Digital Commons Network^™

Formative Assessment In Engineering Education: Exploring Ways To Enhance Students' Learning Achievement, Assad Iqbal

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Formative assessments have been found to enhance students’ learning across a variety of disciplines, educational levels, and laboratory and classroom settings. Research attributes the positive effects of formative assessments in improving students’ learning to its (backward and forward) testing effects. Moreover, formative assessments provide an extra opportunity to students to assess their learning early in the learning process, reflect on their learning, and identify address learning gaps and misconceptions (if any) using feedback.

However, optional nature of formative assessments and having no stakes associated with them to have any bearing on final grades offers two challenges to capitalize on their …

Teaching Chinese As A Second Language: Exploring L2 Reading Via Dynamic Assessment, Siyu Ji

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This portfolio includes a collection of essays reflecting the writer’s beliefs and exploration of teaching Chinese as a second language. The first part of the portfolio is the writer’s professional environment and teaching philosophy statement. The second part of the portfolio is the writer’s professional learning experience from a class observation. The third part of the portfolio is a reflection paper on the writer’s exploration of reading dynamic assessment.

Facilitating Second Language Development Via Interaction In An Online Classroom, Jen Cummings

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This portfolio is a collection of essays tying together perspectives and major themes in second language teaching of importance to the writer. It begins with an introduction piece, followed by a description of professional environment and a teaching philosophy statement focused on teacher-student relationships, varied assessments, and culture-focused teaching. This section is followed by a classroom observation. The main section of the portfolio is a reflection paper presenting perspectives on the importance of providing interaction opportunities in asynchronous online language learning classrooms. The portfolio concludes with a statement of future goals.

Training Needs And Applications For Special Educators With Paraeducator Supervision Responsibilities, Joanna M. Cornejo

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This project highlights the need for training for paraeducators working in Special Education settings. Duties performed by paraeducators often overlap with teacher duties and much of the direct instruction provided to students in self-contained classrooms is delivered by paraeducators. The tasks of training and supervising paraeducators often falls on the special education teacher, who may not have received training in supervision. The project includes a brief review of the literature on this topic and two project reports. I designed my project with the objective of improving the quality of instruction being delivered to students in my classroom through training of …

From Lesson Plan To Observation To Self-Assessment In A Chinese As A Second Language Class, Yu-Shan Lin

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This portfolio is a compilation of what the author has learned in the field of Chinese as a second language in the Master of Second Language Teaching program at Utah State University. There are three main sections in the portfolio. The first section contains the author’s teaching philosophy statement, with a focus on the communicative approach, a game-based approach, and alternative assessment. The second section consists of a reflection on a classroom observation. The main paper presents how the author designed a lesson plan and implemented it, as well as her analysis and introspection on a video recording of the …

Functional Characterization Of The Newly Discovered Type V Crispr-Cas Protein Cas12a2, Dylan J. Keiser

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Similarly to people, bacteria are under the treat of infection by viruses. To circumvent these threats, bacteria evolve complex immune systems. Our understanding of some of these immune systems has led to many advancements in the field of Biotechnology including tools that made expressing proteins for study in a lab easier, tools that revolutionized the feasibility of gene editing, and tools that could change the way we think about viral diagnostics and cancer therapeutics. A certain type of immune system that bacteria use to fight virus is called a CRISPR system. Presented here is work to understand the function of …

Energy Dissipation Of Highly Convergent Chutes In Stilling Basins Of Concrete Dams, Rafael Morán, Miguel Ángel Toledo, Jaime I. Masides

Protections Conference

This article presents the results of a combination of experimental and numerical research on the performance of stilling basins of spillways with highly convergent chutes (HCC). The comparison between the energy dissipation of the stilling basins with flat slab and baffle blocks shows that the latest are more efficient. Because of that, the cost savings of using such blocks can be significant. The results obtained could be applied in different cases such as increasing the capacity of existing spillways and protecting dams against overtopping. The application of HCC spillways in new dams could lead to a reduction in the cost …

A Novel Computational Method To Compute Rock Scour Due To Dam Overtopping, Erik F. R. Bollaert

Protections Conference

Flood events generating potential risk for dam overtopping may become more frequently in the future, especially because of increasing climate change. Crest overflows at arch dams generally impact the downstream rock mass very close to the dam foundation. As such, any scour of the rock mass generated by this phenomenon may potentially endanger the stability of the dam and its appurtenant structures. Hence, pertinent assessment of this scour formation through space and time is becoming increasingly relevant to dam safety. This paper presents a novel computational method for detachment of prismatic rock blocks from their mass when impacted by high-velocity …

Bedrock Erosion In Swedish Spillways - A Methodology For Assessing Design Pore Pressures Aimed For Design Of Erosion Mitigation Via Reinforcement Of The Rock Mass, Per Eriksson, Jonas Persson, Carol-Oscar Nilsson

Protections Conference

This article presents a collection of literature and data that enables calculations of hydraulic pressures inside a structurally simplified rock mass. The causation between the pressure in the rock mass and the near plane-parallel turbulently flowing waters on natural surfaces of igneous rock is expressed. The article is mainly aimed at rock reinforcement calculations given magmatic rock types with high durability and large block size.

