Awareness of ergonomics among remotely working information technology professionals during COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional survey

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 47
Author(s):  
NikitaRajendra Dodwad ◽  
NishiMadan Dugar ◽  
AshokMurari Shyam ◽  
ParagKantilal Sancheti

Background: Information technology (IT) is a new way of teaching and learning. One of the promising media of information technology is e-Learning, which is used to enhance knowledge and skills among users. A student gains better and deep knowledge through a useful tool. This survey aimed to determine practices among medical students for e-Learning. Methods: This cross-sectional survey was conducted on 184 students amongst the 500 students currently enrolled in medical college. Data was collected using questionnaires and were analyzed through SPSS version 22. Chi-square was used for qualitative values. Results: Majority 90.80% (n=167) students were aware of e-Learning and were statistically high in first year students (p-value: 0.018). The student did not show statistically significant results for content learned through e-Learning with a p-value of 0.063. Different resources were used for e-Learning in which videos had the highest percentage (87.60%) and audios were used as the least resource for e-Learning (29.20%). Daily, 56% of the students use e-Learning for 1 hour or less and only 3% of the students used it for more than 4 hours. Conclusion: Majority of undergraduate medical students were aware of the use of e-Learning and most of them preferred e-Learning for their course work and studies showing a significant increase in understanding and use, compared to studies conducted earlier. Participants found e-Learning useful and effective tool in increasing knowledge and understanding of their subject. Keywords: e-Learning; Practices; Students.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
William TH Choi ◽  
Dan KS Yu ◽  
Terry Wong ◽  
Tella Lantta ◽  
Min Yang ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND Information technology and video gaming have potential advantages in the treatment of schizophrenia. However, information regarding the habits and attitudes related to internet use and video gaming in people with schizophrenia is limited. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to explore the habits and attitudes regarding video gaming and information technology usage and their associated factors in people with schizophrenia in Hong Kong. METHODS In this cross-sectional survey, service users with schizophrenia were recruited from 6 halfway hostels and 7 integrated centers for mental wellness in Hong Kong. A 79-item self-report questionnaire was utilized to explore the habits of internet use and video gaming in these people with schizophrenia. The attitude toward video gaming was assessed using the Gaming Attitudes, Motivations, and Experiences Scales. Of the 148 individuals in a convenience sample who were invited to participate in this study, 110 willingly participated (a response rate of 74.3%). The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, a two-tailed independent t test, Pearson correlation, and principal analysis with 3 methods of rotation (varimax, equimax, and promax). RESULTS Most participants (100/110, 90.9%) had access to the internet and half of them (54/110, 49.1%) used the internet daily mostly to watch videos (66/110, 60.0%) or read news or books, etc (42/110, 38.2%). One-third of the participants (36/110, 32.7%) used the internet to play web-based games, and most of them (88/110, 80.0%) had played a video game in the past year. The most favorable gaming platforms were cellular phones (43/88, 49%) followed by computers (19/88, 22%) and arcade cabinets (6/88, 7%). The most favorable game genre was action games (34/145, 23.4%). Those who had a bachelor’s degree or higher scored lower in social interaction than those with a lower education level (<i>P</i>=.03). Those who played video games daily scored higher in the category of story than those who did not play daily (t<sub>86</sub>=2.03, <i>P</i>=.05). The most popular gaming category was autonomy and the least popular categories were violent catharsis and violent reward. Two motives, “social playing” and “evasive playing,” were formed to describe the characteristics of playing video games. CONCLUSIONS Our data showed a high internet utilization rate among people with schizophrenia in Hong Kong. Only a few of them used the internet to search for health-related information. Our study also exemplified the unique habits of gaming among the participants. Health care professionals could utilize video games to engage people with schizophrenia and promote coping with stress and provide social skills training to such people with schizophrenia. Identification of the gaming attitudes can contribute to the development of serious games for the schizophrenic population. Further investigation is vital for the promotion of mental health through web-based platforms.


