Digital Commons Network^™

Insights On Factors Influencing Startup Failure In The Hospitality Industry, Shivangi Khurania

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Hospitality businesses and innovative startups have faced extremely high failure rates. The author provides insights on the factors that impact startup failure in the hospitality industry after performing a deep analysis on innovation frameworks such as the diffusion of innovation theory, the theory of disruptive innovation, and the ten types of innovation framework. Not only that, the author also provides insights based on their own personal experience and knowledge gained through education at the University of Las Vegas, Nevada. The research explored in this paper revealed that startup failure is not based on one factor alone and how leaders in …

A Combined Approach To Evaluating Student Engagement In A Virtual Laboratory Environment, Aster Sigel

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study measured student engagement with galvanic skin response (GSR) using a one group randomized pretest–posttest design in a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning environment to develop effective intervention strategies for engaging students in STEM learning experiences. Student engagement is a multi-dimensional interrelated construct, consisting of emotional, behavioral, and cognitive components, and varies in different subjects and learning environments. Student engagement in higher education is associated with academic achievement, retention, and graduation. In this study, the emotional, behavioral, and cognitive engagement data of 30 college students were obtained using self-report surveys, observation and physiological data, which was recorded …

Promoting Vocabulary Knoweldge In Inclusive Science Classrooms: Comparison Of Instructional Methods, Matthew Love

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

A sustained trend in the overall enrollment in the United States has seen classrooms reflect more student diversity. This diversity has included increased rates of participation in general education classrooms from both students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and students with disabilities. While the increase in student diversity in general education classrooms is certainly a positive step in increasing inclusive education, shifting student demographics have presented teachers with new and evolving instructional challenges. The diverse academic, cultural, and linguistic backgrounds students represent also come to characterize the unique learning needs teachers should address. This is particularly true in science, …

Electronic Health Record Instruction In First-Semester Nursing Students: A Comparative Study, Angela Ruckdeschel

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The use of health information technology has been shown to have positive effects on patient outcomes and provider efficiency. New nurses make more than half of the 7 million life-threatening medication errors that occur each year, and electronic health records (EHRs) have been shown to significantly reduce these errors. Nurses now are expected to enter practice with a solid foundation in health information technology and the use of the EHR. Unfortunately, the vast majority of nursing schools do not specifically train their students in effective EHR utilization. Academic EHRs (AEHRs) are software packages with learning features that can be incorporated …

Effects Of A Multimedia Shared Story On Comprehension Of An Employee Handbook, Stephanie M. Devine

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Employment outcomes for individuals with intellectual disability (ID) continue to be among the lowest reported (Migliore, Butterworth, & Hart, 2009; Siperstein, Parker, & Drascher, 2013). Literacy skills are critical for obtaining employment and for supporting continued success in the workplace (Conceição, 2016), but individuals with ID typically have very low literacy levels (Katims, 2000). Limited research has been conducted on literacy skill development for young adults with ID, particularly on work-related texts such as employee handbooks. Research supports the use of shared stories on adapted age-appropriate texts for students with significant cognitive disabilities, including those with ID (Hudson & Test, …

Parents' Perceptions Of Smartphone Use And Parenting Practices, David Jackson Johnson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The present study is a qualitative examination aiming to gain insight into parents’ perceptions of their smartphone use and the effects it may be having on their children as well as parenting practices. Participants (N=12) were smartphone using parents that consisted mostly of young college-educated females. Thematic analysis of individual interviews resulted in five primary themes: (1) Disengagement, (2) Concern for Future, (3) Change in Social Norms, (4) Boundaries, and (5) Cognitive Dissonance. These findings indicate significant effects parental smartphone use is having in the lives of study participants. These thematic findings call for additional research examining the impact parental …

Preventing Deaths By Writing: In Search Of A Prescriptive Software Solution For Curing Student Writing Ills In Postsecondary Nursing Education, Donald Allen Deever

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Life and death represent the nursing field, and to a number of educators, helping nursing students to develop effective writing skills is equally seen as a life and death matter. A lack of proficiency in writing may literally be the death of a nursing student’s college hopes, but more importantly is the thought that a lack of proficient writing skills by nurses may mean the death of patients. Peer-reviewed studies suggest that 440,000 patients die annually in hospitals due to mistakes called adverse events (AE’s). According to research, a lack of proper communication, including written communication, represents the third leading …

Globalization And The Rise Of Militant Islamic Social Movement Organizations: The Case Of Uamsho (Awakening) Group In Zanzibar., Deogratius Mshigeni

