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Research Interests: Environmental Science, Oceanography, Environmental Monitoring, Environmental Pollution, Medicine, and 15 morePolarography, Multidisciplinary, Ireland, Seasonality, Humic Substances, Pollution, Seawater, Rain, Sediment, Spatial Distribution, Estuary, Fresh water, Seasons, Organic Matter, and Geologic Sediments
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Aquatic pollution by metals is of concern because of various toxic effects to marine life. The Tolka Estuary, Co. Dublin, Ireland, is a typical Irish urban estuary. It has a significant metal loading originating from the urban... more
Aquatic pollution by metals is of concern because of various toxic effects to marine life. The Tolka Estuary, Co. Dublin, Ireland, is a typical Irish urban estuary. It has a significant metal loading originating from the urban environment. Results of a 25 month analysis of cadmium, copper, lead and zinc spatial and temporal distribution over 10 sample locations in this estuary are presented in this paper. Metal concentrations were analysed using differential pulse polarography. Significant seasonal and spatial trends in metal distribution were observed over the 25 months. Sediment metal concentrations gradually increased (30-120%) in spring to a maximum at the end of summer which was followed by a decrease in winter months (30-60%). Sediment organic matter (OM) concentrations exhibited similar seasonal trends and a positive correlation between OM and metal distributions was observed, implying OM had an influence on metal distributions over time.
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Aim: To map existing research on homelessness and health in the Republic of Ireland, and to synthesize the evidence on housing-related disparities in health. Methods: Peer-reviewed articles and conference abstracts published in English... more
Aim: To map existing research on homelessness and health in the Republic of Ireland, and to synthesize the evidence on housing-related disparities in health. Methods: Peer-reviewed articles and conference abstracts published in English between 2012-2022 were retrieved from 11 bibliographic databases if they contained empirical data on homelessness and health in Ireland, and – in a subsequent screening stage – at least one measure of health disparity between the homeless and general populations. Reviewers extracted relative risks (RR), 95% confidence intervals (CI), and calculated pooled RR of comparable health disparities using pairwise random-effects meta-analyses. Results: 104 articles contained empirical data on the health of homeless individuals residing in Ireland, addressing primarily substance use, addiction, and mental health. Homelessness was associated with increased risk of illicit drug use (RR 7.33 [95% CI 4.2,12.9]), reduced access to a general practitioner (GP) (RR 0.7...
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The increasing importance of identifying lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT+) populations is a key driver in changes to demographic data collection in representative surveys of youth. While such population-based data are rare,... more
The increasing importance of identifying lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT+) populations is a key driver in changes to demographic data collection in representative surveys of youth. While such population-based data are rare, Growing Up in Ireland (GUI), an Irish, government-funded, longitudinal survey, includes sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) measurements. This qualitative study responds to a query from the GUI study team and aims to identify how best to collect SOGI data in future waves of GUI. A university Human Research Ethics Committee granted approval for online consultations with LGBT+ youth (n = 6) with experiential expertise in policy making. The research is underpinned by rights-based public patient involvement (PPI) with recorded discussions, which were transcribed and imported into NVivo 12, generating the theme “recognition in research, policy and society”. This co-created article, with the LGBT+ young PPI Panel members, commends the inclusion o...
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The emergence of COVID-19 has resulted in workplace adaptations globally. This study aims to understand the challenges faced by employees during COVID-19 workplace adaptation that could cause mental health distress. Fifteen focus groups... more
The emergence of COVID-19 has resulted in workplace adaptations globally. This study aims to understand the challenges faced by employees during COVID-19 workplace adaptation that could cause mental health distress. Fifteen focus groups were conducted with Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) and/or human resource professionals (n=60) from various occupational settings in Ireland between April and May 2021. The findings showed that stress arose from three primary sources: technostress, work-from-home adaptation, and COVID-19 longevity. Supports from organizations, such as providing timely information, Employee Assistance Programs, informal communication channels and the reinforcement of COVID-19 control measures, are discussed as the possible solutions to mitigate employees’ mental stress. This study contributes to the understanding of employees’ stress and the development of an intervention plan for alleviating the mental health impacts arising from occupational adaption due to COV...
