Digital Commons Network^™

Investing In Maryland Safety: Engaging Public Resources And Community Partnerships To Prevent Crime And Violence, Jeffrey A. Butts, Rebecca Balletto, Patricia A. Cobar

Publications and Research

The Research and Evaluation Center at John Jay College of Criminal Justice conducted a review of two innovative initiatives developed by the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services: The Thrive Academy (TTA) and the Safer Stronger Together (SST) intervention strategy. The study involved document analysis, online resource review, and interviews with agency staff and leadership. These efforts aimed to understand the design, implementation, and alignment of TTA and SST within Maryland’s broader public safety and crime prevention strategy. Key themes included program effectiveness, operational progress, and community-level impact, providing valuable insights into the Department’s evolving approach to juvenile justice and public …

Generative Ai In A Statistical Methods In Psychology Classroom, Karyna Pryiomka

Open Educational Resources

No abstract provided.

Strengthening Dentistry's Quality Assurance, Anna Matthews, Khrystyna Vyprynyuk, Isis Marsh

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Eds 704: Curriculum And Instructional Practices For Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Young Children With Disabilities In Inclusive Settings, Lingyu Li

Open Educational Resources

Curriculum and instructional practices appropriate for young children with special needs including curriculum standards, designing learning environments, developing effective strategies for teaching readiness and content area skills, developing social skill programs, collaborative teaching techniques and using informal checklists in the development of appropriate IFSP/IEP goals and objectives. Emphasis will be placed on the impact of cultural and linguistic diversity on program planning and skill acquisition. Use of technology for instruction and monitoring student progress will be incorporated throughout the course.

General Biology 2 Laboratory Manual: In Person Edition, Dmitry Y. Brogun, Azure N. Faucette, Farshad Tamari, Kristin Polizzotto

Open Educational Resources

The completed project is an in-person teaching version of the General Biology II OER (Open Educational Resource) lab manual. This lab manual was initially written by the four of us during the pandemic when all courses were online, but it is now has been adapted for in-person lab activities. We also ensured it aligns with UDL (Universal Design for Learning) and accessibility principles. This adaptation aims to make the lab manual suitable for traditional classroom settings while incorporating diverse teaching practices to accommodate diverse learners.

A Student Guide To Using Ai To Enhance Algebraic Understanding, Karan Puri

Open Educational Resources

This is a step-by-step guide that students can follow to use AI tools to check their understanding of concepts that have been tested in the introductory/college algebra classroom.

The Mariana Trench Is Not Blue, Sean Scanlan

Publications and Research

“The Mariana Trench Is Not Blue” is a short (2,300 words) creative nonfiction piece about a slice of time when I crewed on Ocean Guy, a sailboat docked in Guam in 1994. I learned about the island’s dangers during what should have been a relaxing day snorkeling with my captain and first mate at Bangi Point, a famous coral reef. Part of the tension emanates from the boat’s terrible condition and from the trench itself which contains monsters larger than any of us--they seem to follow the three of us to shore.

True Experimental Research Design, Mustafa Demir

Open Educational Resources

This assignment, created by Mustafa Demir of the Law and Police Science Department at John Jay College, tasks students with designing a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to evaluate the impact of body-worn cameras (BWCs) on police use-of-force incidents in a city of the student's choice. Students must gather setting and demographic data from open data sets, such as those available from the Census Bureau, to inform their research design.

Ai-Enhanced Essay Prompt: Exploring Your Identity And Life Experiences, Victor M. Torres-Velez

Open Educational Resources

This assignment, AI-Enhanced Essay Prompt: Exploring Your Identity and Life Experiences, guides students through a reflective writing process that integrates personal narratives with academic concepts related to identity, globalization, and migration. Students will examine how their nationality, ethnicity, race, social class, and gender are shaped by larger cultural and transnational forces. The structured approach encourages students to engage with AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Grammarly) as personalized writing tutors, assisting with brainstorming, organization, clarity, and revision while maintaining their authentic voice.

The essay requires students to build upon previously submitted personal anecdotes, analyze their experiences through course readings (including works …

Oer Learning In Disguise Toolkit, Alessandra Early, Nicole Mckenna

Open Educational Resources

The OER Learning in Disguise Toolkit, created by Doctors Alessandra Early and Nicole McKenna, is a series of learning materials that ask students to apply key criminal justice concepts to arenas like social media or popular culture, emphasizing media literacy, active reading, and creative thinking. The toolkit includes an introduction; five assignment descriptions (each divided into an instructor-facing section with notes on how to explain the assignment, and a student-facing section with the sample assignment description); one in-class activity; and an appendix with additional readings and materials.