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This dissertation set out to explore how specific aspects of globalization affect the growth and development of particular militant neo-fundamentalist social movements and in what ways globalization affect the resources and collective identity of these movements. To examine this, I conducted ethnographic and archival research and in-depth interviews with 40 activists in the UAMSHO (AWAKENING) group in Zanzibar, which is associated with the rise of violent activities since the first multiparty elections, held in 1995. Most of these activities have been associated with the UAMSHO (AWAKENING) group, that adheres to strict neo-fundamentalist views of Islam, and which calls for Zanzibar …

Evaluating E-Relationship Marketing Features On Hotel Mobile Apps, Xiaolin Lu

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The advent of technology has changed the course of marketing in both the academic and the business field. Given the increasing number of mobile transactions, hotel companies have launched mobile applications (apps) as an alternative e-relationship marketing (e-RM) channel. This study modified a progressive five-level e-relationship building model. The model was employed to evaluate e-RM features of the top 10 hotel companies’ mobile apps. The results indicated that these hotel companies maintained e-RM feature sophistication at the lower levels (Basic and Reactive), but relatively speaking, they did not utilize e-RM features extensively at the higher levels (Accountable, Proactive and Partnership). …

An Importance-Performance Analysis Of Multigenerational Preferences In Guestroom Technology, Sidian Lan

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study focuses on generational preferences in terms of guestroom technology. The hospitality technology industry has indicated guestroom technology as their highest priority in terms of hospitality technology investment. Previous studies have investigated in-room technology amenities and ranked them in order of importance and performance. However, it is uncertain which guestroom specific technologies should they invest in when it comes to different generations. Each generation is fundamentally different from the others because each generation was born in different eras with different societal changes. These generations have different values, ideas, needs, and communication skills. Hoteliers are investing time and money into …

Faculty And Student Perceptions Of Academic Cheating And The Influence Of Achievement Motivation With Online And Face-To-Face Learning Environments, Sherée Christine Royer

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

There are many components contributing to academically dishonest behaviors and with improvements in technology, methods for cheating have expanded to web-based classrooms. This study focuses on academically dishonest behaviors in online and face-to-face (F2F) course formats in an attempt to better understand the impact of cheating in these two learning environments. Additional factors in this study include the relationship between student and faculty achievement orientation and classroom context through the use of vignettes. Participants were students and faculty from a large Southwestern University and faculty members from a local smaller college in the same area. Respondents completed inventories using a …

Examining Household Identity Through Lithic Technology At The Harris Site, Justin Albert Demaio

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Utilitarian technology is often studied by archaeologists to understand what specific functions and activities these items represent in a past population's daily life. However, it is important not to forget that technology manufacture, use, and discard is embedded in a social context. Flintknapping is a skill that requires close instruction and training so that the desired outcome can be achieved. This training requires daily mentoring from other individuals in the community, many times within one's own family. These daily interactions create learning frameworks through which craft knowledge is transmitted. Technological style and domestic processing activities can be used as an …

Teaching Online Social Skills To Students With Emotional And Behavioral Disorders, Joseph John Morgan

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Students with emotional and behavioral disorders often lack appropriate social skills. This deficit can lead to negative outcomes including peer and teacher rejection, increased behavioral problems at school, and decreased academic achievement. In order to improve the social outcomes of students with emotional and behavioral disorders, teachers will often implement direct and explicit instruction of appropriate social skills in the natural environment. Increases in the use of technology for academic and social interaction have created a new natural environment where students participate. This environment has its own set of social rules and norms that users must understand. No published results …

The Influence Of Peer Tutors And Technology-Actuated Reading Instruction Process On Third-Grade Students' Self-Perceptions As Readers: A Multiple Case Study, Brenda Shill Daw

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Driven by Lev Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory (1986), my study investigated the self-perceptions and interactions of seven underperforming, third-grade readers while using Technology-Actuated Reading Instruction (TARI). Partnered with same-age peer tutors, readers used digital tools to listen to, read/record, and playback oral reading passages. They practiced, peer- or self-edited, and selected their best reading products as part of the iterative process. As reading is a complex cognitive skill (Reinking, 2005), TARI incorporated higher cognitive learning activities via a synthesis of Gagné's (1985) nine conditions of learning and the Four-Component Instructional Design Model (van Merriënboer & Kester, 2005).

