Digital Commons Network^™

Readability Of Online Hearing-Based Early Intervention Materials, Torri Ann Woodruff, Kathleen Cienkowski

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

Purpose: A quantitative readability assessment of currently accessible online materials for parents of children who are D/deaf and hard of hearing.

Design: Consistent with current recommendations discussing “grade-level” of materials, Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL) analysis, along with five other related measures, was conducted for each website. These analyses provide a readability score for each of the websites analyzed.

Study sample: The first five pages of results from a Google search of “early intervention deaf” and “early intervention hear” were compiled for readability assessment.

Results: Sixty-three websites were included in the analysis. Following article modification, inter- and intra-rater reliability were excellent …

Theory Of Mind Acquisition In Children Who Are Deaf: The Importance Of Early Identification And Communication Access, Kimberly A. Peters, Jessica Beer, David Pisoni, Ethan Remmell

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare Theory of Mind (ToM) acquisition in typically-hearing preschool-age children (TH), and deaf children of hearing parents (DCHP) who received a cochlear implant by 18 months of age, to determine if early access to spoken language via a cochlear implant affected ToM acquisition.

Methods: Participants included 25 children with cochlear implants ages 3.0 to 6.5 years and 25 age-matched children with TH all of whom were enrolled in preschools with typical peer models. The test battery included measures of expressive and receptive language and ToM.

Results: There were no …

Using Online Genres To Promote Students’ Audience Awareness, Elena Taylor

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Writing assignments that students complete in university courses are typically designed for evaluation and grading by the instructor, who, therefore, acts as the sole reader of student written work. However, most written genres students would--and do--encounter in the world beyond the classroom are composed for diverse audiences who influence writers’ text construction considerably. Because most students will be likely to write for multiple audiences as part of their career or future academic endeavors, it is crucial for them to develop a sense of audience awareness as an indispensable rhetorical concept that shapes composing processes. Writing online presents a great opportunity …

Full Issue: Journal On Empowering Teaching Excellence, Volume 5, Issue 2, Fall 2021

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

The full Fall 2021 issue (Volume 5, Issue 2) of the Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

An Ai-Based Goal-Oriented Agent For Advanced On-Board Automation, Christian Cardenio, Lorenzo Feruglio, Alessandro Benetton, Mattia Varile, Temenuzhka Valentinova Avramova

Small Satellite Conference

In the context of fierce competition arising in the space economy, the number of satellites and constellations that will be placed in orbit is set to increase considerably in the upcoming years. In such a dynamic environment, raising the autonomy level of the next space missions is key to maintaining a competitive edge in terms of the scientific, technological, and commercial outcome.

We propose the adoption of an AI-based autonomous agent aiming to fully enable spacecraft’s goal-oriented autonomy. The implemented cognitive architecture collects input starting from the sensing of the surrounding operating environment and defines a low-level schedule of tasks …

Saudadades Da Minha Terra Amada: Brazilian Immigrants In Utah, Corinne Clarkson-Heaps

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

“We are all strangers in a strange land, longing for home, but not quite knowing what or where home is,” author Madeleine L’engle once wrote (L’engle 1993). The Portuguese language has a word for this feeling - saudade. Saudade is hard to describe in English, but it is often described as a feeling of longing, or nostalgia that is supposedly characteristic of the Brazilian temperament. Brazilian immigrants are familiar with this feeling. Though generally grateful for new opportunities, they often describe the saudades that they have for their terra amada, or “beloved homeland,” after coming to America. Saudades …

Balancing The Double-Edged Sword Of Implementation: An Eclectic Approach, Spencer R. K. Chun

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

This portfolio is a compilation which expresses the author’s perspective on necessary considerations for teachers when implementing ideas in the classroom. The thoughts and perspectives showed in this portfolio have been shaped by the author’s previous formal and informal teaching experiences and the opportunities to further his understanding of teaching and research during his time in the Master of Second Language Teaching (MSLT) program at Utah State University (USU).

