COVID-19 in Connecticut institutions of higher education during the 2020-2021 academic year

Background: During the 2020-2021 academic year, many institutions of higher education reopened to residential students while pursuing strategies to mitigate the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission on campus. Reopening guidance emphasized PCR or antigen testing for residential students and social distancing measures to reduce the frequency of close interpersonal contact. Connecticut colleges and universities employed a variety of approaches to reopening campuses to residential students. Methods: We used data on testing, cases, and social contact in 18 residential college and university campuses in Connecticut to characterize institutional reopening strategies and COVID-19 outcomes. We compared institutions' fall 2020 COVID-19 plans, submitted to the Connecticut Department of Public Health, and analyzed contact rates and COVID-19 outcomes throughout the academic year. Results: In census block groups containing residence halls, fall student move-in resulted in a 475% (95% CI 373%-606%) increase in average contact, and spring move-in resulted in a 561% (441%-713%) increase in average contact. The relationship between test frequency and case rate per residential student was complex: institutions that tested students infrequently detected few cases but failed to blunt transmission, while institutions that tested students more frequently detected more cases and prevented further spread. In fall 2020, each additional test per student per week was associated with a reduction of 0.0014 cases per student per week (95% CI: -0.0028, -0.000012). Residential student case rates were associated with higher case rates in the town where the school was located, but it is not possible to determine whether on-campus infections were transmitted to the broader community or vice versa. Conclusions: Campus outbreaks among residential students might be avoided or mitigated by frequent testing, social distancing, and mandatory vaccination. Vaccination rates among residential students and surrounding communities may determine the necessary scale of residential testing programs and social distancing measures during the 2021-2022 academic year.

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Revenue efficiency in higher education institutions under imperfect competition

Public Policy and Administration ◽

10.1177/0952076716652935 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 32 (4) ◽

pp. 282-295 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Geraint Johnes ◽

John Ruggiero

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Imperfect Competition ◽

Monopolistic Competition ◽

Higher Education Institutions ◽

Institutions Of Higher Education ◽

Revenue Efficiency ◽

Academic Year ◽

Modelling Process ◽

Selection Of

A number of studies have considered the evaluation of efficiency in higher education institutions. In this paper, we focus on the issue of revenue efficiency, in particular ascertaining the extent to which, given output prices, producers choose the revenue maximising vector of outputs. We then relax the price taking assumption to consider the case in which the market for some outputs is characterised by monopolistic competition. We evaluate efficiencies for English institutions of higher education for the academic year 2012–13 and find considerable variation across institutions in revenue efficiency. The relaxation of the price-taking assumption leads to relatively small changes, in either direction, to the estimated revenue efficiency scores. A number of issues surrounding the modelling process are raised and discussed, including the determination of the demand function for each type of output and the selection of inputs and outputs to be used in the model.

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Mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic

International Journal for Innovation Education and Research ◽

10.31686/ijier.vol9.iss8.3269 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (8) ◽

pp. 113-146

Author(s):

Carlos Gabriel de Souza Soares ◽

Eduardo Jorge Sant´Ana Honorato ◽

Sônia Maria Lemos

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Social Contact ◽

Anxiety And Depression ◽

Interpersonal Contact ◽

Social Distancing ◽

Face To Face ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Search Filters ◽

Text Language

This study aimed to investigate the impacts of social distancing on the occurrence of symptoms of anxiety and depression reported in scientific production available in 2020, describing and analyzing the main triggering factors of mental health problems/diseases in the period of social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. The method used was an integrative literature review, with searches in Lilacs, SciELO, Medline, and PubMed databases. The following descriptors were used for the selection of publications: Social Distancing, Anxiety, and Depression, used in combination in the search strategy. To refine the search, filters were used: full text; Language Portuguese, English, and Spanish; Main subject; Type of document, with an article as the only type of literature accepted; Year of Publication 2020. This research identified 37 studies later categorized into five main themes: Physical Inactivity, Reduction of social contact and face-to-face interactions, Financial concerns and economic vulnerability, Loneliness, and Alcohol Consumption. The major impacts of social distancing on mental health were the drastic change in routine, favoring sedentary behavior, and limitation in interpersonal contact indicated in many studies as a generator of a high prevalence of harmful psychological effects, especially depression, anxiety, irritability, and irritability episodes of insomnia. The perception of loneliness as a consequence of the period of social distancing was also identified by most studies as associated with anxious and depressive outcomes and with an increased risk of suicidal ideation, as well as the increased use of alcohol, widely used as an escape from reality in the current context of economic resection, unemployment, indebtedness, and death of family and friends by COVID-19.

