Digital Commons Network^™

Exploring Conceptions Of Engineering Design And Sustainability In Informal K–12 Engineering Education, Mobina Beheshti, Eunice Y. Kang, Avneet Hira

Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER)

In this study we investigate K–12 students’ conceptualizations of sustainability, their perspectives on the role of engineers in sustainable practices, and how augmented reality (AR) can facilitate sustainability-oriented engineering design activities in informal settings. The AR technology used in this study includes the Merge Cube (a physical cube that serves as a digital canvas for AR) and CoSpaces Edu (an online platform that allows students to create 3D models and animate them using code). We employ a design-based research methodology, using qualitative narrative and artifact analysis to address the research questions: (1) What are students’ conceptions of sustainability and the …

Ivory Towers Have Glass Ceilings: Institutional Responsibility In Promotion To Full Professor, Chardie L. Baird, Mangala Subramaniam

Navigating Careers in Higher Education Series

A must-read for higher education leaders committed to equity, Ivory Towers Have Glass Ceilings examines faculty members’ experiences in promotion to full professorship. This volume discusses how structures, practices, processes, and policies pertaining to promotion from associate professor to full professor both presume and reproduce racialized and gendered inequity.

Women’s teaching and service loads are often quantitatively and qualitatively different from white and some Asian men’s experiences, which only serves to reinforce the status quo. This also extends beyond teaching and service to the types of intellectual contributions that are considered important, which often excludes the hands-on, engaged work that …

Bitseat: Reimagining The Financing For Airliners Using Nonfungible Tokens (Blockchain Technology), Edwin S. Ongola

Journal of Aviation Technology and Engineering

This essay describes how blockchain technology, particularly nonfungible tokens, can be used to raise funding for airliners. The essay begins with a brief overview on the costs, categories, and acquisition methods of airliners. After that, the essay introduces concepts on blockchain technology, tokens, and smart contracts. The essay then touches on how nonfungible tokens can be used to facilitate fractional ownership of airliners. From there, the essay discusses Bitseat, a conceptual nonfungible token for fractional ownership of airliners, covering its overall design, appeal, marketplace alternatives, and challenges. Finally, in the discussion, the essay summarizes the overall concept and outlines its …

Understanding Mental Wellness In Collegiate Pilots: The Interplay Of Fatigue, Sleep, And Health-Promoting Behaviors, Flavio Antonio Coimbra Mendonca, Samantha Bowyer, Carolina Anderson, Bill Deng Pan

Journal of Aviation Technology and Engineering

This study investigates patterns of fatigue severity, sleep hygiene, daytime sleepiness, and health-promoting lifestyle behaviors and examine the interrelationships among these factors in collegiate aviation students. Participants included undergraduate professional pilot students enrolled in a Code of Federal Regulations Part 141 four-year aviation degree program in the southeastern United States (N = 82).

Participants completed four validated self-report instruments: the Fatigue Severity Scale, the Sleep Hygiene Index, the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, and the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile II. Descriptive analyses were conducted to characterize the results of each assessment, and Pearson correlations and multiple regression analyses were performed to examine intervariable …

Translating Higher Education Into Vietnamese: An Applied Linguistics Approach To Language Equity And Higher Education Access, Z.W. Taylor, Alan Do, Jase Kugiya, Tuan Le

Journal of Southeast Asian American Education and Advancement

One growing population of non-native English speakers in the U.S. education system are native Vietnamese speakers, yet no studies have examined how higher education communication could be made more accessible for Vietnamese speakers. As a result, this case study reports on human and machine translational linguistics work conducted in partnership with the University of Iowa focused on simplifying and translating English enrollment management information into Vietnamese. Findings suggest that the institution increased the clarity and accessibility of enrollment management information by using second-person pronouns, shorter sentence structures, clearer diction, and explanations of institution-specific jargon. Moreover, analyses of machine and human …

Creating Business Teaching Cases With Deep Research Ai: The Lov Ai Co-Creation Approach, David Grundy

International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

This paper examines the use of generative artificial intelligence in the development of teaching cases for MBA programs. The study introduces the Lecturer Oversight and Verification of AI (LOV AI) Co-Creation Approach, which integrates the ChatGPT 5.2 Thinking Deep Research model with structured subject expert supervision to produce teaching extended case studies and related teaching materials. The model is implemented through a multi-step process. First, specific prompts are used to identify and select potential case topics that align with required syllabus objectives. Next, the AI model generates extensive drafts that include narratives, background information, and supporting data for each case. …

Faculty Insights On Teaching Self-Determination Skills In Postsecondary Education, Jacqueline Lubin

