Digital Commons Network^™

From Recruitment To Retention: An Administrator Resource Toolkit For Supporting Industry-To-Classroom Cte Teachers, Lisa M. Rudzinski

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A capstone submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in the Ernst and Sara Lane Volgenau College of Education at Morehead State University by Lisa M. Rudzinski Salvisa on March 24, 2026.

Beyond The Survey: Performance Assessments For Higher-Order Sustainability Literacy In Higher Education, Gregory Vincent Massara, Courtney B. Ryan, Mary Ellen Mallia

Educational Policy & Leadership Other Graduate Student Scholarship

Purpose This study explores how a performance-based assessment measures students’ higher-order sustainability competencies in ways that multiple-choice or scaled-survey tools, common ways to assess sustainability literacy, may not.

Design/Methodology/Approach This exploratory case study created a performance task for a first-year honors writing and critical inquiry course. Students (n=9) analyzed a scenario across environmental, social, and economic domains. A rubric measured students’ abilities to address all three domains and articulate a feasible and balanced solution supported by credible evidence.

Findings Students demonstrated proficiency in defining the three sustainability domains but tended to struggle to balance them. Choosing scenarios in familiar local …

Language Development In Military-Affiliated Children: The Role Of Parental Absence, Jenna K. Walton

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A capstone submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in the Ernst and Sara Lane Volgenau College of Education at Morehead State University by Jenna K. Walton on March 23, 2026.

Bridging Professional Development Gaps In Pacrao Through Gamification, Chad Everett Saunders

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the extent to which a gamified professional development platform can foster skill development, knowledge application, and engagement among members of the Pacific Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (PACRAO). Grounded in the principles of humanism (Rogers, 1969) and andragogy (Knowles, 1990), and operationalized through gamification (Kapp, 2012), this study evaluated whether game-based mechanics aligned with adult learners’ professional development needs within a geographically dispersed regional association. To address these constraints, a prototype gamified platform, PACRAO University, was developed to provide a flexible, self-paced, and contextually relevant learning environment. Using a quantitative, within-subjects repeated measures design, …

March 20, 2026 Ereporter, University Of Alabama At Birmingham

eReporter (campus newsletter)

No abstract provided.

Redefining Online Education: Integrating A Quality Assurance Rubric Process In A Community College Setting, Judy K. Howell

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A capstone submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in the Ernst and Sara Lane Volgenau College of Education At Morehead State University by Judy K. Howell on Kentucky March 20, 2026.

Gaming The Simulation To Assess Dpt Student Learning, Laura Stephens, Gretchen R. Prather

Journal of Innovation in Health Sciences Education

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to assess Doctor of Physical Therapy student learning and motivation through participation in a novel, gamified case study simulation while describing the application of International Nursing Association of Clinical Simulation and Learning (INACSL) Healthcare Simulation Standards of Best Practice^TM and application of game elements. Gamification is an emerging interest in health care education but has been minimally explored within physical therapy education in the United States. Additionally, published studies often fail to detail INACSL standards of simulation best practice or game elements in simulation design.

Methods: Sixty-five DPT students participated in …

40 For 40: Celebrating 40 Years Of Evans Library, Nancy Garmer, Jason Martin

Evans Library Publications

Evans Library celebrated its 40th anniversary during the 2024–2025 academic year with “40 for 40,” a campaign blending commemorative events and fundraising. Highlights included interactive digital content, cultural programs, and community engagement initiatives that showcased the library’s evolution and impact. The celebration strengthened alumni connections, energized donors, and reaffirmed the library’s role as a dynamic, collaborative space for learning and innovation.