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Creating a Culture of Activism in the Education Doctorate

Impacting Education Journal on Transforming Professional Practice ◽

10.5195/ie.2021.128 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

pp. 53-56

Author(s):

Christine Lynn Mcclure

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Academic Research ◽

Institutions Of Higher Education ◽

Political Values ◽

Education Doctorate ◽

University Campuses ◽

College And University ◽

Specific Career ◽

College And University Campuses ◽

Activist Movements

Attempting to combine activism and scholarship would seem natural because most academic research is born out of a deep-rooted desire to change, eradicate, or transform a societal issue. As such, translating research into practice by way of activism would seem conventional for most scholars, because it is “informed by both personal and political values and the need to engage our emotional responses to the world around us” (Derickson & Routledge, 2015, p. 5). However, the elite, “ivory-tower” of the academy is not so accepting of scholar-activists. Perhaps it is because activism places higher education in the cross hairs of the criticisms, critiques, and call-outs that activism seeks to influence. Institutions of higher education have done a mediocre job at cultivating spaces for academics to freely engage in activism, as academics who desire to participate in activism face considerable and specific career-related risks (Flood et al., 2013). Loss of tenure, reduced opportunities for collaboration, decreased funding, isolation, and oftentimes physical threats are but a few strategies used against academics who openly participate in activism. While many activist movements have been birthed on college and university campuses, very few demonstrate a willingness to embrace the causes or individuals involved in these activist movements. As institutions of higher education try to strengthen both the policies and practices related to diversity, equity, and inclusion it is imperative that they also examine the oppressive structures, antiquated hiring practices, and exclusionary curriculum that inhibit the culture of activism from thriving. These three specific areas are the focus for this article.

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Features of changes of the functional state of higher nervous activity of the students of higher educational medical institutions in the dynamics of the academic year

Biomedical and Biosocial Anthropology ◽

10.31393/bba31-2018-01 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 5-10 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

V. M. Moroz ◽

S. Yu. Makarov

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Functional State ◽

Nervous Activity ◽

The Body ◽

Leading Indicators ◽

Institutions Of Higher Education ◽

Gradual Improvement ◽

Medical Institutions ◽

Higher Nervous Activity ◽

Academic Year

In the structure of the most important components to ensure the optimal course of processes of psychophysiological adaptation of student’s youth, a special place occupies a degree of psychophysiological readiness of the organism to effectively mastering professionally meaningful skills and actions. The purpose of the study is to determine the peculiarities of changes in the leading indicators of the functional state of higher nervous activity of students of medical institutions of higher education in the dynamics of the academic year. Determination of the level of development of indicators of the functional state of higher nervous activity of students was conducted during the academic year with the use of the licensed computer complex “Efecton Studio”. Statistical processing of the received materials was carried out on the basis of the use of parametric methods using the program package of multidimensional statistical analysis “Statistica 6.1”. The obtained results confirm the presence of certain regularities. First, attention should be paid to the deterioration during the period of stay in institutions of higher education in the medical profile of the expression of such indicators of the functional state of higher nervous activity as the speed of simple and differentiated visual-motor reactions and the balance of nervous processes. Secondly, it is necessary to determine stable results in the dynamics of the academic year, which are characteristic of the indicators of mobility of the nervous processes. Thirdly, it should be emphasized that for indicators of speed of audio-motor reaction the most typical tendency is gradual improvement in the dynamics of time of stay in medical institutions of higher education. Such a variety of palettes of the studied indicators of the degree of development of the leading indicators of the functional state of higher nervous activity of the body of students and students requires to be taken into account when assessing the psychophysiological status of the subjects and the development of a set of diagnostic means for identifying the processes of forming the functional capabilities and adaptive resources of youth, who receive medical education.

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An Investigation on Special Talent Exams in the Division of Art Teaching

Journal of Education and Training Studies ◽

10.11114/jets.v7i10s.4554 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 7 (10S) ◽

pp. 86

Author(s):

Selma Taşkesen

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Institutions Of Higher Education ◽

Art Teaching ◽

Survey Technique ◽

Descriptive Survey ◽

Academic Year ◽

The Universe

In this research, it is aimed to investigate the application, implementation and evaluation processes of the exam held by the Institutions of Higher Education in selecting students to the art teaching departments, which educate students with special talents in Turkey. This research is appropriate for the descriptive survey model. The document survey technique was applied in the research. The universe of the research consists of the Art Teaching Divisions, which take students with special talent exams in the 2018-2019 academic year. In the research, the sample was not determined to reach the whole universe. According to the findings of the research, the application conditions, implementation and evaluation of the special talent exams applied by the Institutions of Higher Education were found to have different and similar sides. As a result, although the application conditions, implementation and evaluation of the exams are similar, it has been concluded that the centralization of special talent exams will provide coherence.