This portfolio is comprised of two sections: The first section consists of Teaching perspectives, which include the author’s desired professional environment, his teaching philosophy statement, and observations obtained through observing other …

Measuring Similar But Distinct Aspects Of The Memory System: A Proof Of Concept Study, Hailey A. Martineau

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

This study assessed the reliability and convergent validity of a discourse-level measure of chunking in memory. Measures were obtained for 58, school-age children with and without developmental language disorders. Results indicated that the word, sentence and discourse measures of chunking measured similar but distinct aspects of the memory system.

Meeting The Needs Of Adult Language Learners: A Focus On Communication And Literacy, Jessica Hercules

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

This portfolio is a compilation of the author’s perspectives and reflections about teaching and language acquisition during her time in the Master of Second Language Teaching (MSLT) program at Utah State University. The portfolio includes samples of writing on a variety of topics surrounding second language teaching and acquisition developed through study and teaching experience.

This collection of papers begins with the author’s perspectives on teaching, including a description of her desired professional environment, a reflection on her experiences observing other language teachers, and the author’s teaching philosophy statement. In the second section, the author presents two research papers and …

Teaching In The Digital Age: Creating A Student-Centered Classroom, Becca Huber-Jackson

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

This portfolio compiles the work of the author during her time as a student in the Master of Second Language Teaching (MSLT) program at Utah State University (USU). It highlights her personal pedagogy as well as provides supporting research. The different components of this portfolio are separated into two sections: teaching perspectives and research perspectives.

In the teaching perspectives section, she introduces her desired professional environment, outlines her teaching philosophy statement, and provides an analysis based on teaching observations. Research perspectives consist of two research papers and an annotated bibliography written throughout the course of the program that support the …

A Teacher's Guide In Creating Linguistic Diverse Classroom: Code-Meshing And Translingual Practice In First-Year Composition, Yvonne Liu

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

This thesis and portfolio are inspired by the recent code-meshing pedagogy movement to promote linguistic justice in the composition classroom along with the author’s personal journey in English learning. The traditional, monolingual practice in the composition classroom often isolates international students who have multilingual abilities above the rest of the students. The idea that there is only one correct use of English—standard English—assumes that one type of English is better than others. However, most native speakers cannot explain the rules and mechanism of standard English, which leaves international students often feeling frustrated and lowers their confidence in English writing and …

The Rhetoric Of The Double-Voiced: Strategic Ambiguity In The Silent Protest Parade, Shelby R. Crow

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Examinations of historical social movements offer great insight into contemporary social justice activism. In this thesis, I analyzed the Silent Protest Parade of 1917. The Silent Protest Parade consisted of approximately 10,000 African American men, women, and children who marched in complete silence to illuminate racial violence and the lynchings of African Americans. I argued that through the concept of strategic ambiguity, protesters were able to communicate between African American and powerful White audiences, many of whom held racist beliefs and attitudes.

Examining The Use Of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy In Undergraduate Mathematics Learning Modules With Students Of Color, Thomas A. Mgonja

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In mathematics, Students of Color have persistently performed lower than their White counterparts, thus creating a need to explore instructional methods that could reduce performance disparities. This study investigated culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) to understand how it might support students’ mathematics learning in undergraduate mathematics learning modules. The overarching research question focused on how CRP in undergraduate mathematics Learning Modules supported students’ mathematics learning. There were also two main questions that focused on participants’ evaluations of the CRP modules and how those evaluations were reported based on subgroups (Students of Color and White). The researcher employed a sequential explanatory mixed-methods …

Telling Her People's Story: Mae Timbimboo Parry, Matriarch Of The Northwestern Band Of The Shoshone Nation, 1919-2007, Dean Mcguire

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Mae Timbimboo Parry played a significant role in changing the public’s narrative about the Bear River Massacre and shaping the current knowledge about Northwestern Shoshone history. According to Mae Parry, Northwestern Shoshones were not desperate victims of violence but rather Native Americans who adapted from a great tragedy and survived on their own terms. This thesis explores the meaning of her work for Northwestern Shoshones today.

