The Impact of Covid-19 amongst International Students in UNIMAS

The COVID-19 pandemic has altered the landscape of the education domain. It affects the way we teach, the way we learn, and imposes novel obstacles in the way institutions of higher learning conventionally manage themselves. While all students in higher learning institutions would certainly feel the impact, there is a need to focus on the experience of international students. In an effort to combat the pandemic, Malaysia has issued a directive for Movement Control Order (MCO), starting 18 March 2020. Amongst others, this directive directly affected all universities in the country. This study aims to explore the impact of COVID-19 amongst the international students in a higher education institution in Sarawak, Malaysia. Data was gathered via an online questionnaire adapted from the QS Survey Report 2020 on COVID-19. Our findings revealed that while most of the international students perceived their studies to be affected, most planned to continue with the programs that they were currently enrolled in. The students expressed deep concerns about the impact of the pandemic on their exams and classes and preferred reassurance in terms of updates on information related to academic matters.

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A Data Driven Change-point Epidemic Model for Assessing the Impact of Large Gathering and Subsequent Movement Control Order on COVID-19 Spread in Malaysia

10.1101/2020.11.20.20233890 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Sarat C. Dass ◽

Wai M. Kwok ◽

Gavin J. Gibson ◽

Balvinder S. Gill ◽

Bala M. Sundram ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Change Point ◽

Movement Control ◽

Disease Spread ◽

Time Period ◽

Before And After ◽

Quantitative Understanding ◽

Control Order ◽

Short Time ◽

The Impact ◽

Second Wave

AbstractThe second wave of COVID-19 in Malaysia is largely attributed to a mass gathering held in Sri Petaling between February 27, 2020 and March 1, 2020, which contributed to an exponential rise of COVID-19 cases in the country. Starting March 18, 2020, the Malaysian government introduced four consecutive phases of a Movement Control Order (MCO) to stem the spread of COVID-19. The MCO was implemented through various non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs). The reported number of cases reached its peak by the first week of April and then started to reduce, hence proving the effectiveness of the MCO. To gain a quantitative understanding of the effect of MCO on the dynamics of COVID-19, this paper develops a class of mathematical models to capture the disease spread before and after MCO implementation in Malaysia. A heterogeneous variant of the Susceptible-Exposed-Infected-Recovered (SEIR) model is developed with additional compartments for asymptomatic transmission. Further, a change-point is incorporated to model the before and after disease dynamics, and is inferred based on data. Related statistical analyses for inference are developed in a Bayesian framework and are able to provide quantitative assessments of (1) the impact of the Sri Petaling gathering, and (2) the extent of decreasing transmission during the MCO period. The analysis here also quantitatively demonstrates how quickly transmission rates fall under effective NPI implemention within a short time period.

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What Is Cheating?

Handbook of Research on Academic Misconduct in Higher Education - Advances in Higher Education and Professional Development ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-1610-1.ch001 ◽

2017 ◽

pp. 1-34 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Donna M. Velliaris

Keyword(s):

International Students ◽

Education Institution ◽

Academic Misconduct ◽

Bachelor's Degree ◽

First Year ◽

Online Questionnaire ◽

Business Information ◽

Entry Requirements ◽

New Students ◽

Insight Into

The Eynesbury Institute of Business and Technology (EIBT) is one of a growing number of private providers partnering with universities to attract international students early in their commitment to tertiary studies. EIBT offers diploma programs that comprise the equivalent courses as the first-year of a Bachelor's degree in Business, Information Technology (IT), or Engineering at the destination Higher Education Institution (HEI). EIBT provides a period of academic acculturation for international students whose English proficiency and/or previous academic results are below direct entry requirements. In 2015, 200+ ‘new' students were required to complete a mandatory online questionnaire during orientation. First-person narrative data was derived from students' responses to the open-ended question: What is cheating and why is it wrong? The findings provide insight into their understandings, which has helped facilitate opportunities for faculty to mitigate opportunities for academic misconduct in the context of this Institute.

