Digital Commons Network^™

Building A Grassroots Learning Assistant Program, Katie V. Johnson, Lindsay A. Singh, Laura J. Frost

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

Learning Assistants (LAs) are undergraduates who work in active-learning classrooms with students facilitating discussions and encouraging deeper thinking, while also receiving pedagogical training. We describe how we built an LA program at a regional comprehensive university starting as a grassroots STEM initiative to recruit teachers, and expanding into a campus-wide multi-disciplinary program focusing on student success in a variety of general education courses. Additionally, in the 2020-2021 academic year, we conducted a formative assessment to further understand the program's impact. Our findings revealed strong alignment among students, faculty, and LAs regarding the LA's role in student learning. Qualitative themes from …

Practice What We Preach?: A Review Of Journal Publishing Practices Related To Reflective Writing In Sotl, Laura Cruz, Eileen Grodziak, Hillary H. Steiner, Laura Cruz

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) scholars have long advocated for the inclusion of reflective writing as a legitimate form of scholarship. That said, for those instructors seeking to publish their reflective work, especially scholarly personal narratives (SPNs), there are persistent gaps between the aspirations of the field and the realities of scholarly publishing. The present study seeks to illuminate that gap through a systematic analysis of the policies and practices of academic journals as they pertain to the publication of reflective writing in SoTL. The ultimate aim of the study is to enable editors to close the gap between …

What Brought Us Together To Form A Community For Scholarship, Carolyn J. Loveridge, Frances Docherty, Sarah Honeychurch, Nathalie Tasler, Linnea Soler, Lindsey Pope, Victoria E. Price, Beth Dickson

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

We are a group of teaching-focused academics who share a passion for learning, teaching and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) in Higher Education (HE). In order to understand how practitioners from a diversity of backgrounds and disciplines came to be in their present LTS (Learning, Teaching & Scholarship) academic roles, we embarked on a Collaborative Autoethnography (CAE). This approach allowed us to use our personal narratives to explore what it means to be a SoTL practitioner in HE, and to analyse these narratives by using textual analysis.

This paper unpacks these narratives, focusing on three themes: our rich …

Starting And Sustaining An International Teacher Collaboration: Insights And Recommendations From A Sotl Project., Lindsay J. Neill, Heather Swenson Brilla, Neil Haigh

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

During the COVID-19 pandemic, two higher education teachers, located respectively in the United States and Aotearoa New Zealand, collaborated in the design of curricula on the relationship between identity and food for their students. Intended to help their students develop cross-cultural knowledge and relationships, they hoped that their collaboration would also benefit their professional relationship and learning at a time when these aspects of their teaching lives were negatively impacted by COVID-19. As a contribution to the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL), they undertook, with the help of a researcher colleague, an investigation of (a) factors that influenced their …

Forming International Collaborations For Sotl Research: An Autoethnographic Reflection, Emily Faulconer

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

This essay serves as a personal narrative to share experiences and lessons learned in using a sabbatical to form international collaborations for SoTL research. I share my motivations for seeking an international collaboration, explore my predicted and realized benefits, and address challenges encountered including time constraints and administrative barriers.

Anonymity As Freedom: Drawing Critical Hope From Pandemic Pedagogy, Lucy Wenham

The Curriculum Studies Collaborative Journal

No abstract provided.

Decolonizing Classrooms In Remote Learning: Rehumanizing Ourselves And Our Students During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Nadia Khan-Roopnarine

The Curriculum Studies Collaborative Journal

No abstract provided.

Editor's Notes, Daniel Chapman

The Curriculum Studies Collaborative Journal

No abstract provided.

Black Digital Publics, Pandemics, And Critical Race Pedagogy: Possibilities For Transformative Anti-Racism Curriculum In Teacher Education, Serena Wilcox

The Curriculum Studies Collaborative Journal

No abstract provided.

(Re)Creating Self/(Re)Creating Space: A Multimodal Co/Autoethnographic Analysis Of Teacher Identity In Relation To Space During Remote Learning, Emily Bascelli, Tricia Kress

The Curriculum Studies Collaborative Journal

No abstract provided.

Technological Neutrality In The Neoliberal Ethos, Gustavo Delao

The Curriculum Studies Collaborative Journal

No abstract provided.

Shadowing Students And Schools In The Time Of Covid: One Teacher Education Program's Solution, Janel Janiczek Smith, Taylor Norman

The Curriculum Studies Collaborative Journal

No abstract provided.

Cultural Fluency: Learning To Reach After Being Taught To Teach, Caroline Whitcomb, Carlos Marshall

The Curriculum Studies Collaborative Journal

No abstract provided.

Jerry Johnson

African American Funeral Programs

No abstract provided.

