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Dutta T, Agley J. College leadership decisions and experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic: an elite interview study. JOURNAL OF AMERICAN COLLEGE HEALTH : J OF ACH 2024:1-11. [PMID: 38498604 DOI: 10.1080/07448481.2024.2328139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 03/20/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This study at a US Native American-serving Nontribal Institution (NASNTI) deeply analyzed collegiate leadership's responses and experiences during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. PARTICIPANTS Elite interviews were conducted between April and June 2021 with the college president, provost, dean of student engagement, human resources director, and chief of police. Interviewees were purposively selected due to their positions of authority. METHODS Each one-hour interview used a semi-structured guide for standardization and was conducted either virtually or in-person while following COVID-19 protocols. The general inductive method was used to identify nodes and categories within the transcripts. RESULTS Six nodes (conceptual domains) and 18 categories were identified. Though there was variability in interviewee emphasis, the respondents described the motivations, drivers, and sentiment behind their decision-making in a transparent way. CONCLUSIONS NASNTI leadership reported being able to navigate the pandemic by emphasizing transparency and engaging students, while working alongside the community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tapati Dutta
- Public Health Department, Health Sciences Division, Fort Lewis College, Durango, Colorado, USA
| | - Jon Agley
- Prevention Insights, Department of Applied Health Science, School of Public Health Bloomington, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA
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Ramírez-Martínez FR, Villanos MT, Sharma S, Leiner M. Variations in anxiety and emotional support among first-year college students across different learning modes (distance and face-to-face) during COVID-19. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0285650. [PMID: 38451887 PMCID: PMC10919625 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0285650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2023] [Accepted: 01/28/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024] Open
Abstract
College students with more emotional support experience lower levels of anxiety and other psychosocial and behavioral problems. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the emotional well-being of college students was additionally challenged by an abrupt shift to distance learning followed by a return to face-to-face classes. In this exploratory study, we compared the levels of perceived emotional support and anxiety among incoming first-year undergraduate students, prior to starting classes, which included different learning modes in five semesters of instruction from 2021-2023 (three distance semesters and two face-to-face semesters). Data from 8659 undergraduate students were extracted from a Mexican state university database, corresponding to students' responses collected during new student orientation week. Participants were students in the arts and humanities (9.7%), social and legal sciences (38%), life and health sciences (28.9%), and engineering and architecture (23.4%). Anxiety levels were measured with the GAD-7 scale, and emotional support was measured using a subscale of the PERACT-R (To go through with resilience) inventory. Comparisons of emotional support and anxiety scores among semesters revealed highly significant differences with small effect sizes. Anxiety levels increased significantly with mean average of 6.65 SD(5.52) during the baseline measure to the highest in 2022-2 to 7.53 SD(5.3) and Emotional Support decreased systematically each semester from baseline mean = 8.03 SD(2.0) to the lowest 7.52 SD(1.8) in 2022-2. The results show that a return to face-to-face classes was associated with increased anxiety levels, whereas levels of emotional support systematically decreased across the five semesters. MANOVA analysis revealed significant differences in anxiety and emotional support scores between semesters, with peaks during the learning mode semester that students returned to face-to-face classes after distance learning even after adjusting for gender. Given that the effect of emotional support on anxiety may be related to success in future educational and professional activities, it is important to develop interventions to restore and increase college students' emotional support levels and develop anxiety management strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Maria Theresa Villanos
- Department of Pediatrics, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, El Paso, Texas, United States of America
| | - Sonam Sharma
- Department of Pediatrics, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, El Paso, Texas, United States of America
| | - Marie Leiner
- Department of Extension and Students Services. Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, México
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Nyunt G, McMillen J, Oplt K, Beckham V. Flourishing (or lack thereof) during COVID-19: College students'social-psychological well-being during the Fall 2020 semester. JOURNAL OF AMERICAN COLLEGE HEALTH : J OF ACH 2024; 72:177-187. [PMID: 35026969 DOI: 10.1080/07448481.2021.2024548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2021] [Revised: 10/22/2021] [Accepted: 12/26/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Objective: This exploratory quantitative study examined college students' social-psychological well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants: The sample included 1,723 students (undergraduate and graduate) at a public research university. Methods: Paired samples t-test were utilized to compare students' social-psychological well-being pre-pandemic, at the start of the Fall 2020 semester, and toward the end of the Fall 2020 semester. Regression analyses were utilized to identify predictors of students' social-psychological well-being at the start and toward the end of the Fall 2020 semester. Results: Students experienced a significant decrease in social-psychological well-being pre-pandemic to the start of the Fall 2020 semester and most had not returned to pre-pandemic levels toward the end of the semester. While demographics, housing arrangements, and course modality impacted social-psychological well-being, they only explained a small percentage of the variance in students' well-being. Conclusion: Students continued to experience low mental well-being during the Fall 2020 semester.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gudrun Nyunt
