Digital Commons Network^™

Quantifying The Effectiveness Of Night Vision Detection: A Comparative Study Of Visible Light, Night Vision, And Thermal Images, Feng Yeh

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research presents a comprehensive assessment of night vision goggles and thermal imagers, with a particular emphasis on their performance under a wide range of environmental and temporal conditions. Field testing of these devices was carried out across diverse settings, including daytime, nighttime, and different environmental temperatures. Key evaluation metrics, such as contrast, recognition distance, and image clarity, were employed to assess device performance.The findings reveal that while night vision goggles maintain consistent performance across various conditions, their image clarity and contrast are influenced by the recognition distance. Conversely, thermal imagers excel in cooler environments, successfully highlighting target objects, yet …

Towards More Task-Generalized And Explainable Ai Through Psychometrics, Alec Braynen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this work, we propose that adopting the methods, principles, and guidelines of the field of psychometrics can help the Artificial Intelligence (AI) community to build more task-generalizable and explainable AI. Three arguments are presented and explored. These arguments are that psychometrics can help by providing 1) a framework for formulating better datasets, 2) psychometric AI data that can lead to models of generalization in AI, and 3) explainable AI through more informative evaluations.

A review of psychometrics and psychological generalization is performed, along with an overview of evaluation, generalization, and explainability in AI. Various ideas are presented throughout for …

Beyond The Program: A Case Study Evaluating The Learning Transfer Of A Collaborative Online Course Development Program, Christie W. Nicholas

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate a collaborative online course development program, Digital Learning Collaborative, utilizing the first three levels of Kirkpatrick’s training evaluation model. Although there is a growing body of research that supports collaborative models of online course design, there are few studies that evaluate these models and even fewer that consider the potential learning transfer to other teaching contexts.With faculty being increasingly asked to teach in varying and dual modalities, it is necessary to evaluate online course development programs to understand how the skills and practices obtained within them can transfer to other courses …

Students’ Perceptions Of Factors Contributing To Enrollment In Arabic Courses At A College Level, Qays Q. Majeed

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this evaluation was to investigate the factors that contribute to students’ recruitment and retention in the Arabic program at my college. The two questions guiding this evaluation were: (1) what factors influence students to join the Arabic program at my college and (2) what factors influence students to continue to enroll in subsequent higher-level Arabic courses? To accomplish this evaluation, I conducted interviews with six former students --four women and two men--in the Arabic program. Eight themes emerged following analysis of data. The findings show that students joined the Arabic program for a variety of reasons. Several …

Do I Belong? What Students Teach Us About Belonging To A New University, Jennifer Ann Scaia

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Foundational to this evaluation study, the participating institution aspired to improve its retention rate. Students’ perceived sense of belonging has been identified as an important variable related to student retention and persistence (Bean & Eaton, 2000; Strayhorn 2012; Strayhorn 2019; Tinto, 2017). For students to succeed beyond their first year in college, it is fundamentally important that they view themselves as valued members of the university community (Bean & Eaton, 2000; Bollen & Hoyle, 1990; Murphy, 2016).

The purpose of this study was to evaluate how undergraduate students, predicted as less likely to retain into their second year, described their …

Comparing Pricing Mechanisms For Managed Lanes, Mark Burris, Kartikeya Jha, Sayantan Biswas, Laura Holloway

Research Reports

Two common means of pricing managed lanes (MLs) are to vary tolls based on time of day or to vary them dynamically based on real-time congestion. It is not clear which of the two tolling options is more effective in regulating ML usage. In this study, large datasets on toll prices, vehicle travel speeds, and traffic volumes were used to assess the effects of the two different congestion pricing strategies on traffic conditions on six MLs around the United States. The MLs included two that were variably priced: SR-91 and I-25; and four that were dynamically priced: I-35W, I-394, I-35E, …

Success And Sustainability Of Sponsored International Development Programs In Education: A Narrative Inquiry, Sara Beth Leikin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In a 2008 working paper published by the U.S. Agency for International Development, the authors lamented that, despite billions of dollars in investment in global education initiatives, access to education had been improved in targeted areas, but the return on investment with regards to learning outcomes was “much less impressive” (Gillies & Jester Quijada, 2008). From 2012-2017, USAID engaged in the Egypt STEM Schools Project (ESSP) along with four partner organizations with the goal of building model science and mathematics public schools that would challenge the educational status quo by providing students with hands-on, constructivist learning and providing an alternative …

