Higher Education in India in the Time of Pandemic, Sans a Learning Management System [Scholarly Article - AERA Open, 2022]

Title:

Higher Education in India in the Time of Pandemic, Sans a Learning Management System

 

Authors:

Sudipta Roy, University of St. Francis

&

Shannon Brown, University of St. Francis

 

Published:

AERA Open, 10 Jenuary 2022

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/23328584211069527

 

Abstract:

Higher education in India was caught completely unawares by the COVID-19 pandemic and the necessitated closure of educational institutions. Despite almost a decade of experience with online and distance learning at some top-tier and private institutions, the vast majority were unprepared and looked for quick solutions for different components of teaching–learning depending on the need of the hour. The immediate tool sought was a videoconferencing platform to substitute in-class lectures. With no access to a learning management system, faculty chose one platform for videoconferencing, one for interaction with students, and another for uploading class notes. Disparity in students’ access to devices and the internet presented challenges. Assessment of learning, which hitherto was largely pen and paper based, was delayed for lack of a viable solution. Experiences documented in this study demonstrate faculty resilience, but lack of institutional leadership and preparedness is starkly evident.

Sociology in Ireland: Some random reflections [Scholarly Article - Irish Journal of Sociology, July 2021]

Title:

Sociology in Ireland: Some random reflections 

 

Author:

Mary P Corcoran

Department of Sociology, Maynooth University, Maynooth, Co. Kildare W23 F2H6, Ireland

 

Published:

Irish Journal of Sociology, 5 July 2021

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/07916035211029842

 

Abstract:

2021 has been a year for looking back as well as forwards. In this article, I reflect on the state of languishing induced by lockdown, and the intensification of uncertainty in our everyday lives. I offer some biographical details of the early years of my career, which has largely been within a single institution, Maynooth University. The late Professor Liam Ryan was my boss and later my friend from 1990 until his death in 2015. His (typically) acerbic insights on the state of Irish sociology were recorded in 1984 for an issue of the Sociological Association of Ireland Bulletin. Re-visiting his prognosis today, I reflect on North–South relations in the discipline, on the challenge of forging a public role for Irish sociology, and on the growth of a precariat within the academic discipline. I conclude with some comments on the enduring relevance of sociology as we come to terms with post-pandemic life.

 

Special Issue: Women and Gender Relations during the Pandemic in Morocco by Moha Ennaji [Scholarly Article - Rivera, February 2021]

Title:

Special Issue: Women and Gender Relations during the Pandemic in Morocco

 

Author:

Moha Ennaji Professor, Université Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah

 

Published:

Rivera, 14 February 2021

http://riverapublications.com/article/women-and-gender-relations-during-the-pandemic-in-morocco

 

Abstract:

Covid-19 has totally disrupted all activities and social affairs, including gender relations and men’s and women’s living conditions. This article focuses on the negative repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic on women and gender roles in Morocco. It reveals that the pandemic has burdened women with more housework and duties at home, and that violence against them has risen, especially among working class women and housemaids who are particularly socio-economically vulnerable. Many of them have lost their income and feel isolated and lonely, with hardly any opportunity to recuperate their activity, to visit their relatives, or meet new people, and consequently no one to turn to for support. Domestic violence is the most common type of violence against women in Morocco during this pandemic. The fieldwork I conducted in Fès city and its region reveals that some women and girls are often beaten up by their husbands, fathers, or brothers and many cases of such incidents have reached courts and the media. However, these battered women rarely approach the police for assistance because they are often unaware of their legal rights, on the one hand, and because they believe that the police may be biased against them, on the other. Nevertheless, there is a silver lining in this crisis: in a few households, many men show willingness to help with the housework and to provide more care to their children’s education and distance learning. The article ends with recommendations for reform of practices and laws with the purpose of eliminating violence against women in both the private and the public spaces, and proposes education, legislation, and law enforcement as valuable tools to combat such violence. 

Also see

Chômage, violence et travail domestique : comment le Covid-19 a bouleversé la vie des femmes au Maroc [The Conversation, 6 June 2021]

‘The dual pandemic’ of suicide and COVID-19: A biopsychosocial narrative of risks and prevention [Psychiatry Research, 18 November 2020]

Title:

‘The dual pandemic’ of suicide and COVID-19: A biopsychosocial narrative of risks and prevention

 

Authors:

Debanjan Banerjee, Jagannatha Rao Kosagisharaf & T.S. Sathyanarayana Raoc

Published:

Psychiatry Research, 18 November 2020

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7672361/

 

Abstract:

The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has emerged as a new global health threat. By increasing the risk of isolation, fear, stigma, abuse and economic fallout, COVID-19 has led to increase in risk of psychiatric disorders, chronic trauma and stress, which eventually increase suicidality and suicidal behavior. There is limited data on association of pandemics and suicides. Cases of suicides have been rising since COVID-19 first emerged in China. The association between suicides and pandemics can possibly be explained through various models like Durkheim's theory, Joiner's interpersonal theory, social stress theory, biological theories, etc. The frontline workers, elderly, migrants, homeless, socio-economically impoverished classes as well as those with pre-existing mental disorders, substance abuse and family history of suicides are at higher risk. Suicides are preventable and need early detection, awareness and socio-culturally tailored interventions. This narrative review draws global perspectives on the association of suicidality and pandemics, the theories and risk factors related to same based on the available evidence. It also hypothesizes neuroimmunity and immune based risk factors as possible links between the psychosocial vulnerabilities and suicide during outbreaks like COVID-19. Proposed strategies of suicide-prevention, as an integral part of public health response to the pandemic are subsequently discussed.

Effects of COVID-19 on College Students’ Mental Health in the United States: Interview Survey Study [Scholarly Article - Journal of Medical Internet Research, 2020]

Title:

Effects of COVID-19 on College Students’ Mental Health in the United States: Interview Survey Study

 

Authors:

Changwon Son, Sudeep Hegde, Alec Smith, Xiaomei Wang & Farzan Sasangohar

 

Published:

Journal of Medical Internet Research (J Med Internet Res), 22(9):e21279 (2020)

https://www.jmir.org/2020/9/e21279/

Abstract:

Background: Student mental health in higher education has been an increasing concern. The COVID-19 pandemic situation has brought this vulnerable population into renewed focus.  

 

Objective: Our study aims to conduct a timely assessment of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of college students.  

 

Methods: We conducted interview surveys with 195 students at a large public university in the United States to understand the effects of the pandemic on their mental health and well-being. The data were analyzed through quantitative and qualitative methods.  

 

Results: Of the 195 students, 138 (71%) indicated increased stress and anxiety due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Multiple stressors were identified that contributed to the increased levels of stress, anxiety, and depressive thoughts among students. These included fear and worry about their own health and of their loved ones (177/195, 91% reported negative impacts of the pandemic), difficulty in concentrating (173/195, 89%), disruptions to sleeping patterns (168/195, 86%), decreased social interactions due to physical distancing (167/195, 86%), and increased concerns on academic performance (159/195, 82%). To cope with stress and anxiety, participants have sought support from others and helped themselves by adopting either negative or positive coping mechanisms.  

 

Conclusions: Due to the long-lasting pandemic situation and onerous measures such as lockdown and stay-at-home orders, the COVID-19 pandemic brings negative impacts on higher education. The findings of our study highlight the urgent need to develop interventions and preventive strategies to address the mental health of college students.