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This paper examines the subjective realities of female students in higher education as they navigated their well-being and active lives during the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing upon Merleau-Ponty's phenomenological framework, which confronts an often-neglected dimension of our experience—the lived body and the phenomenal world—we aim to inform the development of targeted support and interventions to address the specific needs of female students, in future pandemic times. By exploring how three female students studying sport and recreation in higher education perceived their experiences, this article seeks to shed light on the unique challenges faced by these women in maintaining physical activity, coping with isolation and a change in social networks, and managing their mental health in the context of the pandemic. Understanding these subjective realities (such as isolation, restricted physical activity, and loss of social connections) and interpreting the three students' lived habitats, their bodily responsiveness, and their spontaneity ensures that their experience is heard, and appropriate future support can be given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A systematic review was carried out on the production and publication of research papers on the study of Scanning Electron Microscopy Techniques (SEM) and Transmission (TEM) under the PRISMA approach (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses). The purpose of the analysis proposed in the present document was to determine the main characteristics of the publications registered in the Scopus and Wos databases during the year and their scope in the study of the proposed variables, achieving the identification of 15 publications in total. Thanks to this first identification, it was possible to refine the results through the keywords entered in the search button of both platforms, which were SEM, TEM, BENTH reaching a total of 11 documents, already excluding duplicates and those that did not meet the analysis criteria. The identified scientific publications were analyzed hoping to know the main characteristics within the execution of research projects concerning the study of the use of scanning electron microscopic (SEM) and transmission electron microscopic (TEM) techniques in the internal components of the nodules of the endemic legume Clitoria brachystegia (Benth). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Previous research has evaluated the sources of post-secondary student stress, but has failed to explore whether stressors fluctuate over time. The purpose of this research was to use the Post-Secondary Student Stressors Index to examine whether stressors changed significantly and meaningfully over the course of an academic year. Due to the timing of data collection, results also provide context around students' experiences of stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: Cross-sectional data was collected at 3 time points via online surveys over the course of the 2020–2021 academic year from >10,000 students. Participants attended 15 post-secondary institutions across Canada, representing 9 provinces and 1 territory. Validated instruments were used to assess levels of stress, distress and the severity of student-specific stressors. Kruskal–Wallis ranked tests and multiple pairwise comparison analyses were conducted to assess whether the mean severity of stressors changed over time. Standard effect sizes were calculated using Cohen's d. Results: Mean levels of stress and psychological distress were high at the start of the study and remained high across time points. A similarly high level of stress was observed on average for student-specific stressors. While significant differences in mean severity were observed over time for some stressors, standardized effect sizes were negligible, suggesting little meaningful change and consistent levels of chronic stress over the course of the academic year. Conclusions: This is the first paper to examine trends in student-specific stress using a nationwide sample of Canadian post-secondary students during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Patterns observed in student-specific stressors reflected changes likely to be indicative of the pandemic, including the most severe stress associated with academics, finances and concerns for the future. Implications for future research are discussed, in particular, the importance of examining stressors related to COVID-19 and their impact on student mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The wellbeing of teachers and students has emerged as a common concern in research studies in recent times, specifically during the critical period of COVID-19. Based on the findings drawn from the qualitative data through focus group discussions of five groups of teachers (16 females and 8 males) and students (10 males and nine females) at the tertiary level of education in Bangladesh, this paper shows that online teaching during COVID-19 is affected by personal and social challenges, and consequently, both teachers and students experience anxieties and stresses. Teachers are anxious because of the university authorities' surveillance, frequent pay cuts, and fear of losing jobs due to students' low enrollment in universities. They also suffer from physical discomforts, such as back pain, blur vision, and headache because of the prolonged engagement with online activities. Students, especially those from a non-privileged background located in peripheral rural contexts, seem to suffer more from contextual realities that are non-conducive for technology-based learning. Increased numbers and various forms of online assessments also seem to become a burden for them. In general, educational experiences of online teaching seemed to have a peripheral role in their conceptualization of wellbeing. The paper concludes that the insurmountable attention given to online pedagogic practices across the world needs to be balanced out by an equal effort in improving the wellbeing of both teachers and students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The outbreak of COVID-19 presented many challenges to the global community. The scientific community developed vaccines to mitigate the virus spread and morbidity. Higher Education institutions shifted their research and development activities toward developing COVID-19 interventions. The University of Botswana set up a multi-disciplinary design team that responded to society's COVID-19 needs. An agile methodology and co-creation process to design medical assistive devices was adopted for the study. These methods are human-centred, participatory, and have the added advantage