Haptic Processing: How The Shutter Button Shapes Photography, Sean Scanlan

Publications and Research

The goal of this essay is to explore the haptics of taking photographs in the digital age. More specifically, I examine the evolving relationship between the body and imaging technologies. The body must, somehow, interact with the camera shutter, whether the shutter is a simple mechanical door or an electrical timing network switch. Human intention has to activate the switch via a button, even if this intention is complicated: since 2012, mobile phones can take photos using voice commands, relieving the need to physically touch the shutter button. One does not necessarily need to use the fundamental levers often associated …

My Gai Study Partner For Odes, Milena C. Cuellar

Open Educational Resources

My GAI Study Partner for ODEs is a scaffolded sequence of learning activities designed to support students in an Ordinary Differential Equations (ODEs) course by integrating the use of Generative AI tools—specifically Copilot, a platform accessible to all CUNY students and faculty. The activities are rooted in experiential learning, flipped classroom strategies, and self-directed learning principles. The sequence begins with two preparatory activities that introduce students to the ethical use and foundational concepts of Generative AI, fostering digital literacy and critical reflection. These are followed by a series of main activities—initially structured (Activity 3) and later more flexible …

Critical Evaluation Of Falsehoods In Physiology Using Ai, Jean-Philippe Berteau, Michael Mcgee

Open Educational Resources

The document outlines a structured approach for general health sciences students, including both undergraduates and graduates, to critically evaluate falsehoods in physiology using AI tools. Applicable to biology and other life sciences, the exercises are divided into three parts, each designed to enhance critical thinking and evidence-based decision-making. Part 1 focuses on debunking biological myths, such as the idea that muscle turns into fat if you stop exercising, by generating and refining AI responses. Part 2 involves using AI to gather and verify evidence-based information on health science myths, like homeopathy's efficacy in treating low back pain, emphasizing the importance …

Creating Discussion Posts With The Assistance Of Generative Ai, Dorina Tila

Publications and Research

This assignment is an online discussion but can also be an in-class presentation. Students will be provided or are required to derive the unemployment graph of a self-selected country. Then, after comparing it with the GDP graph, they will be able to describe how it converges or diverges from the prediction of economic theory. During this analysis, they will use various prompts in ChatGPT and submit the 2-3 detailed, focused prompts and the response. Then they will interpret the ChatGPT response and use academic articles to support the arguments. Students will first derive the graph and interpret it using their …

Collaborative Study Guide Assignment: Materials, Templates, “Reusable” Pedagogy, Penny Geyer

Open Educational Resources

This collaborative study guide assignment engages undergraduate criminal justice students in defining key concepts related to research methods through a peer-driven, reusable process. Along with an overview, this document includes multiple instructional materials, including a pedagogical rationale for student-created study guides, detailed instructions for six sequential assignments, grading rubrics, and a structured study guide template. Each assignment follows a rotating role system: students alternate between acting as “creators,” who draft definitions and examples for assigned terms, and “editors,” who provide feedback and refine content. Contributions are compiled in a shared doc or within the Brightspace LMS, culminating in a comprehensive, …

Italian Culture Through Film, Monica Rossi-Miller

Open Educational Resources

Introduction to important themes of Italian culture by viewing and analyzing
representative Italian films from the post-World War II era to the present. Topics examined include: the Italian family, how World War II has shaped contemporary Italian culture, Italy as a country of emigrants and immigrants, and an examination of religion and the Catholic Church.
This is a Writing Intensive course conducted in English, and all films have English subtitles.

A Writing Intensive Course Specifically is a designated course sections that—in addition to providing the established disciplinary-oriented student outcomes—incorporate approved instructional strategies and course assignments designed to enhance students’ writing …

Locational Data And The Public Interest, William A. Herbert, Micahel Goodchild, Richard Appelbaum, Jeremy Crampton, Gary Langham, Krzysztof Janowicz, Mei-Po Kwan, Katina Michael, Lisa Schamess

Publications and Research

This article presents a paper developed by the AAG Organizing Committee on Locational Information and the Public Interest through a summit held in Santa Barbara, California in June 2022. The summit resulted in goals and ideas for addressing the issues that arise from the present environment for geodata, whereby public, private, and third-sector entities can tap into publicly available locational information with relatively little regulation on its access or use. The Committee articulates four goals: (1) develop a research agenda extending across disciplines, (2) outline educational resources and strategies to guide ethical practice, (3) devise a pathway to increase public …