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Using original qualitative data obtained through a series of online focus groups, and informed by a review of literature, this article examines peer mentoring and peer interaction amongst mature university students. A combination of... more
Using original qualitative data obtained through a series of online focus groups, and informed by a review of literature, this article examines peer mentoring and peer interaction amongst mature university students. A combination of students and recent alumni (n = 20), and student advisers (n = 10), from University College Dublin participated in the study. Inductive thematic analysis was applied to the data to generate three subthemes relating to the dominant peer-mentoring theme: the value of peer interaction, study groups as peer bonding, and resource implications for peer-mentoring schemes. Findings reveal that peer interaction and mentoring, including study groups, are highly valued by both mature students and student advisers. In conclusion, it is recommended that well-resourced peer-mentoring systems be developed and extended in higher-education institutions.
Research Interests: Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, Adult Education, Mentoring, Learning And Teaching In Higher Education, Mentoring and Career Development, and 4 morePeer Mentoring, Mature students in Higher Education, Mature Age Students Entering Higher Education, and Teaching and Learning In Adult and Higher Education
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Research Interests: Medicine, Multidisciplinary, Review, Occupational health and safety, Infection Control, and 10 moreEnvironmental public health, Infection Prevention, Workers, Meta Analysis, Control Measures, Personal protective equipment, Contact Tracing, CoVid, coronavirus outbreak, and Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
Background Despite widespread COVID-19 vaccination programs, there is an ongoing need for targeted disease prevention and control efforts in high-risk occupational settings. This study aimed to develop, pilot, and validate an instrument... more
Background Despite widespread COVID-19 vaccination programs, there is an ongoing need for targeted disease prevention and control efforts in high-risk occupational settings. This study aimed to develop, pilot, and validate an instrument for surveying occupational COVID-19 infection prevention and control (IPC) measures available to workers in diverse geographic and occupational settings. Methods A 44-item online survey was developed, translated, and validated for face, content, and cross-cultural validity according to literature review, expert consultation, and pre-testing. The survey was piloted with 890 workers from diverse industries in Canada, Ireland, Argentina, Poland, Nigeria, China, the US, and the UK. Odds ratios generated from univariable, and multivariable logistic regression assessed differences in ‘feeling protected at work’ according to gender, age, occupation, country of residence, professional role, and vaccination status. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted, and internal consistency reliability verified with Cronbach’s alpha. Hypothesis testing using two-sample t-tests verified construct validity (i.e., discriminant validity, known-groups technique), and criterion validity. Results After adjustment for occupational sector, characteristics associated with feeling protected at work included being male (AOR = 1.88; 95% CI = 1.18,2.99), being over 55 (AOR = 2.17; 95% CI = 1.25,3.77) and working in a managerial position (AOR = 3.1; 95% CI = 1.99,4.83). EFA revealed nine key IPC domains relating to: environmental adjustments, testing and surveillance, education, costs incurred, restricted movements, physical distancing, masking, isolation strategies, and areas for improvement. Each domain showed sufficient internal consistency reliability (Cronbach’s alpha ≥ 0.60). Hypothesis testing revealed differences in survey responses by country and occupational sector, confirming construct validity (p < 0.001), criterion validity (p = 0.04), and discriminant validity (p < 0.001). Conclusions The online survey, developed to identify the COVID-19 protective measures used in diverse, international workplace settings, showed strong face validity, content validity, cross-cultural validity, internal consistency, criterion validity, and construct validity. It can be used by decision makers in the distribution of IPC resources, and to guide occupational safety and health (OSH) recommendations for preventing COVID-19 and future infectious disease outbreaks.
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Data Availability Statement: The data that support the findings of this study are openly available at: women based in low-income countries. Through the examination of journal editorial boards, this study exposes the glaring lack of... more
Data Availability Statement: The data that support the findings of this study are openly available at: women based in low-income countries. Through the examination of journal editorial boards, this study exposes the glaring lack of diversity in editorial boards in environmental science and public health, explores the power dynamics affecting the creation and dissemination of knowledge, and proposes concrete actions to remedy these structural inequities in order to inform more equitable, just and impactful knowledge creation. https://github.com/KimvanDaalen/EBrepresentation and presented in the Supplement Materials. These data were derived from the publicly available webpages of included journals in this study.
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ObjectivesTo understand how essential workers with confirmed infections responded to information on COVID-19.DesignQualitative analysis of semistructured interviews conducted in collaboration with the national contact tracing management... more
ObjectivesTo understand how essential workers with confirmed infections responded to information on COVID-19.DesignQualitative analysis of semistructured interviews conducted in collaboration with the national contact tracing management programme in Ireland.SettingSemistructured interviews conducted via telephone and Zoom Meetings.Participants18 people in Ireland with laboratory confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infections using real-time PCR testing of oropharyngeal and nasopharyngeal swabs. All individuals were identified as part of workplace outbreaks defined as ≥2 individuals with epidemiologically linked infections.ResultsA total of four high-order themes were identified: (1) accessing essential information early, (2) responses to emerging ‘infodemic’, (3) barriers to ongoing engagement and (4) communication strategies. Thirteen lower order or subthemes were identified and agreed on by the researchers.ConclusionsOur findings provide insights into how people infected with COVID-19 sought and...
