Digital Commons Network^™

Curacao Milestone 2023: Welcoming Over Half A Million Tourists, Manuel Rivera, Valeriya Shapoval, Margaret Zorrilla

Dick Pope Sr. Institute Publications

In 2023, the Curaçao Tourism Board achieved significant milestones in promoting and developing the island as a premier tourist destination. The tourism sector experienced remarkable growth, with a 19% increase in stayover arrivals, reaching 582,400 visitors compared to 489,599 in 2022. This marked the first time Curaçao exceeded half a million stayover arrivals.

The success of Curaçao's tourism sector was bolstered by targeted marketing campaigns in key source markets. The Curaçao Tourist Board actively promoted the island through collaborations with local stakeholders, enhancing the effectiveness of their efforts. Additionally, the Board launched several initiatives to raise consumer awareness, such as …

One Beat, One Island: The Seamless Fusion Of Curaçao And The Curaçao North Sea Jazz Festival, Manuel Rivera, Robertico Croes, Brianna Morman, Margaret Zorrilla Cortez

Dick Pope Sr. Institute Publications

The Curaçao North Sea Jazz Festival (CNSJF) has established itself as a significant international event, attracting 6,232 attendees worldwide, significantly boosting the island’s tourism and cultural profile. Notably, 78.9% of attendees, or 4,917 "Festival-Passion Tourists," traveled to Curaçao specifically for the festival. These tourists were affluent and well-educated, primarily from the Netherlands, USA, Venezuela, Colombia, Aruba, and Suriname. Despite ongoing challenges with accessibility, particularly from Aruba, the festival strengthened perceptions of Curaçao as a destination, as evidenced by many visitors expressing intentions to return.[1] Held at the World Trade Center in Curaçao from August 29 through August 31, 2024, this …

Lobbying As A Means For Expanding The Communication Instructional Base In Higher Education Iii, Craig Newburger, Patricia L. Donat, Sherwyn P. Morreale

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

Based on several national mandates, this essay examines the support for and importance of active advocacy among our discipline members in framing the conversation about oral communication proficiency, leading instructional design, and assessing student learning on our campuses. Recommended action involves the development and implementation of a coordinated strategy for engaging both institutional accreditors and those charged with the development and modification of individual campus general education requirements regarding the importance of communication scholars and instructors as principal designers of learning goals, subsequent learning activities, and the corresponding assessment of oral communication instruction on college campuses.

Effective Communication For Department Chairs: Thinking Like A Leader, Acting As A Colleague, Mark Hickson Iii

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This is the third essay in a three-part series that the author has been working on. The first and second parts appear in earlier volumes of the Journal of the Association for Communication Administration.

Student Engagement In The Communication Classroom: An Intervention To Encourage Student Success, Jay Baglia, Elissa Foster, Kendra Knight, Stephanie Grau

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

Universities implement a variety of interventions to address student engagement and retention. This is especially true post-pandemic as faculty attempt to return to a pre-pandemic structure. Emerging adulthood aligns with the personal responsibility demanded of college students as well as changes in personal growth. In the current climate, stress has been shown to negatively impact executive functioning, the cognitive processes necessary for academic success. This essay describes an intervention encouraging student self-reflexivity around processes for engagement, academic success, and retention. Communication Fundamentals for College Success—a 5-week, two-credit workshop—was developed and delivered by the authors. Curriculum focused on time management, study …

Navigating And Thriving In Leadership: Practical Advice For Elected And Appointed Association Leaders, Tiffany R. Wang

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

Elected and appointed association leaders face circumstances that can make professional service challenging. This essay offers practical advice for how association leaders can navigate and thrive in leadership roles as they fulfill their duties and responsibilities. Current and past association leaders offer observations and recommendations for success.

Journal Of The Association For Communication Administration: Complete Volume 41

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This is the complete volume of JACA Volume 41.

Mapping The Ferment: Mediated Communication Research In Cios-Indexed Journals From 1970-2020, David J. Atkin, Kenneth A. Lachlan, Timothy D. Stephen, Carolyn Lagoe

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This study profiles scholarly publishing in the domain of mediated communication, based on an analysis of media-themed communication journals—as indexed in the CIOS’s ComAbstracts database—from 1970–2020. Analysis of 22,300 articles from media-themed scholarly journals paints a portrait of scholarly publishing configurations across the domains of Journalism and Communication. Criterion articles were subjected to cluster analysis that yielded a comprehensive unified field portrait of interlinkages among topical pairings encompassing 58 topical categories. Results suggest that just 7 of our 37 criterion journal outlets date to the 1970s, 6 additional titles were launched in the 1980s, 10 more in the 1990s, and …

Curaçao's Tourism Transformation: Building A Legacy Of Growth, Manuel A. Rivera, Margaret Zorrilla

Hospitality+™ Center for Innovation and Training

Tourism in Curaçao has experienced remarkable growth, with total arrivals increasing from 582,400 in 2023 to 700,242 in 2024. This surge reflects the island’s rising appeal as a destination and sets the foundation for the significant economic contributions that follow.

