scholarly journals Reports on the materiality of disability in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic from a damaged land

2021 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nádia Meinerz ◽  
Débora Allebrandt ◽  
Agaítalo Vasconcelos Júnior

This article aims to describe changes in the routine of people with disabilities in face of Covid19 pandemic and the ongoing coping measures underway in the state of Alagoas, in northeast Brazil. Data from in-depth interviews with subjects marked by different experiences of visual, hearing, motor and intellectual impairment are analyzed here. Participants are part of an extension project, started in 2019, under the responsibility of the first author of this article. The project changed the routine of the university in face of the presence, circulation and engagement of bodies and minds that escape the conventions of normality in the academic space. The interactions, mediated by a series of applications of digital communication, addressed the following issues: 1) the loss of individual and/or family income resulting from the pandemic, and its impact on their material conditions of existence; 2) the emergence of new demands related to physical and mental health as well as changes in previous therapeutic strategies; 3) the characterization of access to communication technologies, the new possibilities and restrictions for maintaining extra-family bonds, such as contact with friends, participation in social mobilizations and in academic activities. In the analysis, we focused on the mutual dynamics of care, especially the engagement in support and assistance practices from family and friends. The attention to changes in the environment from the different collective demands in face of the pandemic exposes some displacements in the ways of embodying disability as well as the ability to give powerful responses to complex demands for adaptation. The intersection between different social markers of difference, like race, gender and class is also central to the identification of continuities, which involve the pre-existence of physical distance as a reality of disability.

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. p87
Author(s):  
Dr Elizabeth Opit ◽  
Dr Nabukeera Madinah ◽  
Ms. Namubiru Aisha

Through the use of a phenomenological approach this study explored lived experiences of breast-feeding student mothers in the face of missing institutionalized on-campus child care arrangements at Kyambogo University (KyU). Specifically, the study sought to; identify the missing institutionalized on-campus child care arrangements at the university, establish the dilemmas breast feeding student mothers experience in undertaking the dual roles of mother and student hood due to the missing institutionalized on campus child care arrangements at KyU and examine the effect of the missing institutionalized on campus child care arrangements on undertaking of academic activities by breast-feeding student mothers. A total of 10 breast feeding student mothers were interviewed and data was analyzed using themes. Results indicated that the following institutionalized on-campus child care arrangements were missing at Kyambogo University; adequately furnished baby care rooms, baby playgrounds, immunization and pediatric medical services, professional nannies, child care responsive; teaching time tables, teaching sessions, time frames for course work assignments, tests and examinations’ undertakings, and child care responsive-remedial lessons. Dilemmas of breast feeding student mothers’ in this scenario included choosing between; baby-sitting vs attending lectures, completing a lecture vs breastfeeding a crying hungry baby, undertaking child bonding activities vs undertaking academic activities, completing an exam or a test vs breast feeding a crying hungry baby, baby care vs attending academic group discussion and baby care vs completing a coursework assignment in time. Student mothers at KyU have devised means of coping and have learnt how to resolve the tension of combining motherhood and education in an academic environment without on-campus childcare arrangements so as to pave a brighter career and family future. Such strategies included; receiving child care support from family and student friends, use of privately hired nannies, ignoring one of the two roles, time tabling the activities for the two roles, creating extra time to read, and getting help from spouses. The voices of the interviewees revealed that when the two roles were in conflict, they would rather miss academic activities than abandon their babies especially in critical times like when the babies were sick. It was therefore recommended that KyU considers putting in place various instututionalised on campus arrangements as a critical resource that will enhance academic undertakings of breast-feeding student mothers in their pursuit of Higher Education.


Author(s):  
Rodrigo Otávio Moretti-Pires ◽  
Dalvan Antônio de Campos ◽  
Zeno Carlos Tesser Junior ◽  
João Batista de Oliveira Junior ◽  
Bárbara de Oliveira Turatti ◽  
...  

Abstract: Introduction: The challenges brought by the continuity of the university teaching-learning process in the face of the measures to combat the pandemic of COVID-19 made the debate on the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in medical education more important. Several strategies were used by teachers worldwide to continue their teaching activities. Objective: to investigate the strategies and uses of ICT in medical education in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: Five databases were systematically assessed, using the terms “COVID-19”, “medical education”, “higher education” and “students”, in Portuguese, English and Spanish, resulting in 321 initial citations, with 18 final references after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Result: Four key topics were identified in the literature: (1) Challenges for Medical Education prior to COVID-19; (2) Challenges in migrating to remote education; (3) Strategies to overcome challenges related to the learning environment; and (4) Strategies to overcome challenges related to assessments and exams. Conclusion: The use of ICT in medical education in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic showed to be especially important, with considerations regarding the improvement in areas that were already used, the migration of some more articulated areas and experiences in clinical and procedural disciplines. There was also concern about the impacts of using ICT to replace the in-person presence of students in medical learning environments.


