Digital Commons Network^™

Localizing Content: The Roles Of Technical & Professional Communicators And Machine Learning In Personalized Chatbot Responses, Daniel L. Hocutt, Nupoor Ranade, Gustav Verhulsdonck

School of Professional and Continuing Studies Faculty Publications

This study demonstrates that microcontent, a snippet of personalized content that responds to users’ needs, is a form of localization reliant on a content ecology. In contributing to users’ localized experiences, technical communicators should recognize their work as part of an assemblage in which users, content, and metrics augment each other to produce personalized content that can be consumed by and delivered through artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted technology.

Metaphors, Mental Models, And Multiplicity: Understanding Student Perception Of Digital Literacy, Jason Tham, Kenyan Degles Burnham, Daniel L. Hocutt, Nupoor Ranade, John Misak, Ann Hill Dunn, Isabel Pedersen, Jessica Lynn Campbell

School of Professional and Continuing Studies Faculty Publications

This study examines student perception of digital literacy from their engagement with the Fabric of Digital Life, a digital archive of emerging technologies. Through grounded theory analysis we identified the ways students make sense of an unfamiliar technology. Our results show students assign metaphors to understand a new digital platform, apply mental models transferred from previous conceptual domains onto new technologies, and express multiply-layered approaches that facilitated their digital literacy development––an indication for instructors to orient toward an expansive description of digital literacy that caters to student learning needs as well as their professional futures.

Generalized Self-Efficacy Of Youth In The New Territories: A Community Survey Conducted By A Hong Kong Ngo, Robert W. Spires, Eric Howington, Jay Rojewski

School of Professional and Continuing Studies Faculty Publications

Youth are both key participants in debate and a central theme in the discourse on social issues in Hong Kong. Youth are often problematized in the contemporary media and political discussion as lacking in the work ethic, confidence and social skills necessary to be successful. Hong Kong youth are framed as pathologically shy, anti-social, lazy and entitled and these characteristics are used to present an image of Hong Kong youth as having individual characteristics that lead to their challenges in the job market and their characteristics as political rogues. This study approaches the characterization of Hong Kong youth with an …

There's No Way To Stop Human Trafficking By Treating It As An Immigration Enforcement Problem, Robert W. Spires

School of Professional and Continuing Studies Faculty Publications

Robert Kraft, the New England Patriots’ billionaire owner, recently made headlines when he was charged with two counts of soliciting prostitution. The women involved were undocumented Chinese immigrants who were human trafficking victims at the Orchids of Asia spa in Jupiter, Florida.

Hong Kong Youth Identity And Self-Presentation In The New Territories: A Qualitative Study On Letters From Youth And Teachers To An Ngo Internship Progrm, Robert W. Spires

School of Professional and Continuing Studies Faculty Publications

Hong Kong youth issues have gained increased attention in recent years, particularly in light of youth protests and political involvement. In Hong Kong, NGOs are one avenue of intervention to address youth issues. This study examines the letters of youth from the New Territories, as well as their supporting secondary school teachers, to a Hong Kong NGO in order to gain placement in an NGO internship program. These letters are explored for issues of youth identity using the lens of dialogical self theory to better understand the impact of globalization on youth identity development. How the youth and their teachers …

Improving Teacher Job Satisfaction: The Roles Of Social Capital, Teacher Efficacy, And Support, Suzanne K. Edinger, Matthew J. Edinger

School of Professional and Continuing Studies Faculty Publications

In this study, we examine how social capital, teacher efficacy, and organizational support increase teacher job satisfaction. Research suggests that teachers worldwide are exceedingly dissatisfied with their jobs and have significantly higher levels of turnover than their counterparts in other professions. We investigate this phenomenon using a sample of 122 elementary school teachers. We found that teachers’ centrality position, or each teacher’s relationship with every other teacher, in their school’s trust network and the density of a teacher’s academic advice ego-network predicted the development of teacher job satisfaction. Additionally, we found that teacher efficacy mediated the relationship between teacher’s trust …

Communicating Mobility And Technology: A Material Rhetoric For Persuasive Transportation (Book Review), Daniel L. Hocutt