Much of the current …

Exploring The Effects Of Online Instruction On Reading Comprehension Achievement Of Students With Learning Disabilities, Nancy Shuman Fitzgerald

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Two major pieces of legislation, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (2004) and No Child Left Behind (NCLB) (2001) mandate that students with disabilities be placed in the Least Restrictive Environment and have access to the general education curriculum. To provide access to the general education curriculum, inclusion in general education classes for students with disabilities has become the accepted practice. Many students with specific learning disabilities experience difficulties with the general education curriculum because their reading ability falls significantly below the school curriculum and textbook instructional levels (Deshler & Schumaker, 1993). The Word Identification Strategy (Lenz, Schumaker, Deshler, & …

Veterinary Technology Graduates' Perception Of Preparedness And Utilization In The Workforce, Melissa Ann Schalles

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This is a descriptive study to determine the perceptions of the Associate of Applied Science graduates of the Veterinary Technology program at the College of Southern Nevada on their preparedness for and utilization in the veterinary workforce. These graduates complete an accredited program which follows the guidelines on the essential and recommended skills list identified and approved by the American Veterinary Medical Association's Committee on Veterinary Technician Education and Activities (AVMA/CVTEA); This study allowed the researcher to review the current curriculum at the College of Southern Nevada by reporting data from annual graduate follow-up surveys to confirm the curriculum complements …

Funding Sources Implementing Technology Standards In Rural Schools, Johnathan David Hawk

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Reaching National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) in rural schools is a daunting task for any superintendent. Rural school superintendents' commonly deal with underfunded budgets to meet demands of adding computers, educational software, and other innovative technology resources. Data for this study were collected from 309 self-defined rural school superintendents. Superintendents were selected to participate because of their ability to oversee a large portion of their school districts' financial planning and spenDing Data were analyzed regarding the impact that E-rate and other technology funding sources had on the implementation and progress towards reaching NETS; Measuring the impact of different funding sources …

Organization Of Lithic Technology At The Bowman Site (26ny809), Pahrump Valley, Nye County, Nevada, Annette Joye Smith

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The organization of lithic technology and its relationship to mobility and resource procurement contributes to the understanding of hunter-gatherer lifeways. In this study, lithic or stone tool requirements, raw material availability, and procurement strategies are all considered. The study area is located in Pahrump Valley, which lies within the southern Nevada portion of the Mojave Desert. Potential pathways from the Bowman Site to Eureka Quartzite sources are studied to determine their use by prehistoric hunter-gatherers while procuring Eureka Quartzite. A determination was made regarding the organization of lithic technology and direct or embedded procurement, establishing a mobility strategy used by …

Exploring Relationships Between Configurations Of Technology Use And Professional Development Among Ces Teachers, Andrew Hyrum Mcarthur

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect recent technology integration was having on teaching in the Church Education System (CES). Specifically, this study sought to identify (a) different configurations of technology use; (b) different forms and processes of support; and (c) examine the relationships between the two. Education change theory, particularly the Concerns-Based Adoption Model, was used to guide the research. An Innovation Configuration (IC) Map was developed and used to collect data. Three configurations of use were identified: Independent---teachers who proactively learned technology on their own and implement it well; Interdependent---teachers who are fairly new to …

Shock Isolation Using Magnetorheologically Responsive Technology, Vijayasarathy Subramanian

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is to develop a shock isolation system using magnetorheologically (MR) responsive technology to isolate shock input to various components in the light weight military vehicles susceptible to ballistic shock effects; Two methods are chosen for isolation of the shock. One is the friction damper based on MR fluid and the other is an elastomer based on magnetically responsive elastomer (MRE). Both approaches can be utilized for semi-active control schemes that have been widely used because of its unique feature of using variable damping and stiffness characteristics of the isolator; In this thesis, both computer simulation …

Factors That Impact The Instructional And Technical Support Provided By Site-Based Technology Coordinators In K--12 Schools, Douglas B Hearrington

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

School districts are increasingly employing teachers as site-based coordinators to support and facilitate a myriad of information and communication technology (ICT) related innovations. This study describes the barriers and enabling conditions influencing the technical and instructional support, and staff development provided by these coordinators. Diffusion theory (Rogers, 2003) and a staff development model developed by Guskey and Sparks (2000) were used as frameworks for this study of 134 coordinators from a large school district; The findings of this study indicate that staff development and instructional support fell well below desired levels, and timely technical support is increasingly difficult to provide. …

Technology Leadership At A Junior High School: A Qualitative Case Study, Alvin Wesley Matthews

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this case study was to explore and describe the technology leadership at a junior high school. Technology-related attitudes, behaviors, and skills that have an impact on the school's technology program were examined with emphasis on the building principal. Interviews, observations, and other documents were the means of data collection. This study has implications for people who want to support computers and other educational technology. This case study included the principal, computer specialist, and teachers with varying degrees of computer experience. In addition to Kearsley's three roles of leader, manager, and politician (1991), four other technology-related roles emerged …

