Digital Commons Network^™

Test Retakes In Introductory Math Courses, John Hird, Chris Mcclain

2026 Scholarly Teaching Conference: Poster Session Papers

In this poster, we describe the implementation of an exam retake model using specifications grading for math courses taken by non-STEM majors. This system was implemented by two faculty members over three years in two sequential courses. During that time, we tried several versions of allowed retakes, with varying restrictions on partial credit. Some of the challenges that we faced were scaling the system for use by different faculty members and with different courses, managing faculty workload on writing and grading multiple exams, and managing student expectations.

Research In Progress. Why Physiology Feels Hard: Supporting The Transition To Self-Directed Learning In Post-Secondary Physiology, Jaelyn Zoe Rohrbaugh, Mark Paternostro

2026 Scholarly Teaching Conference: Poster Session Papers

Physiology is widely recognized as one of the most challenging courses for STEM students. Contributing factors include the discipline’s inherent complexity, instructional methods, and student preparedness, with both faculty and students identifying the nature of the discipline as the primary challenge. Many undergraduates enter college having experienced predominantly teacher-directed, pedagogical instruction, whereas success in college-level physiology requires self-directed, andragogical learning strategies. We hypothesize that students’ difficulties arise more from a lack of self-directed learning skills than from content complexity alone. To investigate this, we administered an anonymous survey to 340 students spanning freshman to professional levels, achieving a 93% completion …

Bringing Real Research Into Large-Enrollment Biology Labs, Katrina Klugh Stewart, Mathilda Corbett

2026 Scholarly Teaching Conference: Poster Session Papers

Hundreds of WVU students in a large-enrollment introductory biology laboratory course (BIOL 115L) participated in an authentic research experience through the Prevalence of Antibiotic Resistance in the Environment (PARE) Project. This national crowdsourced research initiative engages students in generating environmental DNA data to identify potential antibiotic resistance hotspots. For the Fall 2025 semester, we designed a multi-week lab module to implement a cost-effective, scalable version of the PARE model suitable for a course serving approximately 900 students annually.

The three-week sequence integrates core scientific practices, including hypothesis generation, field sampling, DNA extraction, PCR amplification of antibiotic resistance genes, gel electrophoresis, …

Connections Between Mathematics And Chemistry: An Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Curricular Initiative, George Ashline, Bret Findley

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

In this article, we describe an undergraduate curricular initiative involving mathematics and chemistry faculty and students. Supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Program, a program designed to encourage the study of and connections between quantitative fields and life sciences, this interdisciplinary collaboration features undergraduate student research and involves the development of curricular connections between mathematics and chemistry. Through this initiative, we have created activities for calculus courses featuring chemistry applications as well as activities for chemistry courses showcasing mathematical concepts. After the implementation of these curricular enhancements, we gathered student …

Exploring Recruitment And Retention Of Mathematics Teachers In Southwest And South-Central Virginia, Anthony Dove

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

This study examines the recruitment and retention of secondary mathematics teachers in rural southwest and south-central Virginia public schools from the perspectives of school principals. Guided by three research questions focused on retention, recruitment, and opportunities for improvement, the study employed a constant comparative analysis of semi-structured interviews conducted with principals from 10 rural middle and high schools. Findings indicate that many schools have historically benefited from long-term teacher retention reinforced by strong community ties and supportive school environments. However, anticipated retirements, salary competition within the region, and increasing challenges in recruitment are beginning to place strains on schools. Principals …

Full Issue

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

No abstract provided.

Practicing Professionalism Framework: A Coherent Course Structure Aligned With Effective Practices For Physics Programs (Ep3) Guidelines, Martha-Elizabeth Baylor, Suzanne White Brahmia

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Work

Many physics educators seek to improve their courses but feel constrained by traditional post-secondary structures and norms. Instructors often perceive a false tension between fostering inclusive learning environments and maintaining the rigor central to the discipline. The Effective Practices for Physics Programs (EP3) Guide synthesizes decades of research-based recommendations for improving physics education. However, it offers limited guidance on how to integrate these diverse recommendations into a coherent, course-level approach—a responsibility that falls to individual instructors, whose graduate training prepared them primarily as researchers rather than as educators. This paper begins by motivating and introducing the Practicing Professionalism Framework (PPF), …

Generative Ai Peer Tutoring To Support Peer-Reviewed Source Identification And Evaluation, Rae Mair, Michelle Kelley, Taylar Wenzel, Andrea C. Borowczak, Yuqing Li, Mike Borowczak

Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

This chapter explores the design and evaluation of a generative artificial intelligence peer tutor prompt to support college students in identifying and evaluating peer-reviewed sources for academic research. Grounded in literature on peer tutoring, Socratic dialogue, and AI-supported learning, the authors describe an iterative prompt engineering process designed to transform large language models (LLMs) into Socratic-style peer tutors capable of scaffolding student reasoning without completing tasks for them. Five guiding criteria for an effective peer tutor shaped development and evaluation: cognitive congruence, step-by-step guidance, avoiding giving answers, adaptability to student level, metacognitive transparency, and following assignment directions. Across multiple human-centered …

Redefining Educational Technology: A Critical Collaborative Inquiry, Aras Bozkurt, Helen Crompton, Robert Farrow, Agnes Kukulska-Hulme, Jon Dron, Richard West, Agnieszka (Aga) Palalas, Matth Bower, Junhong Xiao, Ahmed Tlili, Danah Henriksen, Angelica Pazurek, Henk Huijser, Thomas K. F. Chiu, Petar Jandrić, Katy Jordan, John Curry, Royce Kimmons, Mutlu Cukurova, Thomas Reeves, Gwo-Jen Hwang, Peter Shea, Jason Lodge, Martin Weller, Davy Ng, Tutaleni Iita Asino

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Educational technologists have not settled on a fixed definition of the field and likely never will. However, attempting to define the field helps to understand the epistemological meanings that shape what the field sees, values, and considers worth pursuing. Through a critical historical review spanning over a century, alongside theoretical engagement with the concepts of entanglement and distributed agency, this paper identifies three key insufficiencies in current educational technology frameworks. These are the persistence of an instrumental-facilitative paradigm that treats technology as a resource deployed by human agents; the theoretical dissolution of the pedagogy-technology dichotomy that existing definitions have not …

Brilliance In The Margins: An Exploration Of The Lived Experience Of Black Women Faculty In Stem, Mykella C. Mitchell

West Chester University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Final Projects

This qualitative research study explores the lives of Black women STEM faculty at Ivy and Ivy+ institutions. The existing literature reveals a distinct gap in research as it pertains to this demographic, due to the limited number of Black women who hold faculty positions and the limited research that centers their voices. This study intentionally centered the voices of Black women scholars using portraiture, which helped to avoid the creation of deficit‑based stories. Furthermore, this research was guided by the conceptual frameworks of whiteness as smartness and meritocracy. Portraits were created from the lives of six tenured and tenure‑track Black …

2026 Jan Term Course Catalog, Saint Mary's College Of California

Jan Term Course Catalog

No abstract provided.

Artificial Intelligence (Ai) In Educating Next Generation Of Engineering Technology Students, Adel El-Shahat, Murat Kuzlu, Vukica M. Jovanovic, Katherine Smith, Abdullah Al Mamun, Otilia Popescu

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming education, particularly for electrical engineering technology (EET) students, by presenting adaptive learning, immediate responses, and unconventional tools. Therefore, this paper proposes investigating modern learning to employ AI in educating future electrical engineering technology students. Firstly, the paper explores how to shape AI knowledge for EET students, supplying them with hands-on skills in AI tasks, clarifying coding, data analysis, and AI ethical usage. Then, as educators, what are the efficient AI tools to utilize in teaching, such as tailored tutoring, automated code assessment, AI-driven design/simulation, lecture dictation, and smart content creation? Key tools, for instance, Google …

A Study Of The Impacts Of Infusing Data Analysis And Research In An Interdisciplinary Environmental Economics Course, Sean P. Macdonald

Publications and Research

This paper explores the impacts of introducing quantitative literacy skills in an interdisciplinary Environmental Economics course typically taught as an issues and policy course without a quantitative component. The study examines the effects of infusing an engaging, student-selected data collection and analysis assignment on students' quantitative reasoning skills, as well as their interest in and attitudes about data analysis and quantitative information. Using data gathered from a set of pre- and post-assessment questions designed to measure changes in quantitative reasoning skills and attitudes, the findings point to significant attitudinal impacts, gains, but smaller, insignificant gains in quantitative reasoning skills.

From Designation To Implementation: A Qualitative Study Of Support Structures For Latinx Students At A Hispanic-Serving Institution, Steven A. Freeman

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

This study addresses the persistent misalignment between the enrollment-based designation of Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) and the extent to which these institutions implement intentional practices that support Latinx student success. As HSIs continue to grow nationally, it is critical to examine whether institutional efforts move beyond symbolic designation toward meaningful “servingness,” particularly given the increasing reliance on these institutions to advance social mobility and educational attainment for Latinx students. The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore the support structures an HSI provides to promote Latinx student success and to examine Latinx students’ perceptions of the effectiveness of these supports. …

Exploring The Academic Trajectories Of Transfer Students Enrolled In An Introduction To Proof Course And Their Self-Efficacy For Proving, Sundas Hussain

Mathematics Dissertations

Transfer students entering proof-based mathematics courses face a double transition: they are adjusting to a new institution while simultaneously learning to construct mathematical proofs. Although transfer students have been widely studied in higher education and self-efficacy for proving has received increasing attention in mathematics education, little research has examined the intersection of these two areas. The purpose of this study was to better understand how transfer students’ academic trajectories shape their self-efficacy for proving. This multiple case study examined twelve transfer students enrolled in an Introduction to Proofs (ITP) course, using Bandura's (1997) four sources of self-efficacy as the …

2026-2027 Undergraduate Catalog, Morehead State University. Registrar's Office.

