A mobile ecology of resources for Covid-19 learning

Mobile devices and a vast array of accompanying applications offer significant affordances to create, consume, share, collaborate and communicate—affordances that could be easily leveraged to facilitate meaningful learning. A positive disruption arising from Covid-19 that aligns with the affordances of mobile learning is the uncoupling of time and space in the learning process. Traditionally formal learning is a process that is predominately viewed as an experience that is ‘timetabled’— scheduled to eventuate at a ‘place’—lecture or a tutorial (or similar) in a room or lecture theatre. In this concise paper, an ecology of resources is discussed along with guiding principles for designing and facilitating uncoupled authentic and student-determined learning post the emergency remote teaching phase

Disruption as a Catalyst for Change? Effects of COVID-19 on the Perceptions and Approaches ofAcademics in Their Teaching.

Disruption from the COVID-19 pandemic has forced many university teachers to adopt new, often unfamiliar practices. We present results from complementary phenomenographic and thematic inquiry into how teachers experience and perceive this disruption, using the relational 3P model as a framework. Semi-structured interviews with academics conducted during the disruptive period (early 2021: complete) and over the longer term (late 2021 and mid-2022: planned) are examined. Employing a phenomenographic approach, we defined three dimensions of variation in perceptions and experiences: (a) teaching and learning; (b) institutional support, and (c) academic identity. Thematic analysis identified additional issues that influence how academics approach their teaching. A key emerging finding is that perceptions of support may mediate how the disruption affects academics’ teaching approaches and their academic identity. Using complementary analytical approaches will allow us to build on emerging findings to design investigations into the longer-term effects of this disruption.</p

Metformin and Covid-19: Focused Review of Mechanisms and Current Literature Suggesting Benefit

Metformin is the first-line medication for type 2 diabetes, but it also has a long history of improved outcomes in infectious diseases, such as influenza, hepatitis C, and in-vitro assays of zika. In the current Covid-19 pandemic, which has rapidly spread throughout the world, 4 observational studies have been published showing reduced mortality among individuals with home metformin use. There are several potential overlapping mechanisms by which metformin may reduce mortality from Covid-19. Metformin’s past anti-infectious benefits have been both against the infectious agent directly, as well as by improving the underlying health of the human host. It is unknown if the lower mortality suggested by observational studies in patients infected with Covid-19 who are on home metformin is due to direct activity against the virus itself, improved host substrate, or both