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Growing a University’s Technological Infrastructure

Technology Integration in Higher Education - Advances in Higher Education and Professional Development ◽

10.4018/978-1-60960-147-8.ch007 ◽

2011 ◽

pp. 86-99

Author(s):

Stephen R. Rodriguez

Keyword(s):

Higher Learning ◽

Maturity Model ◽

Student Body ◽

Technological Infrastructure ◽

Administrative Services ◽

Planning Models ◽

Institutions Of Higher Learning ◽

Strategic Plans ◽

The University ◽

The Impact

This chapter considers concepts, planning models, and related processes associated with infrastructure growth at institutions of higher learning. The author offers various definitions of infrastructure, describes an infrastructure maturity model, and discusses strategies and models for related strategic planning. In addition, the chapter provides portions of actual strategic plans related to infrastructure. The chapter closes with a description of how the author’s home institution has grown its technological infrastructure in order to provide required administrative services, communications, and instruction to a growing student body engaged in an expanding curriculum. The impact of infrastructure growth on the university community is also discussed.

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Assessing the Impact of Social Media Use on Everyday Emotion in Health Crises: A Study of International Students in China during COVID-19

Healthcare ◽

10.3390/healthcare9081011 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (8) ◽

pp. 1011

Author(s):

Ebenezer Larnyo ◽

Baozhen Dai ◽

Jonathan Aseye Nutakor ◽

Sabina Ampon-Wireko ◽

Ruth Appiah ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

International Students ◽

Media Use ◽

Anxiety And Depression ◽

Online Questionnaire ◽

Social Media Use ◽

The Everyday ◽

Patient Health ◽

Path Modelling ◽

The Impact

Social media has become a valuable tool in providing an opportunity to stay in touch with one’s social networks, providing reassurance and practical advice to individuals to pre-empt panic and rumors in COVID-19. However, the implications of social media use on the everyday emotion (anxiety and depression) of users especially, international students, are not well understood. Thus, this study sought to examine the impact of social media use on the everyday emotion of international students in China during COVID-19. Using a structured online questionnaire based on modified questions from the generalized anxiety disorder 7 (GAD-7) and the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9) and social media use instruments, data were collected from 480 participants. Of the total responses received, 474 were further analyzed employing the Partial Least Squares Path Modelling (PLS-PM). This study showed a significant positive relationship between social media use and everyday emotion (B = 0.34, 95% CI (0.26, 0.44)). Additionally, self-rated anxiety and depression associated with social media use among international students were generally mild (n = 249, 52.50% and n = 350, 73.80%, respectively). Moderating effects revealed that age and sex do not significantly moderate the relationship between social media use and everyday emotion in COVID-19. Given the nature of social media among international students, who are also prone to suffering from anxiety and depression associated with social media use, the positive effect of social media use and everyday emotion, especially in COVID-19, has important implications for international students’ education stakeholders. Thus, gaining a deeper understanding of this relationship could enable them to harness social media and use it as a valuable tool to overcome the social distancing constraints in COVID-19.

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Digital Disinformation and the Need for Internet Co-regulation in Malaysia

Pertanika Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities ◽

10.47836/pjssh.29.s2.12 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 29 (S2) ◽

Author(s):

Mahyuddin Daud ◽

Ida Madieha Abd Ghani Azmi

Keyword(s):

Criminal Liability ◽

Self Regulation ◽

Movement Control ◽

Fake News ◽

Awareness Campaigns ◽

Internet Regulation ◽

Regulation Scheme ◽

Control Order ◽

Private Actors ◽

The Impact

The spread of fake news on Covid19 is causing public unrest and suspicion among citizens which is a challenge for countries facing the pandemic. The misinformation or disinformation which stems from uncertainties, unrest, and anxiety because of movement control order procedures, financial and economic hardship caused wrong information to spread like fire. Called as ‘info-demic’, it becomes a second source of virulent information that requires arresting just like the pandemic itself. Controlling fake news in the time of pandemic is a daunting problem that slaps Internet regulation at its face. On the Internet, lies spreads faster than truth and correcting misinformation means tonnes of work. This paper examines Internet self- and co-regulatory approaches in selected jurisdictions to reduce the impact of fake news on governments, industry, and private actors. In applying content analysis as a qualitative research method, the first section analysed specific legislations enacted by parliaments to criminalise the acts of disseminating and publishing fake news. The second section examines legislative and administrative efforts to impose civil and criminal liability on platform providers to monitor online content. The final section analysed self-regulatory efforts to introduce online fact-checking portals and awareness campaigns. This paper argues that Internet self-regulation scheme in Malaysia is not bringing the desired result in the scope of maintaining peace and security of the nation. Considering how dangerous disinformation can cause to the society, more so in global emergency like the present Covid19 pandemic, it is submitted that Internet co-regulation is more suitable if the social, moral and cultural fabric of the society is to be maintained.