Morehead State Catalog Archive

2026-2027 undergraduate catalog for Morehead State University.

Reclaiming Agency: Ai Hallucinations And Translingual Interrogations In The City Tech Writing Center,, Joseph Franklin, Anna Laura Falvey

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Early Stem Impressions, Student Engagement, And Readiness For Digitalization, Myron Sheu

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

This study examines how early impressions of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) shape business students’ learning behaviors and, ultimately, their readiness for organizational digitalization. Focusing on gender differences, subgroup identities, and perceived obstacles, the analysis uses survey data processed through correlation matrices, regression models, and subgroup heatmaps to trace the relationship between initial attitudes toward STEM and subsequent engagement patterns. The findings reveal consistent links between positive early impressions and active participation in structured STEM activities, along with gender-based distinctions in action preferences. Subgroup analyses further uncover nuanced patterns where stereotypes or perceived barriers correspond with reduced engagement. Collectively, …

The Impact Of Test-Optional Policy On Private College Admissions During The Covid-19, Anna Kye, Meng-Jia Wu

Journal of College Access

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted many aspects of higher education, including college admissions processes. Since 2020, numerous universities and colleges have adopted test-optional policies, allowing applicants to decide whether to submit standardized test scores. Although such policies have been in place at some institutions since 1998, research on their associations with student diversity and enrollment patterns has produced mixed findings. The widespread adoption of test-optional policies during the pandemic presents an opportunity to further examine their role in admissions. This study draws on admission data from a four-year, nonprofit, private university in the Midwest and uses logistic regression to explore patterns …

Professional Identity Exploration And Commitment Development By Stem Undergraduates From Underrepresented Groups During Near-Peer Mentoring, Joseph A. Brobst, Joanna K. Garner, David Hartenstine, Perry Fizzano

Center for Educational Partnerships Publications

This study examines near-peer mentoring as a context for professional identity development by undergraduates from groups that are underrepresented in STEM higher education. Mentees were students in a computer science/mathematics‑focused scholarship program, with a two-tiered near-peer mentoring component that paired 1st-2nd‑year undergraduate mentees with 3^rd-4^th year mentors and 3^rd-4^th year mentees with early‑career professional mentors. We analyzed mentoring conversation summaries from three mentor–mentee pairs, spanning one academic year. Mentoring relationships provided safe spaces for students’ professional identity exploration and the development of commitments toward career paths and life goals. Across all cases, conversation summaries …

Entry Requirements As Predictors Of Early Academic Success And Student Performance In Undergraduate Occupational Therapy Education, Eileen Du Plooy, Daleen Casteleijn, Denise Franzsen, Gopika Ramkilawon

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

The selection process for health sciences programs such as occupational therapy is complex, involving a combination of academic and non-academic selection criteria as entry requirements. This study aimed to investigate the predictive value of entry requirement variables on academic performance during the first and second year of an undergraduate occupational therapy program in South Africa. A quantitative, cross-sectional design was utilized, and the sample included 129 first- and second- year occupational therapy students. Data was collected retrospectively through educational data mining of university records and institutional dashboards. The variables analyzed included National Senior Certificate Grade12 (NSC12) grades (Mathematics, Life Sciences, …

Guidelines For Automatic Grading Of Student Essays Using Large Language Models, Diwakar Yalpi, Sruta Keerti Kasula, Ravi Mukkamala

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Automated essay evaluation using large language models (LLMs) has emerged as a promising approach to support scalable and consistent educational assessment. However, the effectiveness of LLM-based grading varies significantly across evaluation dimensions and is highly influenced by prompt design and model selection. In this study, we evaluate five state-of-the-art LLMs across five rubric-based categories: Relevance to Question, Reasoning and Critical Thinking, Evidence and Examples, Organization, and Clarity and Writing Quality. We systematically investigate the impact of three prompting strategies, including rubric-only prompting, exemplar-based prompting (with and without rubric guidance)(Original and Refined prompt designs) incorporating structured instructions. Additionally, a prompt ablation …

Measuring Academic Momentum: A Quantitative Study Of Supplemental Instruction As A Community College Student Support Strategy, Cornelia Slater

Dissertations of Practice

ABSTRACT

MEASURING ACADEMIC MOMENTUM: A QUANTITATIVE STUDY OF SUPPLEMENTAL INSTRUCTION AS A COMMUNITY COLLEGE

STUDENT SUPPORT STRATEGY

Cornelia Vanessa Slater, Ed.D.

