Digital Commons Network^™

College Students’ Perceptions Of Artificial Intelligence (Ai) Risks And Benefits In Pakistan, Rauf Arif, Muhammad Ittefaq, Lamia Zia

Human-Machine Communication

With the rapid advancements in technology over the past 2 decades, it has become crucial to understand people’s attitudes toward artificial intelligence (AI) adoption and its associated risks. Given the increasing access to the AI technologies, it is imperative to examine how young people in non-Western societies like Pakistan perceive AI risks and benefits. We conducted an online survey of college students who had used AI technology in the past 6 months. The results of our study indicate that the majority of college students view AI technology positively and perceive it as an opportunity to enhance workplace productivity. In addition, …

Casa Renovations: Examining Social Responses To An Anthropomorphic Media Representative That Is Separate From The Core Technology Being Represented, Rabindra Ratan, Dayeoun Jang, Taenyun Kim, Kelsey Earle, Gabriel E. Hales, Yiming Skylar Lei, Chaeyun Lim, Andrew Gambino

Human-Machine Communication

To extend our understanding of CASA and account for changes in technological complexity and configuration, this research asks: Do increasing levels of social cues in a media representative that is separate from the core technology it represents lead to increased perceived anthropomorphism of the core technology? And does such perceived anthropomorphism predict positive treatment of the core technology? We conducted two complementary studies observing e-scooter use and treatment, an online experiment focused on responses to video stimuli and a field experiment focused on actual user behavior. Findings suggest that, indeed, social cues in a media representative (i.e., an e-scooter rental …

Transformations And Revelations: The Communicative Constitution Of Trustworthiness And Trust Through Ai Development Practices, Tessa Bruijne, Anouk Mols, Jason Pridmore

Human-Machine Communication

This study explores AI development practices to understand how trustworthiness is built into AI systems, and how this generates trust in AI. Through a multi-sited ethnography based methodology, we analyze observations, interviews, and documentation from AI developers working on trustworthy AI. Our analysis shows two key practices: transformation and revelation. Through transformational AI development practices trustworthiness is (re)constituted, though more or lesser degrees. Through revelation practices, AI developers communicatively engage with others to generate trust. This focus on developers adds to the user-centric perspective and shows the role nontechnical development practices have in shaping trust and trustworthy AI before it …

Collectives In Cases Of Human-Machine Interaction: A Pragmatic Defense Of Human-Machine Collectives, Niel H. Conradie, Hendrik Kempt, Nils Freyer, Saskia K. Nagel

Human-Machine Communication

Humanity’s future will include greater integration with different kinds of increasingly autonomous and interactive technological systems. Doing so is likely to confront us with reasons to adapt some of our currently accepted concepts and practices. We contend that among these is included a persuasive pragmatic reason to undertake just such an adaptation in our concept of collective responsibility and the practices attendant to it. The core of this pragmatic reason lies in how it allows us to respond to the issue of possible techno-responsibility gaps, which have been at the center of much of the attention and debate surrounding autonomous …

Socio-Technical Exchange With Machines: Worker Experiences With Complex Work Technologies, Cameron W. Piercy, Reaia Turner-Leatherman

Human-Machine Communication

Machines are now commonplace work partners and Human-Machine Communication (HMC) is part of modern work. Guided by the machine heuristic and Social Exchange Theory (SET) this paper uses interviews with 22 workers to explore the socio-technical relationships between humans and machines at work. Participants worked with complex machines across a wide variety of industries and roles and findings reveal participants see machines as part of the work ecosystem, develop everyday machine heuristics to guide repeated interactions with machines, and that elements of human uniqueness persist in evaluations of humans and machines. Discussion points emphasize situated and developing human-machine interaction scripts, …

Prompted By Me. Generated By Chatgpt, David J. Gunkel

Human-Machine Communication

This essay—which is not only about human-machine collaboration but is a performance in human-machine collaboration—interrogates the shifting terrain of authorship and creativity in the age of generative artificial intelligence (GAI). Challenging both the instrumentalist view of technology and the romantic myth of the singular genius, it argues for a reconceptualization of creative production as distributed, dialogical, and co-constituted. Drawing on both theoretical innovations in poststructuralism and the practices of pre- and post-modern content creators, the essay repositions the algorithm not as a mere tool but as an active participant in the generation of meaning. In doing so, it exposes and …

