Digital Commons Network^™

Book Review Rural Education In America: What Works For Our Students, Teachers, And Communities, Sunshine L. Brosi, Marilyn M. Cuch, Spencer Spotted Elk, Julie Stevens, Gustavo A. Ovando-Montejo

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Access the online Pressbooks version of this article here.

Book review of Marietta, G. & S. Marietta. (2020). Rural Education in America, What works for our students, teachers, and communities, Harvard Education Press. Statewide faculty teaching in rural Utah review this book and focus on actions to meet the specific needs of their demographic of rural students in rural communities. The reviewer’s reflections on the book developed from a Spring 2022 Empowering Teaching Excellence Learning Circle led by the primary author.

Evaluating Active Lecture And Traditional Lecture In Higher Education, Kathleen Klein, Jennifer Calabrese, Adam Aguiar, Sunny Mathew, Kimoni Ajani, Rania Almajid, Jennifer Aarons

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Access the online Pressbooks version of this article here.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of traditional and active lecture methods in higher-education courses. A multiple group convergent parallel mixed method design was used, with measurement of learning, attention, and student preference for active or traditional lecture methods. Six faculty at a public university in the northeast region of the United States engaged 178 undergraduate and graduate students in a traditional lecture session and an active lecture session during the Spring 2022 semester. Results indicated effectiveness of active and traditional lecture approaches (p < .05). Analysis of qualitative and quantitative data in the study provides additional information regarding student preference for active lecture based on perceptions of increased learning benefits, interaction/engagement, attention, activities, discussion, and the use of multimedia. In implementing both traditional and active lecture sessions this study employed pre-lecture and post-lecture quizzes that students found to be very beneficial to learning.

Teaching Reproducibility To First Year College Students: Reflections From An Introductory Data Science Course, Brennan L. Bean

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Access the online Pressbooks version of this article here.

Modern technology threatens traditional modes of classroom assessment by providing students with automated ways to write essays and take exams. At the same time, modern technology continues to expand the accessibility of computational tools that promise to increase the potential scope and quality of class projects. This paper presents a case study where students are asked to complete a “reproducible” final project in an introductory data science course using the R programming language. A reproducible project is one where an instructor can easily regenerate the results and conclusions from the submitted …

Preservice Teacher Education Preparation: Implementation Of Personalized Learning And Technology Integration In The Fifth Industrial Revolution, Crystal C. Loose, Rose Jagielo-Manion

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Access the online Pressbooks version of this article here.

It has been argued that we have moved into the age of personalization. One can see this while ordering drinks at a local Starbucks, where options are limitless. This personalization has been called the Fifth Industrial Revolution, a time noted for a deep, multi-level cooperation between people and machines. With emphasis on innovation, purpose, and inclusivity, this revolution calls for changes in the classroom setting to focus on relationships and lived experiences. So, how do we prepare our preservice teachers for this reality? Methods of instruction that create an engaging and …

Adapting Interteaching To A Hybrid Format: A Framework For Implementation, Carmen Farrell

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Access the online Pressbooks version of this article here.

In the world of higher education, expectations of college-level instructors have shifted significantly in the last few years due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. Instructors were required to be more flexible than ever before, oftentimes across different modalities. This essay models an evidence-based teaching method, interteaching (IT), that was originally created for use in a traditional face-to-face classroom and suggests an adaptation of that method for a hybrid classroom. The theoretical framework of IT is explained and an adaptation of IT for hybrid classrooms is provided with a specific college-level course …

Introduction For Fall 2023 Issue, Jason Olsen

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Access the online Pressbooks version of this introduction here.

An introduction to the Fall 2023 issue of the Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence.

Full Issue: Journal On Empowering Teaching Excellence, Volume 7, Issue 2, Fall 2023

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

The full-length Fall 2023 issue (Volume 7, Issue 2) of the Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Access the online Pressbooks version (with downloadable EPUB format) here.