Consequences Of Oxidative Dna Damage: Base-Pair Dissociation, Singlet Oxygenation And Dna-Protein Crosslinking, May Myat Moe

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

8-Oxo-2′-deoxyguanosine (OG) is a common DNA lesion resulting from oxidatively generated damage and pairs with complementary cytidine (C) in Watson Crick base-pairing within duplex DNA. The WC-OG·C lesion, if not recognized or repaired, not only leads to G⋅C→T⋅A transversion mutations (through Hoogsteen (HG) base pairing of OG⋅A), but also renders the base pair being more vlunerable to ionizing radiation and singlet oxygen (1O2) damage. Leveraging on our previous accomplishments on the study of gas-phase reactions of 1O2 with 2′-deoxyguanosine radical cations, my research thesis expanded to the investigation of reaction dynamics of 9-methyl-8-oxoguanine (9MOG) radical cations. The experiments of following …

The Double Victimization Of Black Women At The Crossroads Of Oppression, Carmerina Carrero

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The purpose of this research study is to amplify the voices of Black women and shed light on the invisibility of Black women’s struggle with police violence and the criminal justice system. The study seeks to expose the different forms of systemic oppressive mechanisms that target Black women, such as mass incarceration and police violence. Through the lenses of intersectionality and critical race theory, the study will explore how racism and sexism contribute to the victimization of Black women via our criminal justice systems and law enforcement. Highlighting the unique experiences of Black women navigating through the criminal justice system, …

Category Learning Reorganizes Internal Representations Of Visual Artworks, Aishwarya Gurung

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

How are categories of art internally represented, and how can we capture those representations systematically? Investigating category learning in the context of complex, multidimensional stimuli like visual artworks presents unique challenges due to their inherent variability and perceptual complexity. Artworks engage multiple cognitive processes and are shaped by both sensory-driven mechanisms and top-down influences like prior knowledge, making them uniquely suited for studying how structured categorical knowledge interacts with perceptual and aesthetic judgments. The present study addresses these questions by utilizing machine-learning tools to construct and implement a two-dimensional similarity space of 400 existing artworks painted by two artists from …

A Historical Analysis Of Saturday Night Live's Engagement In American Presidential Politics, Isabel Fox

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

In October 1975, Saturday Night Live began its journey of changing not only television but the ways in which Americans understand political discourse. When the production first aired it introduced the world to Chevy Chase’s Nixon impersonation and has continued that tradition with Will Ferrel’s George Bush, Tina Fey’s Sarah Palin, Alec Baldwin’s Donald Trump—and many more. But between these comedic impersonations the show also introduced the world to a satirical newsroom in Weekend Update and hosted numerous politicians. From the way this all sounds it would seem as though Saturday Night Live is akin to network news and yet …

Let’S Talk About Quality: How Equitable Funding And Program Structure Impact Academic And Social Outcomes In Supplemental Education Programs, Inayah Ansari

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Although many studies have highlighted how high–quality supplemental education programs (early childhood education and after-school programs) help children and adolescents reach developmental milestones faster, very few studies focus on how programs are structured to create the quality that produces positive outcomes. In this paper, I define quality as equitable funding and program structure and interrogate how this conception of quality determines cognitive and social-emotional benefits, particularly for programs in New York City. Using fiscal data and study reviews, I illuminated the impact of budget cuts on programs and the importance of funding. Using a thematic analysis of six interviews conducted …

Echoes Of Chinese Tradition: A Guide To Mandarin Diction Through Fixed-Ipa And Traditional Phonology, With Insights Into Intertwined Intonation Contours Of Chinese-American Art Songs, Xiaoming Tian

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation presents a comprehensive guide to Mandarin Chinese diction and articulation, rooted in traditional Chinese phonology and articulated through Fixed-International Phonetic Alphabet (Fixed-IPA). It unfolds in two primary segments, with the initial section delving into the historical underpinnings and phonetic nuances of traditional Chinese opera singing. This inquiry not only systematically introduces Chinese pronunciation rules but also illuminates the influence of traditional Chinese opera elements on contemporary Chinese art songs and operas. This part also reflects upon the significant strides made in Chinese language Romanization since the Wade-Giles system's introduction in the 19th century, discussing how it facilitated literacy …

Proximity In Pixels: The Moderating Roles Of Structural And Psychological Distance On Behavioral Leadership Effectiveness, Ethan J. Ray