Author(s):  
Jeannette Van Dyk ◽  
Melinde Coetzee

Orientation: Retaining staff with scarce and critical skills in the medical and information technology (IT) industry has become a top priority because of skills shortages.Research purpose: The objectives of the study were to investigate empirically: (1) the relationship between employees’ satisfaction with organisational retention factors (measured by the Retention Factors Scale) and their organisational commitment (measured by the Organisational Commitment Questionnaire) and (2) whether gender, age, race and tenure groups differ significantly in terms of these variables.Motivation for the study: Medical and information technology professionals have specialised and hard to replace skills. They also have strong tendencies to leave their organisations and countries. Understanding the retention factors that will increase their organisational commitment may benefit the organisations who want to retain their valuable talent.Research design, approach and method: The researchers used a cross-sectional survey design to collect data from a purposive sample of 206 staff members who had scarce skills in a South African medical and information technology services company. Correlational and inferential statistics were computed to achieve the objectives.Main findings: The results showed that the participants’ satisfaction with retention factors has a significant relationship with their organisational commitment and that the biographical groups differ significantly in terms of the variables.Practical/managerial implications: The measured retention factors were all associated with human resource management practices that influence employees’ intentions to leave.Contribution/value-add: The results are important to managers who are interested in retaining staff who have scarce skills and provide valuable pointers for designing effective retention strategies.


Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 390
Author(s):  
Fuhong Zhang ◽  
Apurbo Sarkar ◽  
Hongyu Wang

The adoption of Internet and Information Technology (IIT) in organizations has been growing at a staggering pace. In agriculture, IIT has emerged from the prospects of modern agricultural structure, which profoundly bring revolution in the way of agribusiness. While the impacts of IIT for selecting productive sales and marketing channels is evidenced by the substantial literature in the field, there is a crucial research scope of inclusive analytical views, especially in an economics context. The prime objective of the article is to assess the impacts of IIT for choosing a productive sales and marketing channel. Moreover, we tend to find whether the usage of IIT can eventually foster the profitability of the farmers. The empirical set of data is collected from a cross-sectional survey conducted in Shandong province, China. We utilize the Ordinary Least-Squares (OLS) regression, propensity score matching (PSM), and Heckman’s two-stage regression approaches to craft the findings. The greater extent of the use of IIT, the more significant and positive the impact of agricultural income is. After using the Heckman regression and PSM model, IIT’s use significantly increases the efficiency for selecting the sales channel, and the impact on agricultural income is also prominent (around 40%). We also find that the supporting and nonagricultural income exceeded 30%. Finally, the outcomes of the study reveal significant positive impacts for selecting productive sales and marketing channels. On the basis of these findings, it is suggested that the government and relevant departments should strengthen the construction of agricultural information platforms and websites. Authorities should also extend the training facilities of fruit farmers regarding the use of IIT, which could be useful to boost the capability of fruit farmers to develop markets and promote the value chain.


2020 ◽  
pp. 14-26

Sequel to the realisation that youths champion violence and militancy in the Niger Delta Region, and the resolution of Umar Musa Yar’Aduas’ government to end insecurity, militancy, and youth restiveness in the region, the amnesty programme was declared, with skills training as itsmajor component.This study examined the relationship between amnesty programmes and skills training among ex-militants in the Niger Delta Region, Nigeria. The study used a cross-sectional survey research design. Questionnaires were distributed to 1152 participants purposively selected from communities in Rivers, Delta, and Bayelsa states. Elicited data were analysed using a simple linear statistical tool.The findings of the study revealthat amnesty programmes significantly enabled ex-militant to acquired skills in pipeline installation and repairs. It also showsthat amnesty programmes have apositive impact on the ex-militant acquisition of information technology skills. Further resultindicatesthat there is a significant relationship between amnesty programmes and ex-militant acquisition of automobile servicing skills.The study,therefore,concluded on the need for beneficiaries of the amnesty skills training to be supervised by experts in their field and should be provided with professional advice that would help build their confidence in their chosen career.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 205-215
Author(s):  
Bharat Bhushan ◽  
Raj K. Kovid ◽  
Deepa Kumari

This study uses the network approach of entrepreneurship to investigate the relationship between networks and the growth of entrepreneurial ventures. Most of the earlier researchers have maintained a static view of entrepreneurial networks which underplays the dynamic nature of networks. This study attempts to identify the major network characteristics during different growth stages of the ventures in the context of India. The data were collected from 173 information technology entrepreneurs through a cross-sectional survey. The study found that the characteristics of network diversity and network governance have a significant discriminative magnitude and thus play a significant role across all growth stages. Endorsement and embeddedness characteristics also have a significant discriminative magnitude but not in the initial stages. However, network inertia and relational mix were found to have a discriminative magnitude only during the survival and success stages of growth. Overall, the study contributes to further extend the dynamic view of entrepreneurial networks with evidences from an emerging market.


