Digital Commons Network^™

Active Learning: Eight Models That Shape Instructional Practice, A.E. Dreyfuss, Ana Fraiman, Karmen T. Yu

Publications and Research

Developed since the mid-20^th century, several instructional models have provided practical means to shift the emphasis in learning from lecture to engagement by students. The snapshots of models presented in this paper include Cooperative Learning, Problem-Based Learning (PBL), Supplemental Instruction (SI) (also PALS, PASS), Team-Based Learning (TBL), Emerging Scholars Program (Mathematics Workshop, MathExcel), Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL), Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL), and Learning Assistants (LA). These models have been well-disseminated, widely adopted, and incorporated in disciplines beyond their origins. For purposes of exploration and consideration of implementation, these “snapshots” provide an overview. Features of each model are …

The Effect Of The Actn3 Gene Variation On Physically Active Individuals' Susceptibility To Muscle Injury, Agata Leońska-Duniec, Piotr Kabelis, Agata Rzeszutko-Bełzowska

Baltic Journal of Health and Physical Activity

Background: The R577X polymorphism (rs1815739) in the ACTN3 gene, which encodes α-actinin-3, results in deficiency of the functional protein in the muscles of the XX carriers, what could potentially impair muscle fiber function and increase susceptibility to injuries. Thus, this study aimed to assess the relationship between the ACTN3 R577X polymorphism and non-contact muscle injury risk in a physically active Caucasians cohort. Mate-rials and Methods: The study included 142 physically active individuals (26 females and 116 males) who experienced either single (n = 26) or multiple (n = 116) non-contact muscle injuries. The control group included 163 participants (47 females …

Sickle Cell Disease: A Story Of Injustice And Neglect, Nosakhare Edogun, Rosalyn Marar, Jasmine R. Marcelin

Graduate Medical Education Research Journal

N/A

“Made Classes Easier Than A Coloring Sheet”: Student Perceptions And Uses Of Genai, Jessalyn I. Vallade, Renee Kaufmann, Trenton Upchurch

Human-Machine Communication

Student use of GenAI is growing and so are the faculty concerns. With research providing mixed suggestions and approaches, this study sought to understand the student perspective on ethical uses, their own motives and perceived benefits of GenAI use, the risks involved, and their perceptions of susceptibility and severity related to unethical use (i.e., plagiarism/cheating). Results revealed the complexity of student considerations regarding the uses, risks, and benefits of GenAI and its potential for personalized learning enhancement. Students generally view the likelihood of being caught submitting AI-generated work as their own as high and the consequences as severe. The viability …

09.29.2025 Ored Connect, Liz Williamson

ORED Newsletter

• Contest for Biosafety and Biosecurity Month
• ORED Website Walk Through training
• MIG Applications
• Field Fest

Better Together: Including Students In High School English Language Arts Course And Curriculum Design, Katelin E. Held

Doctorate in Education

This qualitative action research study examined how having students cocreate secondary English Language Arts (ELA) curriculum alongside teachers influenced student engagement and ownership of learning and staff attitudes toward cocreation. Conducted in a Midwestern U.S. public high school ELA department, the study involved four student and four educator participants, all of whom engaged in restorative-style focus groups with a larger number of students and teachers to collaboratively generate ideas for new course offerings. The study students and adults then participated in small-group semi structured interviews. Data were collected through audio-recorded group discussions, individual interviews, and researcher memos and were analyzed …

High School Students’ Construction Of Scientific Explanations On The Circulatory System, Phakhaporn Suwannahong, Navara Seetee, Pinit Khumwong

Journal of Education Studies

This study aims to 1) examine students’ scientific explanation ability on the topic of the circulatory system and 2) compare the writing patterns of students with different levels of scientific explanation abilities. A survey research method was employed. The samples were 67 female high school students in a science-mathematics program at an all-girls school in Bangkok in which they had already studied the circulatory system, selected by purposive sampling. The research instrument was a scientific explanation test, with a reliability coefficient of 0.82. Data was analyzed using basic statistics. Students’ abilities were categorized into three levels. The explanation patterns were …

The Calvin University Math Department History 1920-2020, Michael Stob

University Histories

No abstract provided.