The Fall 2023 issue presents research and guidance on topics related to educational adaptation. The first article by C. Farrell describes an adaptation of the interteaching method to the hybrid delivery method. The second article by C. C. Loose and R. Jagielo-Manion describes a study of modules on personalized learning to preservice teachers and its impact on their comfort level and preparation to implement personalized learning in their classrooms. The third article by B. …

General Education Subcommittee Agenda December 7, 2023, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Call to Order – Matt Sanders
• Approval of Minutes – November 2, 2023
• Course Approvals/Removals/Syllabi Approvals
• New Business
• Additional Items
• Next meeting on January 4,2024
• Adjourn:

Embryotoxic Effects Of Three Natural Occurring Veratrum Alkaloids And One Synthetic Analog Using In Vitro Produced Bovine Embryos, Kevin D. Welch, Shiquan Wang, Stephen T. Lee, Dale R. Gardner, Kip E. Panter

Poisonous Plant Research (PPR)

Three natural occurring plant toxins from Veratrum californicum and one related synthetic analog were screened for embryotoxicity using in vitro bovine embryo production techniques. Bovine oocytes were aspirated from ovaries collected from a local abattoir and embryos were generated through in vitro maturation (IVM) and in vitro culture (IVC) procedures. The three natural steroidal alkaloids, cyclopamine, jervine and veratramine and the synthetic steroidal derivative of cyclopamine, cyclopamine-4-en-3-one, were added to IVM and IVC media at 12 μM. Oocytes were exposed to the toxins during maturation (IVM) and pre-implantation embryo during culture (IVC). Cleavage rates and embryo growth (morula and blastocyst …

Water Main Break Rates In The Usa And Canada: A Comprehensive Study, Steven L. Barfuss

Reports

Deteriorating Infrastructure

Municipalities and the people they serve depend on pipe networks that provide safe drinking water. This piping is underground, out of sight, and often neglected.

Overall assessment of water infrastructure condition is not good. Using the US as an example:

• In 2009, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) issued a US report card and gave a D- to drinking water infrastructure.
• In 2017, the grade improved to a D.
• In 2021, the grade was raised to a C-, better but still not good.
• Utilities are currently losing 11% of their water to leakage.
• Pipe life estimates of …

Modeling Elementary Students' Computer Science Outcomes With In-School And Out-Of-School Factors, Umar Shehzad

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This two-paper dissertation explores factors influencing the attitudes of Grade 5 students who are learning computer science (CS) in schools. It statistically examines the effects of out and in-school factors on students’ attitudes toward computing. The first paper of this dissertation examines the influence of parental support as perceived by the students on their interest and their self-assessed ability to engage in computer programming, thus underscoring the crucial role of parental support on learners’ attitudes. It also investigates how involving families in CS activities by sending a CS-themed board game influences students’ interest. The study finds that perceptions of parental …

Effect Of Delay On Reinforcer Preference As Measured By A Paired Stimulus Preference Assessment, Emma Preston

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Behavior interventions often utilize rewards to increase appropriate behavior. Current methods for identifying potential rewards only use immediately available items, however rewards in school or clinic settings are often delayed due to circumstance. Delay can decrease the value of a preferred stimuli. We propose and evaluate a method for considering delay to delivery of a preferred item when selecting a potential reward by asking children 8-11 to pick between a moderately preferred item immediately available or a highly preferred item that was delayed. 4 out of 5 participants increased selection for the moderately preferred item as delays to the highly …

Constraining Silicate Weathering During The Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum (Meco) Using Radiolarian Ge/Si, Olivia R. Laub

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Silicate weathering has long been considered a fundamental component of the earth system and has been cited as one of, if not the primary stabilizing feedback for climate. However, recent work has shown that the role of silicate weathering in the climate system is more complicated and dynamic than previously assumed. In this study I examine the role of weathering in the enigmatic warming event, the Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum (MECO) that occurred approximately 40 Ma. This event works as a good case study as there are multiple features of the MECO that differentiate it from other warming events that …

Atmospheric Mercury At Storm Peak Laboratory: Development Of Methods To Calibrate Ambient Oxidized Mercury Measurements And Comparisons To A 3-D Photochemical Transport Model, Tyler Raymond Elgiar

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Mercury (Hg) is a highly toxic metal found ubiquitously throughout the environment that has the potential to harm wildlife and human health. Human exposure to Hg can lead to symptoms such as blindness, loss of memory, ataxia, and death. Hg exposure to pregnant women and young children is of even greater concern, as high levels of Hg can hinder fetal and child development.

