Digital Commons Network^™

2026-04-01 Caudill Connection, Morehead State University. Caudill College Of Arts, Humanities And Social Sciences.

Caudill Connection

Caudill Connection newsletter for April of 2026.

Catholic Studies 2026 Newsletter, Sacred Heart University

Catholic Studies Newsletter

Highlights: The Lilly Network 2025 National Conference -- Bergoglio Lecture -- Center for Catholic Studies Lecture Series -- Warsaw Conference on Social Justice --SYNODAL Conversations in the Diocese -- ESTEEM Program at the Center for Catholic Studies

Smu Launches Longevity Societies And Economies Institute To Advance Knowledge And Innovation For Singapore’S Longevity Transition, Singapore Management University

SMU Press Releases and News

Singapore Management University (SMU) launched the SMU Longevity Societies and Economies Institute (LSEI) which will focus on the economic and societal transitions needed for economies and societies to continue thriving despite an ageing population. The new institute will consolidate SMU’s ageing-related research and drive an interdisciplinary agenda to build resilient and opportunity-rich longevity societies and economies.

A Qualitative Examination Of Mentoring Practices For First-Generation, Low-Income Stem Students Through A Critical Intersectionality Lens, Christina Torres Garcia, Laura Zamudio-Orozco, Martin Meraz Garcia

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of Arts and Humanities

This study examines the mentoring experiences of first-generation, lowincome, and underrepresented students in STEM through the lens of Critical Intersectional Mentoring (CIM). Drawing on testimonios from McNair Scholars, this study identifies the systemic barriers and power dynamics that shape mentoring relationships and limit academic success. Traditional mentorship models often ignore intersecting identities, leading to experiences of marginalization, mentor absenteeism, and cultural disconnection. The CIM framework integrates Critical Race Theory, Intersectionality, and Culturally Responsive Pedagogy to reframe mentoring as a social justice practice grounded in equity, empowerment, and relational trust. Using qualitative content analysis of pláticas, the study uncovers three key …

Strengthening Communities Through Place-Based University Partnerships, Prajakt Pande, Marc T. Sager, Karen Pierce, Jessica Murillo, Rolonda Washington

Presentations

This multiple case study examines university-community partnerships through Place-Based Community Engagement (PBCE) framework, analyzing two nonprofit organizations participating in Community Connect, a university-led capacity-building initiative. Using thematic analysis, we explore how collaborative partnerships shape place-based relationships between universities and community organizations. Findings reveal complementary organizational strengths. Both cases illuminate shared challenges including transportation barriers, balancing funder requirements with community responsiveness, and achieving sustainable community ownership. Cross-case analysis demonstrates that effective PBCE requires systematic investment in relationship-building infrastructure, flexible evaluation approaches honoring community-defined outcomes, and cross-sector partnerships distributing power and resources. This research contributes to understanding universities' role as anchor institutions, …

Cuny Oer Initiative Catalog (Ay 2024-2025), Jahanara Alamgir, Yujin Lee-Hwang, Rachael Nevins, Elliot Galvis, Rebecca Morofsky, Andrew Mckinney, Jojo Karlin

Open Educational Resources

This circulating catalog inventories the reusable teaching objects produced by CUNY campuses in AY 2024-2025! You’ll find textbooks, assignments, syllabi, videos, and more, organized by discipline and with brief descriptions of the resource. This publication (which links to all the resources) is supplemented by a by our online, filterable CUNY OER Initiative Catalog.

The CUNY OLS Research and Publishing Strategy team gathered, described and indexed the work of the campuses. OLS Fellow Hwang-Lee Yujin designed the publication.

Consent Absent Consensus: A Principles-Based Framework For Institutional Sexual Consent Policies, Tammi Walker

West Virginia Law Review

Title IX requires educational institutions to address sexual misconduct but provides no clear standard for defining consent. In the absence of federal guidance, colleges and universities operate in a regulatory vacuum, producing inconsistent definitions, legal uncertainty, and contested understandings of what consent requires. Without a structured framework, institutions struggle to balance survivor protection, due process, and practical implementation. This Article introduces a principles-based framework that supports clearer, more coherent consent policies. It identifies three interdependent elements of valid sexual consent: (1) Respect for Choices and Autonomy, which requires voluntary agreement free from coercion or pressure; (2) Informed Expectations and Transparency, …

Artificial Intelligence And Machine Learning Improving The Livelihood Of Individuals With Disabilities In Various Capacities, Daveon Lilly