The Inherent Values Of Observation And Description: A Case Study In The Spiny Solanums Of Australia, Christopher T. Martine

Faculty Journal Articles

The basic exploratory effort of doing descriptive biology is an avenue by which we can deepen our knowledge about taxa and the natural phenomena that drive their diversification. As Conniff (2011) wrote in The species seekers, “we still live in the great age of discovery”, and much like that historically recognized period of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries there remains today a distinct need for the sort of work that might have been attributable to the naturalists of that time. The careful observation of how organisms go about their lives, including how they interact with one another …

Caregiver Perspectives About Implementing Educational Goals For Children Of Incarcerated Parents In A Head Start Program, Alissa Jane Stark

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem addressed in this study is that caregivers of children with incarcerated parents inconsistently implement the mandated educational goals developed through the Head Start program. Grounded in Bowen’s family systems theory, the purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore caregiver’s perspectives on implementing Head Start Educational goals for children of incarcerated parents and their views on the resources or training needed to support these goals. For this case study, 12 former caregivers from a Head Start program in a women’s correctional facility in Oregon were interviewed. Data were collected through semistructured interviews and analyzed thematically with the …

September 26, 2025 Minutes, Swosu Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Minutes

No abstract provided.

Teaching Molecular Genetics Using Paramecium And Rna Interference: Research-Based Learning And Project Ownership, M. S. Valentine, K. Johnson, M. B. Veramendi, C. James, J. Kozak, A. Patwardhan, R. Quartey

Montclair State University Scholarship & Creative Works

Research-based course design is beneficial to both the instructor and the students by providing project ownership, independence, increased engagement, and publishable results. Paramecium, a single-celled eukaryote, is a common organism observed in many high school and college classrooms that can be easily cultured and manipulated to navigate through guided student-driven research projects. Presented here are research-centered student projects that include designing and creating an RNA interference (RNAi) plasmid to deplete a gene product in Paramecium. Because RNAi can be used in a large number of model organisms, the techniques presented can be applied in a variety of ways. …

2025 September 25 - Academic Council Agenda And Minutes, Academic Council, East Tennessee State University

Academic Council Agenda and Minutes

No abstract provided.

Developing Healthy Relationships: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study Of Twice-Exceptional Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Autumn B. Matthews

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to explore and describe the lived experiences of developing healthy friendships for twice-exceptional adults with autism spectrum disorder (2e/ASD) in the southeastern United States. The theory guiding this study was Schlossberg’s transition theory, as it provided a framework for understanding how individuals navigate significant changes in relationships, routines, assumptions, and roles. The central research question guiding this study was: What do 2e/ASD adults in the southeastern United States experience as they develop healthy friendships? The study employed a qualitative design using van Manen’s hermeneutic phenomenology to capture the essence of participants’ lived …

Parallel Lives: Revitalization Of An Ancient Method Of Inquiry, Geoffrey Thomas Uhal

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The Parallel Lives style examination and biography is one of the oldest forms of historical inquiry, providing a comparison between a foreign subject and a more familiar subject as a frame of reference. This style of examination was popular for dissertations in the 19th century among military historians writing about generals who were stylistically known as “Great Captains” for much of history. While the moral comparisons of such histories in bygone eras possess less utility, multimodal comparisons of lives that readers have more and less contextual background to provide a model to bridge the gap between foreign and familiar subjects. …

The Impact Of Psychological Well-Being, Gratitude, And Self-Efficacy On Resiliency In High School Students: A Predictive Correlational Study, Jennifer Nevard-Blanco

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative predictive correlational study was to examine the impact of psychological well-being, gratitude, and self-efficacy on resiliency in high school students in a northeastern state. This study is important because the promotion of positive psychological factors such as gratitude, self-efficacy, and psychological well-being have been identified as predictors of increased resilience, buffering the negative effects of stressors and adverse circumstances. The sample was composed of 110 high school students from a public school in the northeastern part of the United States. Data was collected using four self-report instruments: Ryff's Psychological Well-being 18-item scale, the Gratitude Questionnaire …

