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Due to the COVID-19 epidemic, higher education all over the world is increasingly reliant on the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), which creates several opportunities and problems, especially in the field of engineering education. One of the significant aspects that needs to be bought to the academic attention is how teachers' use of ICT in engineering education has been transformed due to this pandemic. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate views, and practices that define varying conceptions of engineering university teachers' use of ICT in their teaching. Phenomenography, an emerging research approach in engineering education was used as a theoretical and methodological underpinning. A cohort of 14 teachers was selected from two universities in Bangladesh to participate in a semi-structured in-depth interview. The findings revealed five qualitatively different categories of description such as: imparting information, transmitting structured knowledge, offering guided learning, engaging students toward practice and engaging students toward innovation. Relationships among the categories of description revealed four dimensions of variation such as: purpose of using ICT in engineering teaching, role of a teacher, role of a student and TPACK components. The study further found that ICT-usage underpins teacher's pedagogical approach to teaching engineering subjects and therefore provides useful information for university policy makers, teachers and curriculum designers toward quality teaching and learning. A quantitative investigation to determine the impact of the pedagogical approaches to teaching underpinned by ICT-use in engineering education is recommended.

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The introduction of online learning and interactive technology into tertiary education has enabled biomedical science and medical faculties to provide students with quality resources for off-campus study. This encompasses online self-directed learning, interactive blogs, quizzes, recordings of lectures and other resources. In addition, textbooks are now supplemented with interactive online learning tools, meaning that the student now has more accessibility than ever to engage with content. However, in biomedical sciences and medicine, technology has also enhanced the in-classroom experience. Anatomical and physiological visualisations in virtual, augmented and mixed reality provide students with an unprecedented ability to explore virtual content in-class, while learning remains structured by the facilitator and teaching team. This chapter will provide insights into the past use of technology to enhance off-campus learning, and then focus on the range of visualisations utilised within the laboratory or classroom in order to facilitate learning in biomedical sciences and medicine, including: augmented reality, virtual reality; mixed reality and Holograms; 3D printing; simulated dissections and anatomy simulation tables; and "Smart" tablets and touchscreen devices.

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This article explores digital learner presence in various higher education degrees in a regional institution in NSW, Australia. Several tools used for online teaching are explored through individual research projects in relation to the learner's presence with the tool being used. It was found that a variety of online teaching tools provided student presence and were effective for learning. Blogs, discussion boards, wikis and 3D virtual worlds were used to engage students in their learning. Herewith, the authors point out those that are more successful than others.

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BACKGROUND: People with mental illness have been identified as being more likely to experience type 2 diabetes and the complications arising from this, necessitating more complex chronic illness self-management. Social support has been identified as a significant factor in the successful adoption of lifestyle change for people with type 2 diabetes, however people with mental illness often have impoverished social networks leading to greater reliance upon professional care givers. This study maps the support provided by formal (paid and professional carers) and informal networks to people with mental illness and type 2 diabetes, comparing the experiences of people with a spouse with those without one. METHODS: Interviews were conducted with 29 clients of a community nursing service with mental health problems who receive professional support to self-manage type 2 diabetes. Participants were asked to complete an egocentric social network map which involved mapping the people and services who support them to manage their health. Demographic data was collected as was data about co-morbidities and service use within the last 6 months. Network maps were supplemented by a series of open-ended questions about self-management practices, who supports these practices and what support they provide. RESULTS: Participants identified small social networks with few friendship ties. These networks had diminished due to illness. For people with a spouse, this person provided significant support for chronic illness self-management performing a range of daily care and illness management tasks. People without a spouse were more reliant on professional and paid care givers for daily care and illness management. People without a spouse also demonstrated greater reliance upon weak social ties for emotional support and social connection and often developed friendships with formal caregivers. CONCLUSIONS: Spousal support reduces the need for professional services. In the absence of a spouse, participants were more reliant upon paid and professional carers and weaker social ties for chronic illness support and social connection leading to greater vulnerability of loss of support.

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Interprofessional education (IPE) has received little attention in veterinary education even though members of the veterinary and nursing professions work closely together. The present study investigates veterinary and veterinary nursing students' and practitioners' experiences with interprofessional issues and the potential benefits of IPE. Based on stakeholder consultations, two teaching interventions were modified or developed for use with veterinary and veterinary nursing students: Talking Walls, which aimed to increase individuals' understanding of each other's roles, and an Emergency-Case Role-Play Scenario, which aimed to improve teamwork. These interventions were piloted with volunteer veterinary and veterinary nursing students who were recruited through convenience sampling. A questionnaire (the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale [RIPLS]) was modified for use in veterinary education and used to investigate changes in attitudes toward IPE over time (pre-intervention, immediately post-intervention, and four to five months afterward). The results showed an immediate and significant positive change in attitude after the intervention, highlighting the students' willingness to learn collaboratively, their ability to recognize the benefits of IPE, a decreased sense of professional isolation, and reduced hierarchical views. Although nearly half of the students felt concerned about learning with students from another profession before the intervention, the majority (97%) enjoyed learning together. However, the positive change in attitude was not evident four to five months after the intervention, though attitudes remained above pre-intervention levels. The results of the pilot study were encouraging and emphasize the relevance and importance of veterinary IPE as well as the need for further investigation to explore methods of sustaining a change in attitude over time.

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OBJECTIVES: To test the reliability of a validated closed-format questionnaire assessing parental views following cochlear implantation of their child. DESIGN: Parents were surveyed using a closed-format questionnaire developed in earlier work. The same parents were surveyed 1 month later and responses compared. Test-retest reliability was thereby assessed. SETTING: Tertiary referral Pediatric Cochlear Implant Centre in the UK. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The parents of 20 children who had been born deaf or were deafened by age 3 years and who had been implanted for at least 2 years were drawn at random from patient lists. Parents were surveyed using a closed-format questionnaire whose validity had been previously assessed and re-surveyed 1 month later. Responses over time were compared. RESULTS: For the majority of items in the questionnaire, the replication of the item would lead to the same response on at least 95% of occasions. The text of the closed-format questionnaire is reproduced in full. CONCLUSION: This validated closed-format questionnaire appears to be unique in respect of cochlear implantation, being based explicitly on issues thought important by the parents. The high test-retest reliability indicates that it is capable of eliciting parental views in a meaningful manner. This information that is not currently available by other means can then be used as part of an overall assessment of outcomes, to inform efforts aimed at quality improvement as well as demonstrating accountability to purchasers and policymakers. Moreover, a wider use of this instrument can result in valid comparisons of outcomes among different cochlear implant centres.

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