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COVID-19 disrupted the usual way of working for many people across the globe, making full-time work from home and hybrid models two popular work arrangements. Despite the proliferation and high acceptance of the hybrid model, very little research has focused on the same. This study aims to compare the impact of transitions caused by remote work on work disengagement under two settings: remote work and hybrid model.

The data is collected from three corporate hubs in India: Hyderabad, Gurgaon and Bangalore. This study’s respondents represent two working models: full-time work from home and a hybrid model. Responses were collected using Google forms-based questionnaire, which resulted in the following usable responses: 356 (hybrid) and 398 (work from home).

The findings reveal that the structural model for the hybrid sector explained 11% of the variance in work disengagement, while the same for work from home model accounted for 20% of the variance in work disengagement. The authors also tested for the moderation of individual resilience between work-home and home-to-work conflicts and home-to-work transitions and work-to-home conflict under full-time work-from and hybrid models. Based on 356 respondents from hybrid category and 398 from work from home, the study found that employees experience less work-to-home and home-to-work conflicts in the hybrid model and employees experience more work-to-home and home-to-work conflicts in the full-time work from home model.

The study is also the first to examine the moderating role of individual resilience as a tool to bounce back and handle conflicts. As the full-time work from home model leads to more work-to-home and home-to-work conflicts, individuals have more scope to exhibit resilience, and thus, the moderating relationship is stronger in the full-time work from home model. The paper offers theoretical and managerial implications.

This study was done to compare the modes of teaching mathematics in higher education in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The three teaching methods were used as follow: before, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The three teaching methods are: (1). Normal on-campus face-to-face teaching and learning activity before the COVID-19 pandemic. (2). Full online teaching and learning activity during the COVID-19 pandemic. (3). Blended teaching and learning activity after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Over the last few years, there has been a considerable amount of literature investigating the efficacy of the various delivery modes: on-campus delivery (face-to-face), online delivery and blended learning (hybrid), in helping college students improve their mathematical skills. However, the extent to which one learner learns best has been hotly debated among the researchers. Therefore, this study aims to compare the efficacy of implementing three teaching and learning delivery modes before, while, and after the COVID-19 pandemic: on-campus delivery (face-to-face), online delivery and blended learning (hybrid) on academic achievement in mathematics at a higher education institution in the UAE. The main research question explores whether there is a statistically significant difference (p = 0.05) in students’ academic based on the delivery methods: on-campus face-to-face, online and blended learning. The participants in the study were students from one of the largest higher education institutions in the UAE, and all of them studied the same mathematics course before, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Student scores in the three academic semesters were thoroughly compared and analyzed using the ANOVA test to check if there is a significant difference between the three groups followed by a Tukey test to identify the significant difference in favor of which group. The results showed that there were significant differences in the mean scores in the students’ achievement in the mathematics courses favoring the blended learning delivery mode. The findings also show that the students’ achievement in mathematics using the on-campus face-to-face teaching and learning was better than the students’ achievement in mathematics using online teaching and learning delivery modes.

The main study question was: is there a statistical significant difference at the significance level (a = 0.05) in students’ achievements in mathematics courses at higher education in the UAE, which can be attributed to the method of teaching? The descriptive statistics reveal that the average student’s score in the final exam after the COVID-19 pandemic is 65.7 with a standard deviation of 16.65, which are higher than the average student’s score in the final exam before the COVID-19 pandemic of 58.7 with a standard deviation 20.53, and both are higher than the average students’ score in the final exam during the COVID-19 pandemic 51.8 with standard deviation 21.48. Then, the ANOVA test reveals that there is a statistically significant difference between the three groups in the final exam marks. The researchers used the multiple comparison tests (Tukey test) to determine the difference. The Tukey test reveals that there is a statically significant difference between the average students’ score in the final exam after the COVID-19 pandemic and the average students’ score in the final exam during the COVID-19 pandemic, where p = 0.015 < 0.05 as well as there is a statically significant difference between the average students’ score in the final exam after the COVID-19 pandemic and the average students’ score in the final exam before the COVID-19 pandemic, where p = 0.000 < 0.05 in favor of the average students’ score in the final exam after the COVID-19 pandemic. On the other hand, there is a statically significant difference between the average students’ score in the final exam before the COVID-19 pandemic and the average students’ score in the final exam during the COVID-19 pandemic, where p = 0.016 < 0.05 in favor of the average students’ score in the final exam before the COVID-19 pandemic.

There are several limitations that may reduce the possibility of generalizing the expected results of the current study to students outside the study population: (1) The study is limited to students of a federally funded postsecondary education institution in the UAE, in which most students are studying in their non-native language. (2) The study is limited to the mathematics courses. (3) The achievement test used in the study is a standardized test developed by the college as a cross-campus summative assessment.