West Virginia Law Review

Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) and Machine Learning (“ML”) are swiftly reshaping accessibility for individuals with disabilities, offering fresh opportunities for inclusion in education, the workplace, and daily life. This Note explores the integration of AI and ML into assistive technologies and discusses how this integration bolsters access and independence for people with various disabilities. It also examines the legal frameworks, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (“Rehabilitation Act”), that govern the implementation of these technologies and address challenges such as algorithmic bias, data privacy, and the digital divide. While AI and ML have made …

Field Experience Practicum In Early Childhood Education, Laurie A. Daly

OER Textbooks

This OER is being used at UMass Boston in the Curriculum and Instruction Department. It was uploaded to ScholarWorks @ UMass Boston to help students gain access to the materials. To request a takedown of this material, please email [email protected].

Available Space… The Final Frontier An Empirical Analysis Of The Heterogeneous Regulatory Burdens That Oversee Private Schools Within States With School Choice Policies, Patrick J. Wolf, Colyn Ritter, Misty Gallo

Education Reform Faculty and Graduate Students Publications

Using administrative data available from a variety of public sources, our research team examined the ways in which state and local regulatory burdens along with state political and economic factors work to encourage or depress the supply response of private school providers in the years following the adoption of school choice policies. We tracked counts of private schools using NCES and state departments of education at baseline year 1 of program implementation and a second outcome variable measuring the change from baseline to the current year (2024). We estimate the effect of state political and socioeconomic controls, two regulatory and …

Grand Valley Magazine, Vol. 25, No. 2, Spring 2026, Grand Valley State University

Grand Valley Magazine

Grand Valley Magazine is a quarterly publication about Grand Valley State University produced by University Communications since 2001.

Retreat, Renew, Reflect: Exploring Digital Marketing Strategies For Faith-Based Retreat Centers, Rebecca A. Mickler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In today’s fast-paced world, retreat centers offer a vital opportunity for rest, reflection, and spiritual renewal. Despite growing societal awareness of mental health and wellness, many religiously affiliated retreat centers face stagnant participation, aging leadership, and operational challenges that threaten their long-term sustainability. This qualitative-dominant mixed methods study uses bright spots analysis to examine how Villa Maria Education and Spirituality Center (VMESC), a Catholic retreat center, can strengthen its digital marketing strategies to attract new audiences while maintaining mission alignment.

Bright spots analysis examines positive outliers, organizations that achieve notable success despite operating within similar constraints, to identify practices that …

Evolving Humanity: Educational Leadership And Research In A Technological Age, Winona State University, Matthew G. Howard, Kari J. Johns, Peter Johnson, Kateri J. Johnson, Kelly Muller, Kate Glogowski, Niesha Conley, Sara Welch, Kristin E. Berndt, Cody B. Henrichs, Lance Davis, Kate Macdonald, Jody Shong, Oscar Uribe Mardones, Stacy L. Schilling, Allison R. Grainger, Kristen Fenlason, David E. Kline, Rachel Nihart, Rebecca R. Simataa, Steven M. Baule

Education Doctorate Books

The essays in this book are selected from Winona State University (WSU) doctoral students as part of the 2025 summer  WSU Doctoral Residency course. The residency course is a core portion of the WSU Education Doctorate Program.

Quote from the back of the book:

Our Doctoral students and doctoral graduate faculty are community members sharing experiences, asking questions, exploring our world, celebrating successes, and learning from missteps. We build and reconstruct our community as we learn, but never forgetting the end goal. We are together on this journey. This is the exciting part of learning. - Rhea Walker, Professor, WSU …

Mood Monitoring In Schools: A Promising Alternative To Single-Time-Point Screening, Shane L. Rogers, Brown, Kathryn Campbell, Matthew Goulding

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

School-based mental health screening typically relies on single-time-point assessments, which assume that students’ emotional well-being is sufficiently stable for classification based on a single measurement. The present study examined this assumption by evaluating the stability of emotional well-being classifications under repeated mood monitoring. Students from two secondary schools (United Kingdom, n = 413; Australia, n = 354) completed the Brief Emotional Experience Scale weekly across six to seven weeks. Emotional well-being classifications were examined relative to a predefined low well-being threshold to assess stability across time, and a post-monitoring survey examined students’ self-reported perceptions of the monitoring experience. Most students …

Antecedents And Consequences Of Consumer Behavior In Circular Fashion: Cognitive, Normative, And Behavioral Pathways Shaping Purchase And Participation Intentions, Mahmudul Hasan Sabuj

Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Fashion Design: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The increasing environmental impact of the fashion industry has intensified the need for a systemic transition from linear to circular production and consumption models. Despite growing interest in circular fashion, there remains a limited understanding of the underlying behavioral dimensions that drive consumer engagement in sustainable practices. Grounded in the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and Norm Activation Theory (NAT), this study examines consumer behavior through an integrated framework capturing cognitive, social, and normative influences.

