Digital Commons Network^™

Multi-Tiered System Of Supports As Collective Work: A (Re)Structuring Option For Middle Schools, Sonja M. Hollingsworth Dr.

Current Issues in Middle Level Education

Multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) is the overarching referent for frameworks designed to target behavioral and academic challenges with a focus on a tiered continuum of evidence-based practices within the context of prevention science and implementation research (Freeman, Sugai, Simonsen, & Everett, 2017). Extensive literature indicates that MTSS programs can be effective in helping teachers address academic and behavioral challenges. However, from the onset of the RtI movement and through its transition into the MTSS paradigm, many middle level schools have faced significant organizational and systemic challenges which hamstring their ability to utilize MTSS programming with fidelity. This essay proposes …

Supporting Middle School Students In Tier 2 Math Labs: Instructional Strategies, Emily C. Bouck, Jiyoon Park, Mary Bouck, Jim Alspaugh, Stacey Spitzley, Angela Buckland

Current Issues in Middle Level Education

Response to Intervention (RtI) has become a common support system for students; yet, no universal RtI model exists, especially for mathematics and specifically at the middle school level. This article focuses on a specific model for delivering Tier 2 mathematics supports and services at the middle school level: math labs. Evidence–based and research–supported interventions are discussed that support the delivery of Tier 2 services within a middle school math lab RtI structure. A fictionalized vignette, drawing from multiple actual cases, is presented to highlight the use of a Tier 2 math lab within a middle school setting.

Helping Middle School Students Acknowledge And Navigate Anxiety: An Action Research, Teresa Jones, Amanda Riggs, Nai-Cheng Kuo

Current Issues in Middle Level Education

Teachers and school counselors have the responsibility not only to build a positive school climate in which students want to perform and stretch themselves academically and socially, but also to create an environment in which students know that their teachers and school counselors are aware of their needs, anxiety, and other factors preventing them from reaching their potential. In the present study, we used an action research design to help students acknowledge their anxiety and know how to navigate it. The results indicate that most students exhibited lower anxiety before and during the test, while their anxiety level was the …

Introduction, Amanda Wall

Current Issues in Middle Level Education

Introduction to the issue and recognition of 2019 reviewers

Rearrangement Operations On Unrooted Phylogenetic Networks, Remie Janssen, Jonathan Klawitter

Theory and Applications of Graphs

Rearrangement operations transform a phylogenetic tree into another one and hence induce a metric on the space of phylogenetic trees. Popular operations for unrooted phylogenetic trees are NNI (nearest neighbour interchange), SPR (subtree prune and regraft), and TBR (tree bisection and reconnection). Recently, these operations have been extended to unrooted phylogenetic networks, which are generalisations of phylogenetic trees that can model reticulated evolutionary relationships. Here, we study global and local properties of spaces of phylogenetic networks under these three operations. In particular, we prove connectedness and asymptotic bounds on the diameters of spaces of different classes of phylogenetic networks, including …

Conditional Strong Matching Preclusion Of The Alternating Group Graph, Mohamad Abdallah, Eddie Cheng

Theory and Applications of Graphs

The strong matching preclusion number of a graph is the minimum number of vertices and edges whose deletion results in a graph that has neither perfect matchings nor almost-perfect matchings. Park and Ihm introduced the problem of strong matching preclusion under the condition that no isolated vertex is created as a result of faults. In this paper, we find the conditional strong matching preclusion number for the n-dimensional alternating group graph AG_n.

Creating Learning Communities Through Flipped Classes: A Challenge, An Answer, Or An Opportunity For Teaching Strategic Human Resource Management?, Nadeera Ranabahu, Shamika Almeida

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

Teaching strategic human resource management to postgraduate students is becoming a challenge in countries like Australia, particularly due to the students undertaking postgraduate studies without relevant professional work experience. To address this, we used flipped teaching and learning activities and attempted to develop a learning community among multi-cultural postgraduate students who had no (or minimal) professional work experience. Using duoethnographic technique, we recorded our observations and reflections over three semesters in teaching strategic human resource management at postgraduate level in an Australian University. Our reflections demonstrate that community-based learning environment allows students without any relevant work experience to put strategic …

Quality Or Quantity: Completion Rewards And Formative Assessments In Flipped Instruction Classes, Kurt Schmitz