Application Of Multicultural Literature In The Early Childhood Classroom, Deborah Wheeler, Jennifer Hill

Journal of English Learner Education

Culture equates to identity; therefore, the implementation of multicultural literature in the early childhood curriculum is an essential method for securing children’s concept of self and cultural identity. This qualitative study explored the implementation of multicultural literature in early childhood classrooms, and the research included questions pertaining to multicultural literature training, instructional methods, and barriers encountered. The purpose of the study was to answer questions regarding teachers use of multicultural literature in the classroom, how often teachers read multicultural literature and how teachers integrated multicultural literature into instruction. An additional question inquired about what multicultural books titles were teachers reading …

Language, Cultural Knowledge, And Privileged Practices: A Case Study Of Understandings That Shape Family Engagement For Parents Of Spanish-English Emergent Bilinguals, Alissa Blair

Journal of English Learner Education

This research examines the ways in which parents of Spanish-English emergent bilinguals perceive and navigate the implicit and explicit expectations for family engagement through analysis of contrasting case studies of focal students from two 4^th grade classrooms, one characterized by English-medium instruction and the other by a developmental bilingual program. One case sheds light on the language barriers that hampered parents’ participation in their children’s education at school, while the other case highlights discrepancies in the understandings of parental and teacher roles and expectations. Findings demonstrate that parents’ capacity to meet school-based expectations was constrained by assumptions about their …

Best Practices For English Learners With Disabilities In Us Schools – A Systematic Review, Samiratu Bashiru, Jennifer E. Smith

Journal of English Learner Education

This systematic review investigated best practices for enhancing academic achievement among English Learners with Disabilities (ELDs) in US schools. By examining 17 peer-reviewed articles and comparing them to the CEC 2014 Quality Indicators, the study identifies significant practices, including culturally responsive methods, technology integration, evidence-based strategies, addressing service delivery challenges, and improving assessment tools. This review has limitations related to inconsistent terminology and highlights the need for standardized language and continued research. It recommends integrating culturally responsive practices, leveraging technology, and refining inclusive assessment tools. This review provides educators, policymakers, and researchers insights, emphasizing ongoing teacher development and policy alignment …

"Our Students Vs. Their Students:" Perceptions Of Teachers In English Language Learning, Leah Day

Journal of English Learner Education

The purpose of the study was to understand the perceptions of teachers on English Language Learners and how this shapes the educational paths of students. Data was collected in the form of interviews with the participants. The interviews were guided by a set of questions that were designed to interrogate perceptions and experiences with regard to language learning in the context of one student. Interviews were recorded and transcribed and the data was coded inductively. This study does not seek to generalize beyond this context but can provide insight into similar experiences and perceptions of the English Language Learning process. …

Visual Imagery Subcategories And Their Neural Associations, Miguel Ibarguren

Undergraduate Scholarship and Creative Works

This literature review compiles research findings related to the brain areas associated with various visual imagery subcategories and explores their contributions to them. Through a search procedure, four research projects were used to identify ten distinct brain areas that demonstrated greater involvement in visual imagery. The visual imagery subcategories discussed in these research projects, and investigated in this review, include scene construction, episodic memory, imagery vividness, and visuospatial imagery. Scene construction was found to utilize the parahippocampal gyrus, hippocampus, retrosplenial cortex, and posterior parietal cortex. Episodic memory involves the same areas as scene construction, but also includes the precuneus and …

Football Obsession, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

While watching more and more college football in the last few days as the season comes to its close, I have been struck by what seems to be an increase in the frequency and intensity of the hits received by the players. Some players are knocked out and have concussions; some sustain fractures, while others experience lesser trauma across the body. As the speed and size of football players has increased over the past three decades, the collisions on the football field have become more violent.

