Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Commons^™

Increasing Medication Administration Simulation To Improve Student Confidence And Performance Skill Level, Jessica Landry-Lyons

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

Objective: Medication errors continue to occur in healthcare settings across the globe impacting patient morbidity and mortality. With nurses being at the forefront of the medication administration process, it is crucial that thorough training and ability to correctly administer medications start early in nursing education. This includes ongoing education and effective utilization of technology and safeguards. Building confidence in medication administration skills is essential for their success in a demanding healthcare environment. If students are able to participate in more MA experiences through simulation, will they feel more confident with the skill? The purpose of this study investigated the potential …

Preliminary Analysis Of Native Bee Community Adjacent To Sorghum And Wheat Fields In Western Kansas, Katelyn Strack, Sarah Elzay

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

Agricultural practices have significant and often negative effects on native bee populations. It is imperative that we understand how current agricultural practices affect native bees. Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) is cultivated heavily in western Kansas and is grown in rotation with winter wheat. This analysis presents preliminary results from a study conducted in summer 2023 in which pan traps were placed adjacent to two sorghum and two wheat fields in Ellis Co. Kansas. This data is part of a larger study examining the relationship between native bees and sorghum in western Kansas.

Preliminary Analysis of Native Bee Community Adjacent …

Education For Sustainable Development Competencies In A Community-Engaged Art Workshop, Amy J. Schmierbach

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

Arts participation can expand empathy and cognitive growth capacity while creating a social bond and communal meaning (McCarthy et al., 2004). As an art instructor for over twenty years, I have witnessed the bonds that can be created through collaborative art experiences. These bonds are nurtured from a space of equity and inclusion. Teaching a community-engaged art course can bring these qualities into the community, allowing university students to use their art skills in real-world applications to impact society through experiential learning art practices. Making art with others will enable us to help others build empathy and social bonds that …

Juvenile Waiver: Problems And Soultions, Daniel Bechle, April Terry

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

The juvenile waiver was established in 1966 with the landmark case Kent v. United States. This case deemed it constitutional to transfer youth from the juvenile court to the adult criminal court, and significant repercussions have since ensued. One issue includes the notable 3.5% increase in the recidivism rates for youth subjected to the waiver (Augustn, 2017a). The purpose of these waivers was to impose harsher punishments, particularly for serious offenses like murder, and this "tough on crime" approach gained momentum in the 1990s. Presently, public sentiment supports such measures, as evidenced by a survey indicating a majority favoring stricter …

The Impact Of State Laws On Officer-Involved Deaths (Oids), Morgan J. Steele, Ziwei Qi

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

While the public debates whether law enforcement has a problem with mis- or over-using force, the field lacks critical information concerning how often officers use force in their dealings with citizens. Consequently, the various reforms proposed have little evidence supporting them. Using data from Mapping Police Violence combined with census and LEOKA data, we examine the impact of U.S. Supreme Court jurisprudence and the restrictions that each state placed on law enforcement’s ability to use force and what constituted reasonable force within each state. We found that while the state’s population size and violent crime rate were consistently strong predictors …

Chippin’ In: An Analysis Of The Criminological Concepts Within Cyberpunk 2077, Morgan J. Steele

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

The cyberpunk genre dominates much of our popular culture, from how we think of cyber- and white-collar crime, to our understanding of how technology influences the criminal justice system. This article explores the common criminological themes prevalent within the recent video game Cyberpunk 2077 as an example of popular criminology. Specifically, it explores the game’s story and environment by examining key characters’ responses to structural inequalities through an anomie theory lens. Key characters and groups within the game exemplify Merton’s (1938) different responses to rampant poverty and socioeconomic inequality. Thus, the game can be used to explore how cultural goals …

Evidence-Based Programs For System-Involved Youths, Karli Baalmann, April Terry

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

Far too many juveniles are incarcerated in juvenile correctional facilities, and in some cases, waived into the adult criminal legal system. Life course theory helps explain this pathway as many of these youth grow up in poverty-stricken environments, with restricted access and poor quality of schooling, during which they may experience abuse and neglect, leading them into the school-to-prison pipeline. Likewise, youth experiencing Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)—forms of abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction—endure the additional abuse-to-prison pipeline. Once incarcerated, these youth experience reentry issues when attempting to successfully transition back into their homes and communities. However, this issue starts before …

