Enhancing the student experience through sustainable Communities of Practice

Introduction: The switch to online off-campus teaching for universities worldwide due to COVID-19 will transform into more sustainable and predictable delivery models where virtual and local student contact will continue to be combined. Institutions must do more to replace the full student experience and benefits of learners and educators being together. Methods: Our centre has been delivering distance blended and online learning for more than 40 years and has over 4000 alumni across five continents. Our students and alumni come from varied healthcare disciplines and are at different stages of their career as educators and practitioners. Whilst studying on the programme students work together flexibly in randomly arranged peer groups designed to allow the establishment of Communities of Practice (CoP) through the use of online Discussion Boards. Results: We found Discussion Boards encouraged reflection on learning, sharing of ideas with peers and tutors, reduce anxiety, support progression, and enable benchmarking. This led to a highly effective student sense of belonging to each other, our educators, and the wider University, with many highlighting an excellent student experience and maintaining a thriving CoP within the alumni body. Conclusion: Despite being based on one large postgraduate programme in medical education, our CoP approach is relevant to any undergraduate programme, particularly those that lead to professional qualification. With our mix of nationalities, we can ‘model the way’ for enabling strong CoP’s to share ideas about best practice with a strong student and alumni network which can be shared across the international healthcare community.

THE SUDDEN SHIFT IN DISTANCE EDUCATION IN PALESTINIAN UNIVERSITIES: TECHNICAL SUPPORT AND PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATION

This study aimed to identify the types of technical support provided by Palestinian universities to teachers in distance education in the light of the Covid-19 crisis. It examined the possibilities of developing technical support and qualifying teachers that can be provided by the information and communication technology center in there in order to improve the quality of distance education from the teachers' point of view. The researchers used the interview as a tool for the study, and the results obtained were analyzed using the grounded theory in qualitative research. The results showed that the support provided to them was the result of psychological, professional and social motives that affected the phenomenon, and the researchers recommended the need to train teachers on the use of distance education, and the demand for it and the use of applications in education, and the study also recommended that teachers improve their attitudes towards distance education‎.

Addressing the Trajectory of Cultural and Gender Discrimination among Marine Women Officers

Seafaring is openly challenging working circumstances for females. For the last twenty-two years, females in western countries have been interested in joining the fleet, but as the captaincy roles aboard, their numbers are minimal compared to other jobs. In every working place, females always face many unusual problems, which are more in seafaring. The manuscript derives the discrimination factors of marine women officers (MWOs) onboard due to cultural (or racial) or being a woman using the experiences of 149 women officers from 18 different countries. Two experiences such as onboard discrimination due to cultural reasons (DDCR) and not being promoted in the company as being women (NPCW) for MWOs are considered the responses in the present study. It was found out that mean DDCR is positively associated with age (P=0.0313), nationality (P=0.0047), current position onboard (P=0.1051), while it is negatively associated with cohabitation (P=0.0137) and type of contract (P=0.0719). Variance of DDCR is negatively associated with male companions' support (P=0.1432). Also, mean NPCW is negatively associated with her male companions' support (P<0.0001), while its variance is positively associated with professional qualification (P=0.1317). It was found out herein that MWOs from other nations (except Spanish) at older ages, second class officers, staying single with temporary contracts are highly discriminated against based on cultural (or racial) reasons. In addition, MWOs with higher male companions' support are very rarely promoted in the company.

Comparative analysis of awareness of medical professionals in three Balkan countries (Bulgaria, Croatia, and Slovenia) of continuing education of medical professionals in the area of pharmaceutical policy in the respective countries

