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Addressing The Gap Of Informal Science Field Experiences In Science Methods Courses, Christina L. Mcdaniel, Colton M. Wilder, Cecile M. Arquette

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

Preservice teachers in science education courses do not generally experience informal, authentic science education practices in their fieldwork. This study used the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning to frame a study that integrated informal science teaching experiences with a university teacher education science methods course. The results showed improvement in participant preservice teachers' ability to teach science content, their self-confidence in teaching science, and their ability to connect what they learned in their methods course in a real-life setting.

Standards-Based Grading In Difficult Times: Precalculus Student Perceptions During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Rachel Epstein

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

Standards-based grading is an alternative grading system that gives students multiple opportunities to demon-strate proficiency in course standards or objectives. It has the potential to provide flexibility and reduce student anxiety, which are particularly important during difficult times such as the COVID-19 pandemic. In this study, stu-dents in a Precalculus course using standards-based grading between Spring 2021 and Spring 2022 were surveyed about how the pandemic had affected their learning and the benefits and challenges of standards-based grading. The students who took the course in Spring 2021, whose previous learning was least affected by the pandemic, were most likely to …

A Really Good Example Helps Learning About An Abstract Concept, Ava Funkhouser, Elena Nicoladis

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

University students are often asked to learn abstract concepts. Abstract concepts are hard to learn. Giving specific examples can help learning abstract concepts. These examples might limit understanding to the similarities between the abstract domain and particular examples. The primary purpose of this study was to test whether exposure to multiple examples would lead to better learning than exposure to a single example. Secondarily, we were interested in whether there was any particularly effective example. Introductory psychology students were invited to learn about the abstract concept of semiotics, through either 1) three of five distinct examples or 2) a single …

Another Look At High-Impact Practices In Teacher Education: Linking Practices With Engagement, Ekaterina Koubek, Raymond J. Rodriguez

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

High-Impact Practices (HIPs), as adopted by the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), are teaching and learning practices in higher education that promote student engagement and learning as measured on the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). This study replicated a previous study conducted by the authors exploring the extent to which prior findings on the relationship between HIPs and student engagement could be confirmed with a different sample of students and faculty in a teacher preparation program. The current study further sought to understand the extent to which faculty members’ design of activities related to HIPs engaged students …

Non-Indigenous Instructors Teaching About Indigenous Content: Reflections And Recommendations From Indigenous Ways Of Knowing And Pedagogy, Manu Sharma, Peggy Shannon-Baker

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

This article takes a scholarship of teaching and learning approach to improve the authors teaching about Indige-nous content as non-Indigenous teacher educators. It explores how they attempted to incorporate Indigenous content and teaching practices into multicultural education classes and then reflect on how they could have improved their teaching practice. Both authors provide their unique positionality which provides context which is essential to consider when doing equity-based work such as teaching about/with Indigenous communities. The authors discuss their teaching experiences after they occurred with one another and then engage in an exploration via literature on teaching about Indigenous content. The …

Assessment Of Atmospheric Correction Algorithms For The Remote Sensing Of Water Quality In Southeastern U.S. Estuaries, Jerome Reimers

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Water quality is a key indicator in understanding and representing an environment's overall health. Through developments in remote sensing, we can utilize satellite imagery to measure water parameters in each aquatic system. When accurate atmospheric correction is performed, remote sensing can account for atmospheric attenuation and scattering effects to better measure the reflectance and estimate optically active constituents (OAC) present in upper water columns. Atmospheric Correction for OLI lite (ACOLITE) is an atmospheric correction algorithm designed specifically for robust atmospheric correction of water surfaces, in comparison to algorithms designed more for land surfaces such as the European Space Agency’s (ESA) …

Fostering Engagement With Voicethread In Online Intermediate Spanish Language Classes, Karen Acosta, Ericka H. Parra Dr

The Coastal Review

It is estimated that more than 1.5 billion students have been affected during the course of the global coronavirus pandemic by school and university closures. As a way to navigate this new instructional landscape, the researchers aimed to find a tool that would allow students to develop and practice communicative language skills in their online Spanish classes. In this research study, participants used VoiceThread over the course of a semester and then reflected on their comfort level using communicative skills in Spanish before and after using the tool, as well as whether they perceived that using the platform in their …

A Camera-Only Based Approach To Traffic Parameter Estimation Using Mobile Observer Methods, Temitope D. Jegede

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

As vehicles become more modern, a large majority of vehicles on the road will have the required sensors to smoothly interact with other vehicles and infrastructure on the road. There will be many benefits of this new connectivity between vehicles on the road but one of the most profound improvements will be in the area of road accident prevention. Vehicles will be able to share information vital to road safety to oncoming vehicles and vehicles that are occluded so they do not have a direct line of sight to see a pedestrian or another vehicle on the road.