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

With a sharp increase in virtual working arrangements in recent years, there is a distinct need to reevaluate what constitutes effective leadership at a distance. Although research on virtual leadership exists, it has often lacked a focus on specific leader behaviors and the psychological intricacies unique to virtual work settings. The present study examines followers' perceived effectiveness of two enduring leadership behavior categories: task-oriented and relationship-oriented. Utilizing dyadic distance theory, the study tested whether perceived effectiveness of these behaviors is contingent not only on the tangible effects of virtual work, referred to as structural distance, but also on the intangible …

Constructing A Parameterized Stimuli Space Suitable To Induce Controlled Changes In Human And Machine Perceptual Systems, Andrew Frankel

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Traditional computer vision applications focus on objective tasks, such as object detection, classification, or segmentation. Much of human experience is inherently subjective, such as our personal response to artwork. Individualized experiences are challenging to replicate in a controlled laboratory environment, as those experiences depend on the unique history and internal models of the observer. This work presents a technique to construct a 2-dimensional parameterized stimuli space suitable to induce controlled changes in the perceptual systems of both human and machine observers. Our contributions are threefold:

1. Using a balanced dataset of 8,800 fine art images spanning 11 art movements and 88 …

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Differential Mechanisms Of Access In Working Memory: Comparing Global And Selective Retrieval, Jade M. Turbides

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Working memory (WM) is essential for numerous cognitive tasks, yet the mechanisms underlying selective access to specific subsets of its contents vs. global, nonselective access remain incompletely understood. Context-specific selection of individual items from WM has been found to be more time-consuming and error-prone than globally accessing all memory contents. This study investigates whether the performance costs of selective WM access arise primarily from demands on item-context binding memory. Previous research has suggested that only selective access relies on memory for item-context bindings whereas global access can solely rely on item memory. Across two experiments, we employed task paradigms that …

Studies On The Synthesis, Function, And Properties Of Troponoids, John-Charles A. Baucom

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Troponoids are a unique class of non-benzenoid aromatic compounds with a wide range of demonstrated applications in pharmaceuticals and molecular sensing. The cycloheptatrienone scaffold possesses a noteworthy degree of tunability as a function of ring oxygenation. This manuscript describes our efforts toward a better understanding of the physical consequences of the scaffold to better utilize the motif. Chapter the first discusses our efforts at elucidating the mechanism of troponoid inhibition of the Hepatitis B virus reverse transcriptase RNAse H enzymatic domain. Using homology modeling in conjunction with traditional in vitro assays we were able to establish the likely mechanism of …

Improving Low-Resource Translation With Finite State Grammars, Nicholas J. Uva

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Scarcity of training data continues to pose a problem for the development of neural machine translation systems for low-resource languages. This study develops a method for the incorporation of linguistic information into the training of neural machine translation models for low-resource languages, using morphological grammars created using finite state transducers. This study explores the benefits, historical background, and effectiveness of this approach. This study incorporates morphological tags into a pre-trained multilingual neural machine translation model using a dual encoder structure. This study finds an improvement in performance in the Irish-English translation scenario. This method offers promising results with low computational …

The Effects Of Irrelevant Parameters In Language Acquisition, Yukun Zhang

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This paper investigates the effects of sententially irrelevant syntactic information on language acquisition models and introduces a new variant of the variational learner (VL) called the early decision variational learner (EDVL). EDVL accelerates convergence by locking in parameter values once they reach a threshold, in contrast to VL’s continued adjustments until all parameter values reach threshold. Both learners are grounded in the generative approach to language acquisition. We examine both learners' responses when they only update their parameter values when the input contain the relevant information to determin the parameter value such as prepositions, wh-words, and auxiliary verbs. Chapter 1 …

A Meta-Analysis Of Intimate Partner Violence Treatment Programs: The Role Of Risk-Need-Responsivity In Treatment Effectiveness, Irina Fanarraga

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Nationally, it is estimated that over 17 million people experience victimization by an intimate partner every year. Additionally, individuals who perpetuate intimate partner violence (IPV) often have high rates of re-offending, potentially as high as 60%. IPV Treatment Programs (ITPs) are interventions designed to reduce recidivism among intimate partner violent individuals by changing their thinking and behaviors, ultimately leading to increased victim safety. Although there is significant evidence to suggest that correctional treatment programs can reduce re-offending, the literature on ITPs is less clear about their effectiveness in reducing recidivism among participants. Furthermore, while other correctional interventions have taken more …