- Counseling and Higher Education, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois, USA
| | - Jeanine McMillen
- Counseling and Higher Education, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois, USA
| | - Kaley Oplt
- Counseling and Higher Education, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois, USA
| | - Vanessa Beckham
- Counseling and Higher Education, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois, USA
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Chaufan C, Manwell L, Gabbay B, Heredia C, Daniels C. Appraising the decision-making process concerning COVID-19 policy in postsecondary education in Canada: A critical scoping review protocol. AIMS Public Health 2023; 10:918-933. [PMID: 38187898 PMCID: PMC10764973 DOI: 10.3934/publichealth.2023059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2023] [Revised: 10/16/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Responses to COVID-19 in Canadian postsecondary education have overhauled usual norms and practices, with policies of unclear rationale implemented under the pressure of a reported public health emergency. Objective To critically appraise the decision-making process informing COVID-19 policy in the postsecondary education sector. Methods Our scoping review will draw from macro and micro theories of public policy, specifically the critical tradition exemplified by Carol Bacchi's approach "What is the problem represented to be" and will be guided by Arksey and O'Malley's framework for scoping reviews and the team-based approach of Levan and colleagues. Data will include diverse and publicly available documents to capture multiple stakeholders' perspectives on the phenomenon of interest and will be retrieved from university newsletters and legal websites using combinations of search terms adapted to specific data types. Two reviewers will independently screen, chart, analyze and synthesize the data. Disagreements will be resolved through full team discussion. Discussion Despite the unprecedented nature of the mass medical mandates implemented in the postsecondary sector and their dramatic impact on millions of lives-students, faculty, staff and their families, friends and communities-the decision-making process leading to them has not been documented or appraised. By identifying, summarizing and appraising the evidence, our review should inform practices that can contribute to effective and equitable public health policies in postsecondary institutions moving forward.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Chaufan
- School of Health Policy and Management, York University, 4700 Keele St, Toronto, ON, M3J 1P3, Canada
| | | | | | - Camila Heredia
- School of Health Policy and Management, York University, Canada
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McIntyre MM, Medina PS, Zhang J, Ni A. Understanding student intentions to take online courses: A theory-driven examination of adoption factors and prior experience. EDUCATION AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES 2023:1-26. [PMID: 37361754 PMCID: PMC10149634 DOI: 10.1007/s10639-023-11823-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 04/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023]
Abstract
Online education options have expanded rapidly, yet empirical knowledge of students' adoption choices remains relatively limited. Within higher education, it is important for both instructors and administrators to understand what students value in online courses in order to provide a quality learning experience and manage enrollment demands. The current work applies and expands on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) to examine factors involved in course modality choices. Study 1 (N = 257) uses a single discipline to validate measures of online course perceptions and provide initial predictive evidence. Study 2 (N = 1257) examines adoption intentions among students in a wide range of disciplines. Performance expectancies, hedonic motivation, and flexibility emerged as the most substantial factors in student decisions about course modality. The results also reveal shifts in online course perceptions over time, including larger shifts for students with no prior online course experience. These findings expand current understanding of why students choose to take (or avoid) online courses, particularly concerning the role of flexibility in enrollment decisions. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10639-023-11823-4.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miranda M. McIntyre
- Department of Psychology, California State University San Bernardino, 5500 University Parkway, San Bernardino, CA 92407 USA
| | - Pamela S. Medina
- Department of Public Administration, California State University San Bernardino, 5500 University Parkway, San Bernardino, CA 92407 USA
| | - Jing Zhang
- Department of Management, California State University San Bernardino, 5500 University Parkway, San Bernardino, CA 92407 USA
| | - Anna Ni
- Department of Public Administration, California State University San Bernardino, 5500 University Parkway, San Bernardino, CA 92407 USA
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Junge M, Li S, Samaranayake S, Zalesak M. Safe reopening of university campuses is possible with COVID-19 vaccination. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0270106. [PMID: 35862302 PMCID: PMC9302728 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0270106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2021] [Accepted: 06/04/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