of developing impactful, value-added, and acceptable products. This paper reports on the experiences of developing assistive breathing devices in response to the COVID-19 crisis. Experience gained from the study has enabled universities to continue to build local capacity in research and development to respond effectively and efficiently to future pandemics and any pressing societal challenge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A systematic review of the production and publication of research papers on the study of the Inequality Gap in Higher Education during the Covid-19 pandemic was carried out under the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses) approach. The purpose of the analysis proposed in the present document was to know the main characteristics of the publications registered in the Scopus and WoS databases during the period and their scope in the study of the proposed variables, achieving the identification of 86 publications in total. Thanks to this first identification, refining the results through the keywords entered in the search button of both platforms, which were inequality gaps, higher education, covid-19, and reaching a total of 21 documents, already excluding duplicates and those that did not meet the analysis criteria. The identified scientific publications were analyzed in order to know the main characteristics within the execution of research projects related to the study of social inequalities evidenced during the execution of virtual strategies to comply with the academic calendars in higher education despite the difficult health situation that was experienced due to the Covid-19 pandemic and how people with a socioeconomic level below the average, were those who in their majority, presented great difficulties to access the tools designed in the virtualization of academic content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the introduction of COVID-19 vaccines, many colleges and universities decided to mandate vaccination for all students and employees. The objective of this paper is to empirically investigate the effect of the mandate policy on Fall 2021 COVID-19 cases in institutions of higher education. We construct a unique dataset of a sample of 94 colleges and universities in the east and southeast regions of the United States, 41 of which required vaccination prior to Fall 2021. A difference-in-differences analysis is conducted, considering vaccine requirement as a policy implemented only in a sub-group of these institutions. We control for several factors, including state-level case per capita and student population. Our analysis shows that mandatory vaccination substantially decreased cases in institutions of higher education by 1,473 cases per 100,000 student population (95 CI: 132, 2813). The results suggest that a COVID-19 vaccine requirement is an effective policy in decreasing cases in such institutions, leading to a safer educational experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2020, the world faced a sudden change and general disruption that included all aspects of life because of the corona virus (COVID-19) pandemic. It has made the whole world adopt general and comprehensive emergency measures that have affected every sector, including health, business, and especially education. In order to continue the education process, educators have responded by adopting distance education. This paper explored the attitudes, practices, and emotions of faculty members in a college of education toward the forced adoption and educational transformation to distance education during the corona pandemic. A coding approach was used to analyze 20 reflective articles, which revealed main themes related to difficulties and challenges. The findings highlight skills and experiences that were gained. Hence, the findings promote that faculty members understand professional practices and behaviors in using distance education as an emergency solution for supporting the education process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic affected not only global economy and society, but also particular institutions, including those of higher education. The aim of the paper is to determine changes in students' life at selected universities in Poland, Ukraine, and Belarus. An online survey was applied, addressed to students of four universities in Poland, Ukraine, and Belarus (n=380). As a result of the pandemic, more than 46% of students declared worsening of their material situation. In comparison to the period before the pandemic, the respondents observed appearance or intensification of various psychosomatic symptoms, and a 12 percent point decrease in the assessment of their own health. The comparative analysis showed similarities between students' life preferences, plans on university education, and differences in their material situation, health, and employment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 pandemic has caused disruption in higher medical education and healthcare worldwide. To thrive in times of uncertainty, medical higher education institutions have to adapt to the post-COVID-19 era and innovate its international activities. To make a difference in societies locally, nationally and internationally, they will have to enhance their global presence. Internationalization is the best way to the exchanging of knowledge, enhancement of the medical curriculum, and mobilization of talent and resources for research and teaching. To remain competitive, universities will need to expand their international activities. This paper highlights several suggestions to enhance internationalization of medical higher education institutions in the post-COVID-19 era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To meaningfully determine how well students have achieved learning targets, instructors must adopt specific formative assessment techniques. During the COVID-19 pandemic, existing studies have discovered the techniques instructors in higher education use in their formative assessment practices. However, there has not been any consensus on the prevalent formative assessment techniques used. In this study, we examined empirical documents to determine to what extent formative assessment has supported formal or informal techniques, or both. A total of 15 samples of published documents on the formative assessment techniques used by instructors in higher education were purposively selected and subjected to summative content analysis. The findings revealed that instructors have used more formal than informal formative assessment techniques. The most predominant techniques were paper and pencil tests. The findings imply that formative assessment in higher education amid COVID-19 has followed responsive