Graduate Student Supervision And Artificial Intelligence: Findings From Academic Faculty Interviews Across Disciplines, Kari D. Weaver, Nadine Fladd

Transforming Libraries for Graduate Students

There is widespread discussion in higher education about the potential implications of GenAI for research and writing tasks (George, 2023). Many graduate students are under intense pressure to finish their degree milestones in a timely manner, and these rapidly evolving technologies offer the potential to optimize and automate much of the research and writing process. But the ethical, developmental, and career implications of graduate students – both masters’ and doctoral – using these technologies requires particularly careful consideration, as these students are simultaneously learners, scholars, and, sometimes, educators. Although emerging research about GenAI use in higher education has examined the …

Still Going Strong: 15 Years Of Dissertation Camp At The Hesburgh Libraries, Monica Moore

Transforming Libraries for Graduate Students

This presentation will provide an overview of a long-running graduate student writing camp dedicated to helping dissertating graduate students make significant progress in their writing goals. Hosted by Hesburgh Libraries at the University of Notre Dame and run in partnership with the University Writing Center, Dissertation Camp is now in its 15th year. The overview will include the history of this graduate student service over these past 15 years, highlighting its growth and various adaptations to organizational changes. Participants will gain knowledge of the practical requirements to consider when thinking about implementing a similar service, and they will also learn …

Documenting For Success: A Case Study Of A Graduate Writing Retreat, Elliott Rose, Denise Wetzel, Sara C. Kern, Katie O'Hara-Krebs, Laurin Davis, Salah Seoudi, Carmen Cole

Transforming Libraries for Graduate Students

Graduate students often find themselves balancing the demands of research and writing while managing complex academic and personal needs. Writing retreats provide an intentional space for graduate students to focus on their academic goals while supporting community-building, institutional belonging, and a welcoming environment. This proposal outlines a model for academic librarians and staff to plan and implement an effective graduate writing retreat designed to support graduate student academic activities through intentional collaboration and documentation.

Penn State University’s (PSU) Graduate Student Writing Retreat started as an event housed within the University Library’s Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) department. The retreat …

Teaching Evidence-Based Practice In Social Work: Practical Instructional Design Approaches For Graduate Students, Nicholas D. Bambach

Transforming Libraries for Graduate Students

Across the social and health sciences, evidence-based practice (EBP) serves as a cornerstone of professional education and links research-based knowledge to real-world decision-making. Students are expected to integrate empirical findings with client needs, ethical considerations, and professional best practices. Yet many graduate students struggle to translate theoretical concepts into applied practice. Academic librarians, particularly those serving as subject liaisons and specialists, are well positioned to partner with social work faculty to design scaffolded instructional experiences that integrate research literacy with social work’s ethical and humanistic frameworks. Through librarian–faculty partnerships, librarians can help students critically engage with research evidence while honoring …

Dating Among University Undergraduates Living With Disability In South-Western Nigeria, Usman A. Ojedokun, Bukunmi I. Oluborode, Lateef J. Adeyemo

The Journal of Social Encounters

In many university campuses in Nigeria, undergraduates living with disability are visible and functionally involved in academic, political, social, and religious activities. However, the social life of these students is hardly the focus of scholarly research. Therefore, this study explored dating behaviours among undergraduates of selected public universities in south-western Nigeria living with disability. The social disability model was employed as the conceptual framework. Data were elicited through in-depth interview and focus group discussion methods.  Findings showed that the choice of partners among undergraduates living with disability was guided by trust, communication, emotional safety, shared values, and acceptance of disability …

Department Chair: Perceived Training Needs, Holly M. Clifford

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A capstone submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in the Ernst and Sara Lane Volgenau College of Education at Morehead State University by Holly M. Clifford on March 18, 2026.

Spectrum, Volume 56, Issue 6, Sacred Heart University

Newspapers (Obelisk & Spectrum)

Highlights include:  Honorees with Heart: The Pioneer Scholarship Gala -- US - Iran Conflict -- Classrooms Over Seas -- SHU Springs Back To Life -- Singing to the Mountains -- Program History Sends Pioneers to the Championship -- History on the Mat

Implementation Of Sustainable Development Goals In Higher Education, Adam Mehmet Kilic

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem that was addressed through this study is that higher education institutions play a critical role in advancing the United Nations sustainable development goals (SDGs), yet limited research offers guidance on how institutions can implement the SDGs through systems-oriented strategic planning. Guided by Hofstede’s cultural dimensions and Senge’s systems thinking, the purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the integration of SDGs into its policies and practices to inform effective, transformative approaches at a private Texas university. For this case study design, data were collected through 11 semistructured interviews, a focus group with five administrators and faculty, and …

