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Faculty Handbook, Georgia Southern University

Faculty Handbooks

Faculty Handbook for Georgia Southern University for the 2026-2027 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.

Artifacts Inquiry For Social Studies And Science Classrooms, Tina Valenzuela, Jaime L. Coyne

Teaching Social Studies in the Peach State

Artifacts offer opportunities for students to move beyond reading about the past to investigating evidence from it. In this article, we describe a museum-based artifact inquiry activity developed with teacher candidates and offers practical ways to adapt the activity for K–12 interdisciplinary classrooms. Beginning with a single artifact, learners make careful observations, distinguish observation from inference, develop compelling and supporting questions, investigate additional sources, construct evidence-based claims, and consider perspectives and limitations of the available evidence. The activity aligns with the College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework Inquiry Arc and connects with the Georgia Standards of Excellence in social …

The Effects Of Restorative Practices On Student Behavior And School Climate: A Case Study, Victoria Smith, M.A.T., Donna Governor, Ph.D, Carlise Womack-Wynne, Ed.D

Current Issues in Middle Level Education

Schools have been seeking alternatives to punitive discipline measures. As an alternative, restorative practices offer healing, community, and relationships. This case study examined a middle school that had been implementing restorative practices since the 2019–2020 school year, three full years at the time of study. A mixed-methods design was used in order to investigate whether the implementation of restorative practices had resulted in a decrease of student misbehaviors and an increase in staff perceptions of school climate. Staff were interviewed (n = 19) and surveyed (n = 44). A thematic analysis was conducted on the interview data, and …

Midweek Memo, Georgia Southern University

Midweek Memo

• Applaud 
• Remember 
• Share 
• Experience 
• Around the Nest

Midweek Memo, Georgia Southern University

Midweek Memo

• Applaud 
• Remember 
• Share 
• Experience 
• Around the Nest

Sla Elastic Resin Curing Test Data, Richard Amesimenu, Johnson Nwogu, Haijun Gong

Datasets

3D printing via stereolithography (SLA) enables high-resolution polymer components, but as-printed parts may exhibit incomplete polymerization and reduced mechanical performance. This study investigates the effects of UV post-curing time on SLA-printed elastic photopolymer resin. Specimens were evaluated using Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), uniaxial tensile testing (ASTM D412 Type C), and Durometer Type M hardness testing. Results show that increased post-curing enhances crosslink density, tensile strength, elastic modulus, and hardness, while extended curing may reduce ductility. An optimal post-curing window balancing stiffness and flexibility was identified. Testing datasets include DSC (dsc/), tensile testing (tensile/), and hardness testing (hardness/) results for uncured …

Midweek Memo, Georgia Southern University

Midweek Memo

• Applaud 
• Remember 
• Share 
• Experience 
• Around the Nest

Midweek Memo, Georgia Southern University

Midweek Memo

• Applaud 
• Remember 
• Share 
• Experience 
• Around the Nest

Midweek Memo, Georgia Southern University

Midweek Memo

• Applaud 
• Remember 
• Share 
• Experience 
• Around the Nest

Message From The President, Georgia Southern University

Messages from the President

No abstract provided.

Midweek Memo, Georgia Southern University

Midweek Memo

• Applaud 
• Remember 
• Share 
• Experience 
• Around the Nest

The Role Of Social Determinants Of Health In Hydroxyurea Adherence Among Persons With Sickle Cell Disease: A Systematic Review, Doreen O. Ugwu, Lori L. Vick, Terika Williams, Aurela Nikaj, Seyi Omeh, Benjamin Becerra Dr., Tilicia Mayo-Gamble

Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association

Objective: Georgia has one of the highest prevalences of sickle cell disease (SCD). For Georgians living with SCD, inadequate medication adherence is associated with important clinical outcomes. One important area that is understudied in SCD is the impact of social determinants of health (SDoH) on medication adherence. A foundational understanding of SDoH is needed to introduce, inform and carry out programs and interventions designed to facilitate hydroxyurea adherence through the state of Georgia.

Method: We conducted a systematic literature review to synthesize the literature on SDoH addressed in studies to improve hydroxyurea adherence in persons with SCD. SDoH were based …

Midweek Memo, Georgia Southern University

Midweek Memo

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Rasheed Qaiyim

African American Funeral Programs

No abstract provided.

