Time Of Social Distancing Research Articles

Remote Innovation: How Remote Work Enables Open Innovation in Times of COVID-19

The rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated infection control measures imposed by governments caused a major disruption to traditional workflows, leading to an immense increase in remote work. At the same time, innovation activities became more collaborative and digitalized than ever before, as firms worldwide were forced to shift from physical to virtual innovation spaces literally overnight and suddenly had to adapt and practice “remote innovation”. By means of a systematic literature review based on 80 selected articles, this paper contributes to the academic discussion in three ways: First, the paper explores the synthesis between open innovation and remote work and uncovers a set of necessary determinants that form the basis for practicing remote innovation. Second, the paper offers a conceptual framework based on Chesbrough’s open innovation model and extended by various determinants of open innovation in a remote work environment to provide initial advice to managers on how to innovate in times of social distancing. Third, the study concludes by identifying several promising areas for future research in the field of remote innovation management, a hitherto under-researched but highly topical field.

Terapia Ocupacional Social, pandemia e interculturalidades: oficinas temáticas no contexto da mobilidade estudantil internacional

Abstract Introduction The Covid-19 pandemic triggered profound changes in people’ ways of life, with significant impact on the forms of socialization and teaching-learning practices. Objective To present the experience of creating and developing intercultural thematic workshops. They were part of a set of welcoming actions and teaching of Portuguese to international students linked to the Student Program of the Graduation Agreement (PEC-G) of Federal University of Sao Paulo (Unifesp), coordinated by teacher of languages—Portuguese as a Foreign Language (PLA)—and social occupational therapy. Method The critical interpretation of the experience, its ordering and reconstruction were guided by the perspective of the systematization of experiences (SE) proposed by Oscar Jara Holliday. The fieldwork involved two perspectives: analysis of field diaries with records of occupational therapy interns between April and October 2020 and a conversation circle with foreign students. Results Four interdependent axes of analysis were thematized, presenting perceptions and reinterpretations of the initial moments of the pandemic and its effects in Brazil, specifically in the contexts of migration and higher education. Conclusion This study provides interdisciplinary, intercultural, and multilingual reflections on social occupational therapy actions in the context of mobility for the purposes of study and internationalization of higher education, as well as analysis technologies developed in times of social distancing and weakening of support networks.

FaMoSim: a facilitated discrete event simulation framework to support online studies

Paper aims To propose a framework to support online simulation studies considering facilitated modeling and concepts of modern industry context, such as agility and flexibility. Originality Since the frameworks in the literature deal with simulation projects focused on healthcare and face-to-face meetings, the present work innovates by offering an agile and flexible guide for simulation projects in production systems, which also supports online interventions. Research method Action Research method was used to develop the framework. After its development, the FaMoSim (Facilitated Modeling Simulation) framework was applied in a real case to evaluate its applicability. Main findings In the application of FaMoSim, we achieved the framework's objectives: carrying out a faster (up to 3 months) and more flexible online modeling process; creating a simple computer model that does not require a complex data collection structure nor a specialist team; generating a better understanding of the process and assisting the stakeholders in identifying improvements. Implications for theory and practice Considering some challenges that prevent the expansion of DES studies, the framework assists in expanding DES studies in environments where it is not widely used. The framework supports online interventions, making it an interesting tool that can be used mainly in times of social distancing.

OLDER ADULTS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: ROLE OF HEALTH CONDITIONS IN RESILIENCY AND PERCEIVED STRESS

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated protracted lockdowns, exacerbating the challenges associated with social isolation. Older adults, who often suffer from social isolation, may have a harder time coping with the added isolation imposed by COVID-19. In this study, we investigated the resiliency and coping skills of older adults amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, and whether they were associated with different co-morbidities. We conducted a 45-minute telephone survey of 107 participants to assess their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants were recruited from existing Johns Hopkins studies. The survey included the Brief Resilient Coping Scale, the Perceived Stress Scale, and questions about current health conditions (arthritis, osteoporosis, high blood pressure, heart disease, and depression/anxiety) and whether these conditions worsened, improved, or remained unchanged since the beginning of the pandemic. We regressed scores for resiliency and coping scores on a series of indicators of whether co-morbidities had worsened during the pandemic. On average, participants were 76 years old and 63% were female. There was no association between resiliency scores and any of the co-morbidities (r2=2.8%). With respect to perceived stress, participants who reported their depression/anxiety worsened during the pandemic also reported greater levels of perceived stress (B=0.83, 95% confidence interval: 0.30, 1.36). We were surprised that additional co-morbidities did not affect resiliency or stress. In order to better serve geriatric populations, health professionals should closely monitor those patients who have depression and anxiety during times of social distancing, epidemics, or pandemics.