"Hey, I Need Help": Student-Survivor Perceptions Of Engagement With Title Ix., Rachel J. Voth Schrag, Jennifer Thompson, Alexandra Jacobs, Christine Highfill, Leila Wood

School of Social Work Faculty Publications

Interpersonal violence on college campuses disrupts academic experiences and impacts outcomes for students. This study sought to understand the experiences of students in the United States engaging with Title IX offices, within the context of additional state mandates. Interviews were conducted with 24 students and analyzed through inductive content analysis. Students described negative impacts such as challenges with the organizational processes, impacts to institutional trust, frustration with ineffective protections, and high personal and academic costs. Positive outcomes expressed included feeling more empowered to engage in self-advocacy and finding validation of their experience. Recommendations for promising university violence response practices are …

The Open Knowledge Fellowship: An Opportunity For Transformative Learning At The Doctoral Level, Elvis Bakaitis, Jill Cirasella

Transforming Libraries for Graduate Students

How can we integrate the principles, practicalities, and complexities of open educational resources (OER) and open access scholarly literature into graduate-level education? At the Graduate Center of the City University of New York (CUNY), the popular and successful Open Knowledge Fellowship offers a much-needed intervention in doctoral education by addressing these topics and associated debates. Between 2020 and 2025, the intensive six-week Fellowship program was offered 12 times and trained over 200 doctoral students from across the disciplines in the selection and use of openly licensed resources in the courses they teach. These 200+ students then taught their revamped courses …

Reshaping Library Programming For Graduate Students Through Strategic Partnerships And Adaptation, Brian Vetruba, Caroyn Bishoff, Kate Peterson

Transforming Libraries for Graduate Students

In the wake of Covid-19, support structures dedicated to graduate student success at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (UMN) underwent dramatic shifts. Centralized in-person events for graduate students were discontinued, departmental identities strengthened, and library outreach responsibilities were reshaped by institutional changes, including a reduction of library staff. This panel examines how academic libraries can adapt and innovate with decreased capacity to meet the diverse needs of graduate students. Panelists will share strategies for expanding campus partnerships and sustaining and scaling initiatives that equip graduate students – especially first-year, international, and BIPOC students – with essential research skills and …

Recalibrating Library Research Support Workshops For Graduate Students: Addressing Skill-Gaps Through Targeted, Collaborative Workshop Design, Ekaterini Papadopoulou, Jason B. Hall

Transforming Libraries for Graduate Students

Creating library support for graduate services can and should take many forms to meet the specific and varied needs of the student populations and graduate programs at any given institution. However, there are often common threads and needs that can be met through some carefully targeted centralized library services. We will present our approach to providing a suite of workshops that provide skills and transferable knowledge across multiple graduate student needs at our institution, where the majority of graduate students are pursuing professional graduate degrees.

Three challenges that we aimed to address with our workshop series:

A perception that library …

It's A Stretch: De-Customizing To Provide Better Support To All, Jean Cook

Transforming Libraries for Graduate Students

The University of X's graduate programs are its fastest growing sector. The College of Education is the third largest public university in the county, due largely to its graduate programs and partnerships with local school districts. Many programs across the disciplines have a heavy research aspect, with a focus on evidence-based practice. To meet the needs of these programs, the library has taken the counter-intuitive approach of widening the focus on its instruction and liaison programs. Previously, each program had specific librarians assigned to that program’s needs. Tools like videos, research guides, and workshops were tailored to each individual class …

2026 March 17 - Medical Student Education Committee Minutes, Medical Student Education Committee, East Tennessee State University

Medical Student Education Committee Minutes

No abstract provided.

March 17, 2026 Ereporter, University Of Alabama At Birmingham

eReporter (campus newsletter)

No abstract provided.