We construct an agent-based SEIR model to simulate COVID-19 spread at a 16000-student mostly non-residential urban university during the Fall 2021 Semester. We find that mRNA vaccine coverage at 100% combined with weekly screening testing of 25% of the campus population make it possible to safely reopen to in-person instruction. Our simulations exhibit a right-skew for total infections over the semester that becomes more pronounced with less vaccine coverage, less vaccine effectiveness and no additional preventative measures. This suggests that high levels of infection are not exceedingly rare with campus social connections the main transmission route. Finally, we find that if vaccine coverage is 100% and vaccine effectiveness is above 80%, then a safe reopening is possible even without facemask use. This models possible future scenarios with high coverage of additional "booster" doses of COVID-19 vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Junge
- Department of Mathematics, Baruch College, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Sheng Li
- School of Public Health, City University of New York, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Samitha Samaranayake
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
| | - Matthew Zalesak
- School of Operations Research and Information Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
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Allen RM, McLaren P. Protecting the University as a Physical Place in the Age of Postdigitization. POSTDIGITAL SCIENCE AND EDUCATION 2022. [PMCID: PMC8691964 DOI: 10.1007/s42438-021-00276-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Peter McLaren
- Chapman University, Orange, USA
- Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China
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Moran KS. The web of plenty: Leveraging the abundance of free, on-demand online forensic content. Sci Justice 2022; 62:778-784. [DOI: 10.1016/j.scijus.2022.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Revised: 02/20/2022] [Accepted: 04/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Johnson D, Cahill M, Choate S, Roelfs D, Walsh SE. The Influence of Public Health Faculty on College and University Plans During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Front Public Health 2022; 9:745232. [PMID: 35096729 PMCID: PMC8795676 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2021.745232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2021] [Accepted: 12/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to explore whether the institutional presence of public health expertise within colleges and universities was associated with operational plans for the fall semester of 2020. Using cross-sectional data collected by the College Crisis Initiative of Davidson College, six levels of instructional modalities (ranked from least to most restrictive) were compared between Council on Education of Public Health (CEPH)-accredited and non-CEPH-accredited 4-year institutions. Institutions with CEPH-accredited schools and programs were more likely to select some restrictive teaching modalities: 63.8% more likely to use hybrid/hyflex or more restrictive and 66.9% more likely to be primarily online (with some in person) or more restrictive. However, having CEPH-accredited programs did not push institutions to the most restrictive modalities. COVID-19 cases in county, enrollment, and political affiliation of the state governor were also found to be associated with instructional modality selection. While any ecological study has certain limitations, this study suggests that college and university fall plans may have been influenced by the presence of CEPH-accredited schools and programs of public health, and/or the input of their faculty. The influence of relevant faculty expertise on institutional decision-making can help inform college and university responses to future crises.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Johnson
- Department of Health Management and Systems Sciences, School of Public Health and Information Sciences, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, United States
- *Correspondence: David Johnson
| | - Meredith Cahill
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health and Information Sciences, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, United States
| | - Sara Choate
- Department of Health Management and Systems Sciences, School of Public Health and Information Sciences, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, United States
| | - David Roelfs
- Department of Sociology, College of Arts and Sciences, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, United States
| | - Sarah E. Walsh
- School of Health Sciences, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI, United States
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Collier DA, Fitzpatrick D, Dell M, Snideman SS, Marsicano CR, Kelchen R, Wells KE. We Want You Back: Uncovering the Effects on In-Person Instructional Operations in Fall 2020. RESEARCH IN HIGHER EDUCATION 2021; 63:741-767. [PMID: 34866763 PMCID: PMC8631564 DOI: 10.1007/s11162-021-09665-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2021] [Accepted: 11/10/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Postsecondary institutions' responses to COVID-19 are a topic of immediate relevance. Emergent research suggests that partisanship was more strongly linked to institutions offering in-person instruction for Fall 2020 than was COVID-19. Using data from the College Crisis Initiative and a multiple group structural equation modeling approach, we tested the relationships between our outcome of interest (in-person instruction in Fall 2020) and state and county sociopolitical features, state and county COVID-19 rates, and state revenue losses. Our full-sample model suggested that County Political Preferences had the strongest association with in-person instruction, followed by Pandemic Severity and State Sociopolitical Features. Because institutional sectors may be uniquely sensitive to these factors, we tested our models separately on 4-year public, 4-year private, and 2-year public and 2-year private institutions. State Sociopolitical Features were significantly related to in-person instruction for 4-year private and 2-year public institutions but were strongest for 4-year public institutions. For 4-year private and 2-year public institutions, County Political Preferences' effect sizes were 2-3 times stronger than effects from State Sociopolitical Features. Pandemic Severity was significantly, negatively related to in-person instruction for 4-year private and 2-year public institutions-similar in magnitude to State Sociopolitical Features. Our analysis revealed that COVID-19 played a stronger role in determining in-person instruction in Fall 2020 than initial research using less sophisticated methods suggested-and while State Sociopolitical Features may have played a role in the decision, 4-year private and 2-year public institutions were more sensitive to county-level preferences.