International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

While self-determination skills may serve as a predictor of success in higher education, limited research exists on faculty attitudes toward teaching these skills to students with and without disabilities. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine faculty’s knowledge of self-determination and perception of teaching self-determination skills to all college students. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multivariate analysis of variance. Findings indicated that while the majority of participants were familiar with the term “self-determination,” and recognized its instructional value, their responses varied on their likelihood to teach skills. On average, faculty reported being somewhat likely to …

Say What You Know: Administering Group Oral Examinations In Undergraduate And Graduate Courses, Lenore Wright, Andrew Arterbury

International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

or more than two decades, university professors at the institute of study have implemented group oral examinations as a summative assessment strategy within their courses. This essay offers a critical reflection on the pedagogical benefits of this format, examining its impact on both instructors and students, while also addressing the practical and logistical challenges encountered in its sustained use. In the context of the rapid proliferation of artificial intelligence and the corresponding complications it introduces for traditional assessment practices, the authors argue that group oral examinations have gained renewed significance. Specifically, they highlight the capacity of this approach to promote …

Contextualizing Second Language Anxiety In Multilingual Higher Education: Classroom Conditions And Clinical Settings, Busayo O. Ige

International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

In South African universities, multilingual students whose first language is not English face distinct challenges that impact academic participation and success. This qualitative study examines how second language (L2) anxiety shapes first-year students’ classroom and clinical experiences at the University of Cape Town. Drawing on open-ended survey data, the study reveals that fear of negative evaluation, communicative apprehension, and prevailing language ideologies contribute to students’ reluctance to speak, feelings of invisibility, and withdrawal from engagement. Although anxiety tends to lessen over time, it rarely disappears completely. Notably, students experienced anxiety differently across settings: classroom discussions elicited greater fear and self-censorship, …

From Reflection To Confidence: Student Career Self-Efficacy In Course-Embedded Career Learning At A Minority-Serving Institution, Elizabeth J. Muniz, Isaura B. Flores-Breeze

International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

From Reflection to Confidence: Student Career Self-Efficacy in Course-Embedded Career Learning at a Minority-Serving Institution

Abstract

This study examines undergraduate students’ career decision-making self-efficacy and related performance indicators within course-integrated career readiness assignments at a Hispanic- and minority-serving institution. As higher education institutions seek scalable approaches to workforce preparation, embedding career development into credit-bearing coursework may offer more equitable access to professional learning opportunities, particularly for students at Minority-Serving Institutions. Guided by Bandura’s theory of self-efficacy and the career decision-making self-efficacy framework, this evaluation study analyzes descriptive data from faculty-rated rubric summaries across multiple course-integrated assignments (assignment-level sample sizes varied) …

Learning Engineering Design Through Making: Affordances Of A Nonformal Tinkering Environment, Cristina Simarro, Digna Couso

Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER)

The maker movement has been increasingly adopted as a means for promoting interdisciplinary approaches to STEM learning. However, empirical evidence regarding how making supports the development of engineering design skills remains limited and inconclusive. This study provides an in-depth examination of a nonformal educational initiative grounded in tinkering, a creative and improvisational subset of making, by analyzing the tasks undertaken by primary school children in a tinkering setting. Our results confirm the capacity of tinkering activities to foster specific engineering design practices and elucidate the interrelationships between them. Furthermore, the findings highlight the potential of such approaches to facilitate the …

Instruction Guide, Mark C. Hall

Analytical Biochemistry: A Practical Handbook for Undergraduates

The instruction guide provides useful information for setting up and running the lab activities each week and assessing student preparation, performance, and comprehension.

Evaluating Engagement-Based Learning Opportunities In Undergraduate Manufacturing Education, Salil Bapat, Ajay P. Malshe

MMRL-XMO Industrial Seminar

This paper presents an engagement-based learning framework implemented in an undergraduate mechanical engineering course on additive manufacturing, with a specific focus on metal additive manufacturing (AM). The course integrated in-class discussion of AM fundamentals, discussing processes, materials, and designs with parallel semester-long team-based activities for encouraging and increasing hands-on student engagement. The paper specifically elaborates on the implementation of the project activity, focused on the design and manufacturing of bio-inspired lightweight lattice structures. The outcomes and reflections demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach in enhancing student engagement and complement the in-class lectures while also presenting future opportunities for improvements. This …

Powder Metal Characterization For Additive Manufacturing, Paul Mort, Donovan Stumpf, Rajeshree Varma, Dina Khattab, Xiaoling Shen, Michael Titus, Michael Sealy, Jeff Jaworek, Jake Kim, Langdon Feltner