School of Professional and Continuing Studies Faculty Publications

Humans are so enmeshed in mobility systems that they identify with themselves through those systems. In Communicating Mobility and Technology: A Material Rhetoric for Persuasive Transportation, Ehren Pflugfelder (2017) uses the term "automobility" to describe both "the specific kinds of mobility afforded by independent, automobile-related movement technologies" and "the complex cultural, bodily, technological, and ecological ramifications of our dependence on separate mobility technologies" (p. 4). Given identities enmeshed in ecologies of systems involving human and nonhuman actors through which transportation emerges, automobility is described as a "wicked problem" to be solved, in part, by technical communicators and communication designers naming …

Local Ballot Will Be Different, Thomas J. Shields

School of Professional and Continuing Studies Faculty Publications

Registered voters in the City of Richmond recently received an envelope from the Registrar’s Office with the words “Notice of Redistricting Changes” printed in red. For the first time since 1992, voters in Richmond and most of eastern Henrico County will not be voting in the 3rd Congressional District.

Solidifying Segregation Or Promoting Diversity? School Closure And Rezoning In An Urban District, Genevieve Siegel-Hawley, Kimberly Bridges, Thomas J. Shields

School of Professional and Continuing Studies Faculty Publications

Purpose: Layered with myriad considerations, school closure and rezoning processes in urban school systems are politically fraught with the potential for damaging consequences. This article explores the politics and impacts of a closure and rezoning process in Richmond, Virginia, through the lens of themes applicable to urban school systems and students across the nation. These include the intersection of closure and rezoning with growing White reinvestment in urban school systems, as well as the importance of focusing on diversity and equity during a time of intense pressure to close schools.

Research Methods/Approach: Drawing on the case of Richmond, …

The Changing Nature Of Regional Poverty, John V. Moeser, Dillon Massey, Thomas J. Shields

School of Professional and Continuing Studies Faculty Publications

We’re witnessing a dramatic change in the social geography of greater Richmond. It’s becoming more like that of the global south, where wealth is centered in the cities and poverty rings the outskirts of the city.

Do Economic Development Efforts Benefit All? Business Attraction And Income Inequality, Xiaobing Shuai

School of Professional and Continuing Studies Faculty Publications

This paper extends the current literature on county-level income distribution in the United States by explicitly exploring the effect of business-attraction efforts by state governments. Using county-level job attraction and retention data from 2000 to 2005 in Virginia to explain the income distribution from 2006 to 2010, while controlling for demographic and socioeconomic conditions of local communities, this study shows that bringing in manufacturing jobs can reduce income inequality at the local level while attracting jobs in professional and business services tends to increase local income inequality. The results indicate that state and local governments’ efforts to attract and retain …

"It Could Have Been Me": The 1983 Death Of A Nyc Graffiti Artist, Erik Nielson

School of Professional and Continuing Studies Faculty Publications

"It could have been me. It could have been me."
These were the words uttered by painter Jean-Michel Basquiat, who was deeply shaken after he heard the story of a black graffiti artist who was beaten to death by New York City police. Seeing his own life reflected in the death of a fellow artist, Basquiat went on to create Defacement (The Death of Michael Stewart), not only to commemorate the young man's death, but also to challenge the state-sanctioned brutality that men of color could face for pursuing their art in public spaces.

Worn Down And Worn Out, Irene Carney, Thomas J. Shields

School of Professional and Continuing Studies Faculty Publications

Exposure to early adversity, particularly dire poverty, can powerfully shape the life course of a young person. As a city and region, we continually choose whether we’ll commit ourselves to an alternative course.

How Hip-Hop Fell Out Of Love With Obama, Erik Nielson

School of Professional and Continuing Studies Faculty Publications

Barack Obama was once hailed as America's first hip-hop president. Why have so many rappers now given up on 'B-rock'?

