Impact and success factors of online education methods at university level in times of COVID-19: a case study of Paraguay [Scholarly Article - International Journal of Technology Enhanced Learning, January 2023]

Title:

Impact and success factors of online education methods at university level in times of COVID-19: a case study of Paraguay

 

Authors:

Anahi Ibanez, Augustinus Van Der Krogt & Michael Neubert  

 

Published:

International Journal of Technology Enhanced Learning, 1 January 2023

https://dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.1504/ijtel.2023.127937

Abstract:

The drastic changes that COVID-19 has brought along include the necessity to introduce new forms of online university education. This article compares the impact of the change from face-to-face to online classes on student performance and satisfaction and identifies key success factors for effective online teaching. The study is based on the comparison of 34 face-to-face and online courses in 2019 and 2020 among 416 students of the 1e to 4e-year from the degree programs of the Faculty of Business Sciences of the German Paraguayan University in Paraguay. The study provides a methodology to identify and measure the success factors for an effective change to online education and provides practical lessons learned on the effective integration of digital tools in the teaching and learning process, relevant for other universities in developing and developed countries alike.

 

COVID was a setback for indigenous languages: South African lecturers on what went wrong [The Conversation, August 2022]

Title:

COVID was a setback for indigenous languages: South African lecturers on what went wrong

 

Author:

Sisanda Nkoala

Senior Lecturer, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, South Africa

Published:

The Conversation, 29 August 2022

https://theconversation.com/covid-was-a-setback-for-indigenous-languages-south-african-lecturers-on-what-went-wrong-188383

From the article:

South African indigenous languages are among those at risk of a serious decline due to the increasing use of digital technologies. By some estimates only 5% of the world’s languages are likely to survive online.

 

ALSO SEE

 

Nkoala, Sisanda. 2022. Educators’ Experiences of using multilingual pedagogies during emergency remote teaching: a case study of South African universities. International Journal of Multilingualism, 18 May 2022.

https://doi.org/10.1080/14790718.2022.2074012

 

SOUTH AFRICA / SUID-AFRIKA - Afrikaners worstel met angs, depressie [Maroela Media, Junie 2022] - Article & video in Afrikaans

Titel:

Video: Afrikaners worstel met angs, depressie

 

Outeur:

Elaine Krige

 

Gepubliseer:

Maroela Media, 3 Junie 2022

https://maroelamedia.co.za/nuus/sa-nuus/afrikaners-worstel-met-angs-depressie/

 

Aangehaal uit artikel:

Omtrent die helfte van Afrikaners landwyd het aangedui dat hulle die verlede jaar angs, depressie en huwelikskonflik ondervind het. Maatskaplike kwessies is veral onder inwoners van Kaapstad, Krugersdorp en Pretoria-Oos waargeneem.

 

University of Bath, UK (July 2022) - Study highlights heavy mental health burden of Covid-19 for ‘shielders’

Title:

Study highlights heavy mental health burden of Covid-19 for ‘shielders’

 

Published:

University of Bath, 1 July 2022

https://www.bath.ac.uk/announcements/study-highlights-heavy-mental-health-burden-of-covid-19-for-shielders/

 

From the press release:

Research from a new study suggests that health anxiety among the clinically vulnerable groups who shielded at home has risen since the first pandemic wave, despite developments in viral treatment and the roll-out of the vaccination programme.  

 

The new study, authored by psychologists at the University of Bath, is the first to use validated measures of mental health to focus on the effects of the pandemic for those who have been shielding or continue to shield. It finds that health anxieties among these groups grew in line with the length of time they spent indoors.

International Student Recruitment During the Pandemic: The Unique Perspective of Recruiters from Small to Medium-Sized Higher Education Institutions [Scholarly Article - Higher Education Policy, April 2022]

Title:

International Student Recruitment During the Pandemic: The Unique Perspective of Recruiters from Small to Medium-Sized Higher Education Institutions

 

Author:

Melissa James

Faculty of Business, University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, Canada

 

Published:

Higher Education Policy, 20 April 2022

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1057/s41307-022-00271-3

 

Abstract:

Higher education can be considered an industry comprised of mobile students attending institutions worldwide (Findlay et al. in Int Migr 55(3):139–155, 2017). The global pandemic, COVID-19, has significantly impacted the mobility of these students. Higher education institutions (HEIs) have attracted students using international student recruiters, various marketing materials, websites, and educational agents (de Wit in Int High Educ 59:13–14, 2015). When COVID-19 began to unfold around the globe the disease impacted many sectors of the economy, but the impact of disease on the higher education industry is not well documented. The purpose of this study is to explore how higher education institutional student recruitment staff responded to the COVID-19 pandemic. This study explores the perspectives of international student recruitment staff in eight small to medium-sized institutions in Canada to understand the impact of the pandemic on their practice and to generate insights for policymakers to consider when planning the future of international student recruitment (ISR). The study found that these recruiters perceived their size to be a disadvantage and that the pandemic highlighted the inequities within higher education. Furthermore, recruiters feared the competitive position of small to medium-sized institutions is potentially deteriorating with implications on policy, resources, and internal relationships within HEIs.

A survey on e-learning experiences of law students during Covid-19 in Ghana [Scholarly Article - The Law Teacher, June 2022]

Title:

A survey on e-learning experiences of law students during Covid-19 in Ghana

 

Author:

Maame Efua Addadzi-Koom

Public Law Department, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, kumasi, Ghana

 

Published:

The Law Teacher, 13 June 2022

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03069400.2022.2077517?src=

 

Abstract:

As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, e-learning is no longer a choice but a need. In Ghana, the Covid-19 induced e-learning continues to form an integral part of higher education in most universities. Focusing on law students’ perspectives on e-learning in Ghana, this study used online survey data from 204 respondents at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Faculty of Law. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse quantitative data while thematic analysis was used to analyse qualitative data. The findings revealed, among other things, that although most law students enjoyed e-learning, they preferred blended learning to cater for the shortcomings of the former. The study argues that blended learning is a viable option for legal education in Ghana. As the first study on law students’ experiences of e-learning in Ghana during the pandemic, the study is timely and significant. The recommendations that follow from the study could be beneficial to legal education managers in Ghana and Africa.

COVID-19 and the quality of mathematics education teaching and learning in a first-year course [Scholarly Article - South African Journal of Higher Education, 2022]

Title:

COVID-19 and the quality of mathematics education teaching and learning in a first-year course

 

Authors:

H. Mbhiza, University of South Africa, Pretoria 

&

D. Muthelo, University of Limpopo, Polokwane

 

Published:

South African Journal of Higher Education, Volume 36, Number 2, 21 May 2022

https://www.journals.ac.za/index.php/sajhe/article/view/4676

 

Abstract:

This article is vested on the need for higher education educators to be reflective on their practices in order to configure effective ways to interact with the students and knowledge for specific courses. It is uncontested that education systems globally are under constant pressure to respond to the changing needs of societies. The outbreak of COVID-19 has reminded us that the complexity of education needs responsive practices to facilitate effective teaching and learning across all levels of schooling globally. All over the world, the normative ways of teaching and learning evolved drastically in the first quarter of the 2020 academic year when teachers and students found online offerings to be the dominant option available as a sequel to the pandemic conditions. In South Africa specifically, students and teachers were thrust into virtual teaching and learning situations with the majority of them having no preparation for this shift. This article presents an auto-ethnographical account of the knowledge gaps in the teaching and learning of mathematics education in a first-year education course in an online space. We used auto-ethnography to discuss our experiences of teaching limits and continuity. We argue that teaching the topic on an online platform constrain student teachers’ procedural thinking, conceptual development, and demonstration of their thought processes during mathematics learning and assessment. We also discuss our experiences of developing assessment tasks for the topic and how students identified cheating mechanisms to answer questions in assessments. 

 

"Does anyone even notice us?" COVID-19’s impact on academics’ well-being in a developing country [Scholarly Article - South African Journal of Higher Education, 2022]

Title:

"Does anyone even notice us?" COVID-19’s impact on academics’ well-being in a developing country

 

Authors:

J. Hardman, University of Cape Town Associate Professor, School of Education, UCT 

R. Watermeyer, School of Education, University of Bristol. Professor of Higher Education and Co-Director of the Centre for Higher Education Transformations (CHET)

K. Shankar, University College Dublin Professor of Communication and Information Studies School of Information and Communication Studies 