MMRL-XMO Industrial Seminar

Powder characterization is important for specification and qualification of powder feedstock materials used in powder-bed additive manufacturing.  Characteristics include both distributed properties (i.e., particle morphology, size, shape, curvature distributions) as well as ensemble behavior including flow, spread-ability, and packing.  Ensemble behavior is highly sensitive to boundary conditions in thin-layer processing, for example as required for additive manufacturing, thin-layer calendaring for dry-cathode processing, and many tribology-related applications.  Particulate flow and packing are inherently multi-body ensemble processes; the distributed characteristics of particulates comprise said multi-body effects. Characterization of powder feedstock is important for manufacturing process control, resource efficiency, and product quality.  This …

Generative Ai For Decision Making In The Manufacturing Systems, Xingyu Li

MMRL-XMO Industrial Seminar

Manufacturing systems increasingly demand real-time, multi-objective, and human-aligned decision-making that existing approaches cannot provide. In this study, we introduce the Generative Manufacturing System (GMS), a paradigm that reframes manufacturing decisions as samples from a learned conditional distribution, replacing inference-time search in the existing optimization-based approaches. Two instantiation examples are presented in manufacturing decision-making, including layout design and production scheduling, using domain-adapted diffusion models conditioned on operational constraints and human preferences. Experiments demonstrate 100% feasibility, near-zero objective matching error, and 25x decision making speed gain, establishing generative AI as a scalable, efficient, and human-centric decision-making engine for modern manufacturing systems.

A Generalized Real-Time Geometric Virtualization Of Material Removal Processes For A Factory Digital Twin Platform, Jongwoo Han, Chang Hyeon Mun, Martin Byung-Guk Jun, Hyung Wook Park

MMRL-XMO Industrial Seminar

As the transition toward autonomous smart factories and Cyber-Physical Production Systems (CPPS) accelerates, real-time digital twin implementation of manufacturing processes has emerged as a critical enabling technology. However, existing virtualization approaches present fundamental limitations: mesh-based Boolean methods are computationally infeasible for real-time processing due to their CPU-bound operations, while pure voxel-based methods suffer from staircase artifacts at geometric boundaries and exhibit exponentially increasing computational demands as resolution improves. To overcome these limitations, this paper proposes a GPU-accelerated real-time geometric virtualization method combining Signed Distance Field (SDF) with the Marching Cubes algorithm. The proposed method executes massively parallel SDF subtractive operations …

Programmable Hybrid And Gradient Constant Mean Curvatures For High-Performance Multifunctional Mechanical Metamaterials, Ajith Annavajhula, Gary J. Cheng

MMRL-XMO Industrial Seminar

Architected solids that combine high stiffness, strength, toughness, and ductility in one geometry are difficult to manufacture without specialised feedstocks or sequential consolidation. Two complementary architectures are built here from a single curvature-programmed building-block library of four constant-mean-curvature (CMC) shell topologies — Schwarz Primitive (SP), Schwarz Diamond (SD), Schoen's I-WP, and FRD — that share commensurate cubic facets and admit C0 /C1 /C2 continuity at every interface. Multi-objective hybridisation gives an open-cell metamaterial with specific axial stiffness E*/ρ* = 63.6 GPa·cm3 ·g-1 and specific peak compressive stress σpeak/ρ* = 416.9 MPa·cm3 ·g-1, exceeding the I-WP single family by 40% in …

An Automated Construction Framework For Immersive Digital Twins With Ground-Based Cad Pose Estimation, Huichan Park, Yuseop Sim, Byoungkwon Yoon, Asif Tanveer, Martin Byung-Guk Jun, Sang Won Lee

MMRL-XMO Industrial Seminar

This paper presents an automated workflow for constructing an immersive digital twin by combining multimodal field sensing, ground-based CAD-to-point-cloud registration, and physics engine-based scene generation. To reduce human intervention during digital twin construction, the proposed pipeline estimates machine poses by registering CAD-derived point clouds to a colorized point cloud map. Instead of relying on unconstrained six-degree-of-freedom point cloud registration algorithms, such as Iterative Closest Point (ICP) or TEASER++, the proposed method detects the ground plane, reduces the search space to planar translation and yaw, and applies coarse-to-fine slicing followed by 3-DoF planar ICP refinement. The method was evaluated using two …

Development Of Scalable Fsr Sensor Array-Based Human Footprint Acquisition Module For Manufacturing Automation, Hangyeom Lee, Yuseop Sim, Hojun Lee, Byoungkwon Yoon, Martin Byung-Guk Jun

