Digital Commons Network^™

Effects Of Student Response System In University Foundation Courses – Excerpts From A Doctoral Study, Grace M. Tuttle

International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

This paper is an excerpt on the author's doctoral study titled “Effects of Student Response System in University Foundations (UF) Courses.” This quasi-quantitative study explored the effects of iClicker technology on students’ academic performance based on final course grades, participation, and attendance in university foundation courses. This study evaluated data from 7,812 participants between spring 2017 to autumn 2019. The logistic regression analysis showed that for students in the clicker group, the odds of earning a final grade of A or B increased by a factor of 1.28 for each one standard deviation increase in participation z-score, controlling for other …

Enhancing Creativity Through Systematic Teaching: A Case Study In Management Education, Uri Sternberg, Sarit Moldovan

International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

This article presents a case study of an innovative teaching approach within an MBA course titled “Systematic Creative Thinking.” It demonstrates how the course applies the creativity principles it teaches to its own instructional design, embodying theory in practice. By utilizing ideation templates such as the Multiplication and Division, the course incorporates diverse teaching methodologies, including flipped classrooms, multimedia resources, and experiential group activities. This design fosters student engagement by addressing varied learning preferences and encouraging active participation. Qualitative and quantitative evidence indicate increased student satisfaction, improved performance, and deeper understanding, achieved through the synergy of theoretical instruction and …

Can I Be An Engineer? Factors Influencing Women’S Decisions To Pursue Undergraduate Engineering Studies In The Middle East And North Africa, Rasha Malaeb, Elsa Maalouf, Aya Mouallem, Jana Sabra

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

In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), different institutional and cultural factors seemingly play a significant role in influencing women’s decisions to enroll in undergraduate engineering programs. In this work, we aim to uncover key influences that affect young women’s decisions to pursue undergraduate engineering studies in Lebanon, an Arab country in the MENA region. First, we conducted a survey during a student-led engineering summer program in 2024 at the Maroun Semaan Faculty of Engineering and Architecture at the American University of Beirut. The survey participants were 47 high school female students from diverse regions and backgrounds in Lebanon. …

Farm-Level Financial Decision-Making Methodologies Within A Cow-Calf Enterprise: A Scoping Review, Heidi R. Johnson, Huiting Huang, Brenna Grant

Journal of Applied Farm Economics

Beef cow-calf enterprises face unique financial challenges, requiring methodologies to assess management and technology adoption decisions’ costs, revenues, and profitability. This scoping review synthesizes research on farm-level financial assessment methods specific to cow-calf operations aiming to adopt a new practice or technology. A literature search was conducted to capture various methodologies, examining studies published between 1960 and 2024. A total of 372 articles were screened for eligibility; 61 articles met the defined inclusion criteria. Eight economic and financial methodologies were identified: break-even analysis, cost effectiveness, gross margin, enterprise analysis, partial budgeting, cost-benefit analysis, financial feasibility and net present value, and …

Cost Effects Of Adding Poultry To Organic Vegetable Production Systems In California, Iowa, And Kentucky, Kwanele Magwaba, Alejandro Plastina, Ajay Nair, Maurice Pitesky, David J. Gonthier, Anne Carey, Faye Duan, Viktor Halmos

Journal of Applied Farm Economics

This study evaluates the economic viability of integrating poultry into organic vegetable crop rotations over three years in Kentucky and Iowa and two years in California. Given the growing global demand for food and heightened environmental awareness, understanding the financial implications of such integrated systems is crucial. Our comprehensive experiment compared integrated poultry-vegetable rotations with vegetable-only systems, assessing costs, revenues, and key factors influencing profitability. While integrating poultry reduced vegetable production costs by up to 10% in some cases, overall system costs increased due to high poultry expenses. Break-even poultry prices averaged $8/lb for low-density systems and $7 for high-density …

An Analysis Of Cover Crop Adoption In Southeastern Row Crop Systems: Benefits, Challenges, And Policy Implications, Madison H. Mccay, Yangxuan Liu, Alejandro Plastina, Guy A. Hancock, Amanda R. Smith