Does Commuting Lead To Migration?, Xiaobing Shuai

School of Professional and Continuing Studies Faculty Publications

This paper investigates the interaction between commuting and migration within a local labor market, focusing especially on the question of whether commuting can lead to migration over time. Using Virginia data from 2000 to 2006, the study shows that the commuting flow between two locations has a positive and significant effect on the migration flow in the same direction in subsequent years. The underlying reasons are that increased commuting costs or reduced migration costs can induce commuters to become migrants. These results may have useful implications for urban communities in their revitalization efforts, as cities can explore ways of attracting …

Will Specialization Continue Forever? A Case Study Of Interactions Between Industry Specialization And Diversity, Xiaobing Shuai

School of Professional and Continuing Studies Faculty Publications

This paper studies the interactions between industry specialization and diversity. Several studies have shown that competitive industries in a region grew faster, thus expanding their shares in overall employment. The implication is that a region will become more specialized in its competitive industries and the process will continue forever barring external intervention. Utilizing an econometric model on county level employment growth in Virginia, this study confirms that competitive industries experience faster employment growth, reinforcing specialization. However, as specialization proceeds, it reduces economic diversity. That will hurt job creation, as economic diversity also stimulates employment growth. The interactions between specialization and …

The Rollercoaster Ride Of Redistricting, Thomas J. Shields

School of Professional and Continuing Studies Faculty Publications

At Kings Dominion they have rollercoaster rides called the Intimidator, the Dominator, the Grizzly and - my favorite - the Hurler. I think they should add one called the Redistricting Rollercoaster Ride, which would be equally as thrilling and nauseating. I hopped on this ride thinking I was to be a viable candidate in Senate District 8, a new district to include portions of Henrico and Chesterfield counties and part of the city of Richmond. I turned out to be a theoretical candidate for a theoretical district, as Senate District 8 was eliminated from the redistricting bill. I walk away, …

Who Benefits From Job Creation At County Level? An Analysis Of Leakage And Spillover Of New Employment Opportunities In Virginia, Xiaobing Shuai

School of Professional and Continuing Studies Faculty Publications

Using an econometric model system built on county level labor market data, this study allocates new employments in Virginia from 1990 to 2000 into various demographic segments: commuters, residents, and new immigrants. The study finds significant leakage of new employment opportunities in Virginia. 52% of new jobs created in the 1990s in a locality were taken by outside commuters. However, Virginia’s localities also benefit from spillover benefits from job creation elsewhere. Economists need to account for employment leakage and spillover to accurately evaluate the fiscal impacts of potential economic development projects.

Democracy Knocking: First-Time Candidate Works The Sidewalks With A Smile And A Handshake, Thomas J. Shields

School of Professional and Continuing Studies Faculty Publications

Tom Shields is director of the University of Richmond’s Center for Leadership in Education, a partnership between the School of Continuing Studies and the Jepson School of Leadership Studies. He has taught courses at the Jepson School and is also an instructor at the Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership at the University of Virginia. Dr. Shields holds a Ph.D. in public policy from Virginia Commonwealth University, where he also received his master’s degree in teaching. Shields was a candidate in 2009 for the House of Delegates in Virginia’s 73rd District, running against incumbent Delegate John O’Bannon.

Lock & Load? The 2nd Amendment Arrives On Campus, Porcher L. Taylor Iii, Beth Anne Simonds

School of Professional and Continuing Studies Faculty Publications

Thanks to the U.S. Supreme Court’s watershed decision regarding the Second Amendment in June, state lawmakers, university policymakers and campus safety personnel nationwide face a conundrum that must be answered in a prudent way. The solution will greatly impact the daily lives of everyone on campus.

Perspectives: Entrepreneurship Training Can Empower Students Being Left Behind, Porcher L. Taylor Iii, Catherine S. Fisher, Michael J. Caslin

School of Professional and Continuing Studies Faculty Publications

Entrepreneurial self-employment, however, would hold great promise for business-minded students, if they learn entrepreneurship in high school and can test out their innovative business plans on consumers in their own neighborhoods and beyond — especially Internet start-up ideas. The social and community networking success of MySpace opens a wide door for anyone to market a new idea or product to a myriad of potential customers instantly.

