Digital Commons Network^™

Household Food Security In The Mountain West, 2021, Zachary Walusek, Corryn Richardson, Issac Hernandez-Alcaraz, Annie Vong, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Health

This fact sheet examines data on household food security published by the United States Department of Agriculture. We examine the prevalence of household food insecurity and very low food security in Mountain West states (Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah) and the United States national average for comparative analysis.

Measurement And Scale Development Skills For Public Health Doctoral Scholars, Manoj Sharma

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

Web-based synchronous teaching is gaining popularity all over the world. In web-based synchronous teaching, both pedagogical robustness and the building of content expertise are mandatory. I taught a new doctoral course, HED 763 Measurement and Scale Development in Social and Behavioral Health in the Spring of 2022. The specific teaching techniques that I used were (a) enhanced pedagogical features that included delivery as web-based synchronous, organizing the course in Canvas and making it available from day 1, recording all lectures beforehand in Panopto, utilizing case studies, employing WebEx and its breakout sessions feature, guest lectures, and having weekly skill-building activities …

Increasing Student Engagement: Case-Based Teaching And Learning, Necole Leland, Lisa Nicholas

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

Case-based learning (CBL) is an active learning approach using hypothetical or real life problems that help learners develop clinical judgment and problem-solving skills (Bastable, 2023). CBL can be used in multiple settings, including the classroom, the clinical environment, and simulation. CBL can be used in most disciplines to bring real life scenarios to life for learners. Learners identify the problem in the case, develop multiple approaches to solving problems, discuss different viewpoints or assumptions, propose alternate decisions, and weigh consequences (Young & Paterson, 2007). CBL helps make connections that transfer theoretical knowledge to practical application (Billings & Halstead, 2020). CBL …

Sport And Mental Health Performance Optimization In An Adolescent Gymnast: A Case Evaluation, Davy Phrathep, Brad C. Donohue, Brenna N. Renn, John Mercer Dr., Daniel N. Allen

Psychology Faculty Research

The Optimum Performance Program in Sports (TOPPS) is a multi-component, sport-specific Family Behavior Therapy that has demonstrated improved sport performance, relationships, and mental health outcomes in adult and adolescent athletes with, and without, diagnosed mental health disorders in clinical trials. The current case trial demonstrates successful implementation of a novel component of TOPPS (i.e., talk aloud optimal sport performance imagery leading to dream mapping) in a biracial Latina and White adolescent gymnast without a mental health diagnosis. The participant demonstrated significant improvements from baseline to both post-treatment and 3-month follow-up in severity of mental health functioning, factors interfering with sports …

Adaptation In The Sensory Cortex Drives Bistable Switching During Auditory Stream Segregation, Nathan C. Higgins, Alexandra N. Scurry, Fang Jiang, David F. Little, Mounya Elhilali, Joel S. Snyder

Psychology Faculty Research

Current theories of perception emphasize the role of neural adaptation, inhibitory competition, and noise as key components that lead to switches in perception. Supporting evidence comes from neurophysiological findings of specific neural signatures in modality-specific and supramodal brain areas that appear to be critical to switches in perception. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to study brain activity around the time of switches in perception while participants listened to a bistable auditory stream segregation stimulus, which can be heard as one integrated stream of tones or two segregated streams of tones. The auditory thalamus showed more activity around the time …

The Shrinking Geography Of Housing Opportunity In Mountain West Metros, 2022, Hira Ahmed, Joshua Padilla, Saha Salahi, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Housing & Real Estate

This fact sheet examines data from the National Equity Atlas on the changing geography of opportunity across Mountain West metros. The original report includes data on the largest 100 metros in the United States. This fact sheet reports on the overall percentages of affordable zip codes in nine major metropolitan areas in the Mountain West and changes in affordable zip codes for Black, Latinx, and white households in Mountain West metros from 2013 to 2019. Data for nine Mountain West metros are included: Tucson, AZ; Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ; Colorado Springs, CO; Denver-Aurora, CO; Albuquerque, NM; Las Vegas-Paradise, NV; Ogden-Clearfield, UT; Provo-Orem, …

Premier: The Magazine Of The Unlv Harrah Hotel College, Angela Ramsey, Caitlyn Lopez

Premier: The Magazine of the UNLV Harrah Hotel College

What a privilege it has been to serve as dean of the Harrah College of Hospitality over the past ten years!