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

Flipped instruction shifts the burden for engaging course content to the students. Moving these activities outside the classroom creates motivational challenges. This study investigates the role of formative assessments and completion rewards. Definitions are provided for flipped instruction and formative assessments. A classification of reward scores is offered to guide data collection in two field experiments. The study seeks to provide an empirical basis to guide use of completion rewards for flipped instruction classes. This study finds that completion rewards can increase quantity of formative assessment engagement. However, this change in quantity does not improve exam scores. The data suggests …

Shedding Light On Student Learning Through The Use Of Lightboard Videos, Peter D. Rogers, Diana T. Botnaru

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

This mixed-method study examined the effect of Lightboard videos on student learning and perceptions in a Flipped Classroom Model (FCM). The study targeted 68 civil engineering undergraduate students at a 4-year public university in Southeastern USA. Lightboard videos were intentionally alternated between two consecutive semesters. Within the same section of the course, classes without Lightboard videos served as a control group and classes with Lightboard videos served as a study group. Both sections were taught by the same instructor utilizing the same materials and assessments for the class. Student academic performance was measured using in-class assignments. Additional quantitative and qualitative …

‘Peer Critique’ In Debate: A Pedagogical Tool For Teaching Architectural Design Studio, Kristof Crolla, Paula Hodgson, Angel Wai Yuk Ho

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

Post-digital architectural education aims to empower future architects by developing open-mindedness and technical skills for the design of non-standard spatial configurations. Students can learn through exploration and experimentation, using three-dimensional graphic design software to generate initial designs and quality feedback, with a mixed model of peers and panel judges assessing final projects. Ratings of individual contributions and performance are commonly found in literature on peer assessment, but qualitative comments from peers can also provide good information on strengths and weaknesses. This study shows that peer critique in the form of debate can be an effective pedagogical tool for educators to …

Beginning Level Interior Design Students’ Perceptions And Use Of Research In Design Process, Sibel Seda Dazkir

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

This study was focused on beginning-level interior design undergraduate students’ perceptions, experience, and use of literary research. The data were collected through a questionnaire that was administered to 67 students. The findings indicated that the majority of the students searched for information in their classes, and the participants were aware of the importance of research. However, only 63% of them reported using credible sources in their literary research, and less than half of the respondents knew what a peer-reviewed journal article is. Based on the findings, it was suggested that students need to develop skills in conducting literary research using …

Integrating The Five Practices Of Exemplary Leadership Model Into Entrepreneurship Education, Eduardo R. Díaz, Celsa G. Sánchez-Vélez, Lorena Santana-Serrano

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

Entrepreneurship educators can assess their students by focusing on leadership self-efficacy dimensions that align with desirable entrepreneurship behaviors. To support this claim, we used the Student Leadership Practices Inventory (S-LPI) to survey a group of 46 undergraduate students in Mexico and 49 undergraduate students in Spain that were involved in entrepreneurship education programs. Independent samples t-tests show statistically significant differences between the two groups. We also compared the whole sample in terms of gender and found no differences. We propose that educators integrate Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership model into de design and assessment of their curricular and co-curricular entrepreneurship …

Do Professions Represent Competence For Entry-To-Practice In Similar Ways? An Exploration Of Competence Frameworks Through Document Analysis, Jessica V. Rich

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

Professional accrediting and regulating bodies are increasingly trying to delineate the knowledge and skills needed for entry-to-practice for quality assurance and international labor mobility. The purpose of this study was to com-pare how professions describe and represent competence. Current, publicly accessible Canadian entry-to-practice competence frameworks for ten professions (Medicine, Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Pharmacy, Psychology, Social Work, Teaching, Engineering, Law, and Planning) were analyzed through content and inductive thematic analysis. Findings revealed that although professions describe similar core competencies across technical and intrinsic domains, systematic differences exist in the architectures of the frameworks. Professions with ‘meta-competencies’ describe competence as being more …

Unpacking High-Impact Instructional Practices And Student Engagement In A Teacher Preparation Program, Raymond J. Rodriguez, Ekaterina Koubek

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

The literature on SoTL contains numerous studies examining the relationship between High-Impact Practices (HIPs) as adopted by the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), student engagement, and student learning outcomes as measured on the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). To further understand how these practices might affect student engagement and learning within college courses, this study examined the relationship between HIPs, reported student engagement and reported learning outcomes in a teacher preservice program. Focus group interviews and a modified version of the NSSE survey were used to “unpack” how these practices related to student engagement and learning in …