The Effect Of A Narrative Intervention On The Production Of Complex Utterances By Children At-Risk For Language Disorders, Rebekah Wada

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The ability to produce complex sentences with a variety of complex clauses is essential for children’s academic success in topics such as science and language arts. Previous research suggests that improving children’s ability to create narratives (stories) results in increased use of sentences with multiple clauses. This study examined the effect of the Supporting Knowledge in Language and Literacy (SKILL) narrative intervention on participant’s use of complex sentences. Participants were 120 monolingual English speakers between the ages of 8;0 and 10;11 who participated in a larger randomized control trial. Participants were randomly assigned to the treatment group or the control …

Features Of Direct Instruction: Content Analysis, Timothy A. Slocum, Kristen R. Rolf

Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling Faculty Publications

The goal of Direct Instruction (DI) is to teach content as effectively and efficiently as possible. To do this, instructional designers must identify generative relations or strategies that allow the learner to respond correctly to untaught situations. The purpose of content analysis is to identify generative relations in the domain to be taught and arrange the content in such a way that it supports maximally generative instruction. This article explains the role of content analysis in developing DI programs and provides examples and nonexamples of content analysis in five content domains: spelling, basic arithmetic facts, earth science, basic language, and …

The Utah Statesman, June 7, 2021, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Chapter 2- Productive Disruptions: Resilient Pedagogies That Advocate For Equity, Beth Buyserie, Rachel Welton Bryson, Rachel Quistberg

Resilient Pedagogy

When the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered universities in March 2020, many students and faculty were thrown into shifting uncertainties regarding course delivery and pedagogy. As the pandemic persisted, faculty and students experienced new stressors caused by social isolation, unequal access to technology and resources, economic distress, and many other factors. In addition, the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and others in the Black community sparked widespread social unrest that added to and compounded the emotional and material weight of the pandemic. Amid this tumult, higher-education faculty began asking questions about how to move forward with pedagogies resistant to unpredictable and …

Chapter 7- Innovative Pedagogies For Promoting University Global Engagement In Times Of Crisis, Steven R. Hawks

Resilient Pedagogy

Even as universities, institutes, and professional associations are renewing their commitment to global engagement and the internationalization of higher-education campuses, there are significant geopolitical and social challenges that are pushing back (van der Wende, 2017). The immediate crisis posed by the global coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has further hampered progress by bringing a number of critical global engagement activities to a sudden halt (Brimmer, 2020). In the midst of these challenges there is an opportunity to consider theory-driven pedagogical innovations that can move the global engagement agenda forward even in times of complexity and crisis.

Chapter 12- Conducting Guided, Virtual Homework Sessions To Support Student Success During Covid Campus Closures, Rebecca Campbell, Kevin Kelly

Resilient Pedagogy

College students have long used community-based practices such as study halls, review sessions, study groups, homework buddies, and the like as academic strategies to support their learning (Hogan, 1999; Madland & Richards, 2019; Thalluri et al., 2014). With increased access to online conferencing capabilities, working in community has been adapted by faculty who have used the technology to participate in virtual write-on-sites, writing retreats and writing sprints. Thus, it is no surprise that both faculty and learning centers saw the potential for creating virtual spaces for students to work together.

Chapter 13- Asynchronous Discussions For First-Year Writers And Beyond: Thinking Outside The Ppr (Prompt, Post, Reply) Box, Miriam Moore

Resilient Pedagogy

Asynchronous discussions can challenge even experienced online learners and teachers: forums can become perfunctory hoops for students to jump through, particularly in the common PPR (prompt, post, reply) format, in which students answer a prompt and then reply to one or more other students. As a peer reviewer for online courses, I have seen rich and insightful discussions that engage students and promote learning, as well as forums that scarcely resemble discussions at all. Research on cultivating dialogue in online discussions has targeted primarily upper-division or graduate courses (see Andreson, 2009; Delahunty, 2018; Delahunty et al., 2014; Garrison et al., …