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Dan Fitzpatrick
- Opportunity Hub, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI USA
| | - Madison Dell
- Graduate School of Education, Stanford University, Stanford, CA USA
| | | | | | - Robert Kelchen
- Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Knoxville, TN USA
| | - Kevin E. Wells
- Research and Educational Foundations, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS USA
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Whatley M, Castiello-Gutiérrez S. Balancing finances, politics, and public health: international student enrollment and reopening plans at US higher education institutions amid the COVID-19 pandemic. HIGHER EDUCATION 2021; 84:299-320. [PMID: 34629495 PMCID: PMC8492823 DOI: 10.1007/s10734-021-00768-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/17/2021] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Drawing from resource dependence theory, this study explores the extent to which international student enrollment related to institutional decisions to shift to in-person instructional strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic. We focus our study particularly on July 2020, a time during which tensions around international students' legal status in the US were especially high. Our results suggest that leaders at private not-for-profit institutions were significantly more likely to shift instructional strategies to include more in-person instruction, thus allowing more international students to enroll but also placing at risk the health of individuals on their campuses and in their local communities. A similar result was not found for public institutions. These results speak to the extent to which private institutions in the US have become financially dependent on international students' tuition and have clear implications for the financial futures of US higher education institutions. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10734-021-00768-7.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa Whatley
- SIT Graduate Institute, 1 Kipling Rd., Brattleboro, VT 05302 USA
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Ratto MC, Cabrera JM, Zacharías D, Azerrat JM. The effectiveness of government measures during the first wave of the outbreak. SOCIAL SCIENCE QUARTERLY 2021; 102:2088-2105. [PMID: 34908606 PMCID: PMC8661561 DOI: 10.1111/ssqu.13043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The Covid-19 pandemic changed the humanity life. Millions of deaths and infections that spread rapidly around the world made all countries take measures to stop the outbreaks and assume the enormous consequences that the Coronavirus is leaving behind. The challenge has been enormous; governments across the world have implemented a wide span of nonpharmaceutical interventions to mitigate the Coronavirus pandemic (SARS-CoV-2) and its consequences in economic terms. The aim of this article is to analyze the effects that different kinds of measures taken by Latin American governments had on the daily new infections. The countries analyzed were Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, México, Panamá, Peru, Paraguay, Dominican Republic, Uruguay and Venezuela. METHODS A time series cross-section analysis was performed, which allows studying the evolution of the number of daily cases over time and by country. The timeframe of this study was from the day the first case of coronavirus was registered in a country, until September 14, 2020. We used data from Covid-19 Dashboard database of Johns Hopkins University and the Oxford Covid-19 Government Response Tracker data set. RESULTS The Stringency Index did not have a significant influence at the beginning of the pandemic but turned out to be significant and inversely related to DNI during Phases 2 and 3. On the contrary, the Economic and the Sanitary Containment Index was not statistically significant for any of the phases. Furthermore, the level of wealthfare of a country, measured from its GDP per capita, exerts a substantive conditional influence on the management of the Covid-19 crisis. CONCLUSIONS The scenarios have been changing and strategies had to change as well in order to be successful because they lose effectiveness and have increased social costs with time. Therefore, understanding the relative effectiveness of such measures had on the disease spreading during the first wave of the outbreak, could help governments to make more informed decisions about how to control future outbreaks of the Covid-19 pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Celeste Ratto
- Research Institute on Cultural Diversity and Changing Process National University of Río Negro, National Council for Scientific and Technical Research San Carlos de Bariloche Río Negro Argentina
| | - Juan Manuel Cabrera
- Chemistry Department National University of Comahue San Carlos de Bariloche Río Negro Argentina
| | - Daniela Zacharías
- Department of Statistics National University of Comahue San Carlos de Bariloche Río Negro Argentina
| | - Juan Martín Azerrat
- Research Institute on Cultural Diversity and Changing Process National University of Río Negro, National Council for Scientific and Technical Research San Carlos de Bariloche Río Negro Argentina
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