Another advantage …

Predictions Of The Dynamic Complex Modulus Of Non-Conventional Asphalt Concrete Using Machine Learning Techniques, Annie Benson

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The complex dynamic modulus (|E*|) is a characterization property that defines the stiffness of an asphalt mixture. The dynamic modulus can be found through lab testing or predictions. Since lab testing can be time-consuming and expensive, the prediction method can be used as an alternative method. While a statistical method has been traditionally used for the |E*| prediction such as the Witczak’s predictive equations, machine learning (ML) is recently emerging as an alternative way that |E*| predictions can be made. This research attempted to predict the |E*| using several ML techniques including linear regression, support vector machines (SVM), decision trees, …

Remote Sensing Of Georgia Tidal Marsh Habitats Using Aerial Photography And Planetscope Satellite Imagery, Harrison M. Currin

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Globally, tidal marshes cover about 90,800 km. Within the state of Georgia tidal marshes are primarily located behind the barrier islands and total 1,619 km². The combination of high salinity environments and daily inundation, and being dependent on river output, make these dynamic systems. Tidal marshes provide numerous ecosystem services such as carbon and nitrogen sequestration, flood control, coastal protection, and numerous biogeochemical processes. Due to their unique position, tidal marshes are under threat from sea level rise, drought, coastal development, and large-scale disturbance events. Tidal freshwater marshes are especially susceptible to these threats due to their geographic …

Application Of Big Data Technology, Text Classification, And Azure Machine Learning For Financial Risk Management Using Data Science Methodology, Oluwaseyi A. Ijogun

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Data science plays a crucial role in enabling organizations to optimize data-driven opportunities within financial risk management. It involves identifying, assessing, and mitigating risks, ultimately safeguarding investments, reducing uncertainty, ensuring regulatory compliance, enhancing decision-making, and fostering long-term sustainability. This thesis explores three facets of Data Science projects: enhancing customer understanding, fraud prevention, and predictive analysis, with the goal of improving existing tools and enabling more informed decision-making. The first project examined leveraged big data technologies, such as Hadoop and Spark, to enhance financial risk management by accurately predicting loan defaulters and their repayment likelihood. In the second project, we investigated …

Supporting The Scholarship Of Teaching And Learning In Hong Kong, Carmel Mcnaught, Cecilia Chun

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

The paper traces the evolution of the Centre for Learning Enhancement And Research (CLEAR) at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) from early 2002 to the end of 2021. The University needed a centre to support both institutional and local (department and faculty) needs and aspirations for enhancing teaching and learning. Five key strategies adopted by CLEAR are: embedding the practice of existing teachers into policy development, localizing quality-assurance processes, relating professional-development activities to career development, involving students, and producing research evidence from within the Hong Kong context. The evidence base that supports these strategies, and the cultural and …

Impact Of Designed Task-Based Interventions On K-8 Preservice Teachers’ Knowledge And Ability To Solve Measurement Unit Conversion Problems, Ha Nguyen, Tuyin An, Eryn Maher

Mathematical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Converting two-dimensional measurement units presents challenges for K-8 preservice teachers (PSTs) (e.g., 9 ft2 = __ yd2). Place value deficiency, lack of understanding of metric system measurement units, misconceptions about relationships between measurement units, and uncertain knowledge of ratios have been identified as causes of student error in one-dimensional analysis (e.g., Livy & Vale, 2011; Morris, 2001; Southwell & Penglase, 2005). However, PSTs’ strategies for solving two-dimensional measurement unit conversion problems (MUCPs) and possible interventions for improvement are rarely investigated in research. The purpose of this study is to design and test a set of tasks that may help students …

Exploring The College Enrollment Of Students From Rural Areas: Considerations For Scholarly Practitioners, Elise J. Cain, Samantha Class

Journal of Higher Education & Student Affairs

Rural students graduate high school at a rate comparable to their urban and suburban peers; however, people from rural areas attend college at the lowest rate. Due to this discrepancy and the ever-growing importance of postsecondary education, this article summarizes and synthesizes works on the college enrollment of students from rural areas. The article begins with background information on the benefits of postsecondary education, definitions of rurality, the educational attainment of rural people, as well as institutional type and attendance patterns of rural students. Next, using Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model of human development as a guiding framework, literature about the individual, …