Using data collected from a structured online survey (N = 575), the study employs Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), reliability analysis, and multiple regression techniques to …

Service Learning In The Elementary Classroom, Jordan E. Kelly

Honors Thesis

Service-Learning is an educational program in which students participate in service-related activities that correlate to academic content. This research reviews several works on Service-Learning to aid educators in developing Service-Learning Programs in Elementary Classrooms. The research was conducted through a literature review, in which published works were reviewed for connections and data to Service-Learning. This review examines connections surrounding Service-Learning, the different methods by which a Service-Learning Program can be implemented, how organizations collaborate productively, and sample Service-Learning Projects. If implemented in elementary schools, Service-Learning will have a positive impact on students' social and emotional skills, academic development, and community …

The Effect Of Open-Ended Questioning On Preschool Literacy And Language Development, Roxy Moorman

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

This inquiry-based study examines the impact of intentional open-ended questioning on preschool children’s language development and emergent literacy skills during shared reading. Grounded in research highlighting the importance of teacher–child interactions, this study addresses the problem that many preschool classrooms rely heavily on closed-ended questions that limit opportunities for extended dialogue and expressive language growth. The purpose of this study is to determine whether increasing the frequency and quality of open-ended questioning leads to improvements in children’s vocabulary, comprehension, conversational turn-taking, and overall participation in classroom discourse. Conducted in a preschool classroom with nine students over a six-week period, the …

Strategies And Techniques In Early Childhood Education, Abigail Strutzenberg

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

As early childhood education shifts toward high-stakes accountability, the traditional "bridge year" of age four is increasingly dominated by "drill-and-kill" academic instruction. This project investigates the growing tension between rigorous academic standards and developmentally appropriate practices. The study explores how the implementation of intentional, play-based strategies—specifically guided play and multisensory scaffolding—can meet mandatory benchmarks for phonemic awareness and self-regulation without compromising a child’s social-emotional well-being. Ultimately, the research seeks to identify how educators can reclaim their pedagogical autonomy by balancing state mandates with the intrinsic needs of the developing child. The central thesis argues that when academic content is embedded …

Effectiveness Of Project-Based Learning In Early Childhood Education, Jasmin Voravongsa

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

The increasing complexity of the modern world necessitates innovative educational methodologies that effectively prepare young learners for future challenges. Traditional instruction often prioritizes rote memorization, resulting in disengagement and insufficient development of critical social-emotional and cognitive skills, particularly within early childhood education. This inquiry-based research examines the effectiveness of project-based learning (PBL) as an instructional strategy to enhance student engagement, collaboration, social-emotional development, and deep learning, with a focus on STEM education in early childhood settings. By engaging children in real-world, hands-on projects, PBL fosters intrinsic motivation, collaborative skills, emotional intelligence, and profound conceptual understanding. Through a comprehensive literature review …

Research Showcase Program, St. Mary's University

Program - 2026

No abstract provided.

2026 Spring Nutshell, Morehead State University. Institutional Research & Analysis.

Office of Institutional Research & Analysis Publication Archive

Spring 2026 issue of the Nutshell.

Book Clubs And Young Adult Literature: Preparing Preservice Special Educators In Inclusive Literacy Practices, Marie Tejero Hughes, Juana Abarca, Marta Mohammad

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

The study presented in this article explored how book clubs centered on young adult (YA) literature supported 67 preservice special educators (PSEs) in developing inclusive literacy practices. The study examined PSEs’ reflections on social, cultural, and personal themes in YA narratives and how these informed their planning for students with disabilities. Using a qualitative descriptive approach, researchers analyzed online discussion posts collected over a 6-week book club course component. Findings reveal that PSEs engaged with themes such as identity, resilience, systemic inequities, and disability representation, often connecting literature to their own positionalities and future teaching roles. PSEs also identified a …

Home Visits As Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy: A First-Grade Classroom Community Learns From Families’ Shared Assets And Challenges, Jen Mccreight

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

This article builds on existing scholarship by analyzing the use of home visits as a tool to learn about families’ funds of knowledge—their viewpoints, beliefs, and critical understandings—while also examining families’ own complex views of their linguistic and cultural assets. Through the lens of culturally sustaining pedagogy, the article discusses how home visits were used as a family/school partnership practice that celebrated and built on first grade students’ unique cultural and linguistic assets, as well as how families’ insights were shared with and taken up by first-grade students through classroom activities and projects.