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"I'm fearless." Above is a quote from one of 123 survey respondents from the inital project when asked about areas of Dublin where they felt unsafe. Gender minority students possess a unique courage in the face of numerous... more
"I'm fearless." Above is a quote from one of 123 survey respondents from the inital project when asked about areas of Dublin where they felt unsafe. Gender minority students possess a unique courage in the face of numerous obstacles, increased politicization surrounding gender issues, and misinformation or sensationalism. However, these students generally have the same goals and dreams as every other student: to receive a quality education that will alow them to develop and achieve career goals, be treated with dignity and respect, and fully partake in student activities.Trinity College DublinRoyal College of Surgeons in Irelan
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Hearing young voices is of paramount importance, particularly as some voices are seldom-heard, including those of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT+) youth. Recent research highlighting mental health disparities for these... more
Hearing young voices is of paramount importance, particularly as some voices are seldom-heard, including those of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT+) youth. Recent research highlighting mental health disparities for these populations led to the formation of the Irish LGBTI+ National Youth Strategy, which prioritized youth participation through a Youth Advisory Group (YAG). A policy analysis of the initiation of the Strategy outlines the convergence of problems, policies and politics using a Multiple Streams Approach (MSA), with quantitative literature suggesting substantial vulnerabilities. This is enhanced through qualitative exploration of the views of six youth co-authors, with experiential expertise, and as YAG members. A university ethics committee granted approval for online recorded consultations via group, pair and individual interviews. The theme of ‘seen and heard’ highlighted unprompted discussions on discursive assumptions representing young LGBT+ identities a...
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Objectives: This study aims to understand mental health issues among Irish employees arising from COVID-19 adaptation from the perspective of Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) and/or Human Resource (HR) professionals.Methods: Fifteen... more
Objectives: This study aims to understand mental health issues among Irish employees arising from COVID-19 adaptation from the perspective of Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) and/or Human Resource (HR) professionals.Methods: Fifteen focus groups including 60 OSH/HR professionals from various sectors were conducted covering four predetermined themes. The data were transcribed verbatim, with transcripts entered into Nvivo for thematic analysis incorporating intercoder reliability testing.Results: The mental health impacts among employees are identified from three stages: pre-adaptation, during adaptation, and post-adaptation. Most issues were reported during the second stage when working conditions dramatically changed to follow emerging COVID-19 policies. The identified mental health support from participating organizations included providing timely and reliable information, Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), informal communication channels, hybrid work schedules and reinforcem...
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Research Interests: Sports Medicine, Academia Research, Risk Management, Sports Injuries, Professional Development, and 15 moreSports Development, Quantitative, Football, Sports, Sports Coaching, Sports Psychology, Sports Coaching and Training, Attitude, Safety Behavior, Safety Communication, Footballer, Occupational Safety and Health Management System, Risk Attitude, Cross sectional Study, and footballers
The intense, physical contact nature of rugby union often encourages the normalization of risk-taking behaviour resulting in a relatively high acceptance of risk. This study aims to explore safety culture in rugby union from an OSH... more
The intense, physical contact nature of rugby union often encourages the normalization of risk-taking behaviour resulting in a relatively high acceptance of risk. This study aims to explore safety culture in rugby union from an OSH perspective, with the purpose of assisting coaches and management in their decision-making processes to improve players’ health, welfare, and long-term well-being. In terms of data collection, this study involved semi-structured interviews with senior support staff (n = 15) in elite rugby union. Interview transcripts underwent inductive analysis prior to an abductive analysis that was guided by an established occupational-safety-and-health (OSH) framework. Rugby union players’ safety can be considered from two dimensions: management’s commitment to safety (i.e., safety prioritization, safety empowerment, and safety justice), players’ involvement in safety (i.e., safety prioritization, and trust in other players’ safety competence, and players’ safety conc...