Using Reflective Practice To Change Students’ Perceptions Of Technology And Engineering Education, Josie Gage

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

Objective: Evaluate the effect reflective practice has on Technology and Engineering (TEE) students

Design: Non-experimental, mixed methods, comparative

Setting: TEE / CTE classroom at secondary level

Participation: 9-12 grade TEE students for one school year

Results: Pending results and data collection

Hira Gene Mutation In Arabidopsis Via Crispr, Kelly Chen, Claire Shippy, Tara Phelps-Durr

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

The purpose of this study is to mutate the Histone Repressor A (HIRA) gene in a mustard plant (Arabidopsis) using CRISPR technology. HIRA is a chromatin-remodeling protein that is required for proper development in both plants and animals. Creating new changes (mutations) in HIRA will help us better understand the mechanism of how HIRA regulates transcription, which is important for understanding developmental disorders in animals, as well as how improper development leads to a reduction in crop yields in plants

Investigating The Molecular Function Of Mutated Arabidopsis As2 Gene, Tara Phelps-Durr, Cadee A. Haugsness

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

This study aims to more deeply understand the role of the ASYMMETRIC LEAVES 2 (AS2) gene in Arabidopsis. During leaf development, the AS2 protein keeps the KNOX genes turned off so that leaves can develop. We use CRISPR technology to create mutations in specific regions of AS2. These mutations are predicted to change the protein structure of AS2, which may result in a mutated leaf. The analysis of the mutation allows us to better understand how AS2 keeps the KNOX genes off.

A Systematic Review: Mirror Neurons & Schizophrenia, Yashesvi Sharma, Surajit Dey

Annual Research Symposium

This research project establishes a link between Mirror Neuron System (MNS) activity and this information's implications in treating and understanding schizophrenia, specifically, schizophrenic patients with negative symptoms.

Open Educational Resources In Kentucky, Stephen G. Krueger, Todd Seguin, Colleen Deel, Aj Boston, Lidiya Grote, Bailey Lake, Katrina Salley, Stacy Scott, Kelly Smith, Maria Taylor, Kathleen Richardson

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Open educational resources (OER) play an increasingly important role in the education landscape, with increased awareness and use year over year (Coffey). Often, academic libraries play a supporting role for instructors as they locate, adopt, and create OER for their courses. In this article, we will provide an introduction to OER, outline some current trends in open education, and describe a few of the OER initiatives currently underway in Kentucky’s college and university libraries.

Course Discourse: Reimagining Course Evaluations And Feedback, Andrea Walker, Katja Gehr, Gracie Allen, Sara-Lou Adams, Brooke Poirier, Greyson Gainey, Haven Ladd, Katerina Tkachenko, Braxton Lazarus, Bella Marquez, Nora Jones, Chase Lowery, Paul Hanson

[Archive] Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS)

Through the Honors Scholars’ Collaborative, our class, under the guidance of Dr. Heather Finch, has attempted to solve the problem of biased and potentially unhelpful course evaluations. We identified this problem through personal experience with feeling unmotivated to complete school-issued course evaluations and mistrust in other review sources. We set out to educate Belmont students on the importance of course evaluations, work towards better resources for professors regarding feedback, and create a website to better suit students’ needs to prepare for registration. To complete our goals, we executed two WELL Core events, built connections in the Teaching Center, and designed …

Experiential Learning Enhanced In Agricultural Classrooms Using 360-Degree Video Technology, Morgan L. Barba

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

Experiential or “hands-on” learning allows students to self-correct educational missteps and have live examples of core concepts registered in the brain as holistic experiences, which enhances their educational experience overall (Roland, M.A 2017). However, due to financial constraints and logistical barriers, it becomes more difficult for educators to give their students these field-based experiences. Using 360 video technology, educators have the opportunity to address these limitations and provide students with field experience anywhere (Clay, M. A. 2022). This presentation will highlight the opportunities 360 video technology can offer to animal and plant science education and the opportunities it can offer …