A Portrait Of Mwrite As A Research Program: A Review Of Research On Writing-To-Learn In Stem Through The Mwrite Program, Solaire A. Finkenstaedt-Quinn, Field M. Watts, Ginger V. Shultz, Anne Ruggles Gere

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

The writing-to-learn (WTL) literature is varied in how assignments are structured and implemented in the classroom, making it difficult for instructors to identify how to incorporate writing effectively. Drawing on the WTL literature, the MWrite program was established to work with STEM faculty to design, implement, and assess evidence- based WTL assignments. Herein we present a review of the WTL research generated through the MWrite program, situating our findings in a four-dimensional framework of engagement to identify how the MWrite WTL assignment design and implementation has supported students’ learning. Our analysis indicates that the multi-faceted design of MWrite WTL assignments …

Rethinking “Damage-Centered” Research And Individual Solutions: Cultural Humility As A Framework To Increase Student Diversity In Undergraduate Stem Departments, Anita Chikkatur, Stephanie Valle

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

This study examines data from a participatory research action study on the experiences of underrepresented students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields at a small liberal arts college in the United States. Our analysis aims to move away from the framework that students needed to be taught how to cope with and overcome the challenges they faced in their STEM experiences, including racism and sexism. Instead, we propose a stronger focus on how to end racist, sexist, and other forms of discrimination. We draw on the concept of “cultural humility” as a concrete framework that professors, departments, and …

Turnover, Covid-19, And Reasons For Leaving And Staying Within Governmental Public Health, Jonathan P. Leider, Gulzar H. Shah, Valerie A. Yeager, Jingjing Yin, Kusuma Madamala

Biostatistics, Epidemiology & Environmental Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Background and Objectives:

Public health workforce recruitment and retention continue to challenge public health agencies. This study aims to describe the trends in intention to leave and retire and analyze factors associated with intentions to leave and intentions to stay.

Design:

Using national-level data from the 2017 and 2021 Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs Surveys, bivariate analyses of intent to leave were conducted using a Rao-Scott adjusted chi-square and multivariate analysis using logistic regression models.

Results:

In 2021, 20% of employees planned to retire and 30% were considering leaving. In contrast, 23% of employees planned to retire and 28% …

2023 Spring Commencement, Georgia Southern University

Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

Eagle Accountant, Georgia Southern University

College of Business: News & Publications

Accounting Advisory Council

Advisory Council Spotlight

Accreditation & Rankings

Commencement 2023

Cover Story: Ironman

Student Spotlight: Soaring to New Heights

Student Spotlight: Reconciling Expectations with Reality

Accounting Day 2023

Student Organizations & Activities

Junior Achievement

Faculty Awards

Faculty Research, Publications, & Service

Alumni Spotlight: An Eagle on Pennsylvania Avenue

Alumni Notes, Awards, & Recognition

In Memoriam

Predicting Jamming Systems Frequency Hopping Sequences Using Artificial Neural Networks, Charles Strickland

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This work proposes a neural network architecture that was designed to predict and reverse engineer frequency hopping jamming systems. The neural network was initially optimized for use with a 12th order linear shift feedback register maximum length sequence utilizing a minimal polynomial as the characteristic polynomial. This neural network was then scaled to accommodate 7 different sequences, of orders 6 through 12. The neural network was trained for these sequences using training data that is 10 times the length of the sequence. This information is then used to generate a hopping sequence that reduces the jamming interference to 0 with …

Hepatic Transcriptomic Assessment Of Sprague Dawley Rats In Response To Dietary Perfluorobutane Sulfonate (Pfbs) Ingestion, Isaac Appiah

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Perfluorobutane sulfonate (PFBS) is a short-chain PFAS that is considered to be a less toxic replacement for the rather more toxic long-chain perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS). Its numerous industrial applications and widespread presence in the environment have raised environmental and health concerns because of growing evidence associating adverse health effects and certain liver diseases to PFBS exposure. The study goal was to investigate whether dietary ingestion of PFBS would induce liver injuries, damage, inflammations, and oxidative stress. To achieve these goals, Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned into three PFBS dietary treatment groups (0, 50, and 100 PPM) for 11 weeks. After this …

Development And Praxis Of Ph Drug Delivery System Contra Zika, Julissa Rodriguez

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

As the effects of global warming continue to spread throughout the world, another critical issue is slowly gaining attention in many urban tropical countries. The Emerging Infectious Diseases/ Pathogens list from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) listed the Zika virus as a potential pandemic threat. In 2015, an outbreak of Zika was noted in several South American countries until the spread reached an all-time high of 87 countries in 2017. During the outbreaks, adults affected were noted to have joint and muscle pains, fevers, and rashes. The worst cases reported would ultimately lead to Guillain-Barre symptoms. Still, pregnant women …

