Digital Commons Network^™

The Relationship Between Physical Activity And Academic Achievement, Annie M. Stoessel

Graduate Research Papers

The relationship between physical activity, physical education and academic achievement has gained increased attention in recent years. The nation's obesity rates keep rising and the nation's students continue to be less active than needed to maintain their health. Complicating the issue is the added pressure that schools have felt to cut physical education and physical activity from the school day in order to include more time for the core curriculum. Recently, new research has been added to the conversation that focuses on the relationship of physical activity and its impact on the brain and specifically student cognition. The focus of …

Integrating Literacy Into The Math Classroom : A Staff Development For Innovative Educators, Kathryn Pollina

Graduate Research Papers

With the collaboration and advice of several mentors and practicing teachers, I found using strategies proven to help students during literacy instruction also had the same effect during mathematics instruction. I took various instructional activities, focused around using reading and writing skills in math, and was able to effectively instruct this group of students. This experience piqued my interest in the connection between literacy and mathematics. As a result, I decided to continue my research into how to effectively integrate these two core subject areas, investigating the efficacy of combining mathematics with literacy instruction.

Building 21st Century Business Skills In High School Business Classrooms Using Digital Games And Simulations, Stacy Marcus

Graduate Research Papers

Digital games and simulations are often seen as fun activities to reward students but their potential is much greater. This literature review examined how integrating digital games and simulations into secondary business curriculum can help students build the skills needed for the 21st century workplace in an environment that is conducive to how they learn best. The effects of digital games and simulations on student motivation are also examined as well as how to assess student learning while using these tools. The information found came from peer-reviewed journals, books, and studies from the Web. Digital games and simulations have proven …

Digital Gaming As A Learning Tool : A Literature Review, Seth Weylin Vickers

Graduate Research Papers

This review of literature focuses on the uses of digital gaming within learning environments. Using academic journal articles, the author reviews the advantages and disadvantages of using digital games, ways instructors are using digital games, the uses of educational as well as recreational digital games, considerations for implementing digital games, and an overview on the importance of digital security. The benefits include increased motivation, collaboration, and the increased opportunity of a learner potentially entering the flow experience. The disadvantages include health risks as well as some learners' negative attitudes towards digital gaming. The author recommends instructors to consider using digital …

Correlation Between Science Process Skills Proficiency In Pre-Service Elementary Teachers And Academic Achievement, Laura Witt Dawson

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Inquiry has been an essential part of science education since the Alphabet Curriculum was published. Science process skills (SPS) were first defined in 1968 and today SPS are the skills of inquiry. These skills are central to science education, and should be part of the curriculum at every level, from elementary to post-secondary school. In order to successfully teach SPS to students, teachers must have a thorough understanding of both sets of skills. This study focused on the pre-service elementary teacher population and investigated this population's SPS proficiency. This study investigated inquiry-based courses for pre-service elementary teachers, and focused on …

In A Complex Plane, Todd Dralle

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This thesis is a work of fiction. It is a short novel written to entertain and to explore ideas of identity, family, friendship, and what it takes to find a place in the modem world. It follows a young man named Noah through the events of a single summer as he tries to make sense of his life. Its setting and characters are definitively Iowan, but its events and conflicts speak to the human condition at large. The story's overarching metaphor is the Mandlebrot set, a mathematical sequence of infinite complexity. Through the course of the novel the main character …

Comparing Middle School Students' Learning And Attitudes In Face-To-Face And Online Mathematics Lessons, Clayton M. Edwards

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Online learning has become a staple within education for college students, and has started to enter high schools. While this instructional delivery system has been shown to work for older students, few studies have involved middle school students. If this trend toward online teaching of younger students continues, online learning could become a large part of education for middle school students, making research in this area important.