Journal of Applied Farm Economics

Cover crops, utilized by producers to provide seasonal soil cover between cash or forage crop cycles, play a significant role in diversifying crop rotations and enhancing environmental sustainability. This research aims to assess the economic impact and farmer perceptions of cover crop adoption in the southeastern United States, particularly in Georgia, Alabama, and Florida. Producers show interest in adopting cover crops with increasing awareness of their benefits, such as improved soil health, water quality, weed suppression, and reduced soil erosion. Despite these advantages, adoption rates are hindered by economic challenges. A survey conducted from January to March 2021 gathered data …

Case Studies To Examine Farmer Perceptions And Implementations Of Buffer Capacity In Southeastern Ontario, Bryan Collins

Journal of Applied Farm Economics

Buffer capacity measures the ability of a system to maintain its original function when confronted with outside stresses and is often considered to be a key component of resilience. Farmers in southeastern Ontario are facing several threats such as seasonal drought and volatile markets, prompting necessary responses on how to effectively manage their farms. This research study used an exploratory grounded theory approach to inquire how farmers seek to enhance buffer capacity on their farm by asking (1) what short-term threats their farm faces and (2) what strategies they are employing to navigate those threats. Ten farms in the Inverary …

Are Returns From Commercial Farming Heterogeneous? Case Of Wheat Growers In North India, Saroj Verma, Kirtti Ranjan Paltasingh, Phanindra Goyari

Journal of Applied Farm Economics

Contract farming (CF), generally a commercial farming system, is widely perceived as a welfare enhancement strategy in rural areas where agriculture is the major source of livelihood. However, those welfare implications have not been adequately explored in Indian agriculture. So, this study examines the returns to CF and the heterogeneity in their returns across various groups of wheat growers in Haryana, a leading agrarian state in India. Using an endogenous switching regression model on cross-sectional data of 754 farm households, the study found that CF adopters would lose 27% of their gross margins and 11% of their crop output if …

Fostering Engineering Identities And Attitudes Through Place-Conscious Learning Introduction, Rebekah Hammack, Miracle Moonga, Nicholas Lux, Paul Gannon

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

Limited research focuses on how participating in place-conscious engineering affects students’ engineering identities and attitudes toward engineering. This explanatory sequential mixed methods study investigated the effect of engaging elementary school students in place-conscious engineering activities on their engineering identities and attitudes toward engineering. Twenty fourth grade students enrolled in a rural elementary school in the northwestern United States completed two place-conscious engineering activities: (1) after a local wildfire polluted the air with smoke and made it unhealthy for breathing, students designed and built air filters to prevent smoke from entering the homes of affected families residing in a nearby community, …

Effects Of Oral Exams On Entry-Level Stem Mathematics Students, Krysten A. Pampel

International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

This study investigates the efficacy of oral examinations as an alternative assessment method in college algebra courses, focusing on their impact on student retention of mathematical concepts. Through a comparative analysis of two groups, one undergoing traditional assessment and the other receiving oral examinations, this research explores both quantitative assessment scores and qualitative feedback. While quantitative analysis reveals no significant difference in summative assessment performance between the two groups, qualitative data highlights the benefits of oral examinations, including immediate feedback, enhanced critical thinking, and holistic evaluation of student capabilities. Despite limitations in sample size, the study suggests that oral examinations …

Design Concept For Low-Cost Management Of Early Medial Or Lateral Osteoarthritis, Charles F. Babbs

Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering Faculty Working Papers

Background: Asymmetrical joint space narrowing occurs in many cases of knee osteoarthritis (OA). The objective of the present study is to elucidate the biomechanics of lateral wedges in shoes used to widen the medial joint space in predominantly medial OA, and the biomechanics of medial wedges in shoes used to widen the lateral joint space in predominantly lateral OA. Methods: Medial or lateral shift of the center of weight bearing of the foot is largely offset by movement of the flexible hip joint, which changes the tilt angle of the femoral head in the frontal plane. The altered tilt can …

