The comments submitted on behalf of the Editorial Board of Physics Education to the Royal Society's ad hoc group on science and the public in November 1984.
Today’s swiftly changing technology, globalization, and integration of corporations has created a need for the introduction of IAS to higher education institutes. This study explores and examines the introduction of IAS to the higher education institutes. The readiness of the institutes, the problems they face to incorporate the IAS to the curriculum. The criteria utilized by ABET focuses on content and delivery of curriculum within the IS discipline. The advantages of incorporating the IAS in the curriculum for students and faculty.
Abdelsalam M. Maatuk, Ebitisam K. Elberkawi, Shadi A. Aljawarneh
et al.
The spread of COVID-19 poses a threat to humanity, as this pandemic has forced many global activities to close, including educational activities. To reduce the spread of the virus, education institutions have been forced to switch to e-learning using available educational platforms, despite the challenges facing this sudden transformation. In order to further explore the potentials challenges facing learning activities, the focus of this study is on e-learning from students’ and instructor’s perspectives on using and implementing e-learning systems in a public university during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study targets the society that includes students and teaching staff in the Information Technology (IT) faculty at the University of Benghazi. The descriptive-analytical approach was applied and the results were analyzed by statistical methods. Two types of questionnaires were designed and distributed, i.e., the student questionnaire and the instructor questionnaire. Four dimensions have been highlighted to reach the expected results, i.e., the extent of using e-learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, advantages, disadvantages and obstacles of implementing E-learning in the IT faculty. By analyzing the results, we achieved encouraging results that throw light on some of the issues, challenges and advantages of using e-learning systems instead of traditional education in higher education in general and during emergency periods.
This presentation aims to outline and discuss the embedded academic skills and EAP provision in the Education department at a Russell Group university. This department has large numbers of taught postgraduate (PGT) students from overseas, with limited experience of the requirements of academic study at PGT level. Since 2020, these students have received bespoke academic skills provision; this presentation will explore how this provision has adapted to student needs and how teaching staff have also adjusted.
The provision is taught by a small team of academic skills lecturers working primarily in a single department and initially followed what Fenton-Smith and Humphreys call an “adjunct-strong” (2015, p.42) model, with general academic skills topics aimed at a specific group of students but not explicitly targeted at course or assessment needs. This approach proved successful in terms of attendance, engagement and student satisfaction. However, in 2024 a decision was made by senior staff to provide embedded provision following the Contextualisation, Embedding, Mapping model (Alexander et al., 2017; Sloan & Porter, 2010) as well as the adjunct provision. This required a lot of adjustment and new materials, but it also led to closer collaboration with module and programme leaders and led to greater integration of the academic skills staff into the department.
This paper will evaluate the success of this embedded provision using three metrics: student engagement, student satisfaction, and the responses of skills tutors and academic staff. It will also consider the relationship between the embedded and adjunct provision: how our adjunct provision became more embedded alongside the explicitly embedded sessions. It will conclude with advice and recommendations about how to successfully embed academic support - and academic skills staff - into PGT programmes.
Ethical guidelines will be followed when seeking feedback from students and colleagues.
Giacomo Buso, Thomas Weber, Christos Fragoulis
et al.
