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In terms of scale, shock, and disenfranchisement, the disruption to formal education arising from COVID-19 has been unprecedented. Anecdotally, responses from teachers and educators around the world range from heightened caution to being inspired by distance education as the "new normal." Of all the challenges, face-to-face and formal teaching have been most heavily affected. Despite some education systems demonstrating resilience, a major challenge is sustaining quality and inclusiveness in formal education suddenly delivered at a distance. In probing these issues, this article profiles international perspectives on the role of open education in responding to the impact on formal school and higher education caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. We proceed by highlighting and analysing practices and case studies from 13 countries representing all global regions, identifying and discussing the challenges and opportunities that have presented themselves. Reports cover the period from the beginning of 2020 until 11 March 2021, the first anniversary of the COVID-19 outbreak as declared by the World Health Organization. In our comparative study, we identify seven key aspects of which three (missing infrastructure and sharing OER, open education and access to OER, and urgent need for professional development and training for teachers) are directly related to open education at a distance. After comparing examples of existing practice, we make recommendations and offer insights into how open education strategies can lead to interventions that are effective and innovative--to improve formal education at a distance in schools and universities in the future.

This paper aims to evaluate and discuss the digital competence of academics at universities, to identify challenges and define recommendations for policy. This study was conducted through collaboration between the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission and Metared of the Universia Foundation, surveying 30,407 participants who present the perceptions of their own digital competence levels. These self-reflections took place in universities in seven countries, namely Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Peru, Mexico and Portugal, and used the Check-In tool, which consists of 22 questions based on the European Framework for the Digital Competence of Educators--or 'DigCompEdu' framework. A descriptive statistical analysis was performed, followed by a qualitative evaluation. Almost 70% of the academics have an average intermediate level of competence when the data is aggregated, with results varying in each DigCompEdu area according to the specific question asked. There is no significant difference between young and senior academics, as well as between men and women. The results present a discussion of whether the age and gender of educators and their work environment have an impact on their digital competence level, and at the same time highlights the areas in which educators perceive themselves to be most and least competent. It shows how the amount of institutional support that is offered affects the academics' perceptions of their level of digital competence. On the basis of the results, recommendations are presented for higher-education institutions, with the aim of supporting the professional development of their academics.

This piece is an abridged version of a panel discussion that was part of the symposium on Anti-Black State Violence Across the Americas: Power and Struggle in Brazil and the U.S., held at UC Berkeley on February 20-22, 2019, and organized by the LUTA Initiative, a coalition of scholars invested in facilitating international dialogue about racialized state violence across the Americas. The conversation featured Cherrish Cook and Muwazu Chisum-Misquitta (Berkeley High School Student Activists, United States) in conversation with Onirê Onã Walê Borges dos Santos and Andreia Beatriz Silva dos Santos.

Background: The extension of PrEP coverage for vulnerable populations depends on demand creation strategies that aim to inform, encourage usage, and facilitate access to health services. However, there are no cost estimates for Brazil or Latin America regarding demand creation strategies focused on populations with higher vulnerability and risk of HIV infection. This analysis aims to assess the costs and health outcomes of different strategies used to create demand for PrEP for individuals aged 15 to 19 who identify as men who have sex with men (MSM), transgender women (TGW), or non-binary people assigned male at birth. Methods: Cost-consequence analysis of six demand creation strategies used in the “PrEP1519 Study” (chatbot strategy; dating apps strategy; social media strategy; socialization places strategy; NGOs strategy; direct referrals strategy). The analysis was conducted using data from January 2019 to December 2021. The evaluated outcome was the “PrEP initiation ratio” (PrEPIR), which represents the percentage of approached individuals who started PrEP. The cost analysis included direct costs related to personnel, promotional materials, testing, equipment, and services. Results: The strategy with the highest PrEPIR was the social media strategy (2.97% [95% CI 2.29–3.84]), followed by the socialization places strategy (2.05% [1.45–2.89]). The direct referrals strategy, which served as the baseline, had one of the lowest PrEPIR (0.36% [0.30–0.43]). The average cost per participant included ranged from $100.74 for the direct referrals strategy to $5,572.00 for the chatbot strategy. The strategy with the highest total cost was the chatbot strategy ($55,719.98), whereas the strategy with the lowest total cost was the NGOs strategy ($10,809.80). Conclusion: Despite incurring higher costs, the implementation of more successful demand creation strategies (such as socialization places, social media, and dating apps) has the potential to increase PrEP usage and, consequently, reduce HIV infection in populations facing greater vulnerability. These findings can contribute to more effective planning and organization of prevention programs by healthcare services to reach these populations. Trial registration: This analysis is part of the “PrEP1519 Study” (protocol number 89993018.9.0000.0065). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]