V. Ratnadeep Suri, Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology Associate Professor 

T. Crick, Swansea University School of Social Sciences Professor of Digital Education and Policy

K. Knight, Swansea University Doctor School of Social Sciences 

F. McGaughey, University of Western Australia Doctor Senior Lecturer, Law School

&

R. Chung, Chinese University of Hong Kong Assistant Professor School of Public Health and Primary Care

 

Published:

South African Journal of Higher Education, Volume 36, Number 1, 31 March 2022

https://www.journals.ac.za/index.php/sajhe/article/view/4844

 

Abstract:

In March 2020, the President of South African announced that the nation would go into full lockdown in the wake of an increase in COVID-19 infections. Academics had, in some instances, only one day to prepare for “emergency remote teaching”. Few academics had taught online before, as South Africa’s internet connectivity is not guaranteed in underprivileged areas, where 80 per cent of the population reside. The online move thus necessitated an entirely novel pedagogy for most academics, with high potential for an escalation of work-related stress and related illness, outcomes we have related in the wider sphere of workplace readjustment during COVID-19, to a state of “pandemia”. In this article, we report on an institutional case study where we surveyed n=136 academics from a university in the Western Cape, South Africa to learn more about impacts of COVID-19 on their work. The data analysis adopts Ryff’s (1995) theory of well-being. Findings indicate that the enforced lockdown due to COVID-19 and the subsequent move to online teaching has had a negative impact on academics’ sense of well-being. However, the emergence of positive, caring relationships between colleagues is reported as a significant outcome of the COVID-19 enforced move to online teaching.

Increased emergency cardiovascular events among under-40 population in Israel during vaccine rollout and third COVID-19 wave [Scholarly Article - Nature, April 2022]

Title:

Increased emergency cardiovascular events among under-40 population in Israel during vaccine rollout and third COVID-19 wave

 

Authors:

Christopher L.F. Sun

Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA

Healthcare Systems Engineering, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA

 

Eli Jaffe

Israel National Emergency Medical Services (Magen David Adom), Tel Aviv-Jaffo, Israel

Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel

 

& 

 

Retsef Levi 

Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA

 

Published:

Nature, Scientific Reports, 28 April 2022

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-10928-z

 

Abstract:

Cardiovascular adverse conditions are caused by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections and reported as side-effects of the COVID-19 vaccines. Enriching current vaccine safety surveillance systems with additional data sources may improve the understanding of COVID-19 vaccine safety. Using a unique dataset from Israel National Emergency Medical Services (EMS) from 2019 to 2021, the study aims to evaluate the association between the volume of cardiac arrest and acute coronary syndrome EMS calls in the 16–39-year-old population with potential factors including COVID-19 infection and vaccination rates. An increase of over 25% was detected in both call types during January–May 2021, compared with the years 2019–2020. Using Negative Binomial regression models, the weekly emergency call counts were significantly associated with the rates of 1st and 2nd vaccine doses administered to this age group but were not with COVID-19 infection rates. While not establishing causal relationships, the findings raise concerns regarding vaccine-induced undetected severe cardiovascular side-effects and underscore the already established causal relationship between vaccines and myocarditis, a frequent cause of unexpected cardiac arrest in young individuals. Surveillance of potential vaccine side-effects and COVID-19 outcomes should incorporate EMS and other health data to identify public health trends (e.g., increased in EMS calls), and promptly investigate potential underlying causes.

An investigation into the wellbeing of optometry students [Preprint - medRxiv, March 2022]

Title:

An investigation into the wellbeing of optometry students 

 

Authors:

Anne Vorster, Barbara M Hamlett, Janike le Roux, Janke Blount, Jane Knoesen,  & Lauren S Coetzee

 

Published:

medRxiv, 20 March 2022

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.03.17.22272543v1

 

[Note: This article is a preprint and has not been certified by peer review.]

 

From the abstract:

Introduction 

Wellbeing is synonymous with positive mental health and impacts the efficacy of student learning. The wellbeing of optometry students is an understudied topic. The wellbeing of optometry students studying in a blended undergraduate course during the COVID-19 pandemic was also unknown. The aim of this study was to determine the status of optometry students’ wellbeing during COVID-19, by identifying their experiences of symptoms of anxiety and depression. Moreover, to determine to what extent students experience these symptoms and what specific factors influenced their wellbeing.