The hybrid education model, also known as blended learning, combines traditional face-to-face instruction with online learning components. When applied to teaching mathematics in higher education, this approach can have several implications and benefits. Here are some key points supported by references: (1) Enhanced Accessibility and Flexibility: hybrid models offer flexibility in learning, allowing students to access course materials, lectures and resources online. This flexibility can accommodate diverse learning styles and preferences. A study by Means et al. (2013) in “Evaluation of Evidence-Based Practices in Online Learning” highlights how blended learning can improve accessibility and engagement for students in higher education. (2) Personalized Learning Experience: by incorporating online resources, instructors can create a more personalized learning experience. Adaptive learning platforms and online quizzes can provide tailored feedback and adaptive content based on individual student needs (Freeman et al., 2017). This individualization can improve student performance and understanding of mathematical concepts. (3) Increased Student Engagement: the integration of online components, such as interactive simulations, videos and discussion forums, can enhance student engagement and participation (Bonk and Graham, 2012). Engaged students tend to have better learning outcomes in mathematics. (4) Improved Assessment and Feedback Mechanisms: hybrid models allow for the implementation of various assessment tools, including online quizzes, instant feedback mechanisms and data analytics, which can aid instructors in monitoring students’ progress more effectively (Means et al., 2013). This timely feedback loop can help students identify areas needing improvement and reinforce their understanding of mathematical concepts. (5) Cost-Effectiveness and Resource Optimization: integrating online materials can potentially reduce overall instructional costs by optimizing resources and enabling efficient use of classroom time (Graham, 2013). (6) Challenges and Considerations: despite the benefits, challenges such as technological barriers, designing effective online materials and ensuring equitable access for all students need to be addressed (Garrison and Vaughan, 2014). It requires thoughtful course design and continuous support for both students and instructors. When implementing a hybrid education model in teaching mathematics, instructors should consider pedagogical strategies, technological infrastructure and ongoing support mechanisms for students and faculty.

The research is the first research in the UAE to discuss the difference in teaching mathematics in higher education before, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a significant disruption in the educational systems worldwide. Some institutions opted for emergency remote education due to the need to cancel in-person activities. The aims of this paper were to evaluate the use of asynchronous methodology in health sciences education, determine whether asynchronous methodology was sacrificing overall student satisfaction, and investigate whether satisfaction improved as the program develops.

Initially, there was phase 1 that corresponded to four weeks of activities. Each professor produced a video lesson, and after each video lesson, a weekly educational activity was made available. Next, phase 2 was implemented using the same methodology, however lasting six weeks. Three questionnaires were developed, and a Likert scale was administered to verify the students’ level of satisfaction. Data were analyzed using frequency distributions, mean values, standard deviation and confidence interval. The normality of the sum data (total of the questionnaires) was tested using the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test.

Although the students pointed out that the asynchronous methodology facilitated access to the content and considered this methodology satisfactory, they expressed a reduced level of satisfaction regarding emergency remote education in general when data from the first weeks were compared to those of the previous weeks. It is clear that students became increasingly discouraged and tired over time, which motivated the institution to shift into a combination of synchronous and asynchronous methodology to improve student learning.

Teaching in the field of health care encompasses difficult competencies that sometimes are impossible to be learned remotely, so there is a need to examine and evaluate properly the remote education in this area. With careful planning, educational institutions can evaluate their experiences during the pandemic, allowing those involved to highlight strengths and identify weaknesses to better prepare for future needs to improve remote education.

This study aims to analyse the differences between professional interaction mediated by video conferencing and direct professional interaction. The research identifies diverging interests of office workers for the purpose of addressing work ethical and business ethical issues of professional collaboration, competition, and power in future hybrid work models.

Based on 28 qualitative interviews conducted between November 2020 and June 2021, and through the theoretical lens of phenomenology, the study develops explanatory hypotheses conceptualising four basic intentions of professional interaction and their corresponding preferences for video conferences and working on site.

The four intentions developed on the basis of the interviews are: the need for physical proximity; the challenge of collective creativity; the will to influence; and control of communication. This conceptual framework qualifies a moral ambivalence of professional interaction. The authors identify a connectivity paradox of professional interaction where the personal dimension remains unarticulated for the purpose of maintaining professionality. This tacit human connectivity is intertwined with latent power relations. This plasticity of both connectivity and power in direct interaction can be diminished by transferring the interaction to video conferencing.

The application of phenomenology to a collection of qualitative interviews has enabled the identification of underlying intention structures and the system in which they affect each other. This research identifies conflicts of interests between workers relative to their different self-perceived abilities to persevere in competitive professional interaction. It is therefore able to address consequences of future hybrid work models at an existential and societal level.

Using critical disaster studies and state theory, we assess the disaster aid platform named Lebanon Reconstruction, Reform and Recovery Framework (3RF) that was put in place by international donors in the aftermath of the Beirut Port Blast in August 2020, in order to examine the effectiveness of its inclusive decision-making architecture, as well as its institutional building and legislative reform efforts.

The paper uses the case study approaach and relies on two original data sets compiled by authors, using desk reviews of academic literature and secondary data, in addition to 24 semi-structured expert interviews and participant observation for two years.