Multiple positive and negative aspects have been identified for online learning. Positive characteristics include individualized pacing; electronic resources, and the opportunity for rapid or personalized feedback, while negative aspects address increased student responsibility …

A Master Of Music Recital In Flute, Abi Coffer

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Abi Coffer performed a Master of Music Flute Recital at six o'clock in the evening on Friday, February 24, 2012 in Davis Hall, Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center. Ms. Coffer opened the recital with a work from the Baroque era, the melancholy Fantasie no. 12 in g minor for solo flute by Georg Philipp Telemann. For the next piece, Ms. Coffer was joined by faculty pianist Polina Khatsko in a performance of a twentieth-century, three movement Sonata by Jindrich Feld. After a brief intermission, Ms. Coffer resumed the program with an Andalusian folk inspired piece by Cristobal Halffter for solo …

Annual Report Of The Registrar 2011/2012, University Of Northern Iowa

Institutional Effectiveness & Planning Documents

Contents:

--- Definitions
--- Some Comparisons
--- Annual Report Data
--- Summary of Attendance
--- Attendance by Session
--- Full-Time Equivalency Enrollment
--- Degrees Granted 2011/2012
--- Degree Summary 2011/2012
--- Program Certificates 2011/2012
--- Miscellaneous Enrollment Information
--- Degrees Granted by College, Degree and Racial/Ethnic Classification

Clothing Comparisons Across Countries, Kathleen Olson

Open Educational Resources

Students will be able to research the appropriate clothing used for various professions in other countries. Students will be able to prepare/locate the professional clothing using their research information with materials given. Students will be able to give an oral presentation of their clothing research.

Coulomb-Driven Cluster-Glass Behavior In Mn-Intercalated Ti1+Ys2, P. M. Shand, A. L. Meyer, M. Streicher, A. Wilson, T. Rash, Tim Kidd, L. H. Strauss

Faculty Work

We have investigated the low-temperature spin-glasslike phase in the intercalated transition-metal dichalcogenide Mn_0.09Ti_1.1S₂. A departure from Curie–Weiss behavior in the paramagnetic regime indicated the formation of small ferromagnetically correlated clusters. The Vogel–Fulcher law provided an excellent description of relaxation times in the vicinity of the transition, showing that the glasslike phase occurs due to interaction between the clusters. Cole–Cole plots for data close to the transition were linear, which is consistent with a simple exponential distribution of cluster sizes. A Monte Carlo simulation of the dichalcogenide system, including excess self-intercalated Ti ions, gave an …

Lac 1a Instructor Resource Guide: Uni I Am Writing, David Grant, Debra Dimond Young

Faculty Work

Writing is an important aspect of any college experience. It goes beyond mere examinations of knowledge and is part of the very learning process itself. We are proud to have so much collective experience and so many talents across our campus that can help students in all years tackle a ubiquitous task that is at once complex, daunting, and seemingly self-­‐evident. This guide is meant to supplement, support, and enhance the talents and experience of our staff. We recognize that teaching writing is a collaborative endeavor. You may be teaching writing for the first semester as a Graduate Assistant, as …

Common Cents, Dawn Shattuck

Open Educational Resources

Students will be able to convert currency from USD (United States Dollars) to CLP (Chilean Pesos) and vice versa. Students will familiarize themselves with common prices in Chile and make comparisons of the costs of similar items in the United States. Students will analyze the differences in purchasing power and minimum wage in United States and Chile.

Butterfly Community Dynamics In A Restored Prairie Used For Biofuel Production, Nicholas E. Tebockhorst, Jarrett D. Pfrimmer, Mark C. Myers

Undergraduate Student Work

The conversion of native Midwestern tallgrass prairie to monoculture production of corn (Zea mays) and soybeans (Glycene max) for food and fuel has resulted in a significant decrease in habitat for insect pollinators, including butterflies. Compared to conventional biofuels such as corn ethanol, prairie biomass produces greater energy yields while providing high quality wildlife habitat and protecting soil and water resources. My research took place at Cedar River Natural Resource Area in Black Hawk County Iowa, USA. In spring 2009, the University of Northern Iowa’s Tallgrass Prairie Center seeded 48 research plots in conventional fields to …

Bird Use Of Heterogeneous Prairie Biofuel Production Plots In Black Hawk County, Iowa, Jarrett Pfrimmer, Mark C. Myers, Benjamin Hoksch, Drew Miller

Undergraduate Student Work

Agricultural intensification has driven the loss of >90% of native grassland habitats in the Midwest. Consequently, grassland birds have declined more drastically than any other North American guild. Current biofuel production systems rely on high input monoculture crops that provide little habitat value to most grassland birds. The University of Northern Iowa’s Tallgrass Prairie Center is exploring the feasibility of growing and harvesting diverse mixes of native prairie vegetation for use as a sustainable biofuel in a manner that also provides high quality bird habitat. In 2009, we seeded 48 research plots on three soil types with one of four …

Global Water Crisis Awareness, Krista Elmquist

Open Educational Resources

Students in small groups will research water crisis conditions and record findings for one country in crisis on a graphic organizer. Student groups will share findings with classmates who will add additional information so comparisons can be made between countries.