Being And Becoming In Human-Machine Communication: Core Commitments And Conceptual Foundations Of A Trans-Ontological Field, Autumn P. Edwards, Katrin Etzrodt

Human-Machine Communication

This introduction traces the emergence of Human-Machine Communication (HMC) as a distinct field centered on communication across ontological boundaries. Arguing that HMC is not merely about interacting with machines but about how communicative presence and legitimacy are constituted, the authors introduce the Act–Mean–Relate (AMR) paradigm to conceptualize how machines’ capacity for action, signification, and relation enable communication. HMC challenges human exceptionalism by shifting focus from internal states and categorical differences to symbolic and relational dynamics. It addresses the interpretive labor involved in making machine others intelligible and emphasizes communication as the co-construction of social reality. The article highlights tensions between …

Meeting Minutes 08-20-2025, Staff Advisory Council

Staff Advisory Council Meeting Documents

No abstract provided.

Pilot Fatigue And Required Rest Period For Korean Air Force Pilots Flying High-Performance Aircraft, Mijin Hong

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Over the years, significant advancements have been made in aircraft technology and in understanding the detrimental effects of fatigue on flight performance. However, integrating these advancements into crew rest regulations, particularly for the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) operating high-performance jets, requires further review. This study employs a systematic review with thematic analysis to assess whether ROKAF’s current rest regulations are sufficient. Relevant studies were identified from English-language databases (e.g., FAA, ICAO, Google Scholar) and Korean-language databases (e.g., RISS, KCI). Titles and abstracts were initially reviewed, followed by full-text assessments based on inclusion and exclusion criteria focusing on military …

Gradient-Based Optimization And Control Of Systems With Two Decision-Makers And Delayed Information, Mohammad Safayet Hossain

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

In today’s world systems are complex in nature, often involving two or more decision-makers (DMs) each attempting to optimize the performance of the system using an objective function that reflects its own preferences and is usually different from the other. Such systems are very common in power, microeconomics, and other systems. The focus of this research is how such systems are optimized and how the results of optimization are implemented in practice. Without loss of generality, we consider systems with two DMs, each attempting to optimize the system’s by minimizing its own objective function. The solution of these types of …

Pedestrian Monitoring And Crossing Intention Prediction At Intersections Using Computer Vision And Deep Learning, Ahmed Abdelrahman

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Ensuring the safety of Vulnerable Road Users (VRUs), including pedestrians, bicyclists, and E-scooter riders, at intersections is crucial for sustainable and efficient urban mobility. Despite recent advancements in transportation technologies, accurately understanding and predicting human behavior at intersections remains challenging, resulting in unsafe interactions, crossing violations, and diminished trust in traffic systems. This dissertation presents an integrated approach comprising three novel frameworks: VRUCrossSafe, VRU-CIPI, and the Video-to-Text Pedestrian Monitoring (VTPM) system, collectively addressing critical gaps in intersection safety, VRU behavior prediction, and privacy-preserving traffic monitoring. First, VRUCrossSafe introduces a real-time intersection safety solution utilizing computer vision and ensemble machine learning …

A Variable Resistance Suit (Vars) And An Extendable Prosthetic Arm (Expa) For Physical Rehabilitation And Assistance, Ibrahim F. Kadhim

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

This dissertation presents the design, development, and evaluation of two novel wearable assistive technologies – Variable Resistance Suit (VARS) and the Extendable Prosthetic Arm (EXPA) – to improve rehabilitation outcomes and functional independence of individuals with musculoskeletal impairment. VARS is a modular, lightweight, and wearable resistance training system that applies bidirectional, speed-dependent, and variable mechanical resistance to the elbow and knee joints. It addresses the limitations of traditional resistance equipment by offering a portable, safer, and more accessible alternative. Importantly, VARS enables targeted engagement of specific muscle groups during training, minimizing the risk of overloading adjacent or compensatory muscles. VARS …