Failure Thresholds For Rcc Crest Caps, Tony L. Wahl, Bryan J. Heiner, Jacob F. Kepler

Protections Conference

Overtopping protection using roller-compacted concrete (RCC) overlays is a common improvement made to address hydrologic deficiencies at existing small- to medium-height embankment dams. Overlays allow floods to pass over the dam while preventing erosion of the original embankment. The United States has many examples of such projects on both private and public dams, including many associated with federal agencies of the Departments of the Interior and Agriculture. For one project modified with an overlay in 1993, deterioration of the RCC and poor bonding between lifts has caused concern for stability of the 0.3-m (1-ft) thick RCC lifts that cap the …

First Application Of Articulated Concrete Block Armoring With A Stabilized Stone Drainage Layer, Jeremy R. Young, Jim Nadeau

Protections Conference

Results from recent hydraulic testing of Articulated Concrete Block (ACB) systems have shown variations in the level of the ACB surface is attributed to the movement of an unconfined stone drainage layer. This movement appears to be exacerbated by thicker drainage layers, higher overtopping depths, and longer test flumes. While the apparent movement did not constitute “threshold of performance” as currently defined by ASTM D7276 and D7277, there was a desire to mitigate movement of the stone drainage layer and maintain conservatism in ACB design and construction. This paper will review the findings of Nadeau and Wedin’s paper from Protections …

Structural Failure Of The Cohesive Core Of Rockfill Dams: An Experimental Research Using Sand-Bentonite Mixtures, Ricardo Monteiro-Alves, Rafael Moran, Miguel Á. Toledo, Javier Peraita

Protections Conference

This article presents experimental research focusing on the structural failure of the central core of a rockfill dam using sand-bentonite mixtures. It comprised an extensive geotechnical characterization of soil materials and mixtures, including compaction and strength tests, as well as the construction of 1 m high and 1.5 m wide physical models. The displacements of the cohesive cores were recorded using a tailored measuring system, based on a laser pointer and a mirror, designed to amplify the real displacements. The cohesive cores were extremely sensitive to small oscillations and behaved as rigid bodies, similar to concrete slabs with three fixed …

Overtopping Erodibility Analysis For A Steep-Sloped Rockfill Embankment Dam, Ariel Rickel, Michael F. George, Rob Millar

Protections Conference

Erosion of embankment material during an overtopping event is one of the major mechanisms of failure for earthfill dams. The ability to analyze the progression of overtopping failure can prove useful in assessing the breakthrough risk of the dam, which involves understanding the behavior of the material that the dam is comprised of. While there have been studies on the behavior of smaller-grained materials such as clays and sands (e.g. Hahn et al 2000; Coleman et al. 2002; Hanson et al. 2005; Hanson et al. 2011), few have focused on erosion of larger-grained rockfill embankments.

This paper presents the erosion …

Examining Math Instructors’ Knowledge, Beliefs, And Attitudes Of Student Learning Strategies In A Faculty Development Workshop, Roxanne Brinkerhoff, Becky Connelly, Sam Gedeborg

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Access the online Pressbooks version of this article here.

A faculty development workshop, focused on incorporating universal learning strategies into developmental mathematics courses, was created and utilized in a developmental mathematics department at an open-enrollment, mid-western university to ascertain the best methods for dissemination of essential learning strategies to developmental math students. Successful faculty development programs were studied and utilized in the design of the workshop. The attributes of the workshop were discussed. Faculty were surveyed and qualitative data was analyzed to determine the workshop’s efficacy. The research aimed to understand if participation in the workshop changed faculty knowledge, beliefs, …

Student Stories Of Online Learning, Carrie Lewis Miller, Michael Manderfeld

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Access the online Pressbooks version of this article here.

Instructional designers at a Midwest university piloted a survey based on the Quality Matters general standards asking students about their online course experience prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Students were asked to indicate whether they experienced a specific course design element and whether they considered that element to be important to their learning experience. Follow-up interviews with some participants were also held. Data from the survey indicated students perceive their online course experience to be good based on course design elements they encountered. Implications for providing additional faculty development programming based …

Reflection Impacts Preservice Teachers Instruction And Planning, Joanna C. Weaver, Cynthia Bertelsen, Kaylani Othman

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Access the online Pressbooks version of this article here.