Students, Universities And Employers: Why We All Win When We Promote Social Justice Through Sotl, Jeannette M. Wade, Anderson Bean, Stephanie Teixeira-Poit

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

This essay discusses the benefits of promoting social justice through the scholarship of teaching and learning. We start by highlighting the prevalence of injustices and discrimination (racism, sexism, homophobia, heteronormativity) experienced on college campuses in the US. We go on to highlight the (1) outcomes associated with social justice centered teaching and learning activities and (2) ways this approach makes students more valuable to potential employers upon graduation. We conclude with a call for campus wide promotion of social justice as both micro (classroom) and macro (university) level interventions are needed to truly create equitable learning spaces.

Students’ Perceptions Of Course Syllabi: The Role Of Syllabi In Motivating Students, Lindsay B. Wheeler, Michael Palmer, Itiya Aneece

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

In this mixed methods study, researchers explored students’ perceptions of different types of syllabi, the course, and the instructor articulated through the syllabi. Students were randomly assigned to read one of two US History syllabi: a content-focused syllabus (CFS), characterized as a traditional, content-focused, policy-laden syllabus; or a learning-focused syllabus (LFS), characterized by strong learning objectives, authentic assessments, and a positive, motivating tone. Results show that LFS participants (n=61) had significantly more positive perceptions of the document, the course, and the instructor described by the document than CFS participants (n=66). LFS participants found, for example, more of the syllabus components …

Letter From The Editors, Delena Bell Gatch, Delores Liston, Joe Pellegrino

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

This issue of The International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning 13(3) presents nine research articles and one essay on SoTL. The disciplines considered in these studies are disparate: Interior Design, Civil Engineering, History, Architecture, Computer Information Systems, Entrepreneurship, Human Resources Management, and Preservice Teacher Education. One study offers a multi-disciplinary analysis of “competence” in ten different professions. The sole essay here discusses the interstices of SoTL and the promotion of social justice on campus. As editors, we have strived to offer you a wide variety of subject disciplines in which studies take place, but we insist that …

Mayan Bloodshed: Examining What Allowed For Genocide To Occur In Early Colonial Yucatan, Tyler C. Rodriguez

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

By the mid-sixteenth century, Yucatan was firmly under Catholic control. By 1561, there were dozens of friars and eight monasteries in operation, and programs aimed at converting Mayan natives to Catholicism appeared to be going smoothly. However, in 1562 friars at Mani were confronted with clear evidence that the “Christian Indians” were still worshiping their previous gods in secret. The Indians accused of idolatry were rounded up and subject to a severe form of torture known as the garrucha, a form of torture including flogging and the burning of flesh using wax.

This paper explores what factors lead to …

Anglo-American Loan And Britain's Economic Struggles In Post-War Europe, Jessica Solomon

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

The Anglo-American Loan of 1946 weakened the British Empire as the United States grew as the top global power. By supplying the Allied Powers with weapons and ammunitions during World War II, through the Cash and Carry Policy and the Lend-Lease Act, the United States economic superiority in the postwar made most of Europe look for assistance in the rebuilding of Europe. This research paper, through the analysis of primary and secondary sources, conducts how the British Empire fell at the hands of the United States in the 20^th century. Through looking at British Parliament and American Congress transcripts, …

Review Of More Than Chattel: Black Women And Slavery In The Americas, Morgan Reddick

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

Book Review

Review Of Boats, Borders, And Bases: Race, The Cold War, And The Rise Of Migrant Detention In The United States, Tyler C. Rodriguez

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

Review of Boats, Borders, and Bases: Race, the Cold War, and the Rise of Migrant Detention in the United States. By Jenna M. Loyd and Alison Mountz. Oakland, California: University of California Press, 2018. 320 pp., $29.95, paperback, ISBN 978-0-520-28796-9

The Utopia For All—With Exceptions: Gender Roles In Thomas More's Utopia And Early Modern England, Ryan Miller

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

This essay takes a critical view of women’s role in the heavily influential work, Utopia, and how that compared to that role in the contemporary English society. Sir Thomas More’s Utopia was both influencing to and revealing of the early modern England under the rule of the Tudor monarchs of the 16th century. Coupling this with the sheer fact that this book is designed to explore a utopian society (in fact this is the first time the word was used as such), this work represents the gender ideas of England that were the background and motivation of the English …

The Beverage Of The Ages: The Role And Function Of Beer In Sumerian Society, Jared Kelly

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

Alcoholic beverages has had an extensive impact on the earliest human societies. This article aims to discuss the importance and the role that beer played in ancient Sumer. It also examines the geography of beer and how it spread to Babylon, Assyria, and Egypt following its genesis in Sumer.