WELL-BEING DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: THE ROLES OF DEMOGRAPHICS, PERSONALITY, AND SOCIAL TIES

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic continues to exert widespread impacts on individuals, particularly older adults (Tyrrell & Williams, 2020). This symposium capitalizes on a variety of data sources to advance our understandings of the psychosocial impact of the pandemic on older adults. The first two papers consider the importance of personality characteristics in understanding the effects of social distancing. Fiori et al. highlight the potential for sociability to act as a liability during times of social distancing, finding that sociability exacerbated the effects of social distancing on mental health outcomes in a sample of community-dwelling older adults. Ryan’s paper focuses on the Big Five Personality traits, age, and population density as key characteristics explaining differences in subjective well-being during the pandemic. Next, Van Vleet et al. apply a mixed-methods approach to investigate when older adults expect life to go back to normal, finding that expectations about the future became more positive with the passage of time. The final two papers consider the importance of adults’ home social context during the pandemic. Newton examines relationships between living alone and well-being outcomes among older Canadian women, finding that perceived COVID-19 impact was significant only at T1 and living alone was linked to poorer well-being by T2. Birditt et al. examine how individuals’ and partner’s COVID-19 stress and couples’ racial composition are related to affective experiences measured via ecological momentary assessments, finding that husbands’ stress impacted both partners’ well-being, and that associations differed by race. Sherman will lead a discussion to synthesize these new findings.

Teleglaucoma Using a New Smartphone-Based Tool for Visual Field Assessment.

COVID-19 underlines the importance of telemedical diagnostics. The smartphone-based campimetry (Sb-C) is a newly developed digital application allowing visual field testing using a head-mounted device and a smartphone. It enables visual field screening remotely from a clinic. Sb-C is a newly developed tool for functional ophthalmic diagnosis. This study aimed to examine the comparability of the Sb-C and Octopus 900 to ensure ophthalmological care in times of social distancing. Total 93 eyes were included in the study. After an ophthalmological examination, the visual field was tested by the Octopus program G1 and by the smartphone-based campimeter. The Sb-C was performed using VR glasses and an iPhone 6. The software Sb-C was downloaded and installed as SmartCampiTracker app and is examining the 30-degree visual field with 59 test positions corresponding to the G pattern of Octopus G1. Sensitivities were recorded and saved on the app. In addition, test-retest reliability was tested on 6 ophthalmologically healthy participants. The group comprised 48 women and 45 men (mean age: 62.52±12.2y) including 19 controls, 17 patients with ocular hypertension, 11 preperimetric glaucomas, and 46 perimetric glaucomas. The mean sensitivity (MS) of all points of G1 perimetry was 23.13 dB (95% CI, 22.08-24.18). The MS of the Sb-C was 21.23dB (95% CI, 20.37-22.08). The correlation between the mean MS measured by G1 perimetry and the Sb-C was strong ( r =0.815, P <0.05). The test-retest reliability showed a correlation of r =0.591 ( P <0.05) . With some technical adjustments, the Sb-C shows promise for screening glaucoma and monitoring disease progression remotely from an ophthalmologic clinic.