Background Acute blood pressure (BP) elevations are common in emergency settings and are traditionally classified into hypertensive urgencies (HU) and hypertensive emergencies (HE). Malignant hypertension (MHT) represents a severe form of HE characterised by small vessel damage. Although international guidelines provide clear definitions and treatment strategies, real-world data have shown persistent fragmentation and heterogeneity in the diagnosis and management of these patients.Methods A web-based, anonymous survey promoted by the European Society of Hypertension (ESH) was distributed among physicians from 18 European and 4 non-European countries. The questionnaire assessed definitions, diagnostic work-up, BP measurement practices, and therapeutic strategies for HU, HE, and MHT.Results Sixty–four participants in 56 centres completed the survey. HU was correctly defined as a severe BP elevation without acute clinically symptomatic hypertension-mediated organ damage (A-HMOD) by 45.3% of respondents. Small cuffs were available to 79.7% and extra-large cuffs to 70.3% of respondents.. Intravenous antihypertensive therapy was used for HE by 88.7% of participants, while 20.6% also used intravenous drugs for HU. Parenteral clonidine and sublingual nifedipine were prescribed by 29.7% and 26.6% of respondents, respectively. Definitions and therapeutic approaches for MHT varied substantially, with 62.9% adopting a recently proposed definition involving at least three target organ damages in patients with BP >200/120 mmHg.Conclusions This international survey highlights considerable variability in the definition, diagnostic work-up, and therapeutic management of acute BP elevations, emphasising the need for harmonised protocols and further education.
Diseases of the circulatory (Cardiovascular) system
Clement N. Mweya, Simeon P. Mwanyonga, Liness A. Ndelwa
et al.
ABSTRACT Background and Aims Dengue fever epidemics pose an increasing public health threat in Tanzania. Climate change and industrialization may influence outbreaks, while community knowledge plays a vital role in prevention. This study examined public knowledge about environmental and anthropogenic impacts on dengue transmission. Methods A cross‐sectional study was conducted from April to June 2022 with 482 participants from Bahi, Kyela, and Ngorongoro districts. A validated questionnaire assessed demographic characteristics and knowledge about dengue epidemiology related to climate and industrialization. Multinomial logistic regression and χ2 tests examined associations between variables. Results Over half of the participants (52.9%) were male, and most were aged 26–35 (33.2%). Only 21% demonstrated a good understanding of industrialization's health impacts, while 19% knew the climate change linkage with dengue. Significant knowledge gaps exist regarding climate change and industrialization impacts linked to recurrent epidemics (44.2% poor knowledge). Age over 35 (AOR 1.73, 95% CI 1.39–2.14), primary education or less (AOR 0.77, 95% CI 0.59–0.99), and unemployment (AOR 0.31, 95% CI 0.23–0.42) were associated with poor knowledge. Gender and occupation significantly predicted climate change knowledge (p < 0.001). Conclusion Communities in dengue‐endemic areas have limited knowledge about climate and anthropogenic drivers of recurring epidemics. Targeted educational interventions can improve understanding and preventative behavior among high‐risk demographics.
Background: We aimed to assess knowledge of emergency department (ED) physicians regarding the classification and treatment of angioedema and to evaluate the impact of a training program on this knowledge base. Methods: A total of 11 questions about angioedema and its types were posed to ED physicians from various hospitals, either in person or via e-mail, before the implementation of an educational module on the subject (pre-test). Following a brief training period, the ED physicians were presented with the same set of questions once again (post-test). The reliability between the repeated tests were estimated using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). Item difficulty was calculated separately for each question in both the pre-test and post-test. Results: A total of 541 ED physicians participated in the pre-test survey, and 162 of them declined to participate in the post-test survey. The remaining 379 participated in the post-test survey as well. The ICC between the repeated tests indicated a moderate level of reliability (mean ICC = 0.5; 0.42–0.57; lower and upper 95% confidence intervals). The mean item difficulty was 0.36 in the pre-test, indicating that the items had an appropriate level of difficulty. In the post-test, the mean item difficulty increased to 0.57, suggesting that the items were generally easier, likely reflecting improved knowledge or skills following the intervention. The level of knowledge regarding the clinical features of different types of angioedema was found to be inadequate. Following the training period, there was a notable increase in the number of correct answers, with a statistically significant difference (p = 0.002). Similarly, a remarkable increase was observed in the number of respondents who indicated that bradykinin-mediated-angioedema should be considered in cases of unresponsiveness to antihistamine and-corticosteroid treatment (p < 0.001). Regarding queries about hereditary angioedema (HAE), the majority of ED physicians had no prior experience in treating a patient with HAE, and only a small number were familiar with the symptoms of HAE. Following the training ED physicians demonstrated enhanced knowledge of HAE symptoms and diagnostic criteria (p < 0.001). Similarly, a notable enhancement in familiarity with HAE attack treatments was observed when the inquiries related to these treatments were compared between the pre-test and post-test phases (p < 0.001). Conclusion: In light of the potential lethality of attacks mediated by bradykinin, a training program should include the recognition of rare types of angioedema, with a particular emphasis on HAE disease.