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Hearing young voices is of paramount importance, particularly as some voices are seldom-heard, including those of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT+) youth. Recent research highlighting mental health disparities for these... more
Hearing young voices is of paramount importance, particularly as some voices are seldom-heard, including those of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT+) youth. Recent research highlighting mental health disparities for these populations led to the formation of the Irish LGBTI+ National Youth Strategy, which prioritized youth participation through a Youth Advisory Group (YAG). A policy analysis of the initiation of the Strategy outlines the convergence of problems, policies and politics using a Multiple Streams Approach (MSA), with quantitative literature suggesting substantial vulnerabilities. This is enhanced through qualitative exploration of the views of six youth co-authors, with experiential expertise, and as YAG members. A university ethics committee granted approval for online recorded consultations via group, pair and individual interviews. The theme of ‘seen and heard’ highlighted unprompted discussions on discursive assumptions representing young LGBT+ identities almost solely in relation to mental health risk. These rich narratives problematize the (in)visibility and silence in representations of the diversity of LGBT+ youth identities, which may inadvertently reinforce stigma. This underscores the need for comprehensive and inclusive school curricula. While MSA may explain prioritization for policy initiation, participation potentially disrupts unintended negative consequences. This article concludes by emphasizing how ‘learning with’ LGBT+ young people can ensure research, policy and practice speaks directly to youth interests and concerns.
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The intense, physical contact nature of rugby union often encourages the normalization of risk-taking behaviour resulting in a relatively high acceptance of risk. This study aims to explore safety culture in rugby union from an OSH... more
The intense, physical contact nature of rugby union often encourages the normalization of risk-taking behaviour resulting in a relatively high acceptance of risk. This study aims to explore safety culture in rugby union from an OSH perspective, with the purpose of assisting coaches and management in their decision-making processes to improve players’ health, welfare, and long-term well-being. In terms of data collection, this study involved semi-structured interviews with senior support staff (n = 15) in elite rugby union. Interview transcripts underwent inductive analysis prior to an abductive analysis that was guided by an established occupational-safety-and-health (OSH) framework. Rugby union players’ safety can be considered from two dimensions: management’s commitment to safety (i.e., safety prioritization, safety empowerment, and safety justice), players’ involvement in safety (i.e., safety prioritization, and trust in other players’ safety competence, and players’ safety concern for the opposition players). Within the themes identified, players’ attitude towards their opponents’ safety which has been rarely considered as a factor for injury prevention is also discussed in this study. If sport support staff (i.e., managers/coaches/medical) can become more involved in players’ performance-orientated training using OSH management processes to aid in their decision-making, their exists the capacity to benefit players’ safe return to play after injury rehabilitation. Meanwhile, directing the development of appropriate behavioural educational interventions to raise safety-awareness amongst players can improve their long-term health and well-being and provide them with the necessary safety and health information to support their own decision-making processes. As a multidisciplinary design, this study contributes new multidisciplinary insights that have the potential to advance managerial practices utilizing an OSH perspective, including decision-making supporting risk alleviation for safety and long-term health and wellbeing initiatives in competitive team sports.
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Objectives: This study aims to understand mental health issues among Irish employees arising from COVID-19 adaptation from the perspective of Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) and/or Human Resource (HR) professionals. Methods: Fifteen... more
Objectives: This study aims to understand mental health issues among Irish employees arising from COVID-19 adaptation from the perspective of Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) and/or Human Resource (HR) professionals. Methods: Fifteen focus groups including 60 OSH/HR professionals from various sectors were conducted covering four predetermined themes. The data were transcribed verbatim, with transcripts entered into Nvivo for thematic analysis incorporating intercoder reliability testing. Results: The mental health impacts among employees are identified from three stages: pre-adaptation, during adaptation, and post-adaptation. Most issues were reported during the second stage when working conditions dramatically changed to follow emerging COVID-19 policies. The identified mental health support from participating organizations included providing timely and reliable information, Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), informal communication channels, hybrid work schedules and reinforcement of control measures. Conclusion: This study explores the challenges facing employees during the different stages of COVID-19 adaptation and the associated mental health impacts. Gender's influence on mental health consultations should be considered when planning for public health emergencies, and further research conducted in male dominated industries.