Hg is emitted into the atmosphere through natural and anthropogenic processes such as biomass burning and the incineration of coal, respectively. Hg exists in the atmosphere as elemental Hg (Hg⁰) or in an oxidized form …

A Systematic Review On Functional Analysis Of Noncompliance, Alyssa Hurd

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Lack of following instructions is a common caregiver concern that can have adverse effects on the learner. Although certain behavioral assessments (i.e., functional analysis) are often employed for other forms of challenging behavior (e.g., aggression, property destruction) to determine why these behaviors are occurring (e.g., to gain attention, toys, or escape from instructions), these assessments are infrequently conducted to determine why a learner is not following instructions. Lack of following instructions is often hypothesized to be motivated by desire to escape from instructions. However, to date, no study has examined the prevalence of variables that motivate lack of following instructions …

Student Reliance On Simulations: The Extent That Engineering Students Rely On The Outcomes Of Their Simulations, Jonathan Anderson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

The purpose of this research was to investigate the factors that contributed to engineering education students’ reliance on technology while learning new concepts. The researcher hypothesized that students would give reliance to their technology, even in the face of evidence that the technology was not working as intended. This research used a mixed-methods approach to answer the research questions. Three questions guided the research: (1) How are the participant’s level of automation complacency and the correctness of the simulation that participant is using related?; (2) How is automation bias related to a participant’s ability to recognize errors in a simulation?; …

Deep Learning With Effective Hierarchical Attention Mechanisms In Perception Of Autonomous Vehicles, Qiuxiao Chen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Autonomous vehicles need to gather and understand information from their surroundings to drive safely. Just like how we look around and understand what's happening on the road, these vehicles need to see and make sense of dynamic objects like other cars, pedestrians, and cyclists, and static objects like crosswalks, road barriers, and stop lines.

In this dissertation, we aim to figure out better ways for computers to understand their surroundings in the 3D object detection task and map segmentation task. The 3D object detection task automatically spots objects in 3D (like cars or cyclists) and the map segmentation task automatically …

Developing Empirical Predictive Models To Support Conservation Planning For Threatened Frogs, Toads, And Turtles In South-Coastal California, Umarfarooq Adavudi Abdulwahab

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Amphibians and reptiles (i.e., herptiles) are among the most threatened groups of species on Earth. The major threats to these species include the direct, indirect, and synergistic effects of habitat loss and fragmentation, invasive species, disease, overexploitation, and pollution. To protect and restore species, natural resource managers need effective, data-driven conservation plans that are grounded in sound knowledge of species distributions and habitat requirements. Species distribution models (SDMs) are popular tools used to assess species-habitat relationships. However, SDMs are sensitive to the choice and quality of input data, both of which can affect model accuracy and precision and lead to …

Prospects And Constraints For A Recreational Fishery On East Canyon Creek At The 910 Ranch, S. Bishop, A. Garner, G. Mclaughlin, T. Oman, N. Omer, C. Stewart

Watershed Sciences Student Research

Summit County Lands and Natural Resources has retained students from Utah State University’s Management and Restoration of Aquatic Ecosystems program to evaluate current conditions of East Canyon Creek (ECC) in the 910 Ranch and propose prospects, constraints, and potential actions to establish a recreational trout fishery.

Paraprofessional Training Materials, Program Implementation & Review, Breann Brewer

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

If ever you enter a special education classroom, you may encounter a few events. You may witness a classroom of impressive, almost automatic interactions, delivered in a way so eloquent that the students and staff seem to be in an effortless dance with one another. Or, you may witness a classroom that feels heavy with needs; needs of more staff, more help, more hands, and more time. This visual exercise demonstrates how the structure of a special education classroom sets the tone for student growth and success.

One pivotal part of a special education classroom is the paraeducators. Paraeducators, also …

Urban Agriculture Needs Assessment And Natural Resource Conservation Service Employee Workflow Development, Jennifer Long

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Urban agriculture has been expanding over the past few decades and one driving factor is all communities wanting access to fresh, healthy food options (Grebitus, 2021). The increase in small community gardens can nourish the health and social fabric of communities along with creating economic opportunities for farmers and neighborhoods

Parent-Child Communication About Adoption From The Adopted Child's Perspective: A Literature Review, Abigial Kent

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Discourse in adoptive families is how families create relationships and familial identity. This literature review addresses how parents talk to adoptees and the negative and positive outcomes of these conversations. Parents discuss entrance stories, word choice, and privacy management with their adopted children. When parents are open with adoptees, adoptees are better adjusted and have a strong sense of identity. Parents who had good quality conversations with their children saw children who had a stronger sense of belonging. When parents withhold information, adoptees developed anxious and avoidant attachment styles. Adoptees also felt betrayed and lost trust in their adopted parents. …

Phosphorus Dynamics In Calcareous Soils Amended With Organic Matter, Logan Banner