2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 98-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Carlos Torres-Diaz ◽  
Josep M. Duart ◽  
Mónica Hinojosa-Becerra

In this work, we determined, the level of incidence of the use of technologies on academic success and the incidence of interaction and experience on the level of plagiarism of university students. A sample of 10,952 students from 31 face-to-face universities in Ecuador was created. Students were classified based on their experience level, level of interaction with teachers and classmates, and the use they do with technology for academic activities. The results showed that the level of experience does not affect academic success, but does have an incidence on plagiarism levels that increase as this experience increases. Plagiarism reaches higher levels when level of experience, family income and hours of connection per day increases. Academic performance depends on the number of hours that students seek information and the number of academic videos they watch. Also, plagiarism tends to decrease as the student makes better use of technology for their academic activities.


Author(s):  
Rodrigo Otávio Moretti-Pires ◽  
Dalvan Antônio de Campos ◽  
Zeno Carlos Tesser Junior ◽  
João Batista de Oliveira Junior ◽  
Bárbara de Oliveira Turatti ◽  
...  

Abstract: Introduction: The challenges brought by the continuity of the university teaching-learning process in the face of the measures to combat the pandemic of COVID-19 made the debate on the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in medical education more important. Several strategies were used by teachers worldwide to continue their teaching activities. Objective: to investigate the strategies and uses of ICT in medical education in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: Five databases were systematically assessed, using the terms “COVID-19”, “medical education”, “higher education” and “students”, in Portuguese, English and Spanish, resulting in 321 initial citations, with 18 final references after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Result: Four key topics were identified in the literature: (1) Challenges for Medical Education prior to COVID-19; (2) Challenges in migrating to remote education; (3) Strategies to overcome challenges related to the learning environment; and (4) Strategies to overcome challenges related to assessments and exams. Conclusion: The use of ICT in medical education in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic showed to be especially important, with considerations regarding the improvement in areas that were already used, the migration of some more articulated areas and experiences in clinical and procedural disciplines. There was also concern about the impacts of using ICT to replace the in-person presence of students in medical learning environments.


2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christiana Soares de Freitas

Resumo Em 2010, teve início projeto acadêmico com o objetivo de adotar, em algumas disciplinas de uma universidade pública brasileira, planos híbridos de ensino. Nesses planos, foram incorporadas novas práticas utilizando recursos tecnológico-informacionais. O artigo apresenta os resultados de pesquisa, realizada após a adoção do plano híbrido, com os objetivos centrais de identificar as percepções docentes e discentes sobre a experiência realizada e de verificar as habilidades individuais que viabilizam – ou não – a adoção das novas práticas. A pesquisa utilizou instrumentos quantitativos (questionários) e qualitativos (entrevistas semi-estruturadas) para a coleta de dados. Apesar da constatação de vários fatores positivos à hibridização, como a aceitação das novas práticas por um grande número de docentes e discentes, foram observadas consideráveis limitações relativas às condições materiais e à cultura organizacional existentes, dificultando a adoção ampliada das práticas inovadoras propostas.Palavras-chave Hibridização; práticas de ensino; tecnologias da informação e comunicação; percepções; capital tecnológico-informacionalAbstract In 2010, an academic project was adopted with the main goal of establishing a hybrid teaching program for some disciplines in a Brazilian public university. In this program some new practices were adopted using technological-information resources. This article presents the results of a research carried out after this adoption. The main goals of the research were to identify the perceptions of professors and students regarding the experience and verify their individual abilities that could foster – or not – the adoption of the proposed new practices. The research used quantitative (questionnaires) and qualitative (semi-structured interviews) instruments. Despite of some positive factors found in the data collected that tend to stimulate the changes, such as the acceptance of the hybridization by a significant number of professors and students, there are some considerable limitations and challenges that need attention. These limitations are mainly related to material conditions of the university and its organizational culture, making the plain and massive adoption of the initiative significantly difficult.Keywords Hybridization; teaching practices; information and communication technologies; perceptions; technological-information capital


2002 ◽  
Vol 69 ◽  
pp. 117-134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stuart M. Haslam ◽  
David Gems ◽  
Howard R. Morris ◽  
Anne Dell