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"I'm fearless." Above is a quote from one of 123 survey respondents from the inital project when asked about areas of Dublin where they felt unsafe. Gender minority students possess a unique courage in the face of numerous... more
"I'm fearless." Above is a quote from one of 123 survey respondents from the inital project when asked about areas of Dublin where they felt unsafe. Gender minority students possess a unique courage in the face of numerous obstacles, increased politicization surrounding gender issues, and misinformation or sensationalism. However, these students generally have the same goals and dreams as every other student: to receive a quality education that will alow them to develop and achieve career goals, be treated with dignity and respect, and fully partake in student activities.Trinity College DublinRoyal College of Surgeons in Irelan
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In light of global environmental crises and the need for sustainable development, the fields of public health and environmental sciences have become increasingly interrelated. Both fields require interdisciplinary thinking and global... more
In light of global environmental crises and the need for sustainable development, the fields of public health and environmental sciences have become increasingly interrelated. Both fields require interdisciplinary thinking and global solutions, which is largely directed by scientific progress documented in peer-reviewed journals. Journal editors play a critical role in coordinating and shaping what is accepted as scientific knowledge. Previous research has demonstrated a lack of diversity in the gender and geographic representation of editors across scientific disciplines. This study aimed to explore the diversity of journal editorial boards publishing in environmental science and public health. The Clarivate Journal Citation Reports database was used to identify journals classified as Public, Environmental, and Occupational (PEO) Health, Environmental Studies, or Environmental Sciences. Current EB members were identified from each journal’s publicly available website between 1 Marc...
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During 2020-2021, the government of Ireland in line with international recommendations imposed the closure of non-essential trades, services, and commerce. Food plant factories, meat processing plants among others were deemed essential... more
During 2020-2021, the government of Ireland in line with international recommendations imposed the closure of non-essential trades, services, and commerce. Food plant factories, meat processing plants among others were deemed essential and remained open. During that time, many workers were exposed to outbreaks in their workplaces. Some of the questions arising included if workers will adapt to new safety measures, if those measures
could prevent and mitigate workplace outbreaks and , if an outbreak occur in a closed facility, if it will impact community transmission. The most vulnerable workplaces were typically front-line industries, with healthcare and food processing facilities among the hardest hit by Covid-19 infections.
To complete the core aims, statistical models were developed for WP1. These models could accurately predict the scale of an outbreak in a meat processing plant based on the infection transmission in the community in the weeks preceding the outbreak and account for patterns in infection spread in both Ireland and worldwide using a ‘behavioural response’ mechanism. In addition to this, vaccine effectiveness was calculated using a method that made use of surveillance data. This demonstrated the strength and limitations of surveillance data.
One clear aspect of behaviour in the COVID-19 pandemic has been people’s focus on, and response to, reported or observed infection numbers in their community. WP1 developed a simple model of infectious disease spread in a pandemic situation where people’s behaviour is influenced by the current risk of infection and where this behavioural response acts homeostatically to return infection risk to a certain preferred level. Analysis of worldwide
COVID-19 data confirmed the model predictions at both an overall and an individual country level.
Building on the findings of the infectious disease spread model, the research team aimed to investigate how individuals adapted their behaviours throughout the pandemic at an individual level, using the number of community cases and the number of contacts reported by cases to the contact-tracing program as a proxy for behavioural response. This work is
ongoing at this time. In addition to this, estimations on vaccine effectiveness were calculated using a method that made use of surveillance data. This demonstrated the strength and limitations of surveillance data.
There were significant challenges in completing WP1, primarily caused by a difficulty in accessing the required data, however, the primary aims and goals of the work package were achieved and a meaningful body of research was produced on disease spread in specific, controlled environments and among the general population.Our work will certainly inform future pandemics. The main messages are 1) that community transmission can predict the
occurrence of outbreaks -suggesting that managers and Public Health officials should work together to reinforce surveillance during peaks of community transmission and 2) high risk settings -like meat factories- can reduce or mitigate outbreaks if they introduce timely protective measures.
could prevent and mitigate workplace outbreaks and , if an outbreak occur in a closed facility, if it will impact community transmission. The most vulnerable workplaces were typically front-line industries, with healthcare and food processing facilities among the hardest hit by Covid-19 infections.
To complete the core aims, statistical models were developed for WP1. These models could accurately predict the scale of an outbreak in a meat processing plant based on the infection transmission in the community in the weeks preceding the outbreak and account for patterns in infection spread in both Ireland and worldwide using a ‘behavioural response’ mechanism. In addition to this, vaccine effectiveness was calculated using a method that made use of surveillance data. This demonstrated the strength and limitations of surveillance data.
One clear aspect of behaviour in the COVID-19 pandemic has been people’s focus on, and response to, reported or observed infection numbers in their community. WP1 developed a simple model of infectious disease spread in a pandemic situation where people’s behaviour is influenced by the current risk of infection and where this behavioural response acts homeostatically to return infection risk to a certain preferred level. Analysis of worldwide
COVID-19 data confirmed the model predictions at both an overall and an individual country level.