Factors That Predispose Undergraduates to Mental Issues: A Cumulative Literature Review for Future Research Perspectives [Scholarly Article - Frontiers in Public Health, February 2022]

Title:

Factors That Predispose Undergraduates to Mental Issues: A Cumulative Literature Review for Future Research Perspectives 

 

Authors:

Pierpaolo Limone & Giusi Antonia Toto

Learning Science Hub, University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy

 

Published:

Frontiers in Public Health, 16 February 2022

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.831349/full

 

Abstract:

Distress and mental health issues among college students is an emerging topic of study. The aim of this research work is to illustrate academic and social risk factors and how they prove to be predictors of anxiety and depressive disorders. The methodology used is a cumulative literature review structured over 10 systematic phases, and is replicable. Showing considerable potential for cumulative research, the relevance of this study reflects the concern of the academic community and international governments. The articles selected range from categorization of disorders in relation to mental health, to reporting the condition of rhinestones and difficulties of students in university contexts. In conclusion, the research focusses upon predisposing, concurrent or protective factors relating to the mental health of university students, so that institutions can act on concrete dynamics or propose targeted research on this topic.

Beyond multiculturalism: revisioning a model of pandemic anti-racism education in post-Covid-19 Canada [Scholarly Article - International Journal of Anthropology and Ethnology, 2022]

Title:

Beyond multiculturalism: revisioning a model of pandemic anti-racism education in post-Covid-19 Canada

 

Authors:

Ling Lei & Shibao Guo

Affiliation: Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada

 

Published:

International Journal of Anthropology and Ethnology, 28 January 2022

https://ijae.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s41257-021-00060-7

 

Abstract:

Canada was the first country in the world to establish multiculturalism as its official policy for the governance of diversity. Canadian multiculturalism has gained much popularity in political and public discourses in the past 50 years, and it has also received no less criticism as to its effectiveness in addressing issues of racism. There have also been ambiguities over the meaning and intention of multiculturalism, leading to divergent understandings of multiculturalism as an ideal of inclusion and equity, on the one hand, and a mere political rhetoric, on the other. On the occasion of celebrating the 50th anniversary of Canada’s official multiculturalism policy, this article re-visits Canada’s multiculturalism by reviewing its history and ethos and critically examining its actual effects as manifested during the Covid-19 pandemic in Canada. The rise of anti-Asian racism, anti-Black racism, and anti-Indigenous racism incidents in the pandemic reveals that multiculturalism has in effect, sustained a racist and unequal society of Canada with racism entrenched in its history and ingrained in every aspect of its social structure. Multiculturalism tolerates cultural difference but does not challenge an unjust society premised on white supremacy. The anti-racism movement mobilized by racialized communities in Canada indicates that multiculturalism has failed to respond to racialized communities’ pressing demand for social change and action for social justice. The article concludes with a proposed alternative framework to multiculturalism, that is, pandemic anti-racism education model, to centre the issue of race and racism in an action-oriented, inclusive, and empowering approach toward a future of a just society.

The University of Sydney, Australia - Escalation of eating disorders during COVID-19, research finds

Title:

Escalation of eating disorders during COVID-19, research finds

 

Published:

The University of Sydney, 21 January 2022

https://www.sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/news/2022/01/21/escalation-of-eating-disorders-during-covid-19-research-finds.html

 

From the news article:

A major study by InsideOut Institute for Eating Disorders at the University of Sydney reveals a widespread escalation of eating disorder symptoms during COVID-19 lockdown in Australia, with 40 percent going undiagnosed.

 

ALSO SEE

 

Title:

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated public health response on people with eating disorder symptomatology: an Australian study

 

Authors:

Jane Miskovic-Wheatley, et al

 

Published:

Journal of Eating Disorders, 17 January 2022

https://jeatdisord.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40337-021-00527-0

Objective of study:

People with lived experience of eating disorders (ED) may be particularly vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic and associated public health response due to exasperating situations such as social isolation, presence of other mental and physical health conditions, disruptions to treatment, etc. This study investigates the association of the pandemic with ED symptomatology to consider impact and identify risk factors for clinical consideration.

ILO Report – World Employment and Social Outlook: Trends 2022

Title: 

World Employment and Social Outlook: Trends 2022  

 

Focus of report: 

This ILO flagship report details the effects of the COVID-19 crisis on the world of work.  