Professional Development Of Efl Teachers In Tanzania: Ubinafsi Or Ujamaa?, Ann E. Roemer

World Languages and Cultures Faculty Publications

This small descriptive study examined the professional development activities of English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers at a university in Tanzania, in particular their awareness of professional organizations such as the International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language and TESOL International Association. Basing her inquiry on English language teaching as a community of practice, the researcher used a questionnaire, interviews, and personal observations. University lecturers were asked about their personal professional development practices, which represented the value of individualism (ubinafsi in Swahili), as well as their interest in becoming involved in professional organizations for EFL teachers, …

La Historia De Amor Del Violin Solito, Annie Jane Glauser

Microrrelatos (Flash Fiction) Collection

Un día me encontré con una compañera en la bonita ciudad de Toledo, España. Fuimos de paseo en el pueblo pequeño, buscando aventura pero sin gastar ni usar nuestro dinero. Escalamos un cierro de callejones, escalando más alto y más alto con cada paso. Llegamos a un punto en nuestro viaje donde nos encontramos en un sitio muy bonito que tenía una vista impresionante. Un poco más arriba de este sitio había una tienda. Al verlo, mi compañera de repente dijo “mira! Ese es tu tipo de tienda!” Al verlo le dije, “si, lo es. Y por eso no voy …

La Comida, Fatima Acosta

Microrrelatos (Flash Fiction) Collection

Co

Compré mucha comida de la tienda para la fiesta. Los tengo en mi coche.

Pongo los comestibles en mi cocina. De lo que compré, voy a dejar los cocos y conchas afuera del refrigerador.

Voy a hacer un cóctel y voy a necesitar los cocos para poner el cóctel. Voy a traer mis conchas para el postre. ¡Que rico!

Mi

También mirando mi comida, yo creo que es la mejor del mundo.

Quiero anunciar con un micrófono a todas que sabrosa esta mi comida.

Mi comida esta tan buena que creo que la puedo vender por un millón en …

La Vida De Las Montañas, Jackson Avery

Microrrelatos (Flash Fiction) Collection

Aqui está una de las piezas de arte más influentes del mundo. El artista muestra al mundo que la naturaleza, especialmene las montañas, es tan linda.

El Sol, Christina Blanchard

Microrrelatos (Flash Fiction) Collection

El sol

Cambia a lo largo de la historia

Era la luz más importante

Significaba los comienzos y los finales

Era un dios

Se transportaba por un caballo divino en un país

Por un pez en otro

Y por una nave divina a través del cielo

Les ayudaba con la hora

Llegó a ser el centro del universo

Para los que por fin entendieron

Sanaba

Entendimiento, percepción

Cambio

El Agua, Jessica Barker

Microrrelatos (Flash Fiction) Collection

Las plantas quieren que el agua sea puro. Los animales quieren que el agua satisfagan su sed. Utah quiere que el agua venga, pero Florida quiere que el agua salga. Yo quiero que el agua fuera mi hogar, pero los gatos quieren que el agua desaparezca. En total, el agua quiere que sea querido.

El Violín, Amelia Christensen

Microrrelatos (Flash Fiction) Collection

La palabra violín viene de una palabra de latín que significa instrumento. También, había una diosa que se llamaba Vitula, y era la diosa de gozo. Entonces, hay un verbo en latín que es vitulari que significa “estar lleno de gozo”. El violín trae mucho gozo a los demás.

Coche, Kelsey Green

Microrrelatos (Flash Fiction) Collection

El año estará 2095. Yo estaré volando por el cielo. Habrá los semáforos por todo. Lo estará el normal modo.

Los Auriculares, Madison Jenkins

Microrrelatos (Flash Fiction) Collection

Mi dueño me perdió la semana pasada. Siempre estuve ahí, pero él no podía verme. Me acosté debajo de la cama, esperando a que me recogiera. Tenía que escuchar música, mirar televisión y hablar con sus amigos, solo. No le deseo eso a mi peor enemigo.