Midweek Memo, Georgia Southern University

Midweek Memo

• Applaud 
• Remember 
• Share 
• Experience 
• Around the Nest

The Readiness Reset: Sleep, Stress, And Pain Management For Tactical Performance, Lauren Fried

Tactical & Occupational Performance Conference

Tactical professionals operate in high-demand environments where sleep disruption, chronic stress, and persistent pain are often normalized, but these factors significantly affect readiness, resilience, and long-term performance. This session explores how sleep, stress, and pain interact at the physiological and neurological levels to influence decision-making, recovery, injury risk, and operational effectiveness in first responders and military personnel.

Participants will gain a deeper understanding of how nervous system regulation, circadian rhythms, and pain perception affect both physical and cognitive performance under stress. Drawing on current research and applied human performance principles, this session highlights practical, field-applicable strategies that tactical professionals and …

The Trauma Challenge: Are You Ready To Lead With Trust-Based Relational Intervention?, Tara Quinn-Schuldt Dr., Patrick Walker, Melinda Meadow, Megan Jance

Southeast Conference on School Climate

In today’s educational landscape, understanding trauma isn’t optional, it’s essential. The Cherokee County School District has transformed from trauma-aware to trauma-responsive through intentional implementation and the creation of its connectED cohort training model. Combining strategic district-wide staff, including administrators, teachers, school support personnel, nurses, and resource officers—we created a collective approach to improving school climate, culture, and overall student outcomes. This comprehensive model integrates mental health, attachment theory, behavior intervention, and trauma responsiveness into the educational environment. This session shares evidence-based tools, a trauma-responsiveness assessment template, and strategies to address contradictions and strengthen trauma-responsive practices.

Marketing As Practice: Resolving The Hunt-Anderson Stalemate Through Practice Theory, Stephen A. Lemay, Martin Svendsen

Journal of Applied Marketing Theory

This paper revisits methodological debates in marketing theory, tracing the progression from Sidney Levy’s work on symbolic consumption to the Hunt–Anderson empiricist–relativist debate. We argue that this debate rests on a category error: marketing has been misclassified as either a science or an interpretive discipline. Drawing on contemporary practice theory, we reconceptualize marketing as a professional practice oriented toward creating and managing exchange relationships within cultural contexts. This perspective resolves the Hunt–Anderson stalemate, clarifies the epistemological foundations of Consumer Culture Theory (CCT) and Transformative Consumer Research (TCR), and generates distinct research questions and methods. Through comparative exemplars, we show how …

Finding Your People, Finding Your Place: Institutional Collaborative Writing Groups As A Compassionate Approach To Developing A Professional Sotl Identity, Ruth L. Healey, Sean A. Morrissey, Mick Healey

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

Practising the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) has been shown to help staff from non-traditional backgrounds (e.g. professional backgrounds) develop a sense of belonging within academia. This article examines how institutional collaborative writing groups support inexperienced SoTL practitioners in finding their place within their institution. Drawing on literature about SoTL identity and collaborative writing groups (CWGs), we consider how these CWGs assist colleagues in shaping their professional identities. We found that some staff did not see themselves as ‘academics’ or ‘researchers’, especially when their job emphasised teaching, such as ‘Teaching Fellow’. However, they strongly desired recognition and appreciation for …

Fostering Partnerships: Lessons From A Collaborative Course Design Learning Community, Sarah M. Ginsberg, Shanna R. Callewaert, Jeffrey L. Bernstein

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

As partnerships between educators and learners become more common in teaching and learning in higher education, partners find themselves considering how to foster effective collaborations. Qualitative data for this study were drawn from the experiences of educators and learners who were part of a university learning community in which they engaged in the collaborative course redesign process to collaboratively design a course. Results revealed key facilitators of partnership work, finding communication, relationships, and mutuality as essential to promoting partnership success. A new model is presented which expands these factors, offering more distinct characteristics of successful educator-learner partnerships. With these specific …

"Better Than A Boring Textbook": Studying Development Through Middle-Grade Literature, Heidi A. Sackreiter