Creating a habit of reflective practice promotes ongoing and sustainable instructional improvement for preservice teachers. Furthermore, reflection enables teachers to strengthen their instruction through critical analysis of student learning and engagement. While reflection may be intuitive for an in-service teacher, preservice teachers need this experience to develop intentional and automatic reflective practice. Adopted from the field of medicine, Subjective, Observation, Assessment, Planning (SOAP) Notes is a reflective strategy that allows educators to critically reflect on the lessons they have taught. SOAP Notes promote critical reflection on planning and student learning and …

Full Issue: Journal On Empowering Teaching Excellence, Volume 6, Issue 2, Fall 2022

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

The full-length Fall 2022 issue (Volume 6, Issue 2) of the Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Access the online Pressbooks version (with downloadable EPUB format) here.

The Fall 2022 issue presents research and guidance on topics related to reflective practice and learning. The first article examines the impact of the SOAP Notes tool on teaching, learning, and instructor reflection. The second article provides guidance for faculty on how to collect, explain, and showcase their efforts in a teaching portfolio. Article three shares the findings of a student survey to identify students' experience with the design elements found in the Quality …

Portal: Portal Widget For Remote Target Acquisition And Control In Immersive Virtual Environments, Donguyn Han, Donghoon Kim, Isaac Cho

Computer Science Student Research

This paper introduces PORTAL (POrtal widget for Remote Target Acquisition and controL) that allows the user to interact with out-of-reach objects in a virtual environment. We describe the PORTAL interaction technique for placing a portal widget and interacting with target objects through the portal. We conduct two formal user studies to evaluate PORTAL for selection and manipulation functionalities. The results show PORTAL supports participants to interact with remote objects successfully and precisely. Following that, we discuss its potential and limitations, and future works.

Nurses’ Perceptions Of The Universal Newborn Hearing Screening Program, Aaron Michael Roman, Michelle O'Connor Kensey

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

This study explores the knowledge and perceptions of the newborn hearing screening (NBHS) program from the perspective of nurses and nursing support staff. Registered nurses and nursing support staff (n = 84) completed a digitally administered survey that queried their understanding of JCIH guidelines, perceptions around NBHS administration, and parental anxiety. The results demonstrated that while most respondents felt comfortable and confident about NBHS administration, there was a significant difference in their understanding of appropriate screening milestones compared to JCIH recommendations. Participants further demonstrated an interest in additional learning opportunities related to the NBHS.

Impact Of Social Determinants Of Health On Early Hearing Detection And Intervention Screening/Diagnosis Outcomes, Nannette Nicholson, Ellen A. Rhoades, Rachel E. Glade, Laura Smith-Olinde

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

Purpose

We reviewed how Social Determinants of Health relate to health inequities and disparities for Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) programs. Then, we examine links between specific sociodemographic factors (maternal age, maternal education, ‘race’/ethnicity) and hearing screening and diagnostic audiology follow-up for newborns in the U.S. and its territories.

Methods

Maternal demographic, hearing screening and diagnostic data extracted from publicly available Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) records were reported to CDC by personnel responsible for EHDI programs. Data were subjected to statistical analysis using analysis of variance and multiple regression techniques.

Results

Results showed no significant differences …

Examining The Role Of Experiential Avoidance And Valued Action In The Negative Effects Of Weight Self-Stigma, Marissa L. Donahue, Michael E. Levin, Kayloni Olson, Emily Panza, Jason Lillis

Psychology Faculty Publications

Harmful effects of weight self-stigma on quality of life and health behaviors have been well-established. However, the processes that lead to these negative outcomes are less understood. Psychological inflexibility is defined as a pattern of rigid psychological reactions dominating over values and meaningful actions. A lack in valued action is characterized by the absence of activities that are connected to what is personally meaningful. In this secondary analysis, we aim to extend research by examining two subprocesses of psychological inflexibility, experiential avoidance and lack of valued action, as statistical mediators of the relations between weight self-stigma and quality of life/health …

Educational Policies Committee, Minutes, November 3, 2022, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Approval of Minutes - October 6, 2022
• Subcommittee Reports
• Curriculum Subcommittee (Chad Simon)
• Academic Standards Subcommittee (Renee Galliher)
• General Education Subcommittee (Matt Sanders)
• Other Business
• Adjourn: 3:50 pm

Inertial Motion On The Earth's Spheroidal Surface, Boyd F. Edwards, Cade Pankey, John M. Edwards