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Phosphorus (P) is considered immobile in calcareous soils. Organic matter is known to enhance P mobility in these soils. Few studies have considered what role iron oxides might play in P sorption in calcareous soils, especially in the presence of soluble organic matter. This study investigated P sorption dynamics in sand-based, simulated soil systems in the absence or presence of 5 mM carbon (C) as humic acid (HA). Treatments included combinations of dicalcium phosphate dihydrate (DCPD), calcite, and ferrihydrite. Solutions containing 10 mg P L^-1 in a background of 0.01 M CaCl₂were equilibrated with each solid treatment …

Compatibility Of Conformal And Projective Structures, Eli Atkin

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

In 1972 Ehlers Pirani and Schild, published a paper The geometry of free fall and light propagation. The authors established a constructive set of axioms for building a relativistic space time geometry based on the compatibility of projective and conformal structures. In recent years two papers have been published addressing the validity of these results. The first of these papers by Matveev and Trautman claim to give the necessary and sufficient conditions for the projective and conformal structures to be compatible, and in doing so conclude that the central claim of the EPS paper is wrong. In 2020 Matveev and …

Reading Interventions For High School Students With Reading Difficulties, Dixie Poulsen

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Literacy is an important skill necessary for better outcomes in life. There are many high school students that struggle with word reading and comprehension. Some may even graduate without a functional reading level. What can teachers do to make a difference? Are there strategies that can be implemented into classrooms to better help struggling students? It is important to gather the correct information about the students reading abilities. For this professional portfolio, I conducted 5 different reading assessment, to understand the student’s current abilities. With these assessments I could determine where my student struggled the most. The student had difficulty …

Design Guidelines For Homeless Shelter And Resource Center Site Plans, Samuel Johnson

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Homelessness is one of the most pressing humanitarian issues facing the country today. Lack of affordable housing, among many other complicating factors, have led to many cities scrambling to find both short-, middle-, and long-term solutions to the issue. The Covid-19 pandemic added a disruption in services, critical record-keeping, and data-gathering, which has further confounded experts looking for an effective path forward. As it stands, there is a significant gap in academic research addressing best practices for shelter site design, particularly as it relates to landscape. The role of landscape and greenspace within and around a shelter is not well …

Is It True That Immigrants Reduce Social Trust Or Reduce Institutional Quality?, Jacob Sorenson

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

With a presidential race beginning in the United States, one topic that is sure to be discussed a lot in the news and by people trying to decide on who to vote for is whether or not the US should allow more immigrants into the country, and what the regulations surrounding these new entrants should look like. While this topic is usually only discussed during the campaign stretch, it isn’t new nor is it unimportant. For this reason, formal immigration research is abundant and used to inform the debate. This research has many strengths, but one area of focus that …

Using Telehealth To Teach Caregivers Mand Training Using A Speech Generating Device, Sara Jeppson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Children with ASD often have struggles with social communication and developing a functional vocal output. Alternative and augmentative communication (AAC) can be used in different modes such as speech generating devices (SGDs) to help these individuals develop a vocal output. Caregivers are optimal to aid their children in learning these communication skills. Past studies such as Suberman and Civindini-Motta showed that behavioral skills training (BST) can be effective to teach caregivers communication training using an SGD. The current study aimed to replicate the procedures of Suberman and Civindini-Motta but extended it by adapting the procedures described using telehealth.

An Exploratory And Descriptive Analysis Of The Utah Microcredentials Participant Population, Daron Kennett

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This study examined the population of users of the Utah Microcredentials system, a professional learning resource available to all Utah teaching license holders. A microcredential verifies that an educator has successfully demonstrated competency with a specific skill, concept, or instructional tool, and is awarded upon submission of evidence meeting a predetermined set of rubric criteria. During the first stage of the study, quantitative methods such as regression analysis were used to determine the participation rates of educators based on a number of demographic variables, including age, number of years of service as an educator, the rurality of the educator's assigned …

Collaborative Task Completion For Simulated Hexapod Robots Using Reinforcement Learning, Tayler Don Baker

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

There is growing interest in developing autonomous systems capable of exhibiting collaborative behaviors. Using methods such as reinforcement learning is another way to train multiple robots for collaborative task completion. This study was able to successfully in simulation train multiple hexapod robots to push a target to a designated goal collaboratively. This required each robot to learn how find the target and push that target to a goal. This work suggests that using reinforcement learning for collaborative task completion for hexapod robots may simplify the complexity of the software and improve the decisions that they make.