Does Sequence Matter? Impact Of Redesigning Sequential Calculus Course On Students’ Learning Outcomes, Chantal Levesque-Bristol Dr., Wonki Lee Dr., Emily M. Bonem, Benjamin C. Wiles, Jennifer D. Moss, Wilella D. Burgess, Weiling Li

International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

As colleges and universities increasingly transform their STEM courses through the adoption of more active, student-centered pedagogies, there is a growing need to understand the impact of these educational innovations on student outcomes. This study is conducted in the context of a university-wide faculty development and course redesign project, IMPACT (Instruction Matters, Purdue Academic Course Transformation). IMPACT supports faculty in implementing student-centered pedagogical practices and creating equitable and inclusive learning environments. This study focuses on a sequence of two introductory calculus courses (Calculus 1 and Calculus 2, hereafter CALC 1 and CALC 2) that were transformed as part of the …

Humanizing Online Learning Through Culturally Responsive Pedagogy: Preserving Cultural Identity And Human Connection In Digital Spaces, Michael Mills

International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

The rapid shift to online and hybrid learning environments has highlighted the need for culturally responsive pedagogical approaches in digital spaces. While much research has explored culturally responsive teaching in traditional classrooms, less attention has been paid to how these principles can be effectively translated to online learning environments. This article examines how culturally responsive pedagogy can be meaningfully integrated into online learning spaces through intentional course design, assessment practices, and community building. Drawing from existing literature on culturally responsive teaching, online learning, and digital equity, this paper provides a framework for educators to create more inclusive and culturally sustaining …

Enhancing Deep Learning And Workload Management In Online Education: The Power Of Scaffolded Weekly Assessments, Maryam Mohammad Zadeh, Rebecca Ferrari

International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

This study investigates the use of scaffolded weekly assessments with individual feedback in promoting deep learning and managing workload among engineering students in online education. The research focuses on how these assessment strategies shape students’ learning approaches and workload distribution. The study involved the implementation of weekly assessments aligned with intended learning outcomes, complemented by personalized feedback. Data collection comprised student surveys and qualitative feedback to assess the impact on learning approaches and workload management. The qualitative results show that 91.9% of the students adopted deep learning, where only 8.1% engaging in surface learning. Students reported that this approach not …

Understanding Technology Integration Through Hermeneutic Interpretation: A Study Of Faculty Experiences At An Hbcu, Jill Ardley, Tamara Smith-Moyler, Keesha M. Kerns, Beatrice Darden-Woody, Priscilla Spencer, Ronald White

International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

This study explores how six education faculty members in the School of Education at a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) in the southeastern United States interpret and implement instructional technology instruction through a hermeneutic theoretical lens. Grounded in the HBCU’s School of Education vision statement, the research investigates how faculty members’ understanding of human learning behaviors shapes their pedagogical choices within School of Education courses. The qualitative analysis revealed three key themes: (1) Technology as a Tool for Equity and Inclusion, (2) Alignment with the School of Education Vision, and (3) Student-Centered, Practice-Oriented Use of Technology. Rather than employing …

Doctoral Students’ Perceived Academic Research Reading Ability: A Mixed-Methods Study, Ryan Glaman

International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

Empirical research is useful for informing educational policy and practice. However, doctoral students often struggle with reading and evaluating empirical research papers. The present study examined doctoral students’ perceptions of their ability to read and evaluate empirical research articles, both before and after an educational research methods course, as well as which course components students perceived as most impacting their ability to read and evaluate research articles. The study used a convergent mixed methods design, involving pre- and post-course survey data. Results indicated students felt they improved in their experience levels, comfort levels, interpretation ability, and evaluation ability regarding reading …

Factors Impacting Elementary School Students’ Engineering Design And Optimization Decisions, Elaine Silva Mangiante, Ilana Haliwa

