Teaching Epidemiology Online (Pandemic Edition)

Strengthening capacities of multidisciplinary professionals to apply data science in public health: Experience of an international graduate diploma program in Peru

Nowadays it is necessary to strengthen health information systems and data-based solutions. However, there are few graduate training programs in Peru to use tools and methods of data science applied in public health. This article describes the development process and the initial assessment regarding the experience of the participants in an international multidisciplinary diploma in data intelligence for pandemics and epidemics preparedness, which was carried out from January to May 2021. The diploma was structured in 7 modules and 40 Peruvian professionals participated, of which 11 (27.5%) were women, and 16 (40%) came from regions outside of Lima and Callao. We discussed the need to strengthen institutional and health professionals' capacity to adequately manage large volumes of data, information, and knowledge through the application of emerging technologies to optimize data management processes to improve decision-making in health.

Epidemiology and the Covid-19 pandemic: opportunities to review trajectories and plan for the future

The Covid-19 pandemic has caused substantial changes in various spheres of academic life. Epidemiology can use the experiences accumulated in this period as an opportunity to plan for its future. Facing a pandemic requires the production of explanatory theories about the pandemic process and its unequal manifestation in the population. In this sense, Epidemiology needs to strengthen its scientific foundations and recognize the values and limits of its approaches. Thus, it is essential to strengthen the links with other disciplines. A new teaching model can be produced from pandemic experiences, including transversal contents, such as preparation for responses to natural and technological disasters, like epidemics and pandemics, and scientific communication. The teaching of Epidemiology needs to be contextualized with the bases of Collective Health, reinforcing its commitment to the translation and application of knowledge in order to improve people’s health and lives.

Epidemiologia e pandemia de Covid-19: oportunidades para rever trajetórias e planejar o futuro

A pandemia de Covid-19 provocou modificações substanciais em diversas esferas da vida acadêmica. A Epidemiologia pode utilizar as experiências acumuladas nesse período como oportunidade para planejar seu futuro. O enfrentamento de uma pandemia exige a produção de teorias explicativas sobre o processo pandêmico e sua expressão desigual na população. Nesse sentido, a Epidemiologia necessita fortalecer seus fundamentos científicos e reconhecer os valores e limites de suas abordagens. Nesse caminho, é essencial o fortalecimento dos elos com outras disciplinas. Um novo modelo de ensino pode ser produzido por meio das experiências ao longo da pandemia, integrando conteúdos transversais, como a preparação para a resposta a desastres naturais e de origem tecnológica, incluindo epidemias e pandemias e a comunicação científica. O ensino da Epidemiologia precisa ser contextualizado com as bases da Saúde Coletiva, reforçando seu compromisso com a tradução e a aplicação do conhecimento para a melhoria da saúde e da vida das pessoas.

"Teaching Through Your Fingertips": A Descriptive Study to Understand the Experiences and Needs of Online Educators in Postgraduate Nursing Education in Australia

Introduction

Even before COVID-19, enrolments in online postgraduate nursing and midwifery courses were growing globally. Teaching into planned online courses requires pedagogical considerations unique to the context.

Objective

The objective of this descriptive mixed methods study was to understand the experiences and needs of Australian online educators who taught into planned online postgraduate nursing or midwifery courses.

Methods

A 55-item online survey captured the experiences and needs of participants. This paper reports on the analysis of participants' qualitative responses in this survey, analyzed using a thematic analysis approach. Forty-nine postgraduate educators participated in this study.

Results

Five core themes were identified: time is precious; redefining the educator role; understanding the pedagogical shift; online and alone; and learning to teach online. Many educators report lacking the skills and confidence to deliver high-quality education to postgraduate students through their fingertips.

Conclusion

This research highlighted that online educators need support through resources, education, and professional development.

Teacher Engagement in Language Teaching: Investigating Self-Efficacy for Teaching Based on the Project "Sino-Greece Online Chinese Language Classrooms"

The support of sustainable learning of foreign languages requires teacher engagement and a high level of self-efficacy, both of which are cornerstones for the persistence of teachers in carrying out teaching activities to help learning. The need for such attributes is even more crucial when online learning platforms as a mode of delivery are becoming increasingly popular. We would argue that keeping students engaged and motivated to attain their academic success online calls for the increased levels of resilience and efforts of teachers. Although self-efficacy of teachers has been widely considered crucial in the professional practices of teachers, there is a paucity of research studies on the self-efficacy of teachers who teach Chinese as a foreign language (CFL) using online platforms. Such a gap becomes prominent after the sudden outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in places where there are now numerous calls for online CFL classes. In order to fill in this gap, this study was conducted with a frontline CFL teacher as the participant and aimed to detect thoroughly the trajectories of self-efficacy of a CFL teacher in a completely new teaching context. Embedded in the Project of Sino-Greece Online Chinese Language Classrooms, this study employed narrative inquiry and case study as methodological approaches. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data that consisted of written narratives (the teacher's teaching journals and reflections, field notes of teaching assistant, and emails of students) and spoken narratives. Three research questions guided this study: What are the teacher's beliefs about (1) the opportunity of teaching CFL online? (2) the management of this online project? (3) her personal capability to foster students' engagement in this project? These three questions focused, respectively, on the three components of the self-efficacy system of a teacher (personal efficacy, efficacy within the organization, and professional efficacy). Findings illustrated that the efficacy beliefs of the teacher in these three aspects were at different levels, which resulted from the interplay of external and internal factors; when external factors appeared to be negative, internal factors seemed to play an essential role.