Aim: The objectives of our study were to establish the extent to which medical professionals are willing to upgrade their skills, to find out whether they have to resort often in their daily work to the support of colleagues in matters related to pharmaceutical policy, and to find out if they attend any forms of continuing education and whether such forms are available at their workplaces. The study also aimed to establish what web-based forms of continuous education the graduated medical professionals in Bulgaria, Croatia, and Slovenia know and consider to be up-to-date and adequate to their needs for specialised training programmes which ensure that their knowledge will be adequate to the constantly evolving environment in the area of pharmaceutical policy and pharmaceutical regulation. Materials and methods: A survey was carried out among a representative sample drawn from three Balkan countries: Bulgaria, Croatia, and Slovenia. The survey was based on voluntary participation and relied on the &lsquo;snowballing&rsquo; technique in order to recruit respondents and disseminate questionnaires. Results: The results from the study demonstrate that the respondents are willing to, and are aware that they should, join forms of continuing education in the area of pharmaceutical policy since some of them encounter certain challenges related to the level of their knowledge in this domain, and that the deployment of specialised online programmes and other activities (such as workshops, conferences, etc.) for professional qualification of employees will certainly contribute to the enhancement of their qualification and to the improvement of the health services provided to citizens. Conclusions: To keep in pace with modern trends in the area of postgraduate education, the medical universities which are most trusted by the respondents from the three countries included in survey as well as the career development services providers which offer postgraduate training courses should focus on the development and implementation of innovative forms of web-based postgraduate/upskilling education in the area of pharmaceutical policy to ensure that more potential learners can join and update their understanding of this dynamic and rapidly evolving area of scientific knowledge.

START-UP VENTURES: EMERGING TRENDS AND IT’S IMPACT ON GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT OF INDIAN ECONOMY

Changes in the environment lead to generation of ideas to combat the difficulties related to particular time period. Concept of startup is not an exception of it. Various factors giving push for growth of startups in India includes Individuals urge on gaining professional qualification, mobile penetration and increasing internet connectivity, Government initiatives are some of the reasons that affect the decision of starting a venture. Government’s initiative of Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat has instilled some sense of confidence in young entrepreneurs to come up with business ideas and side by side Covid 19 pandemic has led to increase in number of ventures related Internet. Today’s environment seems to be more helpful to entrepreneurs in terms of government support. It is about the constant motivation individuals are getting from leader of the nation. No doubt journey to start a venture is not an easy task but continuous assurance from a leader makes people more confident. Startups in India are not only proving itself beneficial for nation’s economy but also for the individuals who are underemployed or are not satisfied with their current working situation and satisfaction is the key component in delivering the best in each and every sphere of life.

Valuers’ Perception of Expert Witnessing in Real Estate Litigation Practice in Ibadan, Oyo State

The study examined the valuers’ perception of expert witnessing in real estate litigation in Ibadan, Oyo State with the aim of improving professional practice. Primary data was collected from respondents 103 registered valuers (RSV) drawn using systematic random sampling technique from 158 financial members contained in the Estate Surveyors and Valuers Registration Board of Nigeria (ESVARBON) directory. Data collected from 87 returned questionnaires were analysed using frequency, percentage distribution, mean scores and factor analysis. The result established that rent dispute was the commonest real estate litigation where Valuers as an expert witness had been involved. The result shows that expert witnesses in the study area were experienced professional valuers who could sufficiently guide decision making in real estate litigations and give objective and sound evidence. Also, the findings showed that there is no statistically significant variation between the professional qualification and their level of engagement in real estate litigation as the p>.05 level for respondents [F(2,76)=.067, p= .935] for ESV. This infers that the respondents’ involvement in litigation was not a function of professional qualification of the respondents. The study recommended that for efficient expert witnessing in real estate litigations, valuers need to understand the procedures of being an expert witness and develop sufficient knowledge in the area of expert witnessing.

ВИКОРИСТАННЯ НАЗВ ПРОФЕСІЙНИХ КВАЛІФІКАЦІЙ В ОСВІТНЬО-ПРОФЕСІЙНИХ ПРОГРАМАХ 016.01 – ЛОГОПЕДІЯ ПЕРШОГО (БАКАЛАВРСЬКОГО) РІВНЯ ВИЩОЇ ОСВІТИ