The aid platform appears innovative, participatory and effectively functioning toward recovery and reform. However, in practice, the government dismisses CSOs, undermines reforms and dodges state building, whereas the 3RF is structured in incoherent ways and operates according to conflicting logics, generating inertia and pitfalls that hinder effective participatory governance, prevent institutional building, and delay the making of projects.

The research contributes to critical scholarship as it addresses an important research gap concerning disaster aid platforms’ institutional design and governance that are under-studied in critical disaster studies and political studies. It also highlights the need for critical disaster studies to engage with state theory and vice-versa.

The research contributes to evaluations of disaster recovery processes and outcomes. It highlights the limits of disaster aid platforms’ claims for participatory decision-making, institutional-building and reforms.

The paper amplifies critical disaster studies, through the reflexive analysis of a case-study of an aid platform.

This study explores the contribution of social entrepreneurship to the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Uganda.

We employed a qualitative approach and a multiple-case design to engage 20 participants. Specifically, semi-structured interviews were conducted to gather the perceptions and views of the participants regarding the study phenomenon.

Study findings indicate that social entrepreneurs support a number of people and undertake activities that solve social, environmental and economic problems. However, environmental issues receive less focus when compared to other sustainability aspects. It is also evident that social entrepreneurs are financially constrained with limited managerial skills, undermining their potential to fulfill their social mission. Despite these challenges, social entrepreneurs have significantly contributed to the attainment of SDGs 1, 4, 5, 8 and 10 in Uganda.

This study contributes to the existing literature on social entrepreneurship and sustainable development. Specifically, it provides initial empirical evidence on the social entrepreneurial activities, the beneficiaries and challenges being addressed by social entrepreneurs and contribution to the attainment of the SDGs in Uganda.

In today’s world, empowering individuals, promoting social cohesion and advancing economic development all hinge on access to high-quality education, prioritizing diversity, inclusion and equality. Rethinking current educational strategies using cyber-physical learning assets is necessary to accommodate the learning inclusivity and equity and escalating demands of a globalized world. There is a pressing demand for evidence to support the efficacy of collaborative learning in transforming curriculum and fostering learner inclusion. However, it is recognized as a pedagogical technique within the quality education domain. This study aims to address this knowledge gap by investigating how hybridized cybergogy paradigms facilitate collaborative learning, focusing on diversity, equity and inclusion, to improve educational quality in higher education.

This study used a qualitative approach with an exploratory design guided by an interpretive philosophical perspective. The data was gathered from 60 prospective teachers from the public sector university of Sindh, Pakistan. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants. They were then analyzed using theme analysis to understand their views on the potential of hybridized cybergogy paradigms for collaborative learning to improve the quality of education provided at institutions.

The study results confirm that learners benefit from increased access to learning resources, improved critical thinking and problem-solving skills and a more diverse and inclusive classroom working together in a collaborative hybridized cybergogy setting. By fostering SDG 4 (Quality Education) and the 21st-century skills necessary for global marketplace engagement and competing in progressive environments, this creative method equips learners with the capabilities to face modern global challenges.

The study offers valuable practical suggestions to stakeholders in higher education, including faculty, policymakers and teacher education programs, for integrating hybridized cybergogy and collaborative learning to align curricula with sustainable development goals. Additionally, it bridges a significant gap in the existing literature, which will aid future researchers interested in exploring this area.

This study stands out as it explores an underexamined area while providing novel educational insights.

This introductory chapter traces some of the impact COVID-19 has had on education in different global contexts. It traces the history of the Universitas 21 Schools of Education Deans Group and its Forum for International Networking in Education and sets the context for the subsequent contributions in this book. It provides points of reflection for scholars and institutions as they traverse through the ongoing challenges of the pandemic.

The study aims to provide a critical review of the extent to which digital technologies are likely to replace human labour, the exponential rise in the amount of work to be done and how far distinctively human skills are future-proofed and therefore likely to be in short supply. It reviews the evidence for a permanent switch to home and remote working enabled by emerging technologies. It assesses the business, digital and labour strategies of work organisations and the promise and challenges from a dominant trend towards a digitally enabled flexible labour model.

A critical review of 1020 plus case studies and the extant literature was carried out.

The relationship between emerging technologies and work is widely misunderstood, and there are major qualifiers to the idea of an overwhelming tsunami of technology drastically reducing headcounts globally. Distinctive human skills remain valuable, the amount of work to be done is increasing exponentially and automation is becoming more a coping than a labour replacement mechanism. Moves to a hybrid digitalised flexible labour model are promising but not if short-term, and if the challenges they represent are not managed well.

The main limitation is that we are making projections into the future, though we are drawing on a lot of different sources and evidence and past data projected into the future.

The problem is not labour displacement but large skills shortages that will slow down the speed of technology adoption. Skills development is vital, as is the taking of long-term perspectives towards the management of hybrid, flexible working based on human-machine interactions.

Organisations need to revitalise their training and development and labour management models. Governments and intermediary institutions need to manage transition states if the skills required to gain economic growth are to be available, and to ensure that large labour pools do not get bypassed from not having requisite skills.

The study offers a more subtle and complex perspective on the emerging evidence about the future of technology and work.