Digital Commons Network^™

Summer 2004, Nova Southeastern University

Currents

No abstract provided.

Using Autonomous Robots To Integrate Middle School Academic Standards, Technology Standards, And 21st Century Workplace Skills, Barbara M. Burckart

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

The amount of knowledge that students are required to master continues to grow. Teachers struggle to find age appropriate ways to integrate state academic standards, technology standards, and 21st century workplace skills. Improved problem solving skills are deemed important to these standards as well as in the workplace. This dissertation utilized a robot design project to examine the changes in problem solving skills of seventh grade science students. In the process, 21st century workplace skills, technology standards, and South Carolina middle school science and math standards were identified and integrated into the learning process.

To test the validity of the …

A Use-Case Model For A Knowledge Management System To Facilitate Disaster Relief Operations, Eileen Eudy

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

There are numerous disaster relief agencies poised to respond to disasters; however, coordinating the activities of these diverse and dispersed entities and capitalizing on their knowledge assets can be a challenge. All of these agencies are dedicated to serving survivors of disasters, but they at times lack the coordination necessary to respond efficiently. The Virginia Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) is an umbrella organization of existing agencies dedicated to working closely with other organizations to improve service and minimize duplication during disaster operations. To better cope with disasters, the Virginia VOAD needs to develop knowledge management strategies to coordinate …

The Education Of Information Security Professionals: An Analysis Of Industry Needs Vs Academic Curriculum In The 21st Century, Albert L. Fundaburk

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

This research compared the employment of the skills and attributes needed by information systems security professionals in an information systems security work environment with those taught in NSA Centers of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education. Using two surveys the goal of this research was to determine if the skills and attributes identified in the CISSP were employed in an information systems work environment and if these skills were taught in colleges and universities designated as NSA Centers of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education.

The skills and attributes within the10 domains of the CISSP were identified by 23 questions …

The Impact Of Distance Learning On Faculty Contracts And Policies In Florida Community Colleges, M. Kate Legrand

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

Distance Learning is state of the art and is fast becoming a primary instructional delivery method in Florida community colleges. However, the present laws and policies that govern Florida's community college educational system are created based on traditional methods for delivering educational services. The potential change in faculty roles and responsibilities brought about by distance learning has raised questions about the impact distance learning will have on overall labor conditions for American faculty. In some instances, the use of alternative methods of delivering educational services has resulted in inconsistent policies. As more faculty become involved in teaching online courses, there …

Implementation Of An Individual Professional Development System Using A Web-Accessible Database, Edward R. Lovitt

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

Higher education is looking for ways to encourage new careers in education and retain current faculty working in the field. A successful working relationship between supervisors and faculty is crucial to continued attractiveness of a career in education. These shared relationships exist in "learning organization" models, which are used in professional development offerings that stress the importance of learning by individuals, as a way to benefit the entire institution.

This developmental study focused on building partnerships with supervisors and faculty. These partnerships require contracts or individual development plans that can be reviewed for progress and modified for future needs. The …

Applying Security Risk Management To Internet Connectivity In K-12 Schools And School Districts, Carol C. Woody

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

Internet connectivity has been added to the classrooms of United States (U.S .) K-12 schools, but recognition of the security risks and related management responsibilities to address increased risk exposure is not apparent. Providing a sufficient level of access for K-12 students to learn through exploration and experimentation needs to be balanced with sufficient limitations to minimize the risk of technically proficient participants inflicting harm through school resources. Problems of inappropriate use such as adjusting grades, tampering with work of other students, and defacing Web sites by K-12 students are already appearing in U.S. newspapers. In addition, the growing level …

Data Driven Calculations Histories To Minimize Ieee-755 Floating-Point Computational Error, Lawrence E. Shafer

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

The widely implemented and used IEEE-754 Floating-point specification defines a method by which floating-point values may be represented in fixed-width storage. This fixed-width storage does not allow the exact value of all rational values to be stored. While this is an accepted limitation of using the IEEE-754 specification, this problem is compounded when non-exact values are used to compute other values. Attempts to manage this problem have been limited to software implementations that require special programming at the source code level. While this approach works, the problem coder must be aware of the software and explicitly write high-level code specifically …

A Framework For The Identification Of Electronic Commerce Visual Design Elements That Enable Trust Within The Small Hotel Industry, R. Todd Stephens

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

Trust plays an important role in any customer relationship or transaction. This is especially true in the world of commerce. Buyers and sellers must make the conscious decision whether or not to trust the other party. Trust is an integral part of commerce and has been in existence since the beginning of human social interactions. With the emerging use of the Internet as a business medium of exchange, trust maintains an important role in electronic commerce. This research reviews the role of trust within the small hotel industry and the design elements having the highest impact toward developing trust between …

Graduate Certificate In Information Security 2004, Nova Southeastern University

College of Engineering and Computing Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Game Console Modification Chips: The Effect Of Fair Use And The Digital Millennium Copyright Act On The Circumvention Of Game Console Security Measures, Vijay G. Brijbasi

Nova Law Review

No abstract provided.