evaluation/feedback techniques compared to assessment conversations and dialogues. This calls for the need to refocus formative assessment to include both informal and formal techniques by embracing and adapting to technologically enhanced assessment and learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teaching in higher education in the Netherlands was affected, as in most other parts of the world, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper reflects on how two courses were taught and experienced by students during the 2020-21 academic year in the MA Media Studies: Digital Cultures at Maastricht University. It particularly focuses on how the integration of open educational resources into the course design, what we call a third pedagogic pillar, contributed to the success of the two courses and students' positive learning experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The widespread social and political changes at the end of the 20th century influenced and reshaped higher education and, consequently, research in and the position of the humanities at universities around the world. This paper examines the much-debated crisis in the humanities and poses questions on its course in the light of the global COVID-19 pandemic. It argues that the COVID-19 pandemic might be an opportunity for reflections that may lead to changes in higher education that aim to revive humanistic research, which provides people with tools such as critical thinking, which has proved to be crucial in times of crisis, like pandemics. We consider the example of the Faculty of Philology at the University of Belgrade, the most prominent place for language, culture and literature research in Serbia, as this is an institution that faces many challenges, primarily a decline in enrolment in certain programmes. Finally, we analyse this Faculty's strategies to cope with both internal and external problems and to revitalize the interest of prospective students in philological studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim/Purpose: This paper examines how senior academic staff from a large sample of teacher education colleges regard the integration of digital games into teacher instruction. These colleges serve general or religious populations, and we examine what, in practice, their policy and vision were in this regard in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Background: The sudden adoption of online teaching-learning due to the pandemic has been termed disruptive in that it drastically disturbed higher education in Israel and worldwide. The senior academic staff of Israel's colleges of education was responsible for leading policy decision-making during this period. The use of digital games for pedagogic purposes may be direct when used for knowledge acquisition and reinforcement and student development or indirect. Methodology: Using semi-structured interviews, the current study applied an interpretive-constructivist approach to examine how senior academic staff from several teacher education colleges perceived the integration of digital games into teacher instruction and elicit their policy and vision in this regard, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Contribution: The Findings suggest that discussions surrounding technology-related vision and policy and their translation into practice should relate to the specific cultural needs and academic preparedness of the population(s) served by the college. Findings: Half the participants expressed a desire to integrate digital games into teaching and learning but acknowledged that in practice this was uncommon. Only a small minority considered themselves to have achieved successful integration in practice, with doubt and skepticism expressed by some of the religious colleges. Most colleges had policies to encourage the integration of technology in general into teaching, with these, in turn, supported by ongoing funding. Although a considerable gap between policy and implementation remained, the COVID-19 pandemic was viewed as having considerably accelerated the integration of digital games into preservice teacher instruction. Recommendations for Practitioners: Discussions pertaining to technology-related vision and policy and their translation into practice should relate to the specific cultural needs and academic preparedness of the population(s) served by the college. Recommendations for Researchers: The Findings reflect the spectrum of challenges faced by the different populations the colleges employ and serve and the outcomes of the colleges' ongoing attempts to negotiate and reconcile different concerns. Impact on Society: The Findings have implications wherever colleges serve other socially and culturally conservative populations that are interested in or compelled to adopt techno-pedagogies. Future Research: We call for further research into whether continued pandemic-related restrictions have increased the practical integration of techno-pedagogical tools such as digital games into the curricula of teacher education colleges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article argues in response to Moll's paper refuting the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and its impact and asserts that there is clear evidence to support the 4IR as a revolution. It also mentions the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which hastened the adoption of digital technologies, and that this can be seen as evidence of the 4IR in action, concluding that the 4IR can be understood as a scientific paradigm shift and that this shift constitutes a revolution.

The global higher education sector has been greatly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the mode of delivery has transformed into a blended learning mode of delivery or fully remote mode. Online delivery significantly demands reliable and stable internet access and technology, at both the lecturer's and students' ends. This paper investigates the challenges and barriers to accessibility of technologies used for remote delivery of learning and teaching. The paper also investigates key digital skills students need to help them develop and enhance their technology literacy. A survey was also conducted among 555 university undergraduate students to identify their choice of device to connect to remote learning during the transition to online learning. It was revealed that students used laptops and smartphones considerably and least relied on desktop computers. The results indicate the significance of a device's portability, built-in network hardware and cost. Further, it identifies the impacts of accessibility of educational technologies on students' learning experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]