Identification Of A Rare Sars-Cov-2 Xl Hybrid Variant In Wastewater And The Subsequent Discovery Of Two Infected Individuals In Nevada, Van Vo, Anthony Harrington, Salman Afzal, Katerina Papp, Ching-Lan Chang, Hayley Baker, Perseveranda Aguilar, Erin Buttery, Michael A. Picker, Cassius Lockett, Daniel Gerrity, Horng-Yuan Kan, Edwin C. Oh

Nevada Institute of Personalized Medicine Faculty Research

The identification of novel SARS-CoV-2 variants can predict new patterns of COVID-19 community transmission and lead to the deployment of public health resources. However, increased access to at-home antigen tests and reduced free PCR tests have recently led to data gaps for the surveillance of evolving SARS-CoV-2 variants. To overcome such limitations, we asked whether wastewater surveillance could be leveraged to detect rare variants circulating in a community before local detection in human cases. Here, we performed whole genome sequencing (WGS) of SARS-CoV-2 from a wastewater treatment plant serving Las Vegas, Nevada in April 2022. Using metrics that exceeded 100× …

Uncovering Teaching Faculty Personas To Understand Comfort Levels In Using Technology In Their Online Classes, Suzanne Becker, Ted Weisman

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

Faculty’s knowledge about, and comfort with, the use of technology tools are key components in online teaching. Faculty are not only expected to be adept with basic computer functionality, like creating and editing documents and managing files, but also in navigating their institutions Learning Management System (LMS) and utilizing course teaching technologies and tools. Together these areas comprise a significant portion of design and facilitation of an online course and are related to learning outcomes. When engaging with the online learning environment, it is thus critical for each instructor to consider their personal level of comfort utilizing various online technology …

Focus On Top Tier 2.0: Socio-Economic Development, University Of Nevada, Las Vegas

Focus on Top Tier 2.0

UNLV is a cornerstone of the community and remains integral to economies at the local, state, and regional level. Socio-economic development leverages our strengths at UNLV and is essential to the continued growth, development, and diversification of our region and state.

Biomechanically-Consistent Skin Stretch As An Intuitive Mechanism For Sensory Feedback: A Preliminary Investigation In The Lower Limb, Jenny A. Kent

Physical Therapy Faculty Research

The proprioceptive loss accompanied by lower limb amputation can impair function and mobility. We explore a simple, mechanical skin-stretch array configured to generate superficial tissue behaviour that might occur with movement about an intact joint. Four adhesive pads attached around the circumference of the lower leg were connected via cords to a remote “foot” mounted on a ball joint attached to the underside of a fracture boot, such that “foot” reorientation would result in skin stretch. In two discrimination experiments performed with and without the connection, with no view of the mechanism, and with minimal training, unimpaired adults (i) estimated …

Prescription Drug Retail Sales In The Mountain West, Caren Royce Yap, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Health

This fact sheet synthesizes data on prescription drug retail sales in the Mountain West (Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah). "Retail Sales for Prescription Drugs Filled at Pharmacies by Payer," a 2019 report by the Kaiser Family Foundation, includes data on the amount of retail sales for prescription drugs made in each state by dollar amount, along with the method of coverage, including commercial, Medicare, Medicaid and cash payment.

Exploring Gaps In City Climate Planning In The Mountain West, Joshua Padilla, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Environment

This fact sheet explores data from the 2022 Brookings Institution report by Joseph W. Kane, Adie Tomer, Caroline George, and Jamal Russell Black called “Not according to plan: Exploring gaps in city climate planning and the need for regional action." The original report analyzes decarbonization plans for 50 of the largest U.S. cities and comparatively ranks each plan using a point system of 5 categories. This fact sheet focuses on Mountain West cities (Denver, CO; Phoenix, AZ; Las Vegas, NV; Salt Lake, UT; and Albuquerque, NM) included in the original study.