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

This mixed methods study explored possible factors that could impact elementary school students’ engineering design and optimization decisions. Data were collected from six teachers and 117 students in six fourth grade classrooms that implemented the Engineering is Elementary geotechnical engineering unit, A Stick in the Mud: Evaluating a Landscape. Students were to recommend to villagers their site decision of where to build a TarPul bridge based on four properties: soil type, villager preference, amount of compaction needed, and location less prone to erosion. Data sources included a pre-and post-assessment question, students’ documentation of property choices for their first and optimized …

Shedding The Chrysalis: Black Women Leading In Higher Education, Olga M. Welch, Carolyn R. Hodges

Navigating Careers in Higher Education Series

Shedding the Chrysalis: Black Women Leading in Higher Education features the voices of six experienced and emerging Black females in a variety of academic leadership roles. This book provides a Black feminist perspective, highlighting the need to address racial realism within higher education administration. These personal testimonies focus on a variety of levels in the academic hierarchy to emphasize the continuum across the lived experiences of these women, some of whom have served in multiple upper-level administrative roles. The contributors’ positions range from postdoctoral research fellows to positions reporting to central administration at predominantly white institutions. Shedding the Chrysalis underscores …

“It Seems Like A Never-Ending Job”: Voices Of Female Caregivers Of Older Adults In The Rural Communities, Lalani Nasreen, Bhagyashree Katare, Evans Appiah Osei, Siqi Yang, Sampada Wagle, Julian L. Gallegos, Abidemi Mary Ajuwon

School of Nursing Faculty Publications

Background: Rural female caregivers of older adults face significant caregiving challenges that puts them at high risk for poor self-care and wellbeing. Limited studies have examined the self-care needs of caregivers from a gender equity and social perspective.

Objective: Our study aims to explore the self-care needs and preferences of rural female caregivers and underlying key processes contributing toward their health and well-being. Methods: A qualitative descriptive design was used for the study. A purposive sample of (n = 20) rural female caregivers was obtained. In-depth individual interviews were conducted for data collection. Each interview was about 45- 60 min …

Evaluation Of 14 Round Tomato Cultivars In Southwest Michigan In 2025, Ben Phillips

Midwest Vegetable Trial Reports

A round tomato cultivar trial was planted at the Southwest Michigan Research and Extension Center (42.081985, -86.354087, Benton Harbor, Michigan). Bejo (BJ), Enza Zaden (EZ), North Carolina State University (NCSU), PanAmerican (PA), and Sakata (SK) seed companies donated 14 cultivars for plastic mulch-bedded hand harvest. Overall, the trial quality was good, with periods of high heat slowing ripening.

Evaluation Of Eight Parthenocarpic Slicing Cucumber Cultivars And Four Production Systems In Southwest Michigan In 2025, Ben Phillips

Midwest Vegetable Trial Reports

In the machine-harvested pickling cucumber system, parthenocarpic (parth) varieties make up about 50% of the market, and is growing. The seed cost is higher, but this is offset by not needing to contract or truck bees and an increased yield when planted at half the population of standard varieties. Additionally, they hold their shape and size better when moisture and temperatures fluctuate, reducing docked payments from graders. In pickling cucumbers, a breakeven yield is approximately 250 bushels per acre with a plant population of 30,000 plants per acre. Plant populations can play a strong role in economic viability, as demonstrated …

A Review Of Alberto Toscano’S Late Fascism, Clint Burnham

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

No abstract provided.

Exploring The Relationship Between Man And Nature In A Postmodern Context：A Review Of Ecocriticism And Chinese Literature: Imaginary Landscapes And Real Living Spaces, Jiyong Geng, Jie Yang

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

No abstract provided.

A Review Of Zahi Zalloua's The Politics Of The Wretched: Race, Reason, And Ressentiment, Benjamin Davis

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

No abstract provided.