Interpretation And Control Of Ai Model Behavior Through Direct Adjustment Of Latent Representations, Austin Davis

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

This dissertation investigates the structures and mechanisms underpinning the latent space representations that emerge within Generative Pretrained Transformer (GPT) models. Addressing the broader goal of enhancing AI trustworthiness through transparency, accountability, and controllability, we focus on techniques to understand, quantify, and manipulate these latent space representations. Through a series of analyses, we examine several chess-playing GPT models as controlled testbeds, leveraging their structured decision space to explore emergent representations and decision-making processes.

Key contributions include a mechanistic analysis of the attention heads and latent representations, the development of novel metrics for evaluating intervention outcomes, and the application of linear probe …

Cnn's Portrayal Of The Build Back Better Act, Alexander J. Toj-Moody

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of CNNs representation of the Build Back Better Act and its failure to pass senate reconciliation during the fall of 2021. The Build Back Better Act was a piece of legislation that intended to fix America’s social infrastructure, such as investing in education, the environment, expanded healthcare, etc. The bill ultimately failed and its replacement, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, cut numerous benefits that were proposed within the Build Back Better Act. Examination of broadcast transcripts during this period of time find an operationally liberal framing, though the focus …

Sex Estimation Using Linear And Geometric Morphometric Analyses Of The Adult Human Talus, Melissa N. Marks

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Estimating biological sex is an essential first step when analyzing human remains in both forensic and archaeological contexts. While the pelvis and skull are traditionally used for this purpose, they are not always present or sufficiently preserved to permit analysis. The talus is sexually dimorphic and can yield highly accurate sex estimates, making it a promising alternative skeletal element for sex estimation. As there is currently no accepted protocol for sex estimation using the talus, the present study attempts to replicate and validate existing methods using linear and three-dimensional landmark data, while comparing data from ancient Maya (n=16), ancient Egyptian …

'How To Mother': Televisual Reimaginings Of Black Matriarchy In The Real Housewives Of Potomac, Kalijah Rahming

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Since the initial launch of The Real Housewives of Orange County in 2006, Bravo’s The Real Housewives franchise has soared to previously unimaginable heights. With 11 American installments, 30 international adaptations, and 25 current spin-offs, it is clear that even viewers who are relatively unfamiliar with The Real Housewives franchise may find themselves inadvertently swept up in their world due to the popularization of their catchphrases and gifs on social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. In addition to carefully shaping popular culture, members of this franchise have even altered the conditions of the entertainment industry’s practices for the …

A Forgotten Kairos: Rhetorical Memory In 16th Century Europe, Phillip Martin

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

In 16^th century Europe the nearly 2000-year-old discipline of rhetoric, still a pillar of education, underwent significant change. One of the more curious changes occurred in rhetoric’s subdivision known as memory, memoria, that is, memory’s “artificial” cultivation. During the 16^th century rhetorical memory was paradoxically both maximized and marginalized as a discipline. And by the early 17^th century memoria was all but extinct as a branch of rhetoric. The causal mechanisms of this transformation remain underexamined, particularly by rhetoric and composition scholars, and most explanations remain unclear and uncompelling. Accordingly, this thesis attempts a new approach …

Limitations Support Learning: A Design Based Study Of Ethically Scaffolded Generative Ai Tools For Long Form Argumentation And Metacognition, Lindsay Konradt

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

This design‑based research study implemented and refined an instructional model that used generative AI (GAI) tools within a nine‑week AP Capstone Seminar argumentation unit. The model combined teacher feedback and modeling, structured reflection tasks (including AI‑assisted reflection), AI assisted editing, AI-assisted literature searches, and counterargument support using restricted chatbots. During the nine week period, responsibility for feedback moved from teacher and AI supported scaffolding to student driven writing practice and revision. Data collection focus on four advanced high school students at a Florida public high school, including multiple drafts, GAI input and output logs, reflections, and pre‑ and post‑unit semi‑structured …

Student-Athlete Vs Athlete-Student: Differences In Athletic Retirement Expectations, Terrie L. Bradshaw

