person learning and how said deficiencies compare to university undergraduate learning goals.

Synergistic potential of papaya and strawberry nectar blends focused on specific nutrients and antioxidants using alternative thermal and non-thermal processing techniques.

Traditional processing has detrimental effects on nutrient value of fruit nectars; however, combining fruit nectars prior to processing can result in synergistic outcomes, e.g., a combination of nutrients providing a greater effect than they would individually, thus offsetting these losses. To examine this food synergism, papaya and strawberry nectars and their respective blends (25P:75S, 50P:50S, 75P:25S) were processed using ultra high temperature (UHT) and irradiation and examined for ascorbic acid concentration, carotenoid concentration, and antioxidant capacity. Ascorbic acid concentration was best retained after UHT processing, with synergistic relationships in all blends. Synergistic relationships were observed for ß-cryptoxanthin concentration after irradiation. ß-Carotene experienced both antagonistic and additive relationships whereas lycopene concentration encountered synergistic relationships in the 25P:75S blend for both techniques. All blends exhibited synergistic relationships for antioxidant capacity after UHT processing. These findings demonstrate the benefits of blending fruit nectars; producing a superior product than either fruit processed individually.

Relationship between pulp structure breakdown and nutritional value of papaya (Carica papaya) and strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa) nectars using alternative thermal and non-thermal processing techniques.

BACKGROUND: Papaya and strawberry contain a wide array of nutrients that contribute to human health; however, availability of these fruits is limited due to their short shelf lives and seasonal nature. In this study, the effect of alternative techniques including ultra high temperature (UHT, 20-135 °C, 1-3 s) and irradiation (0-10 kGy) on carotenoid concentration, antioxidant capacity and changes to pulp structure using transmission electron microscopy were determined for papaya and strawberry nectars. RESULTS: UHT had moderate effects on antioxidant capacity, but the greatest overall release of carotenoids from the pulp matrix (34.2%, 6.26%, 8.31%; ß-cryptoxanthin, ß-carotene, and lycopene, respectively). Irradiation resulted in the greatest increase in antioxidant capacity [19.22 to 24.32 µmol Trolox equivalents kg(-1) (papaya), 190.51 to 287.68 µmol Trolox equivalents kg(-1) (strawberry)], with moderate effects on carotenoid concentration. CONCLUSION: This research demonstrates that decreases in nutrient value and antioxidant capacity can result from processing, but that regeneration of these losses can be seen corresponding to the apparent breakdown of pulp structure. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.