Building on the findings of the infectious disease spread model, the research team aimed to investigate how individuals adapted their behaviours throughout the pandemic at an individual level, using the number of community cases and the number of contacts reported by cases to the contact-tracing program as a proxy for behavioural response. This work is
ongoing at this time. In addition to this, estimations on vaccine effectiveness were calculated using a method that made use of surveillance data. This demonstrated the strength and limitations of surveillance data.
There were significant challenges in completing WP1, primarily caused by a difficulty in accessing the required data, however, the primary aims and goals of the work package were achieved and a meaningful body of research was produced on disease spread in specific, controlled environments and among the general population.Our work will certainly inform future pandemics. The main messages are 1) that community transmission can predict the
occurrence of outbreaks -suggesting that managers and Public Health officials should work together to reinforce surveillance during peaks of community transmission and 2) high risk settings -like meat factories- can reduce or mitigate outbreaks if they introduce timely protective measures.
Research Interests: Epidemiology, Occupational Health & Safety, Computational Modelling, Public Health, Communicable Disease Epidemiology and its Control, and 5 moreOccupational Safety and Health, OSHA-Environmental Management, Covid-19, COVID-19 PANDEMIC, and Modelling of real-life problems in public health, environment, finance/pension and road safety
The COVID-19 pandemic has had deleterious effects on the global population, including the employees who have had to frequently adapt their working style for the purpose of mitigating COVID-19 workplace transmission. It is important for... more
The COVID-19 pandemic has had deleterious effects on the global population, including the employees who have had to frequently adapt their working style for the purpose of mitigating COVID-19 workplace transmission. It is important for the employers, OSH management and policymakers to understand how COVID-19 adaptation may have impacted on workplaces and workers’ health and wellbeing, along with experiences associated with mitigation measures such as newly introduced control measures, COVID-19 related communication strategies and behavioural apathy. This work package (WP2) as part of a larger SFI research grant that focuses on the impacts on organisations and their employees in Ireland from an OSH perspective using focus group interviews with OSH (Occupational Safety and Health) and/or HR (Human Resource) professionals who work closely with OSH counterparts as their experiences of working during the pandemic are considered invaluable for reflection on how Irish organisations managed during the pandemic as well as future planning.
Based on the thematic analysis, the findings were reported from four perspectives: organisational preparedness and support; organisational impact from COVID-19; impact on workers from COVID-19; and the future of OSH in a post COVID-19 world. Since the data collected were richer than anticipated, an emergent theme ‘Worker Mental Health and How to Support’ has also been reported as an independent chapter. Additionally, a survey instrument was developed based on the findings of the focus groups, which can be used by OSH professionals to evaluate COVID-19 adaptation impact on workers in their respective organisation has been designed and validated and a user guide prepared.
Overall, WP2 was conducted as optimally as possible given the limitations COVID19 placed on research and the goals for the work package have been achieved. Furthermore, WP2 also provided added value to the macro project, owing to the impressive amount of data collected which could be used for other aspects of the project.
Based on the thematic analysis, the findings were reported from four perspectives: organisational preparedness and support; organisational impact from COVID-19; impact on workers from COVID-19; and the future of OSH in a post COVID-19 world. Since the data collected were richer than anticipated, an emergent theme ‘Worker Mental Health and How to Support’ has also been reported as an independent chapter. Additionally, a survey instrument was developed based on the findings of the focus groups, which can be used by OSH professionals to evaluate COVID-19 adaptation impact on workers in their respective organisation has been designed and validated and a user guide prepared.
Overall, WP2 was conducted as optimally as possible given the limitations COVID19 placed on research and the goals for the work package have been achieved. Furthermore, WP2 also provided added value to the macro project, owing to the impressive amount of data collected which could be used for other aspects of the project.
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The Toolkit for Impactful Lifelong Learning in the 21st Century "TILL21" is a resource guide that focuses on academic advising and supporting mature and part-time students inspired by the principles of universal design in learning. The... more
The Toolkit for Impactful Lifelong Learning in the 21st Century "TILL21" is a resource guide that focuses on academic advising and supporting mature and part-time students inspired by the principles of universal design in learning. The TILL21 team comprised of faculty, staff and students from the School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science and the UCD EDI unit with input from UCD Access and Lifelong Learning. Through information, opinions and insights gathered from the literature and a series of focus groups with students, alumni and student advisors the toolkit provides an overview of resources and potential actions that can be utilised to develop relationships with mature and part-time learners, progress authentic teaching and inclusive assessment methods, and build mentoring potential for both academic journeys and professional career development.