Executive Function & Self-Regulation In Preschool Age Children: Mindfulness Intervention, Larissa Lamarca

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Executive function is an umbrella term used in psychology to define a number of cognitive processes that are important for success in daily life. Both self-awareness, being able to focus one’s thoughts and behavior, and self-regulation, being able to manage emotional and behavioral responses, are important components of executive function. Between three- and five-years of age, children begin developing such skills rapidly which are necessary for school readiness. This study recruited children participants from four local preschools to test for improvement in attention and self-regulatory skills. Two schools completed a mindful yoga activity for five consecutive days, while a second …

It's Not A Phobia: Reducing Transnegativity Using Imagined Intergroup Contact, Rachel Cook

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The present study evaluated the efficacy of a novel imagined intergroup contact procedure in reducing feelings of transnegativity held by cisgender individuals. The intervention, based on the Fast Friends Procedure (Aron et al., 1997), has participants interact with a fictional transgender person who answers questions about himself; participants then write a free-response answer to the question for themselves. The current hypotheses were that the imagined intergroup contact procedure would (1) reduce feelings of transnegativity, (2) reduce feelings of contact apprehension toward transgender people, and (3) increase feelings of self-other overlap between cisgender people and a transgender target. In Study 1, …

New Women In The Old Dominion: Race And Gender In Progressive-Era Virginia, Rachel Scott

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This thesis traces the development of Black and white Southern women’s pursuit of political power between the end of the Civil War and the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920. Emancipation and the downfall of the antebellum planter aristocracy upset traditional Southern gender norms and opened new doors for women of both races in the political upheaval of Reconstruction. Though both Black and white women participated in the women’s club movement and joined women’s advocacy and charity groups following the Civil War, their work was distinctive both from each other and from other regional Progressive movements. The context of …

A Comparison Of Tung Oil Resin Reinforcements Using Fibrous Proteins And Peptides For Biological And Materials Applications, Parker L. Williams

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

In this study a tung oil based thermoset was reinforced with collagen and fibroin, and the resulting composites were analyzed for their physical properties. Tung tree seed oil is a great candidate for biobased polymer production because its triglycerides are primarily made of alpha eleostearic acid, a fatty acid with three conjugated carbon-carbon double bonds. These double bonds allow for mechanically strong crosslinking in the polymer. It has been observed that polymerized tung oil forms a gel. This issue has been addressed using divinylbenzene (DVB) and n-butyl methacrylate (BMA) as co-monomers. Similar bio-based polymers have been studied and tend to …

A Novel Approach To Detecting And Mitigating Keyloggers, Damilola Osedumbi Elelegwu

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

As the digital world gets increasingly ingrained in our daily lives, cyberattacks—especially those involving malware—are growing more complex and common, which calls for developing innovative safeguards. Keylogger spyware, which combines keylogging and spyware functionalities, is one of the most insidious types of cyberattacks. This malicious software stealthily monitors and records user keystrokes, amassing sensitive data, such as passwords and confidential personal information, which can then be exploited. This research work introduces a novel browser extension designed to thwart keylogger spyware attacks effectively. The extension is underpinned by a cutting-edge algorithm that meticulously analyzes input-related processes, promptly identifying and flagging any …

Assessing The Fidelity Of School-Level Professional Learning Community Implementation, William W. Thigpen Ii

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

ABSTRACT

As schools face increasing accountability, many have turned to professional learning communities (PLCs) as a possible solution. The challenge is that many schools are not implementing PLCs with fidelity. It is imperative that school leaders assess PLC practices to ensure that critical components are being implemented effectively. This research provides a framework for school leaders to assess school leader, teacher, and support staff perceptions of various PLC dimensions. Descriptive statistics were used to determine levels of agreement with statements related to six PLC dimensions. A one-way univariate analysis of variance tests (ANOVA) was used to analyze differences in mean …

Faculty Handbook, Georgia Southern University

Faculty Handbooks

Faculty Handbook for Georgia Southern University for the 2022-2023 academic year. The Faculty Handbook is published online by the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs and archived in Digital Commons@Georgia Southern.

Proceedings Of The Fourteenth Annual Meeting Of The Georgia Association Of Mathematics Teacher Educators Front Matter

Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Georgia Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators

Contents of 14th Annual GAMTE Proceedings Front Matter:

• Officers of GAMTE
• Reviewers
• Copyright & Licensing Terms
• Purposes and Goals of GAMTE
• Conference Schedule
• Table of Contents