Using Sbirt (Screen, Brief Intervention, And Referral Treatment) Training To Reduce The Stigmatization Of Substance Use Disorders Among Students And Practitioners, Efren Gomez, Matthew Gyger, Stephanie Borene, Amanda Klein-Cox, Ramona Denby, Sara Hunt, Oscar Sida

Social Work Faculty Research

Negative attitudes and stigmatization of substance-using patients lead to treatment avoidance and poor physical and health out- comes. Research suggests that training in substance use disorders is a vital tool to abate negative attitudes among health workers. The present longitudinal study trained students and experienced practitioners from various disciplines on the evidence-based Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) model. The study found significant improvements in the attitudes of students—but not practitioners—who were trained during the program. The paper discusses policy and implementation implications to support and complement sustained impact of training on models such as SBIRT.

Epidemiological/Disease And Economic Burdens Of Cervical Cancer In 2010–2014: Are Younger Women At Risk?, Chuhao Xi, Jay J. Shen, Betty Burston, Soumya Upadhyay, Shoujun Zhou

Healthcare Administration and Policy Faculty Research

Objective: Cervical cancer is an important factor threatening women’s health in China. This study examined the epidemiological and economic burden of cervical cancer among the medically insured population, which could provide data support for government departments to formulate policies. Methods: All new cases of cervical cancer under the Urban Employee Basic Medical Insurance (UEBMI) plan in a provincial capital city in eastern China from 2010 to 2014 were collected. The Cox proportional hazard model was used to analyze the factors affecting the survival rates for cervical cancer. Outpatient and hospitalization expenses were used to assess the direct economic burden, and …

Interweaving Research And Teaching, Monika Neda

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

This work describes a teaching practice that is based on creating an assignment for students to work on a research project. The students will use methods learned in the class to solve a research problem and then present their findings though a class presentation.

Modeling Collaborative Research Practices With Zotero, Julian Kilker

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

The early stages of research when students explore topics and evaluate resources are critical. Yet researchers can be overwhelmed by evaluating sources, organizing resources and notes, and working with collaborators. During these stages it is particularly important to model meaningful research relationships to support student success. I address these challenges by having students explore Zotero, a free “research assistant” application and web portal, as they work on structured research assignments. While Zotero is known as a powerful citation manager, my practice focuses on its features that are most relevant to storing, organizing, and sharing resources while working on both informal …

Collaborative Two-Stage Testing: A “Less Sad And Intimidating” Way To Test, Andrew Kauffman

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

Traditional individual testing discourages collaboration, increases student anxiety, and does not provide timely and useful feedback. Two-stage tests are an alternative method of assessment that deepens learning while also promoting higher-order thinking skills, such as collaboration, communication, and peer instruction. In a two-stage test, students first complete and turn in the test individually and then, working in preassigned groups of 3 to 4, answer the same test questions again. The individual part of the test is weighted at 85%, while the group part is weighted at 15%. To encourage total participation and address concerns about fairness, students are told that …

Undergraduate Teaching Assistant Meetings: Associations With Student Engagement And Workforce Development, Joanne Ullman, Sadie Bylund, Jessica Castillo, Christina Saliba

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

No abstract provided.

Incorporating Career And Research Experience For Student Success, Jenna Heath M.Ed., Melikabella Shenouda B.A.