Exploring Chinese Elements In J.D. Salinger’S Works: A Response To Mccarthyism In The Early Cold War Era, Yixin Lu

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

Since the publication of “The Laughing Man” in 1949, various ideas about “China” have emerged in J. D. Salinger’s famously obscure works. This article aims to argue that Salinger’s incorporation of elements related to China and ancient Chinese philosophy in his works illustrates an artistic response to American anxieties during the McCarthy Era. The article uses “The Laughing Man” and “De Daumier-Smith’s Blue Period” as case studies to demonstrate how Salinger’s engagement with “China,” including the concept of indiscrimination from Zen Buddhist ideas, as well as notions of naturalness and non-action from Taoist ideas, develops not only a mystical writing …

Ginsberg’S China Experience And Its Influence On His Series Of Poems On China, Xiankai Ren

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

As a renowned poet and representative of the Beat Generation, Allen Ginsberg was invited to be a member of the US Writers’ Delegation to visit China in 1984. His China trip as well as his reading of traditional Chinese literature constitute his China experience, which is represented in Ginsberg’s poetry. This essay examines Ginsberg’s series of poems on China. It first shows that Ginsberg’s introduction to the Beat Generation poets and their poetics provided the inspiration for his poetry writing. Then it discusses Ginsberg’s observation of Chinese society during his visit and his reading of the Chinese poet Bai Juyi. …

Cyborg Feminism And Toxic Colonialism In Chen Qiufan’S Waste Tide, Yuan Yuan

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

The article probes into the interrelationships among cyborg technology, sexual violence, and toxic colonialism represented in the Chinese SF novel Waste Tide by Chen Qiufan. It applies methodologies in posthumanism and ecofeminism and situates the text in the Chinese as well as a global context. It intends to provide a non-Western perspective to understand cyborg feminism by associating the Chinese historical reality with trans-species thinking. It argues that the SF author Chen Qiufan is critical about the anthropogenic body modifications which may challenge the process of female resistance and resilience in the face of gender and colonial oppression. By doing …

In Memoriam Gwangju: Transnational Memoryscapes Of Gwangju And Buenos Aires In The Works Of Han Kang And Im Heung-Soon, Heewon Chung

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

Currently acclaimed as the first Asian female author who won the Nobel Prize in literature, Korean writer Han Kang has persistently struggled with memoryscapes and traumascapes. Han’s collection of poems Winter Beyond the Mirror delineates the poetic “I”’s experiences of visiting Argentina and describes how she senses the interconnectedness between Gwangju and Buenos Aires. Korean artist-filmmaker Im Heung-soon’s recent film Good Light, Good Air addresses the same issue, and actually Im and Han have shared a mutual concern about it since Han’s novel Human Acts. This essay defines Winter Beyond the Mirror and Good Light, Good Air, coupled …

“I Have Got Rid Of, For Good, Eastern Backwardness”: Ra’Fat’S Guilty Assimilation In Al Aswany’S Chicago: A Novel, Rimun Murad

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

Where scholars of Arab studies have asserted that conversations of integration or assimilation in Arab American and Arab immigrant literature have shifted to notions of hybridity and multiculturalism, Alaa Al Aswany’s Chicago: A Novel stresses that the question of assimilation remains relevant due to the power differentials that exist between “East” and “West.” Chicago’s Dr. Ra’fat Thabit who insists on replacing his Egyptian identity with an “American” one—and embracing highly problematic norms—offers an understanding of assimilation as an emotional process that occasions violence towards the other. This violence, in turn, brings about feelings of guilt and shame rechanneled as …

Daoist Philosophy And Stephen Mitchell’S The Frog Prince: A Fairy Tale For Consenting Adults, Yunfei Yu, Senlin Yu

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

In 1999, Stephen Mitchell published The Frog Prince: A Fairy Tale for Consenting Adults, in which he added “a good deal of background materials” and “a certain number of necessary explanations” to the “six-and-a-half-minute” world-famous Grimms’ fairy tale The Frog Prince, making it a psychological and philosophical novella. This paper illustrates how Daoist philosophy is entailed in Stephen Mitchell’s Frog Prince by analyzing the protagonists’ practice of Daoist philosophy: the Princess’s pursuit of a Daoist natural, simple and carefree life; the Frog’s transformation from an ugly frog to a handsome prince by practicing meditation; and the King’s love …