There is no doubt that the immense amount of information that is being generated by the initial sequencing and secondary interrogation of various genomes will change the face of glycobiological research. However, a major area of concern is that detailed structural knowledge of the ultimate products of genes that are identified as being involved in glycoconjugate biosynthesis is still limited. This is illustrated clearly by the nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans, which was the first multicellular organism to have its entire genome sequenced. To date, only limited structural data on the glycosylated molecules of this organism have been reported. Our laboratory is addressing this problem by performing detailed MS structural characterization of the N-linked glycans of C. elegans; high-mannose structures dominate, with only minor amounts of complex-type structures. Novel, highly fucosylated truncated structures are also present which are difucosylated on the proximal N-acetylglucosamine of the chitobiose core as well as containing unusual Fucα1–2Gal1–2Man as peripheral structures. The implications of these results in terms of the identification of ligands for genomically predicted lectins and potential glycosyltransferases are discussed in this chapter. Current knowledge on the glycomes of other model organisms such as Dictyostelium discoideum, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Drosophila melanogaster is also discussed briefly.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fariha Azalea

University is relatively considered a stressful moment in the life of students due to numerous academic workloads and academic activities. The situation is further aggravated by the fact that some university students are in emerging adulthood, a developmental period which is psychologically fraught with uncertainty, instability and identity issues among others. Added to these, the context of most universities like Cameroon which is marred with political, economic and social turbulence common to other developing societies in the sub Saharan region makes life unbearable. Looking at the challenges that confront tertiary education students in the third decade of life, increases possibilities of fears that they will founder thus narrowing the route to a blossomed transition into adulthood and through the university from home into the world of work. However, observations reveal that some have remained hopeful as they continuously believe in themselves and their worth. As such, they have resiliently shrugged off the vast burden placed on them by the adult society as they struggle intentionally with continuous efforts to succeed. Being hopeful and self-efficacy beliefs are observed to be some of the effective drivers that pull emerging adults through the storms of university transition thus facilitating positive development into subsequent life stages. Unfortunately just a paucity of literature albeit theoretically actually narrates via scholarly corridors the monumental successes recorded by students as they sail flourishingly through university in the midst of storms an in the third decade of life. This paper examines and addresses the foregoing through the lenses of some theories.


Author(s):  
Azadeh Assadi ◽  
Peter C. Laussen ◽  
Patricia Trbovich

Background and aims: Children with congenital heart disease (CHD) are at risk of deterioration in the face of common childhood illnesses, and their resuscitation and acute management is often best achieved with the guidance of CHD experts. Access to such expertise may be limited outside specialty heart centers and the fragility of these patients is cause for discomfort among many emergency medicine physicians. An understanding of the differences in macrocognition of these clinicians could shed light on some of the causes of discomfort and facilitate the development of a sociotechnological solution to this problem. Methods: Cardiac intensivists (CHD experts) and pediatric emergency medicine physicians (non-CHD experts) in a major academic cardiac center were interviewed using the critical decision method. Interview transcripts were coded deductively based on Klein’s macrocognitive framework and inductively to allow for new or modified characterization of dimensions. Results: While both CHD-experts and non-CHD experts relied on the macrocognitive functions of sensemaking, naturalistic decision making and detecting problems, the specific data and mental models used to understand the patients and course of therapy differed between CHD-experts and non-CHD experts. Conclusion: Characterization of differences between the macrocognitive processes of CHD experts and non-CHD experts can inform development of sociotechnological solutions to augment decision making pertaining to the acute management of pediatric CHD patients.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 6363
Author(s):  
Johanna Andrea Espinosa-Navarro ◽  
Manuel Vaquero-Abellán ◽  
Alberto-Jesús Perea-Moreno ◽  
Gerardo Pedrós-Pérez ◽  
Pilar Aparicio-Martínez ◽  
...  

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are key to create sustainable higher education institutions (HEIs). Most researchers focused on the students’ perspective, especially during the online teaching caused by COVID-19; however, university teachers are often forgotten, having their opinion missing. This study’s objective was to determine the factors that contribute to the inclusion of ICTs. The research based on a comparative study through an online qualitative survey focused on the inclusion and use of ICTs in two HEIs and two different moments (pre-and post-lockdowns). There were differences regarding country and working experience (p < 0.001), being linked to the ICTs use, evaluation of obstacles, and the role given to ICTs (p < 0.05). The COVID-19 caused modifications of the teachers’ perspectives, including an improvement of the opinion of older teachers regarding the essentialness of ICTs in the teaching process (p < 0.001) and worsening their perception about their ICTs skill (p < 0.05). Additionally, an initial model focused only on the university teachers and their use of ICTs has been proposed. In conclusion, the less experienced university teachers used more ICTs, identified more greatly the problematic factors, and considered more important the ICTs, with the perception of all teachers modified by COVID-19.


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