Virtual mobility for students, going from distance learning to live participation

Paper reviews differences between virtual mobility and distance learning, providing insight into current state of art for online learning in higher education. Authors analyze main barriers and obstacles for live virtual mobility to become a mainstream practice as well as justify the possible regions of operation. Summary is provided for the most visible pilot projects that have paved the way for the term virtual mobility to become an object of interest. Main impact factors are listed and the discussion part summarizes the future vision of live virtual student mobility in higher education

Development of a mobile application for detection of adolescent mental health problems and feasibility assessment with primary health care workers

INTRODUCTION : There has been a sharp increase in the use of digital health interventions in global health, particularly mobile health applications, in recent years. The extreme shortage of health care providers trained in mental health screening and intervention in low- and middle-income countries raises questions about the applicability of mobile applications to deliver these services due to their accessibility and availability. This exploratory paper describes the development and feasibility assessment of a mobile screening application for the detection of mental disorders among adolescents in Zambia and South Africa. METHODS : Eighty-two health care workers (HCW) working in primary care evaluated the acceptability and practicality of the mobile screening application after receiving brief training. The evaluation included questions from the Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS) as well as open-ended questions. RESULTS : The acceptability of the screening app was high and study participants were positive about using the app in routine care. Problems with internet connectivity, and time and staff constraints were perceived as the main barriers to regular use. CONCLUSION : HCW in primary care were able and willing to use a mobile screening app for the detection of mental health problems among treatment-seeking adolescents. Implementation in clinical practice needs to be further evaluated.Erasmus + Capacity Building.https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/imhn20hj2023Psychiatr

Design and development process of a youth depression screening m-health application for primary health care workers in South Africa and Zambia : an overview of the MEGA project

Literature indicates a high prevalence and burden of mental illness in youths world-wide, which may be even higher in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), such as South Africa and Zambia. Additionally, there is a lack of knowledge regarding youth depression amongst many primary health care (PHC) practitioners. The principal goal of the MEGA project is to provide youth with better access to mental health services and appropriate care, by developing a mental health screening mobile application tool to be used in PHC settings in South Africa and Zambia. In this study, we will use a mixed methods multi-center study design. In phase one, we will investigate the mental health literacy of PHC practitioners to identify areas in need of development. Based on the needs identified, we will develop and test a mobile health application to screen for common youth mental health problems in phase two. In phase three, we will implement and evaluate a tiered education and training program in the use of the m-health application. In the final phase, we will evaluate the acceptability and feasibility of the m-health application in PHC centres across South Africa and Zambia. Evidence suggests that PHC practitioners should routinely consider mental illness when assessing youth. However, common psychiatric disorders remain largely undetected and untreated in PHC settings. By identifying limitations in PHC workers knowledge with regard to youth mental health, we aspire to improve the depression care provided to youth in Southern Africa and Zambia by developing and implementing a locally relevant m-health application.http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/imhn20hj2020Psychiatr

WeLearn Intercultural Communication & Neighbourness Learning : Compilation of the project reports

This document is a compilation of the project outputs of Erasmus+ project WeLearn Intercultural Communication & Neighbourness Learning. The outputs were produced during the period between 2019 and 2022, in collaboration of six academic institutions, i.e., Tampere University, Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Aalborg University, Suleyman Demirel University, and Riga Technical University. With the project outputs collected to this document the Erasmus+ project WeLearn, Intercultural Communication and Neighbourness Learning aspired to provide insights and tools to help higher education institutions and their teachers to facilitate intercultural communication and neighbourness skills in their classrooms. While classrooms are becoming multicultural owing to trends such as globalization and growth of internet connectivity, it is important to help teachers in their efforts in building inclusive study environments and facilitate intercultural dialogue among people from different backgrounds. This does not happen on its own, instead both the awareness of teachers and students needs to be improved. Thus, WeLearn aimed to teach, develop, and promote communication skills, intercultural skills and neighbourness skills of teachers and students trough development of offline and online toolkits, which teachers can used to facilitate intercultural communication and neighbourness learning in their classrooms