All Physics Faculty Publications

As seen by an observer in the rotating frame, the earth’s small spheroidal deformations neutralize the centrifugal force, leaving only the smaller Coriolis force to govern the “inertial” motion of objects that move on its surface, assumed smooth and frictionless. Previous studies of inertial motion employ weakly spheroidal equations of motion that ignore the influence of the centrifugal force and yet treat the earth as a sphere. The latitude dependence of these equations renders them strongly nonlinear. We derive and justify these equations and use them to identify, classify, name, describe, and illustrate all possible classes of inertial motion, including …

Spectral Responses Of The Pace Oci Short-Wave Infrared Detection Assembly, Jacob K. Hedelius, Kenneth J. Squire, James Q. Peterson, Branimir Blagojevic, Ulrik B. Gliese, Eric T. Gorman, David K. Moser, Zakk Rhodes, Pedro Sevilla, Gerhard Meister

Space Dynamics Laboratory Publications

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Ocean Color Instrument (OCI) to go on the Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecology (PACE) Earth-observing satellite has a Short-wave infrared (SWIR) Detection Assembly (SDA). This SDA is used to measure upwelling radiation in seven discrete bands from 940 to 2260 nm. There are redundant measurements of each band for a total of 32 physical channels, which includes optical components through to detection. The relative spectral response (RSR) is measured for each channel, which is needed when accounting for the spectral distribution of sensed radiance. From the RSR, single-value performance metrics are computed including the center wavelength, the …

Unpacking The Internalized Homonegativity–Health Relationship: How The Measurement Of Ih And Health Matter And The Contribution Of Religiousness, G. Tyler Lefevor, Eric R. Larsen, Rachel M. Golightly, Maddie Landrum

Psychology Faculty Publications

Internalized homonegativity (IH) is widely recognized to negatively influence the health of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer/questioning (LGBQ +) individuals. It is not clear, however, the role that religiousness may play in the relationship between IH and health or how differing conceptualizations of IH or health may influence this relationship. We conducted a multi-level meta-analysis of 151 effect sizes from 68 studies to examine the relationship between IH and health as well as what may moderate this relationship. Results suggested that IH was consistently and negatively related to health (r = − .28). Analyses suggest that IH was most …

Communities Activated: Stories From Behind The Scenes Of Progress, Avery C. Edenfield, Ariel Malan, Mel Payne, Roberto Lopez, Blair L. Barfuss, Latrisha Fall

Intersections on Inclusion: Critical Conversations about the Academy

In 2020, USU received the Carnegie Classification for Community Engagement, recognizing USU has great work to do in our communities; as a land grant institution we have the responsibility to the communities in which we are located to honor the mission statement of ‘serving the public through learning, discovery, and engagement and cultivating diversity of thought and culture.’ This panel will center the voices of community leaders and change-makers dedicated to advancing progress toward equity. As we learn from panelists about their community initiatives and advocacy, participants will be invited to reflect on ways they can engage in their …

Cycles Of Learning And Growth: Developing The Tribal Digital Stewardship Cohort Program Guided By Indigenous Perspectives, Lotus Norton-Wisla

Journal of Western Archives

This article provides lessons learned through four cycles of the Tribal Digital Stewardship Cohort Program at Washington State University’s Center for Digital Scholarship and Curation. The author coordinated the hybrid online and in-person training program from 2015-2020, focused on the unique needs of staff at Indigenous archives, libraries, and museums at the beginning of digital projects with unique access considerations. The learning and professional growth of program staff was informed by the participants in the program, whose words and work are highlighted in the article. The author reflects on the program design, curricular outcomes, site visits, building relationships and peer …

Tremblings, November 2022, Western Aspen Alliance

Tremblings

Facing forest change with humility

Jess Kirby

I feel the ultimate beauty of forests is their need for constant change and their willingness to adapt to new conditions. However, if there is one thing I have learned in twenty-five years of public service with federal, state, and local government, when it comes to forests, people do not like change. But ecological change, whether humans like it or not, is integral to healthy and resilient forested landscapes.

The Utah Statesman, October 31, 2022, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Coping With Grief And Loss For Agricultural Producers, Jacob D. Gossner, Elizabeth B. Fauth, Tasha Howard

All Current Publications

As humans, we are social beings who form strong relationships; when these relationships end, through death, divorce, or estrangement, it is natural to feel a sense of loss. This resource is meant to provide some ideas for agricultural producers (individuals and families) seeking to cope with and respond to losing a loved one. We also include information for agricultural producers experiencing other types of loss, such as losing the farm or livestock.