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Survey of Indian Medical Students’ Adaptation in Kazakhstan: Psychological, Sociocultural, and Academic Dimensions

Education & Self Development ◽

10.26907/esd.16.4.03 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (4) ◽

pp. 25-35

Author(s):

Gulzhana Kuzembayeva ◽

◽

Zhumagul Maydangalieva ◽

Bakit Kulbaeva ◽

Anara Urkunova ◽

...

Keyword(s):

International Students ◽

Education Institution ◽

Psychological Adaptation ◽

Adaptation Level ◽

Study Results ◽

Academic Adaptation ◽

Second Year ◽

The Republic ◽

West Kazakhstan ◽

The Impact

This study investigated international students’ adaptation experience in a higher education institution. A sociological survey was conducted among one hundred and seventy Indian students in their first and second year of medical studies at West Kazakhstan Marat Ospanov Medical University, Aktobe, the Republic of Kazakhstan. Against the background of many studies in this field, this topic is contextualized within the higher medical education system in the western region of Kazakhstan. The study helps to improve understanding of such phenomena as international students’ dimensions of psychological, sociocultural, and academic adaptation. The differences in the various dimensions of adaptation from the gender perspective and the year of study were investigated. The impact of the adaptation level on the students’ study achievements was assessed. The study results demonstrated challenges in psychological adaptation in the first-year international students, which decreased over time. The differences in the psychological, sociocultural, and academic adaptability between girls and boys were not statistically significant. Second-year international students felt more emotionally comfortable and psychologically safe in the group, and this reflected their high grades GPA. Based on the findings, the authors propose recommendations on how to improve the international students’ comfortableness in the Kazakhstani university setting.

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Air Quality Impact during COVID-19: A Case Study in One Institute of Higher Learning (IHL) in Malaysia

Journal of Southwest Jiaotong University ◽

10.35741/issn.0258-2724.56.3.7 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 56 (3) ◽

pp. 72-82

Author(s):

Farrah Anuar ◽

Norzila Othman ◽

Wahid Ali Hamood Altowayti ◽

Nurina Fitriani

Keyword(s):

Particulate Matter ◽

Movement Control ◽

Higher Learning ◽

Air Contamination ◽

Control Order ◽

Novel Coronavirus ◽

Spread Of Infection ◽

Particulate Matter 2.5 ◽

And Control

Novel coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19) was first detected in Wuhan, China, soon its rapid escalation in global and become global spread of infection including Malaysia. The principal cases in Malaysia were distinguished on 25th January 2020. The number of cases keeps on ascending since March 2020 until Malaysia has the highest number of cases in Southeast Asia. Therefore, to respond and control the COVID-19 pandemic in the country, the 2020 Movement Control Order (MCO) is implemented. The MCO actualizes a movement of reasonable steps to control advance flare-ups of COVID-19 within the country, counting closing down all organization and private premises aside from those related with "fundamental administrations" and several parts with government permission, and travel disallowances on all outsiders entering Malaysia and on Malaysians taking off the country. Correspondingly, this MCO has brought about the decrease of air contamination as the number of engine vehicles and the activity of businesses is suspended. This study aims to determine the concentrations of particulate matter 2.5 at the selected monitoring stations in UTHM and to correlate environmental factor which is wind speed and wind direction with the Particulate Matter 2.5. This study uses PM2.5 fixations to explain the air pollution before to MCO, stages I, II, III, and IV, where the contingent MCO is actualized. Such outcomes relate to the air contamination list as it was discovered that the PM2.5 fixations showed a high decrease of up to -74 μg/m3 during Phase IV MCO.

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