Midweek Memo, Georgia Southern University

Midweek Memo

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Retention Through Empathy An Invitation To Compassionate Progressive Discipline, Jessica Garner, Kay Coates

University Libraries: Faculty Presentations

Managing employee relations is a challenge that many leaders in the library face. High morale, collegiality, and active listening are the building blocks that facilitate compassion in the workplace. A productive work environment is a delightful patchwork of leadership savvy, SMART goals, employee retention and motivation combined with proactive measures for well-being. Library leaders must have a comprehensive plan for retaining employees that considers the whole person, often necessitating progressive discipline to ensure a positive work environment. Historically, progressive discipline has been used punitively with a focus toward termination. In this presentation, we will make a case for compassionate progressive …

Female Medical Students’ Lived Experiences Of Financial Stress And Coping, Untara Shaikh, Dr. Kimberlee Bonura

Georgia Public Health Association Annual Meeting & Conference

Financial stress is a pervasive concern among medical students, with documented associations with adverse physical health, psychological morbidity, and ineffective coping. This study focuses on understanding the financial stressors female medical students face and the coping strategies they employ. While financial stress and coping mechanisms have been explored in the literature, a notable gap exists in understanding these dynamics among female students.

The study employed a phenomenological research approach to obtain data from the respondents, where data collection involved face-to-face semi-structured interviews. The Adaptation Model of Nursing, complemented by Lazarus and Folkman's Coping Theory, was a comprehensive framework for analyzing …

Effect Of Waste Covid-19 Masks On Compaction Characteristics Of Silty-Clay Soil, Sydney K. Lawson

Honors College Theses

The present study aims to explore the effect of adding shredded waste Covid-19 masks to silty-clay soil on the soil’s compaction characteristics for beneficial use in embankment, the subgrade of roadways, or backfill. This was accomplished by using two different types of masks: blue surgical masks and KN95 masks. Both mask types were hand shredded into half-inch sections using safety-scissors. The maximum dry density (MDD) and optimum moisture content (OMC) are the two most important compaction characteristics, and they were determined by the Standard Proctor Compaction Test (ASTM D698 / AASHTO T99). The change of both the MDD and OMC …

A Nlp Approach To Automating The Generation Of Surveys For Market Research, Anav Chug

Honors College Theses

Market Research is vital but includes activities that are often laborious and time consuming. Survey questionnaires are one possible output of the process and market researchers spend a lot of time manually developing questions for focus groups. The proposed research aims to develop a software prototype that utilizes Natural Language Processing (NLP) to automate the process of generating survey questions for market research. The software uses a pre-trained Open AI language model to generate multiple choice survey questions based on a given product prompt, send it to a targeted email list, and also provides a real-time analysis of the responses …

Do Factors Contributing To Wrongful Conviction Differ By Crime Type?, Kaylee Baldwin

Honors College Theses

Wrongful convictions play a big role in the criminal justice system, resulting in individuals being punished for crimes they did not commit. This study investigates the factors contributing to wrongful convictions across different crime types, utilizing data from the National Registry of Exonerations. The research aims to identify common contributors to wrongful convictions and explores variations by crime type. Results highlight the challenges associated with specific offenses. Understanding how factors vary by crime type is essential for developing strategies to prevent and address wrongful convictions.

Liberation Chronicles: Reformulating Black Liberation In The Face Of Persistent Oppression, Nia P. Gadson

Honors College Theses

Liberation movements for Black people have been prominent throughout American history. Chattel slavery and Jim Crow laws caused centuries of anti-black oppression. They continuously evolved into other anti-black structures – mass incarceration, predatory loan companies, and healthcare inequalities, to name a few – that require us to address these issues still today. The most recent Black liberation movement, Black Lives Matter, experienced a brief uptick in support after George Floyd’s murder but, overall, failed to address these issues. This thesis outlines three approaches to Black liberation in the U.S. to determine the most effective. First, drawing on Frederick Douglass’ autobiographies, …

Physical Activity Levels In First-Year University Students, Jerealya Cogdell

Honors College Theses

The purpose of this study is to see if physical activity (PA) is affected for students since transitioning from high school to their first semester in college. The study was conducted by asking questions pertaining to PA via an online survey through the platform Qualtrics. It will be administered to students at Georgia Southern University. However, only the data from freshmen students that meet specific criteria will be accounted for in this study. The data will be analyzed using Chi-squared to determine how PA is affected due to this transition. The data will compare the results from high school senior …

Nursing Students’ Perceptions Of The Impact Of Teamwork And Collaboration On Patient Care, Riana Square