Digital Training Resources in the Dutch Surgical Residency Curricula and the Perspectives of Residents: A Thematic Analysis of Resident Interviews

Digital training resources show great promise in augmenting traditional surgical education - especially in times of social distancing and limited surgical caseload. Embedding digital resources in surgical curricula is however not current, nor common practice in Dutch hospitals. While the digital world has become part of a resident's everyday life, surprisingly little is known about surgical residents' experiences and expectations towards use of digital resources for their own surgical education. This study aims to identify digital resources currently used in Dutch surgical curricula and to describe surgical residents' perspectives towards digital education. A series of semi-structured interviews with Dutch surgical residents were conducted until data sufficiency occurred. The interviews consisted of two parts: 1) current surgical training and implemented digital resources, and 2) future surgical training and the role of digital resources therein. All interviews were digitally recorded, transcribed verbatim, and thematically analyzed. Sixteen surgical residents were interviewed - two out of each of the eight educational regions for surgery in the Netherlands. Five digital resource categories were identified and four general educational themes (requirements, advantages, disadvantages, and general education themes), overarching 13 sub-themes. In general, residents were enthusiastic with regard to using digital resources, especially when the perceived advantages supported their autonomy. Dutch surgical residents indicate that digital resources may support their educational experiences, but state that ideally they must be combined with much appreciated on-the-job training, and be offered to them tailored to their individual needs. No resources are considered to be a "magic bullet" in itself. The specific needs of residents and educators need to be addressed clearly in order to successfully adopt and implement digital resources on a larger scale.

Consumption networks in times of social distancing: Towards entrained solidarity

How does solidarity gel together disjointed entities in a web of social relations? This study examines how solidarity catalyzes unconnected entities (people, things, and institutions) in a consumption network by analyzing Spesasospesa.org, an Italian consumption network that was developed during lockdowns resulting from Covid-19. We find that solidarity enables the emergence of this network because of three main practices: (1) synchronization, (2) appropriation, and (3) narration. Solidarity has typically been depicted in the consumer culture literature as a given trait of consumer collectives, but our study shows that solidarity in fact plays a key role in gelling social links at the nexus of antistructure and structure. Therefore, our research extends past literature on consumer sociality by unveiling the role that entrained solidarity plays in the emergence of consumption networks in times of social distancing.

Being socially present in a time of social distancing: investigating the online social learning experiences of teacher-trainees during COVID-19

PurposeThis paper investigates the social online learning experiences of teacher trainees during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study's model gauges the relationships between social presence, sense of community, and collaborative learning in online work-based learning environments.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses a cross-sectional design, specifically an online questionnaire, to collect data from teacher-trainees in different years of their university programs.FindingsThe findings indicate significant and positive relationships between social presence and both sense of community and collaborative learning, and between collaborative learning and sense of community in a work-based online learning environment. Moreover, collaborative learning was found to mediate the relationship between social presence and sense of community in the study's model.Research limitations/implicationsThe use of questionnaires to collect self-reported data from a mostly female undergraduate sample is expected to affect the generalizability of the results. Experiments or observation methods and a wider sample of participants can be used in future research to build on the findings of this study.Practical implicationsThe authors recommend that educators play an active role in improving the students' online social learning experiences, especially their social presence and collaborative learning. By using different interactive methods (e.g. encouraging students to ask questions, express emotions, share resources, and reflect on their learning in a group), educators can help students achieve a sense of community and, hence, realize the many beneficial outcomes tied to community creation in online learning environments.Originality/valueThe study contributes to knowledge by highlighting students' social experiences while learning online, a usually overlooked area of study. These insights are especially important in a time when online learning has become a necessity rather than a choice and when students are in dire need of social support and community. Researching the online social learning experiences of teacher-trainees lends additional value to the study, as it is necessary for future teachers to experience and master this type of learning during their pre-service training so they can apply it with higher levels of confidence and efficacy in their future classrooms.

The Colorectal Cancer Alliance: Reshaping volunteerism during COVID-19.