 

Published: 

International Labour Organization (ILO), 17 January 2022 

https://www.ilo.org/global/research/global-reports/weso/trends2022/WCMS_834081/lang--en/index.htm  

 

ISBN (Print): 9789220356975[ISBN] 

ISBN (Web PDF): 9789220356982[ISBN]  

 

Description of report (from above-mentioned website): 

The report examines the impacts of the crisis on global and regional trends in employment, unemployment and labour force participation, as well as on job quality, informal employment and working poverty. It also offers an extensive analysis of trends in temporary employment both before and during the COVID-19 crisis.  This year’s report provides a comprehensive assessment of how the labour market recovery has unfolded across the world in response to different country measures to tackle the pandemic. It analyses global patterns, regional differences and outcomes across economic sectors and groups of workers. The report also presents projections for the expected labour market recovery. 

 

ALSO SEE  

 

International Labour Organization (ILO) 

https://www.ilo.org/global/lang--en/index.htm 

 

SOUTH AFRICA - Why South Africans are refusing the vaccine (UnHerd Video Interview with Brian Pottinger, former Editor of South African Sunday Times, December 2021)

Title of video:

Why South Africans are refusing the vaccine

Interviewer:

Freddie Sayers

Interviewee:

Brian Pottinger

Former Editor of South African Sunday Times

Published:

UnHerd, 22 December 2021

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-j2LSjtxkm4

Duration:

26:36

Content:

00:00 - 00:54 - Introduction 

00:54 - 4:40 - The state of Covid-19 vaccination in South Africa 

4:40 - 7:23 - Why do so many in South Africa refuse to get vaccinated? 

7:23 - 13:17 - How was lockdown managed in South Africa? 

13:17 - 16:16 - The political unrest in July 2020 and the ANC 

16:16 - 18:27 - “Long before COVID-19, the state was fraying” 

18:27 - 21:00 - How did South Africa become like this? 

21:00 - 23:21 - A silver lining of Covid-19 for the country 

23:21 - 26:08 - Warrior scientists are ruining South Africa 

26:08 - 26:37 - Concluding thoughts

Chewing Gum Developed That Could Reduce COVID Transmission – Laced With Protein That “Traps” the SARS-CoV-2 Virus [SciTechDaily, December 2021]

Title:

Chewing Gum Developed That Could Reduce COVID Transmission – Laced With Protein That “Traps” the SARS-CoV-2 Virus

 

By:

University of Pennsylvania, USA

 

Published:

SciTechDaily, 4 December 2021

https://scitechdaily.com/chewing-gum-developed-that-could-reduce-covid-transmission-laced-with-protein-that-traps-the-sars-cov-2-virus/

 

From the article:

A chewing gum laced with a plant-grown protein serves as a “trap” for the SARS-CoV-2 virus, reducing viral load in saliva and potentially tamping down transmission, according to a new study.

 

Emerging Technologies and Judicial Integrity in ASEAN [UNDP, December 2021]

Title:

Emerging Technologies and Judicial Integrity in ASEAN: Judicial perspectives on the use, opportunities, challenges and impact of technologies on the rule of law, access to justice and court administration

 

Published:

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), 2 December 2021

https://www.undp.org/publications/emerging-technologies-and-judicial-integrity-asean

 

Focus of report:

The digitalization trend and use of new technologies has accelerated in the judiciary in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, with many courts adopting online hearing capabilities and transitioning to online forms. Artificial Intelligence, digital platforms, Open Justice all continue to transform justice systems around the world.   

 

As part of the Judicial Integrity Network in ASEAN initiative, UNDP conducted a research to examine these developments from the lens of protecting judicial integrity. The research seeks to better understand how emerging technologies affect judicial integrity, both positively and negatively. 