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological Dissertation in Practice was to define the terms student-athletes and athlete-student by discovering any differences in non-cognitive variables between the two groups. Additionally, this study attempted to identify any differences in career transition expectations between student-athletes and athlete-students. Thirteen NCAA athletes from various universities across the United States were included. With the use of one-on-one semi structured interviews, five themes emerged. The themes that emerged were 1) Both types of athletes attend college for different reasons. 2) Differences in level of commitment. 3) Both types of athletes strive for academic success. 4) Different expectations …

Integrating Education For Sustainable Development Into Elementary Curriculum Through Transdisciplinary Learning: A Case Study Of Teachers At Designated Green Schools, Amanda Ferguson

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

The rising number of sustainability-focused jobs in the United States has underscored the need for greater exposure to Education for Sustainable Development in early education. While higher education and secondary schools offer courses on sustainability and the environment, elementary students have limited opportunities to engage with these topics. This embedded multiple-case study examined the role of Education for Sustainable Development in elementary classrooms, specifically through transdisciplinary lessons. The research was guided by the question: How do elementary teachers in county-designated Green Schools in a Florida district use transdisciplinary lessons to teach sustainability within their existing curriculum?

Using the theoretical framework …

A Case Study Of Grades 3-4 English Language Arts Teachers' Interpretations Of Educational Policy And Their Pedagogical Choices In Literacy Instruction, Priscilla Develder

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how elementary school teachers in a Florida public school district made sense of Florida’s House Bill 1467: K-12 Education (HB 1467) and how their interpretations shaped their reading and writing pedagogy. Guided by Karl Weick’s (1995) Sensemaking Theory as a theoretical lens for understanding these interpretations, the study examined how teachers navigated the complexities of policy implementation within the context of their daily classroom experiences. Participants included six third- and fourth-grade English Language Arts (ELA) teachers from four elementary schools within a Florida public school district. Data was collected …

Instructional And Motivational Factors Predicting Deep Learning Approaches In Pre-Clinical Medical Students, Kenneth L. Dearman

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Pre-clinical medical students predominantly employ surface learning approaches, focusing on memorization and exam preparation rather than developing a deep understanding of medical knowledge. This study employed a correlational design comparing two courses with different instructional approaches using expectancy-value theory to examine how instructional methods and motivational factors predict deep learning approaches among 148 pre-clinical medical students at a College of Medicine in the Southeastern United States. Initial results showed that the three separate constructs in task motivation (expectancy beliefs, values, and cost) did not mediate the relationship between active instructional methods and deep learning strategies. Instead, active learning was a …

Nou La, We Are Here: A Phenomenological Study On Haitian Students' Identity Development In College, Norma J. Altidor

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

The United States has seen an increase of individuals migrating from Haiti in search of better opportunities for themselves and their families (Camarota, 2024; Ogunwole, Battle & Cohen, 2017). That rise has correlated with an increase in the number of Haitian students enrolling in American higher education institutions. There are many published studies on the experiences of minorities based on race (Harper & Quaye, 2007) compared to studies on ethnically diverse students (Dennis, Phinney & Chuateco, 2005). Existing literature shows that immigrant youth and first-generation Americans often identify more with their ethnicity than their race (Tatum, 1997). As such, there …

Examining The Relationship Between Volunteerism And Revenue Streams In Youth-Centered Nonprofit Organizations: An Analysis Of Fundraising Revenue, Program Service Revenue, And Government Grants, Stephanie Aguguo-Orelus

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

This study examined the relationship between volunteerism and revenue streams in youth-centered nonprofit organizations (NPOs) in the United States. Utilizing financial data from IRS Form 990 filings spanning 2014 to 2023, the research analyzes how the number of annual volunteers impacts three primary revenue sources: donations, program service revenue, and government grants. Fixed-effects regression models are employed to evaluate these relationships across the full study period and in pre- and post-COVID-19 subsamples. The study also investigates the association between volunteerism and revenue diversification using the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI). Findings reveal a positive and statistically significant relationship between volunteer involvement and …

Decreasing Administrative Burdens For Promoting Social Equity: Three Essays On Innvations In Public Service Provision, Kyungmin Lee

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

This dissertation investigates three aspects of administrative burdens in public service delivery and explores how these burdens—which often discourage eligible individuals from accessing needed services—relate to individuals' perceptions of and behaviors toward those burdens and ultimately to user outcomes. The first essay examines whether a shift from in-person to virtual service modalities imposes additional administrative burden—digital administrative burden—for service users. Using the secondary data from the 2022 “Survey of Citizens’ Perceptions of Public Administration” conducted in South Korea, the study applies Coarsened Exact Matching (CEM) to assess the relationship between service modality and digital administrative burden. The findings suggest no …

Emojis As Text Technology: Between Visual Paradigm And Cultural Revolution, Hanan Hafiz

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Emojis, as a broader communication phenomenon, have gained widespread usage, significant adaptation, and considerable academic attention due to their role in providing semiotic cues and online gestures within computer-mediated communication. This study aims to trace their development and evolution using the text technologies framework. This approach examines the systematic use of emojis, with particular emphasis on their extensive evolution by historically contextualizing their usage, trends, and cultural interactions. Anchored in this conceptual approach, the study draws on the taxonomy of text technology developed by Treharne and Willan, analyzing the evolution of emojis through four key dimensions: intentionality, materiality, functionality, and …

Exploring The Role Of Fatty Acid Signaling In Macrophages, Ayomide Ogunsanmi

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Dietary fatty acids play critical roles in both the gustatory and immune systems. In taste, they serve as the sapid molecules that underlie the ability to taste fat, whereas in the immune system, they serve as messengers that help facilitate the fuel-based reprogramming of macrophages (MΦ) that underlie optimal immune function. It has become clear in recent years that there is a functional interaction between the taste and immune system, and fatty acid signaling pathways serve as one focus of this overlap. Similar to taste receptor cells (TRCs), MΦ express G protein-coupled fatty acid receptors GPR120 and GPR84, and our …

Examining The Influence Of Multiple Mental Health Trainings On The Andragogical Practices Of Secondary English Language Arts Teachers: A Case Study, Sydney M. Smith

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

The increasing prevalence of adolescent mental health issues has underscored the importance of examining how mental health training programs for teachers are implemented. This multiple-case, embedded study explored the impact of mental health trainings under states’ laws and Project AWARE on secondary English language arts (ELA) teachers’ andragogical and hebegogical instructional practices. The research was guided by two key questions: (1) How are mental health trainings under Project AWARE and state laws implemented in two southeastern states? and (2) How do high school English language arts (ELA) teachers in two southeastern states incorporate mental health trainings within their andragogical practices …

Supervised Topic Modeling For Scientific Texts: Bayesian Shrinkage Methods And Domain-Specific Applications In Forensics And Online Aggression Sciences, Amir Alipour Yengejeh

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Topic modeling has become a powerful tool for analyzing large-scale textual corpora across scientific domains. However, traditional unsupervised approaches like Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) often produce redundant or weakly informative topics, limiting their interpretability and predictive utility. This dissertation presents a dual-track study that advances the field of interpretable topic modeling and domain-specific text analysis by (1) quantitatively analyzing research trends in Cyber Aggression and Abuse (CAA), and (2) developing a supervised topic selection framework for forensic science literature.

In the first part, we apply LDA to a corpus of 2,309 journal abstracts on CAA sourced from the Web of …

Achievement In Performing Arts At Title I Schools In Florida: A Case Study On The Impact Of Administrative Leadership And Financial Decisions On Student Performance, Mario L. Ford

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Researchers have established that the leadership strategies of a principal can directly impact student achievement, though it has not been clearly stated how that occurs (Cox & Mullen, 2023). This single-case instrumental study investigates the financial and administrative priorities of a principal at a Title I high school in Florida and the impact they have on the Music Performance Assessment (MPA) ratings of band, chorus, and orchestra programs at the district level. Additionally, the purpose of this case study is to provide insight into how the principal at a Title I high school whose performing arts programs have a trend …