Digital Commons Network^™

La Guitarra Mía, Sam Jensen

Microrrelatos (Flash Fiction) Collection

En este documental de la naturaleza, mi objeto, la guitarra, será definitivamente el predador. Mi guitarra caza a las cuerdas, porque siempre necesita las cuerdas nuevas. En la selva de la guitarra, la guitarra camina lentamente hacía las cuerdas. Y en el ultimó momento, mi guitarra las muerde y las consume. Después de pasarlos por su cuerpo, las pone sobre si mismo, como trofeos.

Molly - El Mejor Pececito Del Mundo, Nolan Krawczak

Microrrelatos (Flash Fiction) Collection

¡Moly ha crecido un poco y seguirá creciendo! Ha estado enfermo antes, pero mejoró poco después.

The Union Of Opposites: Carl Jung, Folklore, And The Caduceus And Ouroboros In Alchemy, Jack Daly

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

This thesis advocates for the use of Carl Jung’s psychoanalytic theory in folkloristics by examining the role of the caduceus and the ouroboros in alchemy as a case study. Although a Jungian lens has not been widely accepted by folklorists, it can and should be applied to folklore, particularly in the context of binary oppositions. Folklorists such as Alan Dundes have been harshly critical of this perspective. However, Dundes also stressed the importance of binaries in folklore. Furthermore, Dundes championed the theory of symbolic equivalences, and in my paper I argue that the caduceus and the ouroboros are examples of …

Effects Of A Telerehabilitation Group On Continuing Language Treatment After Participation In An Intensive Comprehensive Aphasia Program (Icap), Alexis Missel

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

Aphasia is an acquired neurogenic language disorder encompassing oral and/or written language expression and comprehension affecting an estimated two- to two to four million people in the United States, (Simmons-Mackie, 2018; National Aphasia Association, 2016). The primary aim of the current study was to investigate an option for targeted intervention as a follow-up to an Intensive Comprehensive Aphasia Program (ICAP). There is little research assessing maintenance of communication profile gains following conclusion of the ICAPs, and there are few options that exist as tailored ICAP follow-up programs or continued intervention guided by the ICAP principle features. To address this, a …

Broadening Perspectives: Using Multiple Teaching Approaches To Meet The Needs Of Language Students, Kalen Taylor

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

This portfolio is comprised of research, opinions, and ideas that the author has learned during the Master of Second Language Teaching (MSLT) program at Utah State University (USU). It is a representation of experiences gained through teaching lower division Spanish courses at USU. In addition to experiences, it is also comprised of research perspectives which were furthered by coursework in the MSLT program.

Contained within the pages is a road map of the author’s journey of learning and research. The portfolio begins with the author’s perspectives on teaching including his philosophy on teaching and how he has developed by observing …

The Economic And Health Impacts Of Community Gardens On Refugee Populations: Cric Garden Case Study, Joseph Montoya

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

The purpose of this paper is to examine the economic benefits of community gardens and incubator farms, both of which support the populations they serve from an economic viewpoint as well as socially, and as a benefit to public health and nutrition. The findings were gathered from the large body of research concerning the benefits of community gardens as well as program evaluation responses conducted with gardeners at the Cache Refugee and Immigrant Connection (CRIC) garden in Logan, Utah in 2020. They are also informed by experiences had and lessons learned while working as the garden manager. There is a …

Authentic Language Use In The L2 Classroom: Building Learners' Motivation And Confidence, Emma Duncan

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

This portfolio is a compilation of work completed by the author while in the Master of Second Language Teaching program at Utah State University. The portfolio contains samples of the author’s writings on various aspects of language learning and perspectives that the author developed through study of language acquisition topics and classroom teaching experience.

Included in the portfolio is a statement of the author’s desired professional environment, her teaching philosophy, and a description of her experiences observing teachers of various languages. Also included is an annotated bibliography and two research papers which detail some of the author’s specific interests within …

“It’S A Hoax!” A Practical Guide For Understanding And Surviving Weird Internet Phenomena, Camille S. Price

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

This project dives into some of the darkest of online spaces, as I seek to uncover the legends, narratives, and beliefs that encourage and popularize culture surrounding self-harm. Building on the extensive research that has been conducted on folk antagonists born on the internet such as the Slenderman, I will discuss another character named Momo who, according to legend, lead their primarily young followers through a series of self-inflicted, harmful acts, each increasing in severity, with the final act ultimately being the taking of one’s life. Research will examine social media threads, YouTube videos, film/television, and fan fiction to unpack …

Negotiating Identities In Middle School Science: Impacts On Students’ Perceived Expertise And Small Group Participation, Taylor Dexter

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This thesis investigates how students in a linguistically diverse 7^th grade science lab group interact and position each other’s capabilities within a STEM context. These capabilities are discussed in terms of how the identities local to a particular 7^th grade science lab group of “good student” and “scientist” are assigned, challenged, and strengthened. These interactions are instances of identities and patterns (pathways) of identities being negotiated. This thesis’ analysis focuses particularly on how the identities of being Latinx and multilingual affect these negotiations in the terms of the local identities (“good student” and “scientist”). This analysis sheds light …

Rewriting The Unwritten: Decorum As A Tool For Social Justice In Technical Communication, Jennifer L. Scucchi

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

With the recent turn to social justice in Technical and Professional Communication (TPC), it is important to develop a variety of theories and methods that can address issues of power and oppression within TPC. Additionally, some of these theories and methods should work to engage resistant audiences and persuade them to not only be aware, but to also take meaningful action for change. Social justice efforts should also consider the intersectionality that occurs when multiple marginalizing factors intersect, compounding the experiences of oppression for those who fall into each unique category. In this dissertation, I present a theory and method …

Evolution Of A Multi-Layered World Of Science To Benefit Children With Hearing Loss, Ellen Rhoades, Rachel Glade

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

This is a brief but broad narrative and non-systematic review of developments that led up to how 21^st century digital technology and translational research influenced, in particular, cognitive psychology and our improved understanding of mental resources among children with hearing loss. In turn, systemic multi-disciplinary research findings gave birth to Auditory Cognitive Neuroscience (ACN). Three broad constructs unique to ACN, i.e., auditory attention, effortful listening, and auditory fatigue, are then described in relation to children with hearing loss. This review concludes with a brief examination of future opportunities for researchers and clinicians who can ensure that children with hearing …

Journal Of Early Hearing Detection And Intervention: Volume 5 Issue 2, Pages 1-84

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

No abstract provided.

Effect Of Three Classroom Research Experiences On Science Attitudes, Lauren K. Lucas, Frances K. Hunter, Zachariah Gompert

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Here we evaluate undergraduate student attitudes about science after each of three authentic research experiences in a semester of an introductory biology laboratory course at Utah State University. The three course-based research experiences (CUREs) vary in length and student freedom, and they cover different areas of biology. Students responded to the science attitude items of the CURE