282 Background: Nonprofits across the United States have been severely limited during the ongoing coronavirus disease pandemic and have seen big drops in volunteer engagement. According to one survey, two-thirds of volunteers decreased or stopped contributing their time altogether due to the pandemic leaving a major gap in available support for nonprofits at a time when demand for many of their services has risen substantially. The Colorectal Cancer Alliance sought to adapt to the “new normal” of socially distanced operations by restructuring existing programs and encouraging our community to volunteer in virtual capacities during this time of social distancing. Methods: Each year, staff members at the Alliance collect data on volunteer roles, hours, and participants. Using this data, we are able to analyze and compare the number of volunteers, volunteer hours, and engagement rates for each role Data collected and reported for 2021 was compared to previous years to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volunteer hours at the Alliance. Results: The Colorectal Cancer Alliance’s established volunteer programs were promptly reshaped at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Leveraging existing fluency in remote volunteer roles, the Colorectal Cancer Alliance provided more peer-to-peer support both virtually and remotely during this time of social distancing. The total reported number of volunteer hours for 2021 was 85,100.5 hours, which is a nearly 300% increase from 2020 (29,391.5 hours), nearly 400% increase from 2019 (22,141.5 hours), and over 500% increase from 2018 (16,582 hours). The highest number of volunteer hours was seen in our DIY (peer-to-peer fundraising) program at 34,681 hours, followed by our Team Captains Walk at 16,200 hours, and in online peer-to-peer support groups Ally-to-Ally and Blue Hope Nation (BHN) at 9,083 hours. Compared to the previous year, DIY increased by over 350% (10,646 hours) and Ally-to-Ally and BHN increased by over 1200% (867 hours). It is interesting to note that peer-to-peer mechanics drove the largest increases during the isolating COVID years. Conclusions: Our results indicate the Colorectal Cancer Alliance was able to maintain full functionality and discover new and creative ways to not only keep volunteers engaged, but to also increase volunteer impact during the pandemic. The spike seen in peer-to-peer support efforts and activities helped contribute to increased psychosocial support for our volunteers and constituents. These positive outcomes from virtual volunteerism encourage us to continue to engage our volunteers in a virtual capacity going forward to broaden the scope of our impact during this time of social distancing. As COVID-19 restrictions are lifted, the Alliance plans to maintain the virtual and remote programs in place and to continue encouraging our allies to volunteer in any capacity they can.

Safely maintaining distance while singing together: Developing synchronous and asynchronous solutions for an amateur choir under the time of social distancing

The social distancing reinforcement under COVID-19 seriously limited the opportunities of practising and performing for arts and music performers. While many activities can be transferred online with minimal effort, the latency obstacle in using live streaming audio software negatively affects the musicians and singers in performing or practising online. The researchers sought to integrate both asynchronous and synchronous solutions to mitigate the demand of rehearsal practices. This action research applied and examined the viability of both low audio latency technology and mobile learning applications with amateur choir members. The researchers and participants field-tested and improved the choir’s online practice by using the JackTrip Audio Device (an audio low-latency device), Sight Singing Studio and Practice Bird (two mobile apps). Using current technology, we found that amateur choir singers have opportunities to keep learning and performing ‘together’ while staying healthy from virus threats.

Bridging the gap between social media marketing and customer care

Many businesses either moved online for the first time in 2020 or expanded their online presence to maintain customer engagement during a time of social distancing. Individual customer-facing teams — from sales and marketing to customer care — found new ways to connect with and serve customers online. Post pandemic, customer preference for digital engagement has persisted. And as the dust settles on the hastily built digital workarounds, brands are now looking for ways to create more consistent customer experiences by integrating strategies across individual teams. This paper examines the benefits of integrating social media marketing and social customer care activities and presents a simple framework to help brands integrate strategies effectively.

How Constructions of Interpersonal Responsibility Shape Undergraduate Student Networks in Times of Social Distancing

Since Spring 2020, college students have experienced rapid and unpredictable shifts in their social and academic worlds. As institutions implemented social distancing policies, students had to navigate unstable norms related to peer interaction while negotiating what it meant to act responsibly to ensure their own safety and help their communities. Drawing on a network-based approach to pro-social behavior, we conducted a study of undergraduate students’ frequent interaction networks at one research university during Fall 2020 to better understand how students constructed and were influenced by their peer relationship patterns. We observed a typology of student relationship patterns based on the structure and physical location of relationships. This typology had important implications for how students assessed risk and expressed care. While students engaged in different behaviors related to social distancing, they all believed they were making a concerted effort to keep their frequent contacts safe.