A Phenomenological Study Of Overcoming School Experiences Of Disability-Related Stigma To Gain Competitive Employment For Individuals With Learning Disabilities, Katherine Lamont

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutical phenomenological study was to interpret the experiences of overcoming disability-related stigma to gain competitive employment for individuals with learning disabilities (LDs) who have previously received special education services in public schools in the United States. Goffman’s stigma theory framed the investigation of the research question: What are the lived experiences of individuals with LDs who have received special education services in public school settings with overcoming disability-related stigma to gain competitive employment? This study was conducted with 12 participants, who each received special education services in public schools in the United States for a specific …

Perceptions Of Faculty Influence On Graduate Student Diversity Attitudes: A Phenomenological Study, Lyn Porter

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study is to understand the lived experiences regarding the perceived influence of faculty interactions in shaping diversity attitudes for graduate students in healthcare-related professions across the United States. The theory guiding this study is Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory, which argues that social interactions deeply influence cognitive development (Vygotsky, 1978/1995). These interactions are necessary for the development of new skills and knowledge. Vygotsky also highlighted the role of culture in shaping how individuals think, learn, and interpret the world, suggesting that the cultural context in which faculty and students interact profoundly affects internalized values and attitudes. …

The Perception Of Educational Leadership On Policies Impacting Equity And Access In Advanced Placement Programming For Diverse Student Learners: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study, Lindsey Greear

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to describe the perception held by educational leaders on equitable access to advanced coursework for diverse student learners in the Highland County School District. The theory guiding this study was Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, as diverse students need an environment that emphasizes cultural inclusion to encourage academic growth. The central research question for this study was to investigate the perceptions of educational leaders regarding how existing policies affect the equity, access, and student experience in advanced courses. This study employed individual interviews, document analysis, and focus groups to collect data from 10 …

Parental Expectations Of Pediatric Care For Children, Brenan T. Cash, Jacquelyn D. Wiersma-Mosley, Donia Timby, Laura Herold

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

Access to childhood pediatrics is a major factor for a full and healthy childhood for all children from adolescence to adulthood. However, the physical health aspect has been the main focus of most primary care clinics, and there is little focus on mental health. Mental health issues, which involve anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress, are more prominent than they have ever been, as up to 30% of children have experienced mental health issues that involve post-traumatic stress disorder, especially during the pandemic years. This study employed a non-experimental, quantitative analysis utilizing online closed-ended survey questions. Caretakers were offered an anonymous, …

Ditch Tradition...And Move To Case-Based Learning, Emily Dane-Staples

The COSMA Journal

Recent criticisms of higher education include a lack of relevance and alignment with what employers are seeking in new hires. A lecture-based approach to teaching has proved less effective than other active learning strategies and does not adequately mimic the working environment sport professionals face. To better align the classroom and the workplace, a case-based learning approach can be used. This pedagogy blends high impact practices that have been demonstrated to assist students in knowledge acquisition and soft skill development by replacing traditional lecture and chapter readings with real-life scenarios that require student engagement with concepts in application. The technique …

Tv Versus Video Games: Their Distinctive Effects On Adolescent Behavior And Academic Achievement, Faiaz Rahman, Kathy L. Schuh

Mid-Western Educational Researcher

The current paper uses data collected from a publicly available, nationally representative data set to examine the effects of TV viewing and video gaming on adolescent behavioral problems and cognitive achievement. Results revealed that extended hours of TV viewing were associated with greater anxiety/depression and antisocial problems. On the other hand, extended hours of video gaming were associated with higher reading comprehension scores. Differing effects of TV viewing and gameplay by an individual’s sex was also found during the analysis. It is also important to note that the opposite effects that the two media has on outcomes, indicate that, although …

Chacahoula 2025, Volume 92, Alayna Pellegrin

Chacahoula

The 2025 issue of Chacahoula includes December 2024 and May 2025 graduating classes, as well as stunning photography student life on the banks of Bayou Desiard. With features covering students, faculty, and staff, this year's time capsule preserves an academic year in the life of the University of Louisiana at Monroe.