Pro Teams Should Reward Good Off-Field Behavior, Porcher L. Taylor Iii, David R. Maraghy

School of Professional and Continuing Studies Faculty Publications

Professional sports—particularly the NFL and NBA, whose players clearly are behavioral models for kids and even young adults—should join the cash-for-performance movement by rewarding players for their exemplary good citizenship off the field. Why not reward integrity-passionate athletes like Matt Hasselbeck of the Seattle Seahawks or Willie McGinest of the Cleveland Browns with annual bonuses of $100,000 each—or donate that amount to their favorite charities? Such a bonus program would require more than being scandal-or police-blotter-free for a year. To qualify, players would have to travel at the highest moral altitude of sports ambassadorship and citizenship. Character counts and should …

Clery Act Needs Whistleblower Protection, Porcher L. Taylor Iii, Beth Anne Simonds

School of Professional and Continuing Studies Faculty Publications

In light of the apparent cover-up by the leadership at Eastern Michigan University (EMU) of a student rape and murder on campus, Congress should amend the Jeanne Clery Act. Specifically, a whistleblower protection section needs to be added to this landmark "sunshine" law.

Non-Competition Agreements And Research Productivity In The Biotechnology Industry, Porcher L. Taylor Iii, Joseph E. Coombs

School of Professional and Continuing Studies Faculty Publications

This paper examines the impact of the state-level legal structure, namely the legal support for non-competition agreements, on research productivity. Specifically, we study how California’s unique lack of non-competition agreement laws influences product develop when controlling for local munificence and firm-level technological capability. Our results indicate that California’s unique legal structure is negatively associated with research productivity as measured by the number of products in development at the time a biotechnology firm goes public. Further, firm size moderates this relationship such that the effect is stronger for smaller biotechnology firms.

Coming To Set Terms For Dci, Porcher L. Taylor Iii

School of Professional and Continuing Studies Faculty Publications

Senator and presidential contender John Kerry has loudly and critically clanged the intelligence-reform bell in President Bush's ears. Recently, Mr. Kerry proposed great expansion of the director of central intelligence's (DCI) authority over the National Security Agency, Defense Intelligence Agency and National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. But true reform must first come with the DCI's emancipation from the White House through providing a 10-year term as a presidential appointee.

Richmond Needs A 'Face Of The City', Thomas J. Shields

School of Professional and Continuing Studies Faculty Publications

As Hurricane Isabel was bearing down on the City of Richmond on a recent Thursday morning, I was speaking to the Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce. I had been asked to speak about my membership on the City Council - appointed Commission for Richmond's Government. As I spoke I could see the trees blowing wildly and the rain pelting the windows. Little did we know the damage to our City that would be caused by Ms. Isabel.

What Intelligence Community Needs, Porcher L. Taylor Iii

School of Professional and Continuing Studies Faculty Publications

In order to depoliticize any claim that any U.S. president would ever take military action especially one involving tactical nuclear weapons based on politically predetermined intelligence, Congress needs to legislate and fund with a small budget what I'm calling the Contrarian Threat Assessment Directorate.

The director of this small, independent intelligence arm would be nominated by the president, confirmed by the Senate, and report directly to the president. Through a statutory amendment, the director would become an adviser to the National Security Council (NSC) on the contrarian, dissenting and minority intelligence assessments.

Government Must Make Consequences Clear, Porcher L. Taylor Iii

School of Professional and Continuing Studies Faculty Publications

With false-profits mania reigning supreme on Wall Street, Congress needs to establish an academy of corporate responsibility and integrity under the Securities and Exchange Commission. This executive training center would have as students the chief executives and financial officers and boards of directors of the nation’s publicly held companies. Senior partners at accounting companies need to be included in this back-to-school group, too. The enforcement-savvy teachers for this two-week academy would be lawyers and accountants from the commission and Justice Department.

A Grand Notion For Power-Center Lawyers, Porcher L. Taylor Iii

School of Professional and Continuing Studies Faculty Publications

Like leaders of so many administrations before them, Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton, both lawyers, surrounded themselves with an inner circle composed mainly of lawyers-turned-political advisers and policy bureaucrats.

Some would argue that lawyers and politics are a bad brew. But lawyers trust lawyers so much that some will steadfastly defend their political bosses, even if that means being key players in the potential cover-up of a crime. In their skewed minds, accusations of crimes by leaders of the opposing political party are merely biased power politics.

Wave Of A Troubled Juvenile Future, Porcher L. Taylor Iii

School of Professional and Continuing Studies Faculty Publications

In the violent wake of the recent slaughter in Springfield, Ore., America faces a future wave of juvenile terrorism from Internet-self-trained, Timothy McVeigh-determined and Unabomber-technically-savvy adolescents intent on getting even with a society they deem responsible for their low self-esteem.