A Model For Embedding Nature-Based Learning Across Disciplines: A Pilot Study At An Urban Community College, Nicole Kras

Publications and Research

Nature-based instruction offers students the benefits of experiential learning while spending time in nature. Research supports nature-based learning (NBL) with younger students (Pre-K–12), yet there is a dearth of research focused on students in post-secondary education. To advance research in higher education, an NBL project was launched with 16 faculty members (two cohorts) from different disciplines at a commuter community college in New York City to pilot the implementation of NBL into the curriculum. This paper offers a model to guide the implementation of NBL in a variety of disciplines. It is hoped that this model may be used by …

Subsurface Mapping Of Intra-Arbuckle Shale In North-West Kansas Using Well Log Data, Cole M. Denny

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

The aim of this research was to enhance knowledge of Intra-Arbuckle Shale (IAS) distribution and structure through new maps, cross sections, and well log correlations. Understanding the shale(s) ultimately advances the discernment of complex Arbuckle reservoirs that are critical to the Kansas petroleum industry. IAS has been intercepted by oil wells throughout Kansas, but this study focuses on their presence in portions of Ellis, Rooks, Graham, and Trego counties. To study the distribution and structure of IAS, data from micro-resistivity and gamma ray well logs were collected from more than three hundred Arbuckle oil and gas wells. On each well …

Learner Assembly Spring Report 2024, Barry J. Ryan, Fionnuala Darby, Shaun Ferns

Group Reports

This paper outlines the strategic vision of Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin) to position learners as central partners in their university experience. Through its Strategic Intent, TU Dublin is dedicated to creating transformational educational opportunities that inspire, support, and develop learners to achieve their full potential. This vision is realised through the University Education Model that integrates research-informed and practice-based learning to promote academic excellence. A key initiative in this strategy is the establishment of a Learner Assembly, a gathering of students representing the university’s diversity to discuss important topics. Unlike a student representative body, the Learner Assembly serves as …

Booktok's Potentials And Possibilities In Composition Studies: An Interactive Digital Collection, Hanna Varilek

Department of English: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The following thesis, “BookTok’s Potentials and Possibilities in Composition Studies: An Interactive Digital Collection,” explores the phenomenon of BookTok, a vibrant out-of-school literacy program on the social media platform TikTok centered around books, reading, and literary discussions. As digital platforms continue to shape contemporary cultural landscapes, BookTok emerges as a unique space where users engage with literature and participate in discussions that influence their reading habits and preferences. This thesis explores the possibilities of BookTok in reimagining the current landscape of first-year writing and composition classrooms by introducing an interactive digital collection of BookTok content and educational resources titled, The …

A Word From The Writing Team (April 2024), Pam Walter, Mfa, Liz Declan, Ma, Mfa

A Word From the Writing Team (Newsletter)

This issue includes:

• Join Us for Our Virtual Writing Retreat on April 5th
• Attend a Packback Workshop
• Check Out the Spring 2024 Research Support Newsletter
• Learn about the Ethics of AI at Jefferson's Research Compliance Symposium
• Attend a Reception for the Drs. Theresa and Charles Yeo Writing Prize Winners on April 25th
• Publication Spotlight
• Jefferson's AI Library Guide is Available on the Library Website
• The OPWPC Canvas Page Offers Helpful Tools
• Scott Memorial Library Archive Renovations are Almost Done!
• Wiley Open Access Fees Waived for Jefferson Authors

The Impact Of Student Behavior And Motivation On Intercultural Competence, Marki Alexander

Dissertations

Intercultural competence has become an important trait for university graduates to possess, but an investigation into the influence of multiple factors on the achievement of intercultural competence has not been undertaken. This research examines the influence of academic and social behaviors, motivation, and student demographics on the attainment of intercultural competence through a mixed methods study. Undergraduate students taking a course focused on human diversity responded to intercultural situational judgement tests and the Expanded Cultural Intelligence Scale. The qualitative findings show a need to refine previous understandings of the development of intercultural competence. Some support for the influence of motivation …