O5-2 Tele-rehabilitation program ‘Funktionstraining-online' in people with Multiple Sclerosis - preliminary results of a first online survey

BackgroundIn 2019, the German Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society was certified as a provider for ?Funktionstraining? (FT). FT is an exercise training program developed for people with disabilities or people at risk of disability, takes place weekly and is led by a qualified FT-therapist. It is prescribed by a physician (between 12 and 24 months) and is part of outpatient medical rehabilitation. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tele-rehabilitation concept ‘Funktionstraining-online’ (FT-online) was developed for pwMS. This study examines the FT-online from a participants' point of view within an online survey.MethodsWe developed an online questionnaire that included data of sample characteristics, participants' experiences with FT-online in terms of usability and training content. Further, the survey captured the quality of FT-online and the FT-therapist and compared carefully FT-online with face-to-face training. The standardised questionnaires Self-Efficacy Scale - Short Form (ASKU), the Multiple Sclerosis Questionnaire for Physiotherapists MSQPT and the Fatigue-Questionnaire (WeiMuS) were included. The 103 interviewed people with MS (pwMS) participated in FT-online at least for three months.ResultsData analyses are in process. The response rate was 75% (n = 78). The analysed sample is 53.4±8.1 years old with a disease duration of 18±8.7 years (male=7, female=71). Preliminary results in the ASKU certify a low self-efficacy in the sample (2.25 ±0.67). Qualitative results show the advantages for FT-online in the independence of mobility and infrastructure, flexibility, compatibility within job and family, group feeling in times of social distancing and an increase in quality of life. The disadvantages described by the sample are mainly technical problems and lack of socialising. 35% (n = 27) participants experienced both: FT-online and face-to-face. 44.4% (n = 12) of this sample prefer FT-online, 33.3% (n = 9) prefer the face-to-face training course and 22.2% (n = 6) rate both kinds of training equal.ConclusionsThe implementation of FT-online was an important step to ensure the exercise-related physical activity in pwMS during the COVID-19 pandemic. The descriptive analyses show high potential for FT-online training in pwMS. We are aware of the bias in current data, because of the pandemic situation both the free choice of FT-offers and the pandemic circumstances held influence in study outcomes. First results lead to the conclusion that FT-online may be beneficial for a broad range of persons with neurologic diseases, movement disorders and fatigue episodes and should be considered for future medical rehabilitation.

Does the Weekly Practice of Recalling and Elaborating Episodes Raise Well-Being in University Students?

Increasing well-being is a prominent worldwide goal that can be achieved primarily through social support and environmental factors. However, in times of social distancing or isolation, it is important to also rely on self-managed activities. This study aimed to (a) test the effectiveness of a seven-week well-being intervention, in increasing need satisfaction, self-compassion, emotion regulation, and grateful disposition by curbing need frustration, self-derogation, and emotional suppression, and (b) examine the maintenance and long-term effects of the practices based on recall, elaboration, and writing. One hundred and twenty university students weekly recalled and elaborated for seven consecutive weeks on three recent episodes of gratitude, self-affirmation, goal setting, or meaningful things, according to the group to which they were assigned. Before the intervention, immediately after and one month later, they filled in questionnaires to assess need satisfaction/frustration, self-compassion/derogation, emotion regulation and grateful disposition. The results confirmed an increase in well-being and a decrease in ill-being for all groups (Cohen d for the significant differences ranging from 0.18 to 0.53). The effects were maintained one month later and even increased for self-compassion, self-derogation, need frustration, and emotional reappraisal. A follow-up assessment revealed that a third of the participants continued with the well-being practices. Implications and suggestions for future well-being interventions are discussed.

Remote teaching in times of social distancing: a study in the accounting and actuarial sciences courses

Purpose: Considering the imposed social isolation measures to contain the spread of the Sars-Cov-2 virus, the cause of COVID-19 pandemic, the in-person classes started to be held remotely. Those measures had an impact on education, mainly because they had to be adopted quickly, with no time for preparation. In our current study, we investigate how remote teaching has been occurring in the undergraduate courses of Accounting and Actuarial Sciences at a Public Higher Education Institution (PHEI), in times of social distancing.&#x0D; Methodology: An e-survey was carried out with teachers and students, in order to obtain information on the subject. The collected data were processed using statistical techniques to generate the results.&#x0D; Results: It came across that the studied PHEI did not have resources such as a Flipped classroom, Digital Whiteboard or any other technological tools to support remote classes, since the remote teaching modality became a need during the COVID-19 pandemic. The PHEI launched, via public notices, programs for digital inclusion in order to acquire mobile data and equipment, such as computers/smartphones/tablets for students; however, only few of the students could have access to those resources.&#x0D; Contributions of the Study: Our research results contribute to the state-of-the-art regarding undergraduate courses, by investigating their evolution towards remote learning. Such contributions provide information and knowledge on this subject to the national scientific literature, and give support and guidance to other courses offered by public and/or private higher education institutions.

