Impact of COVID-19 on Formal Education: An International Review of Practices and Potentials of Open Education at a Distance.

In terms of scale, shock, and disenfranchisement, the disruption to formal education arising from COVID-19 has been unprecedented. Anecdotally, responses from teachers and educators around the world range from heightened caution to being inspired by distance education as the 'new normal.' Of all the challenges, face-to-face and formal teaching have been most heavily affected. Despite some education systems demonstrating resilience, a major challenge is sustaining quality and inclusiveness in formal education suddenly delivered at a distance. In probing these issues, this article profiles international perspectives on the role of open education in responding to the impact on formal school and higher education caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. We proceed by highlighting and analysing practices and case studies from 13 countries representing all global regions, identifying and discussing the challenges and opportunities that have presented themselves. Reports cover the period from the beginning of 2020 until 11 March 2021, the first anniversary of the COVID-19 outbreak as declared by the World Health Organization. In our comparative study, we identify seven key aspects of which three (missing infrastructure and sharing OER, open education and access to OER, and urgent need for professional development and training for teachers) are directly related to open education at a distance. After comparing examples of existing practice, we make recommendations and offer insights into how open education strategies can lead to interventions that are effective and innovative¿to improve formal education at a distance in schools and universities in the future

Migraine and sleep apnea in the general population

Objective is to investigate the relationship between migraine and obstructive sleep apnea in the general population. A cross-sectional population-based study. A random age and gender stratified sample of 40,000 persons aged 20–80 years residing in Akershus, Hedmark or Oppland County, Norway, were drawn by the National Population Register. A postal questionnaire containing the Berlin Questionnaire was used to classify respondents to be of either high or low risk of obstructive sleep apnea. 376 persons with high risk and 157 persons with low risk of sleep apnea aged 30–65 years were included for further investigations. They underwent an extensive clinical interview, a physical and a neurological examination by physicians, and in-hospital polysomnography. Those with apnea hypopnoea index (AHI) ≥5 were classified with obstructive sleep apnea. Migraine without aura (MO) and migraine with aura (MA) was diagnosed according to the International Classification of Headache Disorders. MO and MA occurred in 12.5 and 6.8% of the participants with obstructive sleep apnea. The logistic regression analyses showed no relationship between the two types of migraine and obstructive sleep apnea, with adjusted odds ratios for MO 1.15 (0.65–2.06) and MA 1.15 (0.95–2.39). Further, estimates using cutoff of moderate (AHI ≥ 15) and severe (AHI ≥ 30) obstructive sleep apnea, did not reveal any significant relationship between migraine and the AHI. Migraine and obstructive sleep apnea are unrelated in the general population

The role of sleep in migraine attacks

Migraine attacks may be precipitated by sleep deprivation or excessive sleep and sleep is also associated with relief of migraine attacks. In view of this variable relationship we studied the records of 159 consecutive outpatients of our Headache Unit. In 121 records there was reference to sleep involvement, in 55% by a single form and in 45% by more than one form. When only one form was related, relief was most common (70%). 30% of that group of patients had the migraine attack precipitated by sleep, 24% by deprivation and 6% by sleep excess. When the effects of sleep were multiple, these effects were as expected logically in 65%: «in accordance» group (e.g attack precipitated by sleep deprivation and relieved by sleep onset. In a second group, («conflicting») where the involvement was not logical, there were three different combinations of sleep involvement, possibly due to more than one pathophysiological mechanism

Promoting Open Education through Gamification in Higher Education: The OpenGame project

Open education enables the transformation of higher education institutions to increase access to and quality of education, which is directly connected with the fourth sustainable development goal defined by UNESCO. Despite the need for this transformation, higher education institutions face a barrier. Educators are resistant to embracing the use of OERs and OEPs. The OpenGame project aims to contribute to the uptake of open educational resources and open educational practices among educators in higher education in an innovative and motivating way through the development of a gamified and situated learning experience in open education. This work introduces the main characteristics of the project and describes the main results achieved during the first months of the project. © 2020 Owner/Author