The practice of using the professional qualifications names which are awarded to higher education applicants is examined in the article based on the analysis of educational and professional programs of specialty 016 Special education with specialization 016.01 – speech therapy of the first (bachelor’s) higher education level of some higher educational institutions. It is noted that the availability of recommended list of professional qualifications of the specializations which are established of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine in the Standard of higher education of Ukraine of the first (bachelor’s) higher education level of specialty 016 Special education is a more important issue and therefore requires the attention of scientists. It is found out that questions of using professional qualifications names in educational and professional programs of specialty 016.01 Special education (Speech therapy) are solved differently. Mostly in such programs, direction to assigning to higher education applicants, who have successfully completed it, the professional qualification of «speech therapist», to a lesser extent – «teacher-speech therapist assistant» is observed. It is stated that not one of directories of the qualification characteristics workers’ professions operating in Ukraine does not contain the qualification characteristics of a speech therapist and the requirements for the educational degree of the employee required to hold the position of a speech therapist have not concretized enough. The absence of qualification characteristics of a speech therapist to a certain extent causes problems in determining the list of main jobs that are inherent to this position (profession). Taking into account the level of complexity of the problems which to be solved by a speech therapist and teacher-speech therapist assistants in professional activity, the idea was proposed of orienting educational and professional programs of specialty 016 Special education with specialization 016.01 – speech therapy of the first (bachelor’s) higher education level for preparation only speech therapists awarding its graduates the professional qualification of «speech therapist». In turn, the preparation of teacher-speech therapist assistants should be carried out according to the educational and professional programs of the initial level (short cycle) of higher pedagogical education. Of point of view the existing close connection between a teacher-speech therapist and a speech therapist, it is proposed to reconsider the qualification requirements for the primary position of teacher-speech therapist, providing the possibility of its occupation by persons with a bachelor’s degree. Key words: educational and professional program, educational qualification, professional qualification, speech therapist, assistant teacher-speech therapist.

Knowledge and Adherence to COVID-19 Preventive Measures: A Continental Review

Background: The burden of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has been on the rise since it was first reported in December 2019. COVID-19 has devastated global economy, public health, social interaction, and has claimed millions of lives globally within a few months. Due to the severe effect of some of the instituted guidelines on citizens and the economy, some of the policies in place to curtail the spread were receded. Hence, the present review aims to assess existing literature on the knowledge and adherence of Africans toward the COVID-19 preventive measures. Methods: Studies focused on Africans’ knowledge and adherence to COVID-19 preventive measures were selected using Google Scholar, Scopus, and PubMed databases. Preprints that have not been peer-reviewed, reviews, and non-COVID-19 studies were excluded. Results: All selected studies showed a satisfactory knowledge of respondents about COVID-19 but poor level of adherence to the preventive measures. Good knowledge and satisfactory level of adherence was common mostly among the clinical health workers, highly educated, and those with higher professional qualification, while poor knowledge and poor practice was observed mostly among rural dwellers, people of poor educational background, and those unable to read and write. Conclusion: This review identified a relatively good knowledge about COVID-19 from all the studies, however, the level of adherence to preventive measures was poor. We recommend that the populace adhere to the laid guidelines to ensure the spread of the virus is curbed while also enhancing the eradication of the pandemic. Keywords: COVID-19, adherence, knowledge, preventive measures, Africa

ADAPTATION OF YOUNG PEOPLE ON THE LABOR MARKET: DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN EXPERIENCE

The article considers the process of adaptation of young people in the labour market. It has been determined that the main adaptation barriers for young people in the modern Ukrainian labour market are: low competitiveness; lack of the majority of young people with the necessary knowledge and skills for self-determination in the labour market, career development, negotiating with employers on employment issues; inconsistency of the professional qualification structure of youth with the needs of the economy and the available vacancies; lack of a mechanism to ensure the relationship between the labour market and the market of educational services; backwardness of personnel policy of most organizations, focused mainly on achieving current results, rather than on long-term development. It is analyzed that the successful adaptation ends, as a rule, with stable employment, adoption of laws of the labour market functioning. Violations of young people's adaptation in the labour market can have serious consequences, the main of which are chronic unemployment of large groups of young people, negative impact on socio-psychological development of young people, frustration at work as a means of personal self-realization.