Mentoring Toward Technology Use: Cooperating Teacher Practice In Preparing Student Teachers, Karen Jane Grove

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This study investigated the practices of cooperating teachers as they prepared student teachers to integrate technology into teaching and learning activities. Descriptive statistics and qualitative methods were used in this study; Participants included 16 cooperating teachers from grades K--12 and seven of their student teachers. The cooperating teachers attended a series of monthly full-day workshops during the semester long project. The school district and the university jointly sponsored the workshops. Seven of the cooperating teachers and their student teachers were selected for case studies; Data sources included electronic transcripts from discussion forums, transcripts of workshop discussions among the cooperating teachers, …

Racing For Fans: Communication Technology, The Total Experience, And The Rise Of Nascar, Elizabeth M Smith

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing, or NASCAR, has seen a tremendous popularity surge in the past decade. The sport is attracting record crowds at its events nationwide and its televised broadcasts are gaining audiences rapidly. While there are many reasons why NASCAR has gained an audience recently, this exploratory study examines the role of communication technology in the proliferation of the sport; Each technology is discussed as it relates to a NASCAR fan's enjoyment of the "total experience," a term that defines the ultimate mediated experience available to a fan using communication technology without his or her …

Beliefs Of Teachers And Principals Regarding Iste's 2000 Technology Standards For All Teachers, Essington R Wade

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to ascertain if there were significant differences in the way teachers and principals articulated their beliefs about technology standards for all teachers. In comparing secondary principals to secondary teachers using the statistical instruments, it was found that the variables: secondary levels (middle and high) and positions (principal, English, math, science and social studies teachers) were not significantly different. In addition, the statistical analysis indicated that there were no significant interactions between secondary levels and educational positions. Examination of the mean values and the frequency distributions of teachers and principals revealed that the means of …

Faculty Attitudes Toward Technology -Based Distance Education At The University Of Nevada, Las Vegas, Carole Jean Montgomery

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to survey the attitudes of the teaching faculty of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas toward technology-based distance education, and to determine if the reported attitudes fell into the six factors of the Attitudinal Differences Model; A survey of the teaching faculty was done in the fall of 1997, and again in the spring of 1998, resulting in a 28.7% response rate. Factor analysis extracted three uncorrelated factors (Vision, Effectiveness, Barriers) which accounted for 56% of the variance in faculty self-reported attitudes. The seven research questions guiding this study were addressed, when appropriate, in …

Teacher Beliefs About Educational Software Now And In The Future: A Delphi Study, Diana Leigh Williams

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine to what extent current educational software was meeting the needs of teachers in integrating technology into the curriculum as well as what changes needed to occur in educational software to make it more effective; A Delphi method was used to gather data. This process was used to help build a consensus among a homogeneous group of participants through a series of queries and surveys in order for the participants to refine their judgements; This study found five overarching themes: (a) instructional design issues, (b) curriculum, (c) materials, (d) cost, and (e) meeting …

Technology Use By A College Of Education Faculty And Factors Influencing Integration Of Technology In An Undergraduate Teacher Preparation Program, Christy J Falba

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This study describes current levels of technology use by a College of Education (COE) faculty and use of technology in teaching classes. In addition, the formation of a systematic plan for integrating technology throughout the teacher preparation programs was explored. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used in this two-phase study; Phase I survey results suggested that although 93% of faculty believed technology in teacher education was very important or somewhat important, use of technology in teaching was limited. Consistent with previous findings on university faculty use of technology, COE faculty rated themselves as having high levels of knowledge and …

Instructional Environments For Technology Inservice Education, Karen Jane Grove

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This study examines different instructional formats for providing inservice education on classroom technology applications to elementary teachers. An intensive weekend workshop format was compared with a traditionally paced format for inservice education. Results are discussed in terms of measurable changes in teacher growth in the use of the applications and growth in the use of the applications with students. A secondary purpose was to determine if there was a relationship between learning styles and success in these two environments. Teachers' learning styles were identified using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. The results of the study indicate that intensive models of inservice …

Application Of Asynchronous Transfer Mode (Atm) Technology To Picture Archiving And Communication Systems (Pacs): A Survey, Sridharan R Madabhushanam

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Broadband Integrated Services Digital Network (R-ISDN) provides a range of narrowband and broad-band services for voice, video, and multimedia. Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) has been selected by the standards bodies as the transfer mode for implementing B-ISDN; The ability to digitize images has lead to the prospect of reducing the physical space requirements, material costs, and manual labor of traditional film handling tasks in hospitals. The system which handles the acquisition, storage, and transmission of medical images is called a Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS). The transmission system will directly impact the speed of image transfer. Today the most …