As SARS-CoV-2 and its related clinical syndrome (COVID-19) became a pandemic worldwide, questions regarding its clinical presentation, infectivity, and immune response have been the subject of investigation. We present a case of a patient previously considered recovered from nosocomially transmitted asymptomatic COVID-19 illness, who presented with new respiratory, radiological, and RT-PCR findings consistent with COVID-19, while on high-dose prednisolone due to a suspected secondary demyelinating disease. Importantly, it led to three subsequent cases within patient's household after discharge from the hospital. After reviewing this case in light of current evidence and debates surrounding SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR results, we hypothesize that patients on corticosteroids may have particular viral shedding dynamics and should prompt a more conservative approach in regard to isolation discontinuation and monitoring.
This article analyses the current usage of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) in HEIs. First, a literature review is performed to identify and classify the recent developments in the area and to characterize the most used platforms and courses. Following this, an analysis of MOOCs offered by some HEIs is carried out to characterize and compare the courses available in the platforms. Concerning the main findings, the literature reveals that usage of MOOCs has been growing in recent years and that Coursera and EdX are the two main platforms used. The analysis of MOOCs available in those platforms shows that the number of universities using them and the number of courses offered have been increasing. The comparison between the courses available through the above-mentioned platforms shows that EdX is more interdisciplinary. The outcomes of this article are valuable for researchers on ICT use in HEI and may help professors implementing MOOCs in their own environment.
The Educast is an educational videos' platform that captures simultaneously video and digital support materials. This paper presents a study on the acceptance of Educast, by students, using the Technology Acceptance Model–TAM. The data was collected through a questionnaire applied to 54 students which results were analyzed using descriptive analysis and non-parametric tests. It was concluded that students expressed a positive attitude towards the variables Perceived Ease Of Use, Perceived Usefulness and Attitude Toward Using. The comparison between ratings assigned to the questionnaire items by the students who viewed video recordings and those that did not was performed, and it was found that the former showed higher levels of agreement with the referred items than the latter. It is considered that introducing some training before students have contact with Educast should be taken into account. The result of this work can be valuable not only for researchers on the Education area, but also for teachers that intend to use educational videos in their teaching/learning environment.
This article analyses the use and acceptance of technologies by professors in the teaching and learning context in a higher education institution. In the empirical study, a questionnaire based on the technology acceptance model was applied. The results indicated that the most used technologies are Moodle, Facebook and YouTube and it was concluded that in general, those technologies are well accepted. Few statistically significant differences between respondents' gender, scientific areas or ages were found, revealing that the use of those technologies is already widespread in the studied institution. Results also showed that perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use are two important determinants of Moodle acceptance, and that the majority of respondents did not know the MOOC concept. This article is valuable for researchers in the area and for professors that want to implement the use technologies in the teaching and learning context.
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