Fulfilling Higher Education’S Responsibility To Students And Democracy In A Challenging Political Environment, Abraham Goldberg, Dena Pastor, Kayla Dixon

International Journal on Responsibility

The American Association of Colleges and Universities and more than 70 higher education organizations have expressed their shared commitment to making civic inquiry and democratic engagement central to undergraduate education. A framework emphasizing the development of skills to address public issues through courses and practical experiences accompanied their prominent call. Yet, campuses currently are facing increases in educational gag orders and institutional policies aimed at limiting discussion of DEI topics and political protests. Although attacks on free speech would seem to conflict with efforts to prepare students for democracy, there has been little scholarly attention on what students know about …

A Brief Case Report About Mentored Self-Reflection In A Communication Disorders Survey Course, Paul W. Cascella

Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders

This report describes and analyzes a 4 ½ hour experiential learning module for entry-level undergraduates majoring in communication sciences and disorders. The module emphasizes the importance of self-reflection to future audiologists and speech-language pathologists. It illustrates the curriculum planning process (i.e., content and self-rating tools) and introduces a mentored forum grounded in personalized and constructivist learning to foster three outcomes; foundational knowledge, caring, and the human dimension (Fink, 2021; 2001). As a result, students stated they learned about why self-reflection matters and how their own dispositions could be aligned with the professions’ expectations. Students found the activities engaging, interesting, and …

A Distributed Model For Undergraduate Education In Environmental Remote Sensing: Increased Student Interest In Science And Sense Of Science Identity And Belonging, Gregory R. Goldsmith, Monae Verbeke, Jeremy Forsythe, Joshua B. Fisher

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

"We present results from a new open-access course in satellite remote sensing of the environment that uses evidence-based, active learning pedagogy to train the next generation of interdisciplinary scientists The course, called Observing Earth from Above, teaches students how to access, visualize, and communicate satellite remote sensing data from NASA’s ECOSTRESS instrument to address a variety of environmental challenges. The resources focus on follow-along tutorials for students and also include recorded lectures and interviews with remote sensing scientists."

Phishing Susceptibility Among Healthcare Workers: A Multiyear Study, Darin Challacombe, Elizabeth Mcelhiney

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

Understanding and improving phishing awareness is an important aspect of ensuring patient health information (PHI) is protected. Many health organizations require associates to complete annual training and supplement that training with simulated phishing email campaigns.

This poster will provide the results of a multiyear group of four studies in which health information (HI) professionals were provided various types of training and then tested on their susceptibility to simulated phishing emails. This will supplement the research on the viability of this method. And, this will present the findings by using real HI professionals (vs. college students).

We will provide a summary …

College President Preparation Strategies For Major Gift Solicitation, Michael T. Miller

Journal of Research on the College President

The study examined how college and university presidents prepare to solicit major gifts from individual benefactors, an increasingly important responsibility as institutions diversify revenue streams through philanthropic support. While extensive literature exists on higher education fundraising and presidential leadership, relatively little research has explored the specific practices presidents use to prepare for major gift solicitations. To address this gap, the study employed a descriptive research design consisting of two phases: a survey of 100 four-year public college and university presidents and follow-up semi-structured interviews with six presidents who agreed to discuss their preparation processes in greater detail. Survey findings indicated …

Alabama State Funding Models' Effect On Early College Enrollment For Rural Students, Mattie L. Hudson

College of Education

Inequitable access to community college dual enrollment programs remains a national concern, particularly across geographic and socioeconomic contexts. Grounded in social capital theory and informed by Bourdieu’s theory of social reproduction, this quantitative, non-experimental study conceptualized state dual enrollment funding as a structural form of capital that may either reproduce or mitigate educational inequities. The study examined differences in dual enrollment participation by high school locale and poverty level and tested whether state funding predicted course intensity and postsecondary outcomes within the Alabama Community College System. Archived student-level administrative data were analyzed using chi-square, negative binomial, and binary logistic regression …

The Grizzly, March 12, 2026, Renee Washart, Alex Zelaya, Nico Yanzaguano, Claudia Tracy, Andrew Mihniak, Sophia Kumar, Hadley Whitman, Erin Ewing

Ursinus College Grizzly Newspaper, 1978 to Present

We Didn't Start the Fire (in New Hall) • Disability Day of Mourning at Ursinus College • Alumni Graduate Student Panel: Health Sciences • All-Recovery: What Does it Mean to Get Sober in College? • New Spades Club Shares, Teaches, and Tournaments! • Snow Days: Are They Only Fun for Students? • Bears Basketball Finishes Up Successful Season • Women's Lacrosse Winning Big to Start the Season