The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on school education, as confirmed by numerous studies produced at the international level. One of the most profound effects was the potential change to the political mandates of schools and resulting alterations in professional teaching practices, given the proliferation of remote (online and blended) teaching. This article aims to explore the extent to which the pandemic crisis has reconfigured schools’ educational priorities, with an emphasis on democratisation and inclusion at the expense of learning outcomes and meritocratic approaches. Based on an extensive study as part of a wider international project, the results of a questionnaire survey of Portuguese teachers (n = 3983) during the initial lockdown period in 2020 are analysed. The empirical evidence suggests that the pandemic resulted in a strengthening of the democratising pole, underpinned by the principles of equal opportunities, inclusion, and social justice, even though the practices and priorities of teachers as a whole are not homogeneous. This heterogeneity reflects pre-existing professional and school cultures, which vary depending on level of education, gender, school type, and career length, among other important factors.
Valdeluce Nascimento Santos, Genny Magna de Jesus Mota Ayres, Ercules Machado Rocha
et al.
Este artigo realiza uma análise das políticas de ações afirmativas, com ênfase no percurso formativo do primeiro grupo de estudantes cotistas quilombolas do Ensino Médio Integrado (EMI) do Instituto Federal da Bahia (IFBA). Metodologicamente, trata-se de uma pesquisa de natureza qualitativa e exploratória, desenvolvida por meio de estudo de caso, com base em revisão bibliográfica, análise documental e levantamento de dados no Sistema de Seleção de Candidatos(as), bem como na extração de informações do Sistema Unificado de Administração Pública (Suap), Módulo Ensino, referentes ao desempenho acadêmico desses(as) estudantes no ano letivo de 2023. Entre os campi com maior número de matrículas de estudantes quilombolas, destacam-se Irecê, com 25%, e Simões Filho e Seabra, ambos com 19%. No que se refere à autodeclaração racial, 58% dos(as) estudantes se identificaram como pretos(as), 33% como pardos(as) e 6% como brancos(as). Em relação à situação socioeconômica, 56% dos(as) discentes declararam possuir renda familiar inferior a meio salário mínimo, 11% declararam renda entre meio e um salário mínimo, enquanto 31% optaram por não informar sua renda familiar. Quanto ao desempenho acadêmico, observou-se que 64% dos(as) estudantes foram aprovados(as), 25% ficaram retidos(as) no primeiro ano do EMI e apenas 6% cancelaram suas matrículas. Diante desses dados, ressalta-se a importância de se avançar para além da garantia das reservas de vagas nos processos seletivos, promovendo medidas que garantam a permanência e o sucesso acadêmico dos(as) estudantes ao longo de sua trajetória formativa. Tais ações devem abranger tanto a dimensão material, relacionada às condições econômicas e de renda, quanto a dimensão simbólica, que envolve aspectos políticos, pedagógicos e culturais, de acordo com as demandas específicas do grupo de estudantes quilombolas.