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

In order to support students’ acquisition of career and professional development opportunities necessary for stable career placement, we connect students with vetted community partners through internships. To ensure proper workforce development and research skills, our internship program requires concurrent enrollment in COLA 402 - an internship development course - that is offered every semester, both in person and online. The curriculum is unique in that it is centered around real-world scenarios that student interns may expect to encounter in their workplace and/or during their hiring process (e.g., mitigating workplace conflict, interviewing, personal branding, networking, professional communication, resume reviews); such topics …

Revisiting Your Inner Child: Increasing Fys Students’ Engagement And Sense Of Belonging, Melikabella Shenouda

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

First time full time freshmen are exhibiting the desire to get involved on campus, yet much apprehension still remains. This may be attributed to the recent return of in person instruction after the impacts of the global coronavirus pandemic, as well as the palpable distance that lingered with remote learning. As such, students’ transition from fully asynchronous / web-live synchronous instruction back to in person education has been tumultuous to say the least. Freshmen continue to express written interest in campus involvement; however, several are anxious and hesitant when it comes to actually committing to group interactions, public speaking, and …

Resident Scientists-In-Schools: Harnessing Altruism In Stem, Alison Sloat

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

The Resident Scientists-in-Schools and the STEM Teacher Development Academy program helps to diversify and expand the STEM pipeline in CCSD schools.

An Integration Of Online Education's Career Readiness And Life Design Badging Program Into A Milestone Course, Sheila Janofsky

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

No abstract provided.

Using The Touchstones Discussion Method For Common Reader Discussions​, Nathan M. Slife, Chelsie Hawkinson

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

The Touchstones Method empowers students to find their voice within an inclusive and collaborative discussion.

Instructors can use this method to facilitate discussions of the UNLV Common Reader Program. This program provides incoming undergraduate students with a common intellectual experience discussing a select text.

Principles from the Touchstones Methods can used to facilitate conversation of any text that is used in this Common Reader program.

Counseling Skills For Educators, Craig Hall

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas is touted as a diverse campus. Indeed, students represent a wide range of demographics concerning race, gender, identity, socioeconomics, physical and mental ability issues, as well as non traditional students and those the intersectional representation of multiple demographic groups. It is incumbent upon educators to provide safe spaces for all students. This is an equitable practice. How can educators be more equitable? By using counseling skills in their education such as: empathy, active listening, belief in the capabilities of students, and avoiding labeling students. It must be noted that the use of counseling skills …

Why Ask That? Low Stakes Questions Build Engagement, Van Whaley

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

A few low-stakes questions during the term build engagement, encourage persistence, and can improve learning outcomes.

During labs, students work together to learn Anatomy & Physiology… plus answer these Engagement Booster Questions.

The Need
/="/">Students need to meet classmates. After two years of online-only education, returning to in-person labs is a new experience many students find uncomfortable and challenging.

The Existing Resources
/="/">Students in the same lab have several similarities that include enrolling in the same lecture section, similar schedules, the same completed prerequisites, similar majors, and career aspirations.

The Goal
/="/">Building engagement between students should help …

Working Smarter, Not Harder: Using Canvas Outcomes To Promote Student Success, Jacob D. Thompson, Beth Barrie

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

Promotes the adoption of Canvas Outcomes. Canvas Learning Outcomes can bolster student success, improve program assessment and course design, and ease assessment burdens on administrators, colleges, departments, and faculty.

Ai And The Future Of Academic Integrity, Jesse Fitts, Rachel Bovard

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

In this poster, we provide recommendations for assignment types in light of the AI chatbot ChatGPT.

Video Homework: Visualizing Homework Assignments To Help Comprehension, Jorge Ramon Fonseca Cacho

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

Multimodal delivery of information has been shown to be preferred to one mode of delivery. Instead of only providing homework assignments to students as a PDF, printed paper, or a Canvas LMS text prompt, we propose augmenting the assignments with a video explaining it verbally, or conversationally, and visualizing the assignment. Not all students process information the same way and some may be more responsive and engaged to audio visual content than just text such as visual learners or individuals who struggle reading long text prompts.

Career Handbook, Unlv Career Services

Career Handbook

The job search can be daunting and intimidating, but you are not alone in this journey. As you move into the next stage of your professional career, we want you to know that you have the support of UNLV Career Services, the UNLV Alumni Association, and employers who are part of our Rebel Family. We are here to mentor, guide, and walk you through the job search process, and we are invested in your future.

The road to career success is not always as easy as we might hope. You may encounter setbacks and struggles throughout the next few years, …