Etsu Today - Spring 2026, University Marketing And Communication, East Tennessee State University

ETSU Today [magazine]

Bucs Go Beyond

Celebrating ETSU's Impact

At East Tennessee State University, our pursuit of knowledge is inseparable from our commitment to service. That commitment is evident not only in our classrooms and laboratories but also throughout the region we serve. Through hands-on learning, cross-sector partnerships, and a deep sense of purpose, our students, faculty, and staff extend ETSU’s reach far beyond our formal campus borders.

This year, ETSU was honored with the Carnegie Foundation’s Elective Classification for Community Engagement, a distinction awarded to just a fraction of institutions nationwide. This recognition affirms the ongoing and intentional work taking place across …

Unl Emeriti And Retirees Association Newsletter, Spring 2019

UNL Emeriti and Retirees Association: Newsletters and Other Materials

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Emeriti and Retirees Association Newsletter, Spring 2019

Cs4autism: Supporting Neurodivergent Students In Computer Science Pathways Beyond High School, Darlene Bowman

Open Educational Resources

Students on the autism spectrum are increasingly participating in computer science (CS) education at the K-12 level. However, the transition from high school to postsecondary education, employment, or technical training remains a significant challenge.

This resource provides educators, counselors, and program coordinators with practical strategies to support autistic students as they navigate pathways in computer science beyond high school. It emphasizes inclusive practices, structured supports, and strengths-based approaches aligned with neurodiversity.

Beyond Sequencing: Curriculum As Organizational Practice In Housing & Residence Life, Matthew M. Inman

Master of Education, Student Affairs Independent Study Projects

This study considers the factors influencing curriculum development in student affairs,  with a particular focus on housing and residence life contexts. Grounded in a constructivist and  interpretive framework, this qualitative study used semi-structured interviews with student  affairs professionals engaged in curricular work. Data was analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s  (2006) six-phase thematic analysis process to identify patterns in participant meaning-making.  Analysis shows that curriculum development is shaped by a set of interrelated organizational  dynamics, including tensions between flexibility and structure, the role of language in facilitating  understanding across staff roles, the influence of leadership and human resource capacity, and  the …

Who Is A Champion Teacher? A Comparative Longitudinal Analysis Of Teacher Practices In Teacher Professional Development Programmes In East Africa, Jane Rarieya, Esther Kibga, Omari Abunga, Fredrick Mtenzi, Nyagwegwe Wwango

Institute for Educational Development, East Africa

This comparative mixed-methods study defines and profiles the “champion teacher” by synthesising primary longitudinal and cross-sectional data from two complementary teacher professional development (TPD) initiatives implemented across East Africa (Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda): the long-term, pre-service teacher-oriented Foundations for Learning (F4L) programme and the short-course, in‑service teacher Strengthening Education Systems East Africa (SESEA) programme. The champion teacher construct is operationalised through a Champion Teacher Index (CTI) comprising three integrated domains: head (cognitive pedagogical knowledge), hands (psychomotor instructional practice), and heart (affective, leadership, and gender-responsive dispositions). Quantitative analysis revealed statistically significant longitudinal differences between the programmes. F4L teachers demonstrated higher mean …

Developing Gender-Responsive Teaching Materials To Empower All Learners, Nyagwegwe Wango, Jane Rarieya

Institute for Educational Development, East Africa

Inclusive and gender-responsive education is widely recognized as essential for equitable learning outcomes, yet limited empirical attention has been given to the role of teaching materials as practical instruments for advancing inclusion in foundational learning contexts. This paper examines how inclusive and gender-responsive teaching materials are developed, used, and sustained in early years and primary education, drawing on evidence from the Strengthening Education Systems East Africa (SESEA) project and the Foundations for Learning (F4L) longitudinal studies in East Africa. Using a qualitative synthesis of evaluation reports, classroom observations, and interviews, the study analyzes teachers’ understanding of inclusive materials, material adaptation …

The Impact Of Sense Of Belonging And Christian Identity On Retention Intentions At Evangelical Christian Colleges And Universities, Corey R. Ross

Growth: The Journal of the Association for Christians in Student Development

No abstract provided.