The Failure Of Soviet Orphan Policies, 1918-1939, Stephen Wong

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

The soviet government is the first in the world that proclaimed to transform orphans. The essay will compare the soviet experiment in two distinct periods: period from 1917 to 1926 and the period under Stalin in the 1930s. The first period has produced large war orphans but Soviet government has made enormous effort to accommodate them. However, the Stalin’s reign under the 1930s has failed the experiment as children and orphans become victims of Stalin’s Terror.

The Great Cheese: John Leland (1754-1841) As An Enforcer Of Ciceronian Ideals Of Community, Holly Vlach

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

This paper builds the argument that John Leland’s religious communities exemplify Ciceronian ideas of polis through his efforts to advocate for religious liberty and equality by first breaking down the concept of a Ciceronian polis and its basis in Platonic philosophy. This is done through a careful analysis of how John Leland’s sermons and other writings advocated for unity within the communities in Massachusetts and Virginia, using the case study of his religious town, Cheshire, Massachusetts, and the activities of the people within it. Additionally, this paper will examine how Cicero articulated that stronger communities lead to a stronger nation …

Heavenly Places On Earth: Religion And Architecture In Early Modern Europe, Luke Horton

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

European church architectures reveal the impact of significant events during early modern time period as shown in the cases of clandestine churches during the Dutch Revolution, the architectural makeover of Catholic churches during the Counter-Reformation and the establishment of Renaissance architecture through the construction of the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Foire as a result of tragic historical events.

Life Between Two Zions: The Beta Israel And Their Experience Of Multiple Diasporas, Alexander Peeples

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

There are several communities at the intersection of both the African and Jewish Diasporas, but the largest is a community of Ethiopian Jews known as the Beta Israel who have primarily resided in Israel since the 1980s. As a group that is defined by multiple homelands and overlapping oppressions, their experience provides a unique demonstration of the limits and possibilities of diasporic identities in explaining and defining the modern world. In particular, the recent experiences of the Beta Israel draw attention to the limits of essentializing identity, collective notions of shared oppression, and inert understandings of place. The work of …

This Land Is Whose Land? History, Fiction, And The 1800’S Cherokee Removal In Inskeep’S Jacksonland, Payton Tolbert

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

This article explores the relationship between history and fiction closely, using Steve Inskeep’s Jacksonland as a source of study. Backed by the ideals of Beverley Southgate’s History Meets Fiction, the article analyzes the way that Andrew Jackson is viewed in current day’s society, based on the primary sources that are chosen to highlight him. It then aims to shine the light on his treasonous actions against the Cherokee nation and his conflict with John Ross. This begs the right to ask the question as to why Jackson is still so highly respected despite evidence condemning him. With a focus …

Martial Brilliance Or Marine Corps Propaganda? The Combined Action Platoon In The Vietnam War, Beta Scarpaci

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

This paper examines the structure, concept of operations, and efficacy of the little-known USMC

Combined Action Platoon program as a means for the pacification of South Vietnam and an effort to suppress the NLF insurgency. This paper primarily examines primary source material documenting the conduct of the Combined Action Platoons in order to determine if the program was as effective as its Marine Corps proponents claim and if the US Military Assistance Command, Vietnam under Gen. William Westmoreland and Gen. Creighton Abrams made a military blunder in not implementing the program across the whole of South Vietnam.

Forcibly-Biconnected Graphical Degree Sequences: Decision Algorithms And Enumerative Results, Kai Wang

Theory and Applications of Graphs

We present an algorithm to test whether a given graphical degree sequence is forcibly biconnected. The worst case time complexity of the algorithm is shown to be exponential but it is still much better than the previous basic algorithm for this problem. We show through experimental evaluations that the algorithm is efficient on average. We also adapt the classic algorithm of Ruskey et al. and that of Barnes and Savage to obtain some enumerative results about forcibly biconnected graphical degree sequences of given length n and forcibly biconnected graphical partitions of given even integer n. Based on these enumerative …