Framework for the Structuring of Distance Education in Higher Education Institutions in the COVID-19 Pandemic Process

The aim of this study is to examine the structure, tasks, and resources of distance education centers of Turkey universities to determine the changes occurring in the centers during the pandemic process by interviews with center employees and to create the framework for the tasks and responsibilities of centers. For this purpose, the organizational structure, tasks, and resources of distance education centers were examined by websites and a variety of documents by content analysis. Then, new tasks, problems, and solutions in the COVID-19 pandemic process were examined with semi-structured interviews with center employees, and changes in the structuring of center were determined. According to results, it is seen that there are more support requests coming to the assessment and evaluation unit than the normal process, communication problems with instructors, slowing and delayed question checks, and technical problems.

Personal Emergency Alert Device Containing Real-Time Location

Purpose–The purpose of this study is to develop a Personal Emergency Alert Device Containing Real-time Location which can be used by anyone particularly women and children who need help especially in times of emergency. Method–Arduino Nano, Global Positioning System, and Global System for Mobile Communication were utilized as the main components of the device, which was evaluated in the aspect of appearance through its size, weight, product design, casing, and functionality through its accuracy in displaying information, text messaging capabilities, and location tracking. In order to optimize the product’s specifications, it underwent assessment and evaluation by experts in the field. The study used product development design. There were twenty (20) respondents in total, comprising of five (5) Electronics Engineer and fifteen (15) Electronics Engineering students who were selected using purposive sampling techniques. The responses were gathered from the students by handing out questionnaires, which were eventually tallied, tabulated, processed and treated using statistical treatment.Results–The structure of the device is excellent. The product also passed the evaluation of the expert respondents in terms of functionality since it is excellent in accessing the information, delivering the right information, and finding exact locations. The device is thus functional as it serves its purpose.Conclusion–The structure of the device is excellent. The product also passed the evaluation of the expert respondents in terms of functionality since it is excellent in accessing the information, delivering the right information, and finding exact locations. The device is thus functional as it serves its purpose.Recommendations–It is recommended that the product developers should reduce the device size. They should also ensure that the casing and design are attractive to make the device noticeable. Moreover, to further improve the functionality of the device, product developers should track the exactlocation instead of coordinates. They should also consider which cellular network works best for different places. Lastly, to augment the results and findings of this study, further research undertakings on this topic should be conducted.Research Implications–The users of this product can help summon assistance in case of emergency. Practical Implications–Anyone who is experiencing emergency cases will just press the button for them to be tracked and be saved.

Review on Assessment and Evaluation of Vitiligo in Primary Care

Vitiligo is an acquired skin disorder characterised by the disappearance of melanocytes, resulting in well-defined white patches that are frequently symmetrically distributed. The lack of melanin pigment makes the lesional skin more sensitive to sunburn. Vitiligo can be cosmetically disfiguring, and it is a stigmatising condition that can lead to serious psychologic problems in daily life. Vitiligo is treated with a variety of topical and systemic medications, phototherapy, laser therapy, and surgical therapy. Corticosteroids, calcineurin inhibitors, and vitamin-D analogues are examples of topical treatment modalities. Phototherapy is a highly effective treatment method. It causes repigmentation in the majority of patients with early and localised disease. Because vitiligo is associated with other autoimmune disorders, a multidisciplinary approach is required. Collaboration and communication between primary care physicians and dermatologists are critical. This review aims to assess role of primary care physicians in assessment and management of vitiligo in primary care settings.

Surveillance Publishing

This essay develops the idea of surveillance publishing, with special attention to the example of Elsevier. A scholarly publisher can be defined as a surveillance publisher if it derives a substantial proportion of its revenue from prediction products, fueled by data extracted from researcher behavior. The essay begins by tracing the Google search engine’s roots in bibliometrics, alongside a history of the citation analysis company that became, in 2016, Clarivate. The essay develops the idea of surveillance publishing by engaging with the work of Shoshana Zuboff, Jathan Sadowski, Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar, and Aziz Huq. The recent history of Elsevier is traced to describe the company’s research-lifecycle data-harvesting strategy, with the aim to develop and sell prediction products to unviersity and other customers. The essay concludes by considering some of the potential costs of surveillance publishing, as other big commercial publishers increasingly enter the predictive-analytics business. It is likely, I argue, that windfall subscription-and-APC profits in Elsevier’s “legacy” publishing business have financed its decade-long acquisition binge in analytics. The products’ purpose, moreover, is to streamline the top-down assessment and evaluation practices that have taken hold in recent decades. A final concern is that scholars will internalize an analytics mindset, one already encouraged by citation counts and impact factors.  

Assessing Civic Literacy in Elementary Social Studies amidst the Pandemic

Assessment in the zenith of the COVID-19 pandemic challenges the teacher’s administration of assessment and evaluation tools to identify learners’ pace in self-learning. This study examined elementary social studies teachers’ assessment tools and practices during the closing of schools and the zenith of distance learning through SLMs. Using content analysis, the researchers examined the SLMs (SLM) and the Most Essential Learning Competencies (MELCs) as the components of the emergency curriculum. The findings exposed the exquisite adaptation of conventional assessment tools among the types of assessment manifested in the SLM. Monitoring and feedbacking, reporting students’ ratings, and authenticity of students’ work were the common problems encountered by teaches. The researchers recommended the utilization of alternative assessment tools to better address the dynamics of civic literacy and flexible appraisal of student achievement. Using technology for assessment will also enhance the delivery of assessment instructions and easiness in validating students’ work.

Qur’an Translation and the Semantic Diversity: Assessment of Urdu Quran Translations (Application of Julian House Model of Quality Assessment)

The research study aims at evaluating the Urdu translation of Qur’an by Pakistani scholars according to the latest assessment models of translation. As different Models of Assessment and Evaluation have been devised for the translations of various types of text such as literary, religious, and technical, hence translation is not mere transfer of words and meanings but the whole culture and connotations of the text need to be transferred. The research study is unique in that it deals with the evaluation of the holy Words of Allah, the Qur’an. To assess the Urdu Translations of the Qur’an, we have selected Julian House Model for Assessment and Evaluation. Furthermore, the study has been narrowed down to Surat Dhuha (93). Rationally, all assessment model cannot be applied for the evaluation of Qur’an Translation, so we have selected the most recent translations of the Qur’an rendered by Mufti Taqi Usmani, Dr. Tahirul Qadri,Pir Karam Shah Azhari, Muhammad Hussain Najfi, Hafiz Salahudin Yousaf, Abul Ala Moudoodi, and Dr. Israr Ahmad.