Department of Counseling and Higher Education

Northern Illinois University, 2026

Quortne R. Hutchings, Director

Community colleges serve as critical access points to higher education for diverse populations of students where completion rates are an ongoing challenge. Supplemental Instruction have been used as an academic intervention to improve success largely in four-year institutions. This quantitative study, guided by Xueli Wang’s momentum theory analyzed two research questions: (1) how supplemental instruction (SI) participation is associated with student academic success, course retention …

Graduate Catalog 2026-2027, Southwestern Oklahoma State University

Graduate Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Exploring Excessive Absences In An Urban School Setting: Implications For Student Academic Success And High School Graduation, Tamieka Mclaughlin

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative phenomenological study explored the perspectives of parents and teachers regarding excessive student absenteeism in an urban high school setting and the implications of persistent absences for students' academic success and high school graduation. Excessive absenteeism remains a major challenge for schools in urban communities where children experience multiple personal, family, school and community factors that may influence attendance. Understanding how parents and teachers perceive these factors can provide insight into the experiences and challenges associated with chronic absenteeism, as well as the strategies they believe may support improved student attendance, academic success, and progress towards high school graduation. …

Low Early Reading Skills In Children Entering Kindergarten In An Urban K-8 Center, Shelly D. Smith-Harding

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation was designed to investigate the preparedness of kindergarten children in early reading skills, drawing comparisons from their experiences in comparable preschool programs and to gain insight about how to address the problem of low early reading skills among children entering kindergarten. Using archival data from i-Ready reading diagnostic tests over a 4-year period (2021-2022 to 2024-2025), the researcher compared students who attended an urban K-8 Center Head Start program (n=47) with students from other preschools (n=33).

The researcher conducted an independent t-test with SPSS, version 30 software, to analyze differences at the baseline (Assessment Period 1) and …

Mixed-Methods Study Of High School Teachers’ Perceived Training, Self-Efficacy, And Assessment Competencies In Online Courses, Chantell Radford

Theses and Dissertations

The problem in this study was that, in a large urban school district in South Florida, the online high school teachers’ training, self-efficacy, and assessment competencies in courses required enhancement. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of high school teachers on their training, self-efficacy, and assessment competency in online courses.

Twenty high school online teachers participated in the study. Recruitment occurred through a link posted on Facebook and LinkedIn. The design (sequential explanatory mixed-methods design) aligned with the five research questions. Two instruments (survey and questionnaire) were used to collect data. Quantitative data analyis occurred with …

A Qualitative Study Of Teacher Perceptions Of Reading Proficiency, Latia Tyler

Theses and Dissertations

This applied qualitative dissertation was constructed to provide insight into the experiences of teachers who provide reading instruction for third grade students at the target school. Seven teachers engaged in semi structured interviews that sought to examine their perceptions on their abilities in teaching reading instruction, their perception on school supports, their perceptions on reading proficiency and factors that contribute to it. Additionally, comprehensive reading plans, published by the state of Florida, were examined to further understand the perceptions of teachers alongside district intended approach for reading instruction.

Thematic analysis of data revealed eight key themes including gaps in foundational …

Improving Middle School Students’ Scores On Math Word Problems Through Reading Comprehension, Diane M. Burgess

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation was designed to address the poor performance of middle school students on math word problems attributed to the lack of reading comprehension skills. A review of standardized math assessments for middle school students confirmed that the greater proportion of questions is made up of word problems. Despite having strong mathematical skills, middle school students are likely to fail to find the correct solutions for math word problems. In the middle school classroom, the development of reading comprehension skills and mathematical abilities are tasks required of different teachers. Math teachers at a middle school in Florida did not …

The Implementation Of Small Group Direct Instruction For Reading Domains Of Second- Grade Students, Tarmeka Smith-Bennett

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation explored how implementing small-group direct instruction in an elementary school setting affected the reading performance of second-grade students. The study examined how organized small-group direct instruction can elevate students’ reading achievement in phonics, vocabulary, and reading comprehension. Over a six week instructional period, a mixed-methods research design was used to collect quantitative and qualitative data.

Pretest and posttest students’ reading assessments were collected using quantitative data, while teachers' weekly reflections and surveys were collected using qualitative data. A total of 30 students identified as struggling readers, and three second-grade teachers who implemented small-group direct instruction participated in …