Honors College Theses

Teamwork and communication are two topics that a vast majority of nursing students are introduced to in their first semester of nursing school. Many nursing students have a desire to improve their communication skills and have a better understanding of the inner workings of interdisciplinary collaboration. A study across multiple cohorts of Georgia Southern Nursing students was conducted to explore their perceptions of the correlation between teamwork and patient care outcomes. This study also explores nursing students’ readiness to communicate with other healthcare professionals and the effectiveness of the means to practice these communication skills while in nursing school. It …

Effects Of Humorous Language In Social Media And Fandom Levels On Sport Consumers’ Merchandise Value Perceptions, Conner Martin

Honors College Theses

Licensed sports merchandise is a sports business sector that is projected to surpass $39.8 billion by 2027. This study examines the influence of humor in social media posts on consumers’ perceived valuations of licensed sport merchandise—specifically, apparel—with consideration to their team fandom. Guiding by Cue Utilization Theory (CUT), the research model assessed the extrinsic cues of team fandom and humor in shaping consumer perceptions, while controlling for product type (high-cost, low-cost), humorous caption (version 1, version 2), generation (Zoomers, Millennials, Gen Xers, and Boomers), and gender (male, female, non-binary). Fans of South Georgia Tormenta FC, a professional soccer club, served …

Midweek Memo, Georgia Southern University

Midweek Memo

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The Future Of Academic Reference Services In The Age Of Artificial Intelligence: An Overview, Lili Li, Kay Coates

University Libraries: Faculty Presentations

The purpose of this study explores the deep impact of ChatGPT on reference services in academic libraries. Based on the identified research literature, this study used the method of descriptive content analysis to evaluate the general capabilities of generative AI applications, such as ChatGPT, to transform reference services in academic libraries. With the homepage of the Georgia Southern University Libraries, two experienced librarians examined the potential of generative AI applications like ChatGPT to impact future reference services in ever-changing academic libraries. Based on the word limit, this study only focused on a few key areas of reference services, such as …

The Controlled Narrative Of “Jane Roe:” Norma Mccorvey’S Life Beyond The 1973 Trial, Eleanor G. Strickland

Honors College Theses

Norma McCorvey, Jane Roe of Roe v. Wade, 1973, wrote two memoirs twenty years after the Supreme Court trial that surrounded her third pregnancy. These memoirs (I Am Roe, 1994, and Won by Love, 1997), along with the recent documentary AKA Jane Roe (2020), provide an insight into McCorvey’s life and how she was used by politicians and civilians during and after the influential trial. McCorvey lived a complicated life and was constantly being pulled in different directions spiritually, politically, and personally. This thesis shows how McCorvey attempted to re-write the narrative of her life using …

Breaking Up Prolonged Sitting To Improve Cardiometabolic Risk: A Comparative Analysis Of Muscle Strengthening Exercise And Treadmill Walking, Grace E. Anderson

Honors College Theses

Purpose: To examine the effectiveness of brief bouts of treadmill walking and bodyweight-based muscular strengthening exercises to mitigate the effects of sedentary behavior on blood pressure, blood glucose, cognitive performance, and perceived fatigue. Methods: Healthy young adults (n = 9) completed 3 experimental trials consisting of 4-hour sedentary periods. The trials consisted of an uninterrupted sedentary period (control), treadmill walking every 30 minutes for 5 minutes, and bodyweight-based muscular strengthening exercises every 30 minutes for 5 minutes. Blood glucose was measured at baseline and every 30 minutes thereafter. Blood pressure and fatigue were measured at baseline and every hour thereafter. …

Performance Of High-Dose Reclaimed Asphalt Mixtures (Raps) In Hot In-Place Recycling Based On Balanced Design, Lei Jiang, Junan Shen, Wei Wang

Civil Engineering & Construction: Faculty Publications

This study endeavors to employ a balanced design methodology, aiming to equilibrate the resistance to rutting and cracking exhibited by hot in-place recycling asphalt mixtures containing a high dose of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP). The primary goal is to ascertain the optimal amount of new binder necessary for practical engineering applications, ensuring a balanced rutting and crack resistance performance of recycled asphalt mixtures. The investigation mainly employed wheel-tracking tests and semi-circular bending tests to assess the rutting and cracking performance of recycled asphalt mixtures with a different dose of RAP (in China, it is common to use RAP with 80% …

Ethical Considerations In Using Generative Ai In Writing Studies Research, Shiva Mainaly

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

If an AI system like ChatGPT generates text used in a research paper, proper attribution, and delineation of human-written vs. AI-generated text is essential. Research has suggested that many readers cannot reliably distinguish between human and AI writing. Failing to attribute AI writing could constitute plagiarism (Dobrin, 2023). Guidelines need to be established. Similarly, if ChatGPT is used to analyze sensitive interviews or user data from research study participants, appropriate consent, privacy protections, and data security controls must be implemented. Researchers should be transparent about any AI analysis or exposure of protected participant data. On the heels of this comes …