MMRL-XMO Industrial Seminar

As human-robot collaboration becomes increasingly prevalent in modern industrial automation, optimizing mobile robot navigation to align with human spatial preferences is essential for efficient workflows. Conventional spatial tracking modalities, such as vision, LiDAR, and Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs), face several limitations in factory environments due to visual occlusion, variable lighting, and accumulated signal drift. To overcome these environmental interferences, this paper proposes a scalable and versatile human footprint acquisition module based on a Force Sensitive Resistor (FSR) sensor array. This presented architecture utilizes a modular grid of FSR sensors integrated with embedded Microcontroller Units (MCUs) and Data Acquisition (DAQ) modules, …

An Llm-Based Multi-Agent System For Manufacturing Decision Support: Material–Process Recommendation And Process Parameter Optimization, Geonhwi Lee, Yulseok Byun, Seungjae Han, Martin Byung-Guk Jun, Hae-Jin Choi

MMRL-XMO Industrial Seminar

As product fabrication environments become increasingly diverse, there is a growing need for decision support that connects users’ fabrication intents and requirements to appropriate manufacturing conditions. In this study, we propose an LLM-based multi-agent system for manufacturing decision support that systematically supports material and process recommendation, equipment selection, process parameter optimization, and result prediction. The proposed system utilizes manufacturing literature and technical documents through RAG-based manufacturing knowledge retrieval and excludes low-relevance documents before response generation by verifying the relevance of retrieved documents to the user query. In addition, it explores support relationships among materials, processes, and equipment based on a …

Multi-Scale In-Situ Powder Stream Characterization For Laser Directed Energy Deposition, Guang Yang, Clara Mock, Salil Bapat, Ajay Malshe

MMRL-XMO Industrial Seminar

Powder stream quality in laser directed energy deposition (L-DED) is a critical determinant of deposition consistency and final part quality, yet it remains largely uncharacterized in real-time during operation. This paper presents a dual-scale, vision-based in-situ characterization framework that addresses powder stream monitoring at two complementary levels: macro-scale flow quality assessment for real-time process monitoring and micro-scale particle tracking for digital twin data acquisition. Both scales are implemented on a single high-speed camera reconfigured between two resolution and frame-rate settings, eliminating the need for dedicated multi-camera infrastructure. At the macro scale, an OpenCV-based image processing pipeline operating at 1280 × …

A Practical Digital Twin Framework For Safe Human-Robot Collaboration In Resilient In-House Manufacturing, Harshkumar K. Parmar, Shivakumar Raman

MMRL-XMO Industrial Seminar

Recent supply-chain disruptions and growing interest in domestic production have renewed attention to in-house manufacturing systems that are flexible, practical, and easier to deploy. Human-robot collaboration (HRC) is a promising option in such settings because it combines human adaptability and judgment with robotic precision and repeatability [1], [2]. Still, broader use of HRC in smaller or resource-constrained manufacturing environments is often limited by safety concerns, coordination challenges, and the cost and complexity of implementation. This paper presents a practical digital twin framework for safe human-robot collaboration in resilient in-house manufacturing. The contribution of the paper is not a generic three-layer …

Photopolymerization-Based Additive Manufacturing Of Glass Microsphere-Filled Composites, Nzube Udegbunam, Amy Peterson, Christopher Hansen, Pauline Smith, Alireza Amirkhizi, Ian Mcaninch

MMRL-XMO Industrial Seminar

Composite systems offer significant advantages in tailoring mechanical properties across a component; however, the influence of additive manufacturing techniques on the microstructure, cure behavior, and performance of such materials remains insufficiently understood, particularly for photocurable polymer composites. This study investigates the fabrication and characterization of polymer composites reinforced with glass microspheres using two additive manufacturing techniques, specifically UV-assisted Direct Ink Writing (DIW) and Digital Light Processing (DLP). Interestingly, we observe large differences in tensile properties between DLP specimens fabricated using different printers, indicating that individual printer design is an important consideration. We also demonstrate that the same polymer feedstock can …

Purdue University School Of Nursing Guidelines For The Use Of Generative Ai Tools, Laura M. Moffat, Amanda Obourn, Courtney Henchon

Purdue School of Nursing Generative AI Toolkit

The Generative Artificial Intelligence Use and Disclosure Policy establishes School of Nursing expectations for the ethical, responsible, and transparent use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in teaching and learning. The policy defines responsibilities for faculty and students, emphasizes alignment between GenAI use and course or learning activity requirements, and requires appropriate disclosure of GenAI-assisted work. It also addresses academic integrity, privacy, data security, intellectual property, accuracy, bias, and accountability. Used with the Generative AI Acceptable Use and Disclosure Scale, the policy provides a consistent framework for communicating permitted levels of GenAI use while supporting AI literacy, equitable learning, and …