College Of Pharmacy Entry Level Program Overview, Nova Southeastern University

Health Professions Divisions Course Catalogs and Course Descriptions

No abstract provided.

The Knight Volume 14: Issue 8, Nova Southeastern University

Student Newspapers

No abstract provided.

Investigating The Impact Of Differentiating Instruction On Student Learning In Middle School Mathematics Class, Marcia Adams O’Neil

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Mathematical achievement across this country lags behind not only that of other industrialized nations but also behind that of other disciplines in the United States as documented by the Third International Math and Science Survey (National Center for Educational Statistics, 1999). Archival data from the state assessment, Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System, over the past 4 years document that mathematics performance lags behind English/language arts at all levels. Moreover, performance in mathematics is stagnant at the middle school level, Grades 6-8, unlike continual gains at the elementary and high school level. Clearly, student performance at the middle school level is an …

Creating A Professional Learning Community: Engaging Teachers In Change, Patsy G. Goolsby

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation provided teachers with interventions and strategies to assist in the implementation of a professional learning community at Navy Point Elementary School. In 1999, the state of Florida changed to a standards-based state testing system. Upon receiving a grade of D in the state grading system, the administration of Navy Point Elementary School began a study of the underlying causes for the problems that existed within the school. The community had gone through numerous economic changes. Most of the children in the school were at the poverty level, lived in single-parent homes, and would move 2 or more …

Improving Performance On Standardized Tests Through Planned Interventions At Independence Alternative High School, Josephine Bell Jones

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This study was an investigation of the effects of a tutorial intervention on the grades and standardized test scores of low-performing students in an alternative school setting in the Winston-Salem Forsyth County System. Students in this study attended Independence Alternative High School (IAHSP) because of low test scores, declining grades, and behavioral problems. There had been a continuous decline in the end-of-course tests scores for these students for 3 consecutive years.

During the 1998-2000 school years, the academic performance of these students declined by 10.8%. These students were discouraged learners who did not achieve in the standard high school program. …

Colorado Superintendency Attrition And Its Effects On The Fourth-Grade Reading Achievement: A Reflective Practitioner’S Investigation, Rod L. Blunck

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to gather a greater understanding of the impact of superintendent turnover and the effect on student achievement. The data-based accountability systems in place in Colorado place a great deal of pressure on superintendents to produce empirical results indicating increased student achievement.

The author gathered data from the Colorado Department of Education for student achievement results for the 4th grade reading assessment as measured by the Colorado Student Assessment Program (CSAP) for academic years 2001, 2002, and 2003 and for superintendent turnover as measured during academic years 2001 and 2002. Randomly selected, 5 superintendents were to …

The Development Of An Instructional Leadership Training Seminar For Elementary Assistant Principals, Lisa R. Buffaloe

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The purpose of this project was to supply first or second year elementary assistant principals with a school-based training seminar that would strengthen their instructional leadership skills and provide a network of professional support to beginning administrators. The product was a human resource development activity. The goal of the seminar, while providing leadership theory and practical strategies, was to advance the understanding of the connection between effective leadership and improved student learning.

A nonexperimental, descriptive research design that incorporated survey methodology to collect the data needed to identify common areas of concern and to develop the curriculum for a seminar …

An Intervention Model To Improve Overall Learning For Rural At-Risk Kindergartners, Vivian S. Burke

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation investigated whether at-risk kindergarten students who were taught with the 5 standards of effective pedagogy over an 8-month period would score higher on achievement measures. The 5 pedagogy standards are (a) joint productive activity, (b) language and literacy development, (c) meaning making, (d) complex thinking, and (e) instructional conversation. These standards emerged from principles of practice that have proven successful with majority and minority at-risk students in a variety of teaching and learning settings over several decades (R. G. Tharpe, 1988).

The researcher developed indicators for each standard, revealing action components of the standards and their functions …

Preparing Preservice Teachers To Understand, Adapt, And Apply The Reggio Emilia Philosophy, Nkechy Marie Ezeh

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to gain better understanding for the integration of the Reggio Emilia philosophy into the Early Childhood Education Endorsement program at a teacher preparation institution.

The methodology that was used included class discussion, observation, deconstruction of the Reggio Emilia principles, reflective practice, collaboration meetings, interviews, and field trips. The findings confirmed the findings in reviewed literature that the image and role of the preservice teachers should be that of an active apprentice not as an object of instruction.

Generalization of the findings to other teacher preparation programs must be done with caution because of the limitations …

A Program To Train Veteran Teachers As Mentors For Beginning Teachers, Sherritta Campbell

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The problem addressed in this applied dissertation was that the Orange County Induction Program did not provide districtwide training, nor was there a method to select and pair mentors with teachers. The purpose of this applied dissertation was to enhance the Orange County Induction Program by developing a training component that would prepare veteran teachers to be mentors for beginning teachers. This component contains criteria not only for training mentors, but also for selecting and pairing mentors with beginning teachers based upon their areas of need in the field of education. The development research methodology was used for this applied …

Evaluation Of The Training Program For Beginning Teachers At University School, Tara Ellsley

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to improve the support of beginning teachers at University School of Nova Southeastern University, a private high school. Veteran teachers, administrators, and support staff were not adequately prepared to integrate the beginning teachers who were rapidly leaving for employment elsewhere. There had been no attempt to identify their needs or evaluate their support system. Therefore, school leaders did not have the information necessary to address the retention problem.

