“COVID-19 as the equalizer”: Evolving discourses of COVID-19 and implications for medical education.

Buuren, Asia van; Tang, Vincent; Martimianakis, Maria Athina

doi:10.36834/cmej.70401

“…The pandemic affected people across various social identities such as age, nationality, racial/ethnic background, LGBTQ+ status, and socio-economic status. Despite being termed as "the great equalizer" by politicians like New York's Governor Andrew Cuomo and celebrities such as Madonna (Gaynor and Wilson, 2020;van Buuren et al, 2020), it had differential impacts on people along the lines of power and privilege in our society due to various systems of oppression including, but not limited to, racism, classism, sexism, and ableism (Copley et al, 2020;Garcia et al, 2020;Gaynor and Wilson, 2020;Lokot and Avakyan, 2020;Mein, 2020). In the United States, case and death rates have been higher among Black, Hispanic/Latinx, and Native American people than white people (Gold et al, 2020;Karaca-Mandic et al, 2020;Wortham, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Undergraduate Biology Students Received Higher Grades During COVID-19 but Perceived Negative Effects on Learning

Supriya

¹

,

Mead

²

,

Anbar

³

et al. 2021

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Institutions across the world transitioned abruptly to remote learning in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This rapid transition to remote learning has generally been predicted to negatively affect students, particularly those marginalized due to their race, socioeconomic class, or gender identity. In this study, we examined the impact of this transition in the Spring 2020 semester on the grades of students enrolled in the in-person biology program at a large university in Southwestern United States as compared to the grades earned by students in the fully online biology program at the same institution. We also surveyed in-person instructors to understand changes in assessment practices as a result of the transition to remote learning during the pandemic. Finally, we surveyed students in the in-person program to learn about their perceptions of the impacts of this transition. We found that both online and in-person students received a similar small increase in grades in Spring 2020 compared to Spring 2018 and 2019. We also found no evidence of disproportionately negative impacts on grades received by students marginalized due to their race, socioeconomic class, or gender in either modality. Focusing on in-person courses, we documented that instructors made changes to their courses when they transitioned to remote learning, which may have offset some of the potential negative impacts on course grades. However, despite receiving higher grades, in-person students reported negative impacts on their learning, interactions with peers and instructors, feeling part of the campus community, and career preparation. Women reported a more negative impact on their learning and career preparation compared to men. This work provides insights into students’ perceptions of how they were disadvantaged as a result of the transition to remote instruction and illuminates potential actions that instructors can take to create more inclusive education moving forward.

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“…The pandemic affected people across various social identities such as age, nationality, racial/ethnic background, LGBTQ+ status, and socio-economic status. Despite being termed as "the great equalizer" by politicians like New York's Governor Andrew Cuomo and celebrities such as Madonna [8,9], it had differential impacts on people along the lines of power and privilege in our society due to various systems of oppression including, but not limited to, racism, classism, sexism, and ableism [9][10][11][12][13]. In the United States, case and death rates have been higher among Black, Hispanic/Latinx, and Native American people than white people [14][15][16].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

COVID-19 and the abrupt shift to remote learning: Impact on grades and perceived learning for undergraduate biology students

Supriya¹,

Mead²,

Anbar³

et al. 2021

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Institutions across the world transitioned abruptly to remote learning in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This rapid transition to remote learning has generally been predicted to negatively affect students, particularly those marginalized due to their race, socioeconomic class, or gender identity. In this study, we examined the impact of this transition in the Spring 2020 semester on the grades of students enrolled in the in-person biology program at a large university in Southwestern United States as compared to the grades earned by students in the fully online biology program at the same institution. We also surveyed in-person instructors to understand changes in assessment practices as a result of the transition to remote learning during the pandemic. Finally, we surveyed students in the in-person program to learn about their perceptions of the impacts of this transition. We found that both online and in-person students received a similar small increase in grades in Spring 2020 compared to Spring 2018 and 2019. We also found no evidence of disproportionately negative impacts on grades received by students marginalized due to their race, socioeconomic class, or gender in either modality. Focusing on in-person courses, we documented that instructors made changes to their courses when they transitioned to remote learning, which may have offset some of the potential negative impacts on course grades. However, despite receiving higher grades, in-person students reported negative impacts on their learning, interactions with peers and instructors, feeling part of the campus community, and career preparation. Women reported a more negative impact on their learning and career preparation compared to men. This work provides insights into students’ perceptions of how they were disadvantaged as a result of the transition to remote instruction and illuminates potential actions that instructors can take to create more inclusive education moving forward.

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“Head of the Class”: equity discourses related to department head appointments at one Canadian medical school

Cameron

¹

,

LeBlanc

²

,

Mahalik

³

et al. 2023

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Purpose: Equitable appointments of departmental leaders in medical schools have lagged behind other Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) advancements. The purpose of this research was to 1) analyze how policy documents communicate changing ideas of EDI, employment equity, and departmental leadership; and 2) investigate department heads’ perspectives on EDI policies and practices. Methods: We conducted a critical discourse analysis to examine underlying assumptions shaping EDI and departmental leadership in one Canadian medical school. We created and analyzed a textual archive of EDI documents (n = 17, 107 pages) and in-depth interviews with past (n = 6) and current (n = 12) department heads (830 minutes; 177 pages). Results: Documents framed EDI as: a legal requirement; an aspiration; and historical reparation. In interviews, participants framed EDI as: affirmative action; relationships; numerical representation; and relinquishing privilege. We noted inconsistent definitions of equity-deserving groups. Conclusions: Change is slowly happening, with emerging awareness of white privilege, allyship, co-conspiracy, and the minority tax. However, there is more urgent work to be done. This work requires an intersectional lens. Centering the voices, and taking cues from, equity-deserving leaders and scholars, will help ensure that EDI pathways, such as those used to cultivate department leaders, are more inclusive, effective, and aligned with intentions.

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“COVID-19 as the equalizer”: Evolving discourses of COVID-19 and implications for medical education.

Cited by 4 publications

References 10 publications

Undergraduate Biology Students Received Higher Grades During COVID-19 but Perceived Negative Effects on Learning

Undergraduate Biology Students Received Higher Grades During COVID-19 but Perceived Negative Effects on Learning

COVID-19 and the abrupt shift to remote learning: Impact on grades and perceived learning for undergraduate biology students

“Head of the Class”: equity discourses related to department head appointments at one Canadian medical school

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