Author(s):  
Keri K. Stephens

Much of the research on mobile communication has been cross-sectional, focused on a single organization at one point in time. White-collar workers are the ones most often studied because they pioneered the use of mobile devices. When they first hear about this research, they’re shocked to learn that everyone doesn’t communicate like they do. People from all backgrounds should realize that their own assumptions can blind them to understanding and being compassionate about differences. It might be a violation of others’ hopes for a colleague or friend to be unreachable during work hours, but people must learn how to have conversations that re-set expectations and allow them to take control over their own time. Finally, armed with this information, human resources and information technology professionals can design BYOD policies that provide the training and support to allow all types of workers to use mobile devices productively.


10.2196/14865 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (7) ◽  
pp. e14865
Author(s):  
William TH Choi ◽  
Dan KS Yu ◽  
Terry Wong ◽  
Tella Lantta ◽  
Min Yang ◽  
...  

Background Information technology and video gaming have potential advantages in the treatment of schizophrenia. However, information regarding the habits and attitudes related to internet use and video gaming in people with schizophrenia is limited. Objective The aim of this study was to explore the habits and attitudes regarding video gaming and information technology usage and their associated factors in people with schizophrenia in Hong Kong. Methods In this cross-sectional survey, service users with schizophrenia were recruited from 6 halfway hostels and 7 integrated centers for mental wellness in Hong Kong. A 79-item self-report questionnaire was utilized to explore the habits of internet use and video gaming in these people with schizophrenia. The attitude toward video gaming was assessed using the Gaming Attitudes, Motivations, and Experiences Scales. Of the 148 individuals in a convenience sample who were invited to participate in this study, 110 willingly participated (a response rate of 74.3%). The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, a two-tailed independent t test, Pearson correlation, and principal analysis with 3 methods of rotation (varimax, equimax, and promax). Results Most participants (100/110, 90.9%) had access to the internet and half of them (54/110, 49.1%) used the internet daily mostly to watch videos (66/110, 60.0%) or read news or books, etc (42/110, 38.2%). One-third of the participants (36/110, 32.7%) used the internet to play web-based games, and most of them (88/110, 80.0%) had played a video game in the past year. The most favorable gaming platforms were cellular phones (43/88, 49%) followed by computers (19/88, 22%) and arcade cabinets (6/88, 7%). The most favorable game genre was action games (34/145, 23.4%). Those who had a bachelor’s degree or higher scored lower in social interaction than those with a lower education level (P=.03). Those who played video games daily scored higher in the category of story than those who did not play daily (t86=2.03, P=.05). The most popular gaming category was autonomy and the least popular categories were violent catharsis and violent reward. Two motives, “social playing” and “evasive playing,” were formed to describe the characteristics of playing video games. Conclusions Our data showed a high internet utilization rate among people with schizophrenia in Hong Kong. Only a few of them used the internet to search for health-related information. Our study also exemplified the unique habits of gaming among the participants. Health care professionals could utilize video games to engage people with schizophrenia and promote coping with stress and provide social skills training to such people with schizophrenia. Identification of the gaming attitudes can contribute to the development of serious games for the schizophrenic population. Further investigation is vital for the promotion of mental health through web-based platforms.


sjesr ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-40
Author(s):  
Dr. Intzar Hussain Butt ◽  
Sonia Iram ◽  
Ijaz Ahmad Tatlah

This study seeks to find out the use of information technology resources (ITRs) among university students in Punjab. These ITRs were provided by the Government of Punjab as an initiative to equip the knowledge society with these latest tools. It was an initial step towards the advancement of technology assets in the National IT Policy Pakistan 2000. The study was quantitative. A cross-sectional survey was conducted to collect the data. The target population was all the beneficiaries of e-youth initiatives at province Punjab. Convenient purposive sampling technique was used to collect the data. The sample of the study consisted of 76 beneficiaries of e-youth initiatives from the awarded universities. Analysis identified the use of information technology resources among the beneficiaries of e-youth initiatives. Results revealed that there is no significant difference in the usage of ITRs between male/female and hostelized/day scholar beneficiaries at the university level. All of them were utilizing ITRs under e-youth initiatives at the same level. Nowadays, information technology resources become very common for every student at the university level. Therefore, in the current scenario, there is a need to find out the impact of these information technology resources on academic performance and productivity of university students.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document