Homeless Bird, Kelly Davidson, Natasha Cooper

Open Educational Resources

Students will use “Homeless Bird” to identify Indian geography and culture. Students will define vocabulary from the text. Students will locate important geographical places.

Mapping The Crusades, Janet K. Wills

Open Educational Resources

Students will create a Google Earth Tour of the First Crusade to Jerusalem. Using a spreadsheet, students will calculate the distance between each of the cities including a final total.

Using A Thinking Skills System To Guide Discussions During A Working Conference On Students With Disabilities Pursuing Stem Fields, Audrey C. Rule, Greg P. Stefanich

Curriculum & Instruction Faculty Publications

Students with sensory or motor disabilities are often dissuaded from pursuing science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) careers. They are frequently underprepared to succeed in post-secondary STEM coursework because of inadequate high school preparation and limited post-secondary accommodations. A two-day working conference stimulated dialogue to improve attitudes toward, to better support, and to plan accommodations for students with physical disabilities in STEM areas. Discussion questions during the five small group dialogue sessions that followed panels of speaker presentations were based on Edward de Bono’s (2000) CoRT ten Breadth thinking skills. These thinking skills broaden perception so that thinkers might see …

How Mathematics Teachers Can Help Curb Childhood Obesity, Elana Joram, Anthony J. Gabriele

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Mystery Class For Math, David Sundstedt

Open Educational Resources

Using Mystery Class (website), students will calculate photoperiods and analyze data.

Nigerian Women As Traders, Natasha Cooper

Open Educational Resources

Students will participate in a simulation.

Plastic Bags Contest - Bangladesh Vs. Usa, Jane Watson

Open Educational Resources

Students will have an understanding of the environmental issues concerning plastic bags. Students will discover that some developing countries including Bangladesh are more environmentally proactive than the USA in reducing plastic bags.

Population Numbers, Jon Bliesmer

Open Educational Resources

Students will receive a greater understanding of how locations and regions can influence population numbers within the U.S. Students will make use of statistical data to draw conclusions about population numbers. Students will evaluate, based on their research, the increase and decrease in states population numbers and what would have made these growths or declines.

Rice: It Feeds The World, Kelly Davidson

Open Educational Resources

Students will identify countries mentioned in the text and locate them on a world map. Students will use an atlas to identify the climatic conditions necessary for growing rice. Students will explain the movement of cultural traditions from a country or origin to a new country.

The House That Musa Built, Anne Hoeper, Dan Walsh

Open Educational Resources

Students will be aware of building materials used in Nigeria and understand why they are used.

Key Elements Of Poverty Influencing Language Development And Academic Achievement, Joanna L. Eggert

Honors Program Theses

This paper investigates central issues surrounding poverty and how it influences a child's language development and academic achievement. It examines the differences in amounts of language input in the home environments of children from varying socioeconomic statuses and how this shapes their language acquisition. The research also explores the exposure to prenatal teratogens in addition to environmental toxins associated with poverty that may play a role in disparities in development, such as lead exposure. Furthermore, the issue of unequal healthcare and educational access between individuals of differing income levels is addressed. Ultimately, the purpose of this research is to call …

Who's Developed?, Brittany Lassen

Open Educational Resources

Students will understand what makes a country developed or not developed and may have some of their misconceptions addressed regarding how developed/underdeveloped certain countries are.

I'Ll Trade You Dollars For Taka, Geographic Alliance Of Iowa

Open Educational Resources

Students will convert currency from USD (United States Dollars) to BDT (Bangladesh Taka) and vice versa. Students will familiarize themselves with common prices in BDT and make comparisons costs of similar items in USD.

Programs And Courses Catalog 2012-2014, University Of Northern Iowa

UNI Programs and Courses Catalogs

This catalog is published for students and other persons who want to know more about the University of Northern Iowa. Its purpose is to communicate as objectively and completely as possible what the university is and what it does. The catalog is presented in sections to give a general view of the university as well as the detailed information required for informed decision making.