Providing Emotional Support and Physical Comfort During a Time of Social Distancing: A Thematic Analysis of Doulas' Experiences During the Coronavirus Pandemic.

Doulas are trained, non-clinical professionals that provide a continuum of support for mothers. An interpretive phenomenological approach was used to explore the professional experiences of doulas (n = 17) during the COVID-19 pandemic in the US. Data were collected using brief intake surveys, in-depth semi-structured interviews, and an online discussion group. After a list of significant statements was created and grouped during emergent themes analysis, the reflections were summarized into three themes, (1) Doula Resilience, (2) Experiencing Vulnerability, and (3) Concern for Client Vulnerability that encapsulate the experiences of doulas during the COVID-19 pandemic. We conclude that as part of the COVID-19 recovery process, policy makers should look to non-clinical interventions for improving maternal health, such as promoting and supporting synergy between doulas and other maternal health service providers.

‘Sacrament of (Be)longing’: Analysis of Finnish Lutheran and Orthodox Christian Eucharistic Practices amid Absence and Estrangement

Abstract This article addresses eucharistic and communal transformations of two local Finnish churches, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland (ELCF) and the Orthodox Church of Finland (OCF), amid the COVID-19 pandemic and precautions. We analyze how eucharistic practices have transformed in the ELCF and the OCF and the ways these transformations are reflected in the experiences of both parishioners and pastors. The data consist of four questionnaires (N = 739) collected from Lutheran and Orthodox believers and Lutheran vicars during the pandemic. Our results indicate that the significance of belonging was emphasized during the time of social distancing. While among those in the ELCF, experiences of belonging were manifested in terms of Eucharist, among those in the OCF, belonging was most often reflected in relation to liturgical community. The differences in eucharistic theologies of the OCF and the ELCF have perhaps become more visible in exceptional circumstances.

Call me maybe: Risk factors of impaired social contact during the COVID-19 pandemic and associations with well-being.

The COVID‐19 pandemic caused major societal changes worldwide, with the most notable being lockdowns and restrictions on social contact. We conducted a longitudinal study (total n = 1907) in Germany with two time points to (1) identify demographic risk factors of impaired social contact during the pandemic, as well as investigate potential consequences of (2) impaired social contact and (3) different modes of communication on individuals' well‐being during the first lockdown in spring 2020. Results indicate that particularly individuals living alone and being unable to work reported a lower frequency of (face‐to‐face) contact in comparison with participants living with others or working. Impaired social contact was indirectly associated with a negative development in well‐being (life satisfaction, anxiety and depression) over time, and this relation was mediated via relatedness. Moreover, the frequency of face‐to‐face and phone communication during lockdown was positively associated with relatedness and well‐being; however, digital communication was not. The findings stress the importance of maintaining social contact in times of social distancing and of fostering reconnection between individuals once the pandemic is over.

On the dynamics of Zoom fatigue

The COVID-19 pandemic has made videoconferencing tools an essential part of our lives as these tools are what allowed us to keep in touch in a time of social distancing. Having said that, however, many people have found virtual interactions to be surprisingly exhausting. This has given rise to the concept of Zoom fatigue. The purpose of this article is to explore the dynamics that give rise to this peculiar phenomenon. The article first discusses the concept of Zoom fatigue and critiques the brain-centrism of current explanations. It then proposes a more embodied approach to interaction, discusses the mediating role of technology in videoconferencing, and proceeds to presents a list of five videoconferencing dynamics that may induce Zoom fatigue: Awkward turn-taking, inhibited spontaneity, restricted motility, lack of eye contact and increased self-awareness. Finally, it is argued that these dynamics should make us temper our collective expectations about the hybrid future.