The aim of the study is to generalize the available interdisciplinary data on the formation of graphomotor skills in older preschoolers and use them as a basis for describing the process of forming graphomotor skills in left-handed children. The essence and structure of graphomotor skills as a component of written activity is considered. In the structure of writing, graphomotor skills represent the final link in writing activity and are associated with the drawing of graphic symbols. Based on neuropsychological data on interhemispheric asymmetry in children, the necessity of developing a graphomotor skill in older preschoolers is substantiated, taking into account the dominant profile of lateralization. We consider the provisions of the theory of the level organization of movements by N.A. Bernstein as a support in the development of a graphomotor skill. Noting the level nature of the organization of written activity, attention is focused on the role of gross motor skills, posture retention and other components of background levels, without which the very implementation of the graphic skill is difficult. A scheme is proposed that reflects the indicators of the formation of graphomotor skills in older preschoolers. The following components have the leading importance in it: general motor readiness, visual-object gnosis and visual-motor coordination, elementary graphic skill. The features of pedagogical work in the formation of graphomotor skills in left-handed children are described. The novelty of the study lies in modeling the system of work on the formation of this skill of written activity based on the theory of the level organization of movements by N.A. Bernstein. The proposed system model can be used to form graphic-motor skills in left-handed children, which reflects its practical significance.
The article "Transformation Early Childhood Education in Iraq: Challenges, Innovations, and Future Prospects" provides a comprehensive analysis of the current landscape of early childhood education (ECE) in Iraq. Through a systematic literature review methodology, the study identifies and examines the major challenges facing ECE in Iraq, including inadequate funding, shortage of qualified educators, and cultural barriers. Moreover, the research explores innovative approaches and promising initiatives aimed at revitalizing ECE in Iraq, such as community-driven projects, technology-enabled solutions, and government-led reforms. By synthesizing empirical evidence with theoretical frameworks and situating the research within the socio-political context of Iraq, the analysis offers valuable insights for informing evidence-based decision-making and practice in the field of early childhood education. The study concludes with recommendations for future research, emphasizing the need for longitudinal studies, intersectional analyses, and rigorous evaluations to drive meaningful change and foster equitable access to quality ECE for all children in Iraq.
Education has been described as and considered as a remedy or a treatment for the insecurity experienced by many young people today. To recognize mental health problems and to seek treatment is the subject of many of today’s research, analyses and academic debates on education. In this article, however, we will analyze, clarify and discuss how medicalized metaphors contribute to both an understanding and a reinforcing of what we call an “autoimmune reaction”. We explore how the meaning and use of the concepts of “immunity” and “autoimmunity” in the field of philosophy of education present a new understanding of medicalized metaphors, as well as a philosophy of autoimmunity, partly based on Derrida and his analysis of “inflammatory” democracies. We will nuance and offer new perspectives and concepts with which to think, in order to understand the existing dichotomy between normality and abnormal/pathology, health and illness in educational philosophy today.
Farhan Sufi, Suryo Saputra Perdana, Amalia Nur Azizah
Iliotibial band syndrome (ITBS) is an overuse syndrome that commonly causes knee pain and is common in athletics. The prevalence of ITBS in runners ranges from 5%-14%, with a higher prevalence in women (16%-50%) than in men (50%-81%). ITBS can limit Indonesia's athletic performance due to pain on the side of the knee during running, walking and jumping. The aim of this study was to evaluate the physiotherapy management for ITBS cases in Indonesian para-athletics. This research is a descriptive case study involving one client with a participatory observation method. The physiotherapy intervention involved Shock Wave Therapy (SWT) and Static Stretching Exercise. The subject of the study was 22 year old national para athlete with height 182 cm, weight 70 kg, and BMI 21.1 in the ideal category. The patient came to the physiotherapy clinic of NPC Indonesia on 20 August 2023 with complaints of pain in the outer side of the right knee. Physical examination showed normal results except for pain examination using Numeric Rating Scale (NRS), where silent pain 2/10, tenderness 4/10, and motion pain 5/10 were found. The diagnosis of ITBS dextra was confirmed through specific examination. After six physiotherapy sessions with SWT and Static Stretching Exercise, there was a significant decrease in pain and an increase in functional activity in ITBS patients. Patients are advised to undergo physiotherapy regularly, do stretching exercises before and after activities, and compress with warm water if experiencing pain.