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

College students are sometimes reluctant to purchase textbooks for various reasons, but they still must study the necessary content in a course or academic program. This Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) research project examined college students’ perceptions of reading middle-grade novels in place of a traditional, formal textbook within an Adolescent Development course. All participants were part of a teacher education program at a four-year, public institution in the Midwest United States. Questionnaires were administered at the conclusion of two semesters, and respondents shared impressions about the middle-grade reading. Response to studying middle-grade novels instead of a textbook was …

Student Experience Of Ai-Driven Discussion Boards In An Undergraduate Course, Blake C. Colclasure, Jamie Greig, Taylor K. Ruth, Victoria Beasley

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

Instructional platforms that incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) are emerging in higher education. Scholarship of teaching and learning should not only examine student learning outcomes from the use of novel AI technologies but should also investigate student perceptions of these technologies. We employed the user experience (UX) framework to investigate students’ UX of the instructional AI-driven platform, Packback, as a mode for online discussion boards. A survey using the User Experience Questionnaire was developed and employed in a general elective arts and humanities undergraduate course offered online and in-person. Data from 96 undergraduate student responses were analyzed and large variability was …

The Growth And Influence Of Scholarship Of Teaching And Learning Publications, Duane Knudson

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

Limited narrative reviews and bibliometric studies of SoTL were extended by a study of the size, growth, and bibliometric performance analysis of published research using three of the most comprehensive, next-generation database services. Multiple searches of Google Scholar, Dimensions, and OpenAlex were performed using nine keyword search combinations. Additional searches of ScopusÒ and Web of ScienceÔ were also performed. There has been exponential growth in indexed SoTL research since the early 2000s with up to 110,000 articles, chapters, and books indexed by Google Scholar. This body of research is larger than previously documented by reviews …

Deep Or Surface? Understanding Learning Approaches Among Undergraduate Students, Kelzang Tentsho, Jigme Wangchuk, Kencho Pelzom

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

Student approaches to learning (SAL) have a significant impact on the quality of their learning and academic achievement. In this study, we examined the preferred learning approaches of undergraduate students and how these approaches change over time. The Revised Study Process Questionnaire (R-SPQ-2F) was administered to 75 students enrolled in the Anthropology program to evaluate students’ preferred learning approaches. The qualitative data were collected through focus group discussions involving 20 participants. Results showed a significantly higher deep score than surface score. Final year students had the highest deep approach score compared to other cohorts. The results also indicated that students …

Comprehensive Analysis Of Spray Development And Low Temperature Combustion Characteristics In A Cvcc With Nvh Of Renewable Aerospace Fuels: Hefa & Ft Synthetic Kerosene (S8) Compared To Jet-A & Ulsd, Coleman Norton

Honors College Theses

A comprehensive analysis was conducted to research the viability of Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids (HEFA) and S8 Synthetic Kerosene fuels as a drop-in replacement for conventional petroleum-based fuels, Jet-A and ULSD (Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel). Global transportation remains heavily dependent on liquid fossil fuels, while renewable aerospace fuels offer a promising pathway to reducing life cycle greenhouse gas emissions and pollution. However, the combustion performance and long-term feasibility of these fuels remain insufficiently characterized. This study performed a thorough assessment of each fuel's thermophysical and combustion properties. Thermophysical characterization encompassed viscosity, freezing point, energy density, spray atomization, and volatility. …

Messages From The Provost, Georgia Southern University

Messages from the Provost

• Message from the Provost

• Georgia Southern Recognized as Top Place to Work

• Dr. Jennifer Schroeder to Lead Graduate Education

• Graduate Student Earns National Fellowship for Clean Energy Research

The Mosaic, Georgia Southern University

George-Anne Media Group: Newsletters & Magazines

No abstract provided.

The George-Anne Daily, Georgia Southern University

George-Anne Media Group: Newsletters & Magazines

No abstract provided.

The Mosaic, Georgia Southern University

George-Anne Media Group: Newsletters & Magazines

No abstract provided.

Navigating The Generative Ai Wave: Ai Literacy Instruction In Academic Libraries Today, Lili Li, Kay G. Coates

University Libraries: Faculty Presentations

No abstract provided.