Feasting On Words: What University Students Learn When They Study Food Writing And Food Media, Janet K. Keeler

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The use of food in college curriculum is unique in its ability to create lasting impact because of the keen interest millennial and Generation Z students have in what they eat and drink. Studying media with food at its core is an underutilized mechanism to show how food intersects with the lives of all people thus encouraging students to look beyond their own experiences to consider the wider society. A program evaluation of 10 semesters of food writing and food media courses at a Florida public university reveals the ways in which students make deeper connections to culture and current …

Perceptions Of The Effectiveness Of Food Policy Coalitions In Strengthening Community Food Security In The United States., Joseph G. England Iii

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Food insecurity is experienced most acutely and addressed most innovatively at the community level to which the concept of community food security (CFS) finds purchase (Hamm and Bellows, 2003). In recognition of the many varying dynamics embedded in the CFS concept, Food Policy Coalitions have become an organizational model adapted by communities across the United States. While FPCs have grown in number considerably over the last decade, there remains a considerable lack of empirical research documenting evaluation and engagement methods, as well as strategies used to address community food security. This research, framed by the Community Coalition Action Theory, draws …

Case Study Of Comprehensive Benefit Evaluation And Management Of Forest Ecosystem Services In Zhalantun City Of Inner Mongolia, China, Zhang Ying, Cainan Zhang

Journal of Global Business Insights

Based on official statistics and on-site investigation, this paper firstly used Direct Market Evaluation Method (DMEM), Indirect Market Evaluation Method (IMEM) etc. evaluated the comprehensive benefits for forest ecosystem services in 2016 in Zhalantun City in Inner Mongolia, China. The results indicate that the stock value of Zhalantun forest ecosystem is RMB 42.787 billion, of which the forest land stock value amounts to RMB 27.318 billion, and forest standing timber stock value amounts to RMB 15.469 billion. The flow value, that is the annual comprehensive benefit of forest ecosystem services is RMB 515.864 billion, of which the economic benefits, capitalized …

Perception Of School Staff Regarding The Effectiveness Of A Youth Mental Health Program In Schools, Hiba Chehaib Chehaib

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There is an ongoing debate about how to serve the number of students that are affected by mental health problems. Some schools have moved toward implementing whole school programs. The purpose of these programs is to teach adults who directly interact with school age children, such as parents, family members, caregivers, teachers, school staff, and caring citizens how to respond to an adolescent that is facing a crisis or a mental health challenge. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the perceived effectiveness of such a program. The goals of this study are to (a) determine the short-term outcomes …

Evaluation Of Aster-Like Daily Land Surface Temperature By Fusing Aster And Modis Data During The Hiwater-Musoexe, Guijun Yang, Qihao Weng, Ruiliang Pu, Feng Gao, Chenhong Sun, Hua Li, Chunjiang Zhao

School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications

Land surface temperature (LST) is an important parameter that is highly responsive to surface energy fluxes and has become valuable to many disciplines. However, it is difficult to acquire satellite LSTs with both high spatial and temporal resolutions due to tradeoffs between them. Thus, various algorithms/models have been developed to enhance the spatial or the temporal resolution of thermal infrared (TIR) data or LST, but rarely both. The Spatial and Temporal Adaptive Reflectance Fusion Model (STARFM) is the widely-used data fusion algorithm for Landsat and MODIS imagery to produce Landsat-like surface reflectance. In order to extend the STARFM application over …

Policy Evaluation Of Hillsborough County’S Family Dependency Treatment Court, Shawn M. Martin, Kathleen A. Moore

Mental Health Law & Policy Faculty Publications

Child abuse and neglect is a troubling issue all too familiar with courts in the United States. The problem becomes even more complicated when substance abuse is involved. In 2004, approximately 500,000 children were removed from their homes because of abuse and neglect issues1. In the past few years, a judicial model appeared to address both substance abuse and child dependency issues. This model, entitled Family Dependency Treatment Court (FDTC) enables the court to mandate treatment for parents and make reunification dependent on treatment compliance. The FDTC program in Hillsborough County, Florida is now in its second year and has …

Social Studies Teachers In An Evaluative Role: The Peer Evaluator Experience In The Accountability Era, Martha Barnes Ford

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As the evaluation of teachers becomes prominent in the current climate of educational reform, the details of teacher evaluation systems become important. The goal of the research was to gain perspective about a little-studied group key in education reform efforts to improve teacher evaluation--the peer evaluator. Teachers serving as peer evaluators were interviewed to reveal their perceived lived experiences before undertaking the role, benefits and challenges they perceived during the role, and their perception of how the experience will impact their future as educators. Extensive profiles of three peer evaluators were crafted based on in-depth interviews. The themes revealed from …