Beneficial Effects of Vitamins, Minerals, and Bioactive Peptides on Strengthening the Immune System Against COVID-19 and the Role of Cow’s Milk in the Supply of These Nutrients [Scholarly Article - Biological Trace Element Research, 2021]

Title:

Beneficial Effects of Vitamins, Minerals, and Bioactive Peptides on Strengthening the Immune System Against COVID-19 and the Role of Cow’s Milk in the Supply of These Nutrients 

 

Authors:

M. R. Rezaei Ahvanooei, Mohammad Ali Norouzian & Payam Vahmani

 

Published:

Biological Trace Element Research, 27 November 2021 

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12011-021-03045-x

 

Abstract:

The COVID-19 pandemic, which causes severe respiratory tract infections in humans, has become a global health concern and is spreading rapidly. At present, the most important issue associated with COVID-19 is the immune system and the factors that affect it. It is well known that cow’s milk is highly rich in micronutrients that increase and strengthen the immune system. Research shows that the administration of these nutrients is very effective in fighting COVID-19, and a deficiency in any of them can be a weakness in the fight against the virus. On the other hand, cow’s milk is accessible to the whole population, and drinking colostrum, raw, and micro-filtered milk from cows vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 could provide individuals with short-term protection against the SARS-CoV-2 infection until vaccines become commercially available. This review aimed to discuss the effects of milk vitamins, minerals, and bioactive peptides on general health in humans to combat viral diseases, especially COVID-19, and to what extent cow’s milk consumption plays a role in providing these metabolites. Cow’s milk contains many bioactive compounds that include vitamins, minerals, biogenic amines, nucleotides, oligosaccharides, organic acids, and immunoglobulins. Humans can meet a significant portion of their requirements for vitamins and minerals through the consumption of cow’s milk. Recent studies have shown that micronutrients such as vitamins D, E, B, C, and A as well as minerals Zn, Cu, Mg, I, and Se and bioactive peptides, each can have positive and significant effects on strengthening the immune system and general health in humans.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Industrial Organisational Psychologists in South Africa: Imagining new professional roles [Scholarly Article - SA Journal of Industrial Psychology, November 2021]

Title:

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Industrial Organisational Psychologists in South Africa: Imagining new professional roles 

 

Authors:

Willie T. Chinyamurindi, Anthony K. Masha & Ntombekhaya Tshabalala

 

Published:

SA Journal of Industrial Psychology, 18 November 2021

https://sajip.co.za/index.php/sajip/article/view/1876

 

Abstract:

Orientation: 

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected the world of work. An understanding is needed of this impact and the positioning of roles of professional psychologists in response to adjusting to the new normal.  

 

Research purpose: 

This study investigated the challenges faced by Industrial Organisational (IO) Psychologists in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, the study aimed at ascertaining the professional roles that emanate from such challenges.  

 

Motivation of the study: 

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, calls exist within the literature for nuanced disciplinary studies that explore the impact of the pandemic. One such discipline is that of Industrial Psychology (IP), a discipline deemed important not only for the development of individuals but also for organisations.  

 

Research approach, design and method: 

A qualitative research approach utilising semi-structured interviews was conducted with 25 IO Psychologists. Thematic analysis was utilised to analyse the collected data using the suggestions by Braun and Clarke.  

 

Main findings: 

Two main findings emerged from the study informed by the thematic analysis conducted. Firstly, the IO Psychologists expressed challenges of a direct nature affecting their practice and individual well-being. Secondly, the participating IO Psychologists suggested resultant professional roles that emerged from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. These included (1) prioritisation of personal physical and mental health, (2) more technological skills and acumen needed to adjust to the challenges posed by the pandemic, (3) promotion of continued professional learning and (4) the necessity for support networks amongst practitioners.  

 

Practical/managerial implications: 

Implications are drawn for the practitioners and individuals working within the IO Psychology context. These extend at assisting the practitioners within the presented challenges.  

 

Contribution/value-add: 

Through the findings, suggestions to inform IO Psychology as a practice are made. Furthermore, roles in assisting IO Psychologists to adjust to the new normal are suggested. The study becomes one of the first within these disciplines to charter suggestions for this important practice.

 

COVID-19: stigmatising the unvaccinated is not justified [Correspondence published in The Lancet, November 2021]

Title of Correspondence: 

COVID-19: stigmatising the unvaccinated is not justified

 

Author:

Günter Kampf 

 

Published:

The Lancet, Volume 398, Issue 10314, P1871, 20 November 2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(21)02243-1 

 

From the correspondence:

In the USA and Germany, high-level officials have used the term pandemic of the unvaccinated, suggesting that people who have been vaccinated are not relevant in the epidemiology of COVID-19. Officials’ use of this phrase might have encouraged one scientist to claim that “the unvaccinated threaten the vaccinated for COVID-19”.1 But this view is far too simple.