Purdue University School Of Nursing Ai Level Designation And Student Disclosure: Level 1-5, Laura M. Moffat, Amanda Obourn, Courtney Henchon

Purdue School of Nursing Generative AI Toolkit

The Purdue University School of Nursing AI Level Designation and Student Disclosure: Levels 1–5 is a companion tool to the School of Nursing AI Use and Disclosure Scale. It allows faculty to clearly designate the permitted level of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) use for a learning activity or assessment and provides standardized language for students to disclose their actual use of GenAI. The document includes disclosure options aligned with each of the five cumulative levels and reinforces student responsibility for the accuracy, integrity, and quality of submitted work. The tool supports consistent expectations, transparent communication, responsible GenAI use, and efficient …

Purdue University School Of Nursing Generative Ai Syllabus Statement, Laura M. Moffat, Amanda Obourn, Courtney Henchon

Purdue School of Nursing Generative AI Toolkit

The Purdue University School of Nursing Generative Artificial Intelligence Syllabus Statement provides standardized language for communicating expectations for generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) use in School of Nursing courses. The statement directs students to use GenAI only as permitted by the instructor and the designated level of the School of Nursing AI Use and Disclosure Scale. It addresses required disclosure, student accountability, use of Purdue-approved platforms, and protection of copyrighted, confidential, and otherwise protected information. The statement also connects inappropriate or undisclosed GenAI use with applicable School of Nursing and University academic integrity policies, promoting consistent and transparent expectations across courses.

Purdue University School Of Nursing Suspected Unauthorized Generative Ai Use: Faculty Review And Escalation Process, Laura M. Moffat, Amanda Obourn, Courtney Henchon

Purdue School of Nursing Generative AI Toolkit

The Purdue University School of Nursing Suspected Unauthorized Generative AI Use: Faculty Review and Escalation Process provides a structured, evidence-informed approach for responding to concerns about unauthorized or undisclosed generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) use in student work. The process guides faculty through an initial holistic review, student communication, documentation, and consideration of relevant course and assignment expectations. It includes a three-tier framework for determining proportionate, learning-focused, or formal responses based on the nature and severity of the concern. When evidence is inconclusive or concerns remain unresolved, consultation with the course coordinator and nursing leadership is recommended. The process promotes consistency, …

Purdue University School Of Nursing Ai Use And Disclosure Scale, Laura M. Moffat, Amanda Obourn, Courtney Henchon

Purdue School of Nursing Generative AI Toolkit

The Purdue University School of Nursing AI Use and Disclosure Scale provides a five-level framework for communicating expectations for generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) use in learning activities and assessments. The cumulative scale ranges from work completed without GenAI assistance to activities in which extensive GenAI use may be permitted. Each level identifies allowable uses and corresponding disclosure expectations while maintaining student responsibility for the accuracy, integrity, and quality of submitted work. Faculty may select the level appropriate to the learning outcomes and assessment purpose. The scale promotes consistent communication, transparent disclosure, responsible GenAI use, and the development of AI literacy …

Ábreme La Puerta Y Entraré: Utilizing Hip Hop Pedagogy To Build Community For English Learners With Disabilities, Ebony Nicole Perez, Georgina Rivera-Singletary

Journal of the Arts and Special Education

English Language Learners (ELL) with disabilities face complex educational experiences due to their limited English-speaking ability, coupled with their unique learning challenges. Often, they are viewed from a deficit rather than an asset perspective, leading them to feelings of isolation and marginalization. Providing opportunities to engage in transformative learning experiences, ELL students with disabilities can experience a sense of belonging and empowerment in educational endeavors. Hip-hop can offer dynamic opportunities for ELL students with disabilities by creating an inclusive, affirming space that validates diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Through Hip-hop cyphers, rap battles, and collaborative songwriting, students can grasp new …

Flows That Teach: Multimodal Hip-Hop Pedagogy For Equity In Special Education, Camille O'Quin, Sara Jozwik

Journal of the Arts and Special Education

Hip-Hop can be more than a soundtrack played at home, it can be a bridge between culture, language, and learning at school. This article shows how Hip-Hop pedagogy, translanguaging, and code-meshing can support students with disabilities, especially those who speak African American Vernacular English (AAVE), in the classroom setting. Grounded in culturally relevant pedagogy and translanguaging theory, the approach uses rhythm, storytelling, and performance to build narrative fluency, language awareness, and confidence. Examples include students drafting rap verses about personal experiences, holding structured cypher circles to practice turn-taking and self-expression, and blending AAVE with Mainstream American English in writing for …