More Than Feeding: Lived Experiences Of Low-Income Women Receiving Lactation Support, Emily Anne Dunn

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Increasing breastfeeding duration, especially among low-income women, has become a national public health priority. These mothers and their babies have less equitable access to support, resources, and the health benefits of breastfeeding. This thesis examines breastfeeding from a biocultural perspective with a focus on political economy, embodiment, and human rights. This research explores the lived experiences of new mothers who receive services from a community non-profit lactation support program which is aimed at providing in-home postpartum breastfeeding support to low-income/at-risk mothers. Evaluation of program services and analysis of women's narratives will provide insight into improvement of lactation services for all …

Functionalities Of Web Archives, Jinfang Niu

School of Information Faculty Publications

The functionalities that are important to the users of web archives range from basic searching and browsing to advanced personalized and customized services, data mining, and website reconstruction. The author examined ten of the most established English language web archives to determine which functionalities each of the archives supported, and how they compared. A functionality checklist was designed, based on use cases created by the International Internet Preservation Consortium (IIPC), and the findings of two related user studies. The functionality review was conducted, along with a comprehensive literature review of web archiving methods, in preparation for the development of a …

Parts Of The Whole: Learn More, Learn Better, Dorothy Wallace

Numeracy

Building on previous columns in Numeracy, this column analyzes various teaching techniques in terms of their ability to build cognitive schema, extend existing schema, reinforce learning, move mean understanding of a group of students, and reduce variance in understanding of a group. We offer a pedagogical cycle as an example of how to address multiple learning goals using common teaching methods.

Evaluating Knowledge And Attitudes Of Graduate Nursing Students Regarding Pain, Eric Bartholomew Jackson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Insufficient pain management continues to be problematic for hospitalized patients throughout the country. It significantly interferes with a person's quality of life making it an issue of great concern to nurses in any setting. However, nurses do not do a good job of managing pain. The purpose of this evaluation was to assess graduate nursing students' knowledge and attitudes toward pain management.

Forty (n=40) graduate nursing students were asked to participate in the evaluation. All students agreed and completed the Demographic Data Form, Nurses Attitude Survey and the Pain Management and Principles Assessment. Thirty-eight females and two males participated in …

A Meta-Analysis Of Cultural Competence Education In Professional Nurses And Nursing Students, Ruth Wilmer Gallagher

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Cultural competence learning interventions have been suggested to positively improve knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors in both professional nurses and nursing students. A meta-analysis was used to examine the effectiveness of learning interventions designed to increase the cultural competence in professional nurses and nursing students. This is the first known meta-analysis of studies on cultural competence learning interventions in professional nurses and nursing students.

The meta-analysis was done using 13 research studies on cultural competence educational interventions from 1999 to 2010 that were published peer-reviewed literature found in electronic databases. Analyses were computed using a fixed-effect model and effect size data …

Assessing Quantitative Reasoning, Corrine H. Taylor

Numeracy

No abstract provided.

Behavioral Skills Training With Teachers: Maintenance And Booster Training, Israel B. Miller

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Behavioral skills training (BST) has been employed within many different populations to effect change in the way of reduction or acquisition of behaviors. For this study, a multiple-baseline across participants and modified ABAB design were employed. Analogue assessments and in-situ probes were conducted with three teachers following an initial training which occurred several months previously. These pre-assessments were followed by a separate booster training session for each individual teacher which lasted three and a half hours or less. Following the training, analogue and in-situ post assessments were conducted with each teacher. The independent variable was the booster training and the …

Formal Reasoning And Spatial Ability: A Step Towards "Science For All", Bo Jiang

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This work conducts an evaluation of a non-majors science curriculum named Molecules of Life (MOL) that aims to provide effective science education to undergraduate students who are not majoring in scientific disciplines.