Motivation In Community Engaged Learning: For Grades Or Growth?, Anastasios Catanzaro, Sarah Mclean

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

Community-engaged learning (CEL) is a pedagogy characterized by reciprocal partnerships between academic institutions and community partners. Literature suggests that CEL has a potent ability to enhance skill, empathy and engagement in both students and community members. This investigation is a mixed methods study aimed to assess whether CEL can influence student motivation in a biomedical science CEL course. We found that student motivation is dynamic, and CEL supports both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation approaches.

The Impact And Strategies Utilized By College Students During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Kristi Lewis, Olivia Hansen, Amanda Kavaja

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

The COVID-19 pandemic only exacerbated the growing mental health concerns seen on college campuses. A qualitative study was conducted to identify the impact and the strategies utilized by undergraduates during the pandemic. Semi-structured one-on-one interviews were conducted with 15 undergraduates. Findings suggest that college students encountered academic challenges and social struggles during COVID. The academic challenges and social struggles experienced during the pandemic have only added to the growing mental health concerns of college students.

Bard College: An Ecosystem Of Engagement, Jonathan Becker

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

Despite its moderate size and rural location, Bard’s civic engagement efforts resonate locally, nationally, and internationally, and have significant public policy impacts. Bard has achieved success by making engagement central to its institutional mission, viewing liberal arts and sci-ences education as both a means and an end of civic engagement efforts, and forging an “ecosystem of engagement” that encourages organizational engineers, links student-led and in-stitutional initiatives, and unites a network of partners across the globe.

An Online Scientific Twitter World: Social Network Analysis Of #Sciencetwitter, #Scicomm, And #Academictwitter, Man Zhang, Lisa Lundgren, Ha Nguyen

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Student Research

Understanding who makes up online affinity spaces as well as how information flows within those spaces is important as more people access news, research topics, collaborate with others, and entertain themselves. During a month-long period in summer 2021, we collected 100,000 tweets from 53,311 Twitter users who used the hashtags #ScienceTwitter, #SciComm, and #AcademicTwitter. We then classified users and determined the type of social network they formed. Scientists, the public, and educators formed this affinity space. They built connections by initiating activities and interacting with others, which created a Community Clusters social network structure, characterized by several medium-sized groups of …

Community Programming And Faith Communities: The Challenges And Impacts Of Civil Rights Education Programming Through The National Endowment For The Humanities Created Equal Grant, Andrea Shan Johnson, Roy A. Fisher

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

We reflect on our experience using a faith community to host a civil rights film screening and discussion series. Hosting civil rights education events in a religious setting was a challenge due to the lack of integration in many faith communities, and the limited resources of the congregation. The short-term results include increased awareness of the history of civil rights struggles, which led to greater understanding of current events for members of the congregation.

Students’ Knowledge And Perceived Confidence In An Interdisciplinary Experiential-Learning Environment, Adam J. Kuban, Michelle M. O'Malley, Lee J. Florea

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

Experiential-learning theory suggests that students acquire knowledge through hands-on learning environments, and aspiring journalists need a setting where they can experience science—its process(es) as well as how to report empirical findings. Researchers used pre/post questionnaires, field notebook evaluation, and focus group analysis as methods to assess an interdisciplinary, experiential course that combined science and media undergraduates. Results revealed students valued procedural over fact-based knowledge. Students also indicated increased perceived confidence—even when they answered questions incorrectly.

Reconsidering The American Dream And U.S. Latino Culture In A College Spanish Service-Learning Course, Zak K. Montgomery, Serena B. Ugoretz, Sarah E. Montgomery, Sarah Vander Zanden, Ashley Jorgensen, Mirsa Rudic

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

This study explores how a joint Photovoice project about the American Dream between a U.S. Latino culture course and a multicultural middle school class influenced college students’ perceptions of Latino culture. In addition to outlining the service-learning course design, the study also analyzes the trajectory of the students’ understanding of the American Dream. As a result of the partnership, college students’ American Dreams shifted away from the archetypal personal success narrative toward a more civically- oriented approach.