The project identified beginning teacher needs and determined if the school was meeting those needs by answering the following questions: (a) What do beginning upper school teachers …

Symptoms And Possible Causes For Low Enrollment And Participation In The Advanced Placement Program, Debra A. Calvin

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to increase the participation rate of students in the advanced placement (AP) program in a comprehensive high school. The participation rate at this particular site was 8.69% for the 2001-2002 school year. An audit conducted at that time indicated that given the school’s demographics, the AP participation rate should have been at 20%. A strong AP program is advantageous not only to the students actually taking the course but to the entire student body as well. A system was set in place that did not promote the growth and development of AP.

The writer developed …

Assistive Technology: Increasing Access To The Curriculum For Students With Disabilities, Brian T. Fay

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Students with motoric and cognitive disabilities are unable to use traditional technology tools to complete the assignments on a daily basis. Lack of formal training in the field of assistive technology (AT) places elementary school special education teachers at a disadvantage for facilitating curriculum via technology. This applied dissertation proposed to increase students with disabilities' utilization of AT as a means of integrating components of the curriculum and to increase the full scope of educational opportunities, which then decreases the educational inequalities between regular education and special education students.

The writer used an inclusive model of AT integration during implementation …

The Impact Of Pressure Group Conflict And Micropolitics On Boards Of Education, Kimberly R. Hammond

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The purpose of this applied dissertation was to investigate the impact of conflict induced by pressure groups on board of education governance, conditions that result in the board capitulating to pressure group demands, and the resulting vulnerability of the superintendent.

Literature used as a framework for this applied dissertation included the relatively new field of micropolitics, the impact of micropolitics on school district leadership, vulnerability of superintendents, board/superintendent relations, the elite theory, why and how interest groups form, power of interest groups, and the dissatisfaction theory of democracy (R. Danis, 1984).

A qualitative approach was utilized for this applied dissertation. …

Development Of A Retention Plan For African American Male Students At Midlands Technical College With A Plan For Implementation And Evaluation, Wanda Fernandopulle

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Procedures for this development study included a review of the literature, establishment of criteria, formative committee review of criteria, summative committee validation of criteria, data collection, statistical analysis of survey and interview results, review of committee feedback, and a distribution of findings and recommendations to committee members.

A development methodology was used to answer 5 research questions: (a) What does the literature reveal about intervention approaches associated with retention for African American male college students? (b) What content should be included in the African American male retention plan as identified by summative and formative committee members? (c) What is the …

Development Of A Training Program For Postsecondary Allied Health Career School Practitioners, Evelyn Elliott Presley

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was developed to provide a training program for practitioners in postsecondary, for-profit allied health schools. The project was created to provide solutions to challenges that schools face when they hire individuals with technical work experience to teach adults. Too often, new hires are put in class without experience in teaching, an understanding of adult learners, and knowledge of the policies and procedures of the school.

The research questions that guided the developmental process were as follows:

1. What areas of concern currently exist in post-secondary, for-profit schools regarding the need for a training program for practitioners?

2. …

Implementation Of Professional Development Activities Related To The Integration Of Computer Technology, Robert Judson Bolles

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This program was designed to have teachers utilize computer technology as an instrument to develop the computer skills necessary to use computers in the classroom as an educational instructional tool. The goal was to assess the current professional development program and have a program designed to implement and train educators to use updated computer software and hardware. This program would have teachers utilizing computer technology as an instrument to assist in the delivery of specific curriculum.

Measurement and assessment instruments were instituted to assess the effectiveness of these activities and what impact, if any, this professional development program had on …

Improving African American Males’ Academic And Social Success Through Implementation Of An Alternative Classroom Setting, Kenneth E. Daniels Jr

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

In school year 2001, African American males at Swainsboro Elementary School in Swainsboro, Georgia, comprised 51% of total discipline referrals. Numbers were even higher in 2002 and 2003, those being 58% and 70%, respectively. Studies suggested that African American males are the most at-risk group in modern society because of lack of role models, lack of cultural identity, and lack of appropriate social skill development that would reduce social conflicts.

The intervention model contained in this applied dissertation addressed the areas of conflict resolution and social skills development, cultural awareness, and mentoring. Participating students were placed in an alternative setting …

Implementing A Site-Based New Teacher Induction Program: Support, Train, Assist, And Retain (Star), Gina Flynn-Carmack

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to implement a site-based teacher induction program at Chamberlain High School in order to increase job satisfaction, improve performance, and encourage retention in education among beginning teachers. The report describes a plan that was developed and implemented by the writer. The program contained 4 strategies designed to foster professional growth and personal support of beginning teachers: developing weekly learning communities, assigning a mentor to each beginning teacher, increasing administrator involvement, and maintaining frequent contact with a retired teacher to offer emotional support.

The writer measured both the success of each component of the STAR Teacher …