As part of the process of developing an assessment plan for MOL, three related studies were undertaken in order to help us choose assessment instruments for MOL. The first study examined the validity of student evaluations of teaching. The second study investigated the Test of Logical Thinking (TOLT) and Group Assessment of Logical Thinking (GALT), two widely-used instruments for measuring formal reasoning ability. GALT is very similar to …

Qualitative Analysis Of Teacher Perceptions And Use Of The Dynamic Indicators Of Basic Early Literacy Skills (Dibels) Within A District-Wide Reading First Program, Brian T. Gaunt

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The aim of the Reading First grant program was to (a) increase quality and consistency of instruction in K-3 classrooms; (b) conduct timely and valid assessments of student reading growth in order to identify students experiencing reading difficulties; and (c) provide high quality, intensive interventions to help struggling readers catch up with their peers (Torgesen, 2002). In the State of Florida, school districts must incorporate the use of an assessment tool called the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) to qualify for Reading First grant funding. Though DIBELS has been found to be a valid and reliable assessment …

Policy Evaluation Of Hillsborough County’S Family Dependency Treatment Court, Shawn M. Martin, Kathleen A. Moore

Kathleen A Moore

Child abuse and neglect is a troubling issue all too familiar with courts in the United States. The problem becomes even more complicated when substance abuse is involved. In 2004, approximately 500,000 children were removed from their homes because of abuse and neglect issues1. In the past few years, a judicial model appeared to address both substance abuse and child dependency issues. This model, entitled Family Dependency Treatment Court (FDTC) enables the court to mandate treatment for parents and make reunification dependent on treatment compliance. The FDTC program in Hillsborough County, Florida is now in its second year and has …

Harnessing Innovative Technologies In Higher Education: Access, Equity, Policy & Instruction, Kathleen P. King, Joan K. Griggs

Leadership, Counseling, Adult, Career and Higher Education Faculty Publications

This publication is an attempt to capture the evolution of distributed higher education over the last decade by tracing the applications of new technologies funded by the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE). As FIPSE surveyed the current state of distance/distributed education, there existed an opportunity to help post econdary education make the transition to this new generation of distance education made possible by the explosive growth of the Internet and other new technologies. These technologies created the potential for students to access learning that was interactive, customized, and self-paced; to more easily merge lifelong learning with the …

2004 Evaluation Of South Florida Commuter Services, Chris Hagelin, Jennifer Perone

CUTR Research Reports

No abstract provided.

Performance Analysis Of Tcp/Ip Over High Bandwidth Delay Product Networks, Subodh Kerkar

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In today's Internet scenario, the current TCP has performed reasonably well. As the Internet has scaled up in load, speed, size and connectivity by the order of six over the past fifteen years, the TCP has consistently avoided severe congestion throughout this same period. Applications involving high performance computings such as bulk-data transfer, multimedia Web streaming, and computational grids demand high bandwidth. These applications usually operate over wide-area networks and, hence, performance over wide-area networks has become a critical issue. Future applications will need steady transfer rates in the order of gigabits per second to support collaborative work. TCP, which …

A Program Evaluation Of A Support Group For Children With Sickle Cell Disease, Rachel M. Cohen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Children with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) face medical, psychosocial, and cognitive challenges, which may impede their social and academic functioning. These complications can be lessened through the implementation of comprehensive interventions. This study reviews one comprehensive intervention, a support group, for children with SCD and their families, and reviews the challenges faced by the children and family who participate in the support group as well as those who do not participate. The study has a mixed-method design because the families participated in focus groups, and they completed quantitative instruments, including a knowledge survey, a behavior rating scale, and an instrument …

The Effects Of Citizenship Performance, Task Performance, And Rating Format On Performance Judgments, David R. Coole

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The current study examined the effects of citizenship performance, task performance, and rating format on overall and task performance ratings. Levels of citizenship performance (high, medium, low), task performance (high, medium, low), and rating format (inclusion or exclusion of citizenship performance) were experimentally manipulated in a 3x3x2 between-subjects full factorial design. Ratings were provided by 360 undergraduate psychology students evaluating experimentally developed supervisory logs of first line financial managers. Targets' levels of citizenship and task performance were positively related to raters' judgments of overall and task performance. The prediction that this relationship would be moderated by task performance level was …

Gender Differences In Alcohol Expectancies: Influence Of Context And Specificity Of Items, Andrea Hope Weinberger

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Studies of alcohol expectancies have been equivocal regarding the existence of gender differences. A review of past studies suggested variables that could be useful for future studies such as investigating context-specific expectancies. The current study was designed to investigate the influence of context and item content on gender differences in expectancies. Undergraduate students who reported going to bars once a month or more (N = 321) completed an expectancy measure either while imagining themselves in a bar situation (Context condition) or with no contextual instructions (No Context condition). The expectancy measure consisted of expectancies that were "general" (Social and Tension …