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Graffiti on the Walls of Institutions of Palestinian Higher Education: Motives and Behavior: الكتابة على جدران مؤسسات التعليم العالي الفلسطينية - الدوافع والسلوك

المجلة العربية للعلوم ونشر الأبحاث مجلة العلوم الاقتصادية والإدارية والقانونية ◽

10.26389/ajsrp.m230120 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (9) ◽

Author(s):

Majed Khaleel Aljibrine, Samir Ahmad Abu-Zunied

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

University Students ◽

Qualitative Method ◽

Psychological Factor ◽

Point Of View ◽

Simple Random Sample ◽

Institutions Of Higher Education ◽

Exploratory Approach ◽

And Behavior ◽

Academic Year

The study aimed to identify the motives and behavior standing behind writing on the walls of institutions of higher education from the point of view of university students in Hebron Governorate. The researchers used the descriptive exploratory approach and the qualitative method through the structured interviewing tool. They developed a scale consisting of (19) items. Respondents asked to identify and order the most important (10) items from their own perspectives. The population of the study consists of (21813) subjects, the total of students according to official statistics issued in the second semester of the academic year (2019-2018) from the four universities in Hebron Governorate: Palestine Polytechnic University, Hebron University, Al Quds Open University with its three branches (Hebron, Yatta and Dura), and Palestine Technical University (PTU) Al- Aroub Branch. For the purpose of the study, a simple random sample of 679 students selected. The outcome of the study concluded that respondents identified and ordered the most important (10) items. They indicated that the "Psychological factor or drive", item 1, is the most important one, and (the motive of rumor, deception and dissemination of lies), item 7, is the last one while the (economic motive), item 19, is the least drive. In light of these results, the researchers present some useful recommendations. Forming expert committees at the universities is badly needed. Committees should be entitled with certain duties as: observing the writings of the students on the walls of the Palestinian higher education institutions, understanding their contents, identifying the needs of students, educating students about the importance of preserving university property, and prohibiting writing on its walls.

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The Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism Degree Courses: The Portugal and Spain Evolution

Journal of e-Learning & Higher Education ◽

10.5171/2020.401748 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-17

Author(s):

Elisabete PAULO MORAIS ◽

Carlos R. CUNHA ◽

João Pedro GOMES

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Information And Communication Technologies ◽

Hospitality Industry ◽

Communication Technologies ◽

Tourism Industry ◽

Institutions Of Higher Education ◽

Information And Communication ◽

Integration Of Ict ◽

Spanish Universities ◽

Academic Year

The Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) plays a major role in tourism, travel and hospitality industry. The Integration of ICT in the tourism industry is essential for success of tourism enterprise, as such it is necessary to integrate ICT in higher education curricula. This paper analyzes the relevance given by the various Portuguese and Spanish institutions of higher education to ICT in their degrees. The analysis carried out was done in degree courses operating in the academic year 2018/2019, in Portuguese and Spanish universities and polytechnics. A comparison was also made with the reality of 2012/2013.

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The COVID States Project #69: Student Attitudes About University COVID-19 Policies

10.31219/osf.io/dtxv3 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Kristin Lunz Trujillo ◽

Anjuli Shere ◽

Brennan Klein ◽

Katherine Ognyanova ◽

David Lazer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

University Students ◽

Survey Data ◽

Student Attitudes ◽

College Campuses ◽

Institutions Of Higher Education ◽

University Campuses ◽

Vaccination Rates ◽

Survey Sample ◽

Vaccine Mandates ◽

Students Attitudes

With the return of students to U.S. colleges and universities this September, more than 1,000 institutions of higher education have implemented COVID-19 vaccine mandates to keep COVID-19 cases low. The majority of students have complied with these mandates, and according to our recent survey data, nearly three-fourths of university students report having received at least one COVID-19 vaccine (Figure 1). Also according to our data, university students in the U.S. are getting vaccinated at around the same rate as the full survey sample. University students therefore may have slightly higher vaccination rates than others in their age group; according to our survey data, 67% of Americans aged 18-24 have received at least one vaccine.However, the contentiousness of COVID-19 vaccine mandates on university campuses echoes the broader societal divide on this issue. Many campuses have struggled with COVID-19 vaccine policy implementation and exemption requests, with some students even withdrawing in protest of the vaccine mandates.Given this trend, we take a closer look at university mandates on college campuses, including whether students can accurately say whether their institutions have COVID-19 vaccine policies.1 We also examine college students’ attitudes toward mandates on campus and in general, as well as student approval of their university administration’s handling of COVID-19 vaccination.

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Student Affairs as Change Agents

NASPA Journal ◽

10.2202/0027-6014.1219 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 40 (2) ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Kathleen Allen ◽

Cynthia Cherry

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Student Affairs ◽

Critical Role ◽

Change Agents ◽

Student Affairs Professionals ◽

Present Form ◽

Institutions Of Higher Education ◽

University Campuses ◽

Peter Drucker

Thirty years from now the big university campuses will be relics. Universities [in their present form] wont survive. Its as large a change as when we first got the printed book (Peter Drucker, 1997).Drucker is well known for identifying a trend before others see it. If his statement about universities turns out to be true, he foresees many changes ahead for higher education. This is not a surprise to many involved in higher education. However, the question of whether higher education can adapt and who can help facilitate these changes remain unclear. It is the authors belief that student affairs professionals have a critical role in helping their institutions to transform themselves in response to outside challenges. This article examines the dynamics of change in todays world, why traditional rules of change no longer apply, and identifies new realities of change. Finally it will suggest some strategies that student affairs professionals can apply in helping institutions of higher education to change.

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