Microplastics, Macro-Problems: Abundance Of Man-Made Materials In The Waters And Sediments Of Florida State Parks, Luciana M. Banquero, Kate Mclendon, Andres Alatorre, Mackenzie Daniels, Savanna Freeman, Cassidy Starke, Katherine Harris, Sidney J. Busch

The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal

Man-made materials (MMM) are pollutants introduced to the environment by human activity. Microplastics (MP) are a type of MMM that threaten living organisms through bioaccumulation. The term MMM also encompasses pollutants produced from natural materials, such as rayon and microfibrillated cellulose, which are used in food packaging. This study aims to determine the extent of MMM pollution within estuaries in two of Florida’s state parks, as well as the effectiveness of using restored vegetation on shorelines to reduce MMM pollution. Tomoka State Park and Gamble Rogers State Park were selected at the request of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. …

Determining The Extent Of Pioneer Mangrove Acidification On Intertidal Oyster Reefs, Cindy Whitten, Andres Alatorre, Nicole Campbell, Savanna Freeman, Sydney Henderson, Kate Mclendon, Connor Wright, June Davison, Madison Ganci, Katherine Harris

The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal

The Indian River Lagoon (IRL) stretches 251 kilometers along Florida’s east coast and is one of the most biodiverse estuaries in North America. Mosquito Lagoon, the northernmost portion of the IRL, is home to mangroves and intertidal oyster reefs that provide numerous ecosystem services. These two habitats are overlapping as climate change drives mangroves poleward. Scientists have documented mangrove expansion and the transition of oyster reef habitat to mangrove islands. Past studies have shown large, adult mangrove stands drive soil acidification. The goal of this study was to understand if stand-alone, or pioneer, Rhizophora mangle (red mangroves) and Avicennia germinans …

Demographic Profile Of Accidental Drug Overdoses In 2020, Jacquelyn Reiss Phd, Amy Donley Phd, Alexandria Mcclarty Ba

Institute for Social and Behavioral Science (ISBS)

This white paper presents a demographic profile of accidental drug overdoses in Orange County, Florida for the year 2020.

The Importance Of Mental Health Amongst The Lgbtq+ Community, Adrian Perotin

High Impact Practices Student Showcase Fall 2023

When it comes to the LGBTQ+ community, it has become known with more studies and research that many in the community have suffered through traumatic experiences regarding sexual assault and/or violence. This has caused a big impact on the mental health of the victims, but because there is not enough resources to the LGBTQ+ community that are open to them, those victims have a hard time recovering or feeling seen. Amongst the community are of course the youth coming in from the next generations that may unfortunately deal with these issues in safety and mental health, so they deserve to …

Housing Inequality And Community Engagement, Gabrielle E. Quinones

High Impact Practices Student Showcase Fall 2023

This project analyzes the best ways to address housing inequality through the lens of community engagement. I volunteered at a non-profit to get 25 hours of community service learning that focuses on preventing and reducing homelessness. I volunteered in order to understand how community engagement can help in the fight against housing inequality. This experience helped me understand how community engagement can help reduce and prevent homelessness through supporting the homeless community with low prices for clothing and free healthy food which in the long term, reduces housing inequality. Furthermore, it helped me understand how even little actions can have …

Supercharging Learning With Schoolhouse, Jackson Huff

High Impact Practices Student Showcase Fall 2023

When the COVID-19 virus struck the world in early 2020, it immediately disrupted education. Classes which occurred in-person now had to transition to an online regimen. Unfortunately, for students, this change resulted in significantly lessened academic performance as well as increased rates of mental health disorders.

Observing this drastic change, Salman Khan, founder of Khan Academy, a website which hosts free educational video series, founded a new project called Schoolhouse to help alleviate students' struggles during the change to online education. Schoolhouse would provide free online tutoring in STEM subjects to anyone who desired it. Today, Schoolhouse hosts hundreds of …

Providing Access To Healthcare For The Uninsured Via Shepherd's Hope, Azeem Hakim

High Impact Practices Student Showcase Fall 2023

According to the U.S. Census Bureau in 2021, the population of uninsured individuals from the ages of zero to sixty-four in Orange County had a slight upward trend when compared to the two prior years, with roughly 182,054 uninsured patients living within Orange County in 2021. If so many of Orlando’s citizens in Orange County don’t have health insurance, and thus, are barred from being able to access quality healthcare, how could sustaining the vibrancy of our local community be possible, especially when many of these uninsured patients help keep the Orlando area functioning day to day? This is where …

Inspiring The Next Generation: A Classroom Visit Exploring Marine Ecosystem Invaders, Declan Ridgeway, Madeline Cox, Lauren Mettke, Brittany Shirley, Morgan Vasser

High Impact Practices Student Showcase Fall 2023

We visited Geneva Elementary School and met with a class of fifteen fifth-grade students to teach them about marine invasive species in Florida. Our goal was to introduce them to a marine environmental issue that would inspire an interest in them for marine conservation. Our team created a presentation and activities for the class to better their understanding of the concept of invasive species. We created an outdoor game for the class, the point being to display how invasive species can outcompete native species using lionfish as an example. Two students were sharks, three students were lionfish, and the rest …

A Comprehensive Approach To Supporting Homeless Communities Through Free Clinical Screenings, Nivedha Srinivasan, Ria Gupta, Manasi Prakash

High Impact Practices Student Showcase Fall 2023

Hearts for the Homeless Orlando is a part of an international organization that is “focused on eliminating health disparities through practicing preventative healthcare and providing free healthcare services.” At each event, free heart health and eye health screenings and education are given to the homeless population in Downtown Orlando. Once arriving at the screening location (Christian Service Center), a table is set up with 2 blood pressure monitors, the KardiaMobile EKG Monitor, hand sanitizing wipes, germicidal wipes, gloves, and pamphlet handouts. These supplies help volunteers understand the health conditions of the individuals who visit to the site, and allow volunteers …

Clean The World: A Mission For Global Sanitation, Anisha B. Bissessar, Ahmad Shaqqou

High Impact Practices Student Showcase Fall 2023

This presentation dives into our experience volunteering at Clean the World, an organization that recycles hygiene products to deliver to families across the world who don't have access to them. We learned more about what it means to be a servant leader through the welcoming and uplifting atmosphere the people working there created for us.

Combatting Social Isolation In Greater Orlando, Rishi Nair, Nicholas Mistry

High Impact Practices Student Showcase Fall 2023

The state of Florida is home to one of the largest retiree and Veteran populations in the country. As people age, they are more prone to suffer from physical and mental conditions that preclude their ability to live a fulfilling life. This could result in social isolation and loneliness, which has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. We partnered with Seniors First’s Project Connect program to improve social interactions among the elder community with virtual trivia events. These weekly games helped us identify areas of emotional need, such as improving self-esteem, introducing memories of seniors' lives when they were younger, …

Empowering Futures: Matthew's Knights Of Distinction Leadership E-Portfolio In Academic Excellence, Matthew A. Hernandez

High Impact Practices Student Showcase Fall 2023

My presentation centers on my E-Portfolio, seamlessly incorporating three key milestones from the Knights of Distinction program into significant events. Beginning with a brief personal introduction, I shared why I became a physics major, and explored the roots of my passion for space. Utilizing a visual aid, my poster board, I elucidated each focus area and its relevance to my aspirations and societal contributions. The first focus area was Citizenship and how I attended an “Industry BBQ” with the hopes of gaining valuable information to share it with other engineers. The second focus area was about leadership and my role …

Low-Dose Prednisone Or Methylprednisolone In Treating Patients With​ Newly Diagnosed Acute Gvhd​, Dillon C. Hill, Melanie Obsina, Juan Sanchez, Jordan Genco, Vihan Yalamanchili

High Impact Practices Student Showcase Fall 2023

Graft Versus Host Disease affects less than 20,000 cases per year and our project aims to give those who experience this terrible disease a better outcome and more manageable pain. The clinical trial that this data is collected from analyzes low-dose prednisone versus the standard dose and how that affects both morbidity and progression of the disease to Stage III-IV. This clinical trial has many clinical implications as it shows that reducing the dosage of commonly used treatment methods can sometimes have positive effects even though it is the standard to use a certain dose. This clinical trial found that …

7 Cups Therapy, Allie Mccutcheon, Jasmine Awad

High Impact Practices Student Showcase Fall 2023

The purpose of this project is to showcase our service learning experiences from volunteering with 7 cups. 7 Cups is a therapy website that provides free emotional support and talk therapy to those who really need that help. Jasmine and I created a 7 cups listener account where we would log onto the 7 cups portal and find a member who needs help. This whole website is all anonymous in order to protect the listeners and the members identities. Jasmine and I would chat with members and figure out what seems to be troubling them and how to combat that …

Examining The Role Of Cteg Using Drosophila, Jadaya V. Davis, Om Patel, Sebastian Velez

High Impact Practices Student Showcase Fall 2023

This project focused on creating viable drosophila models that could be used to evaluate and understand the significance of the N-tarp portion in the effector genes of Chlamydia Trachomatis. During our project we performed multiple DNA clean ups, PCR's, gel electrophoresis, double digestions, and DNA ligations. In this we learned not only the methodological importance within these laboratory techniques but that a great deal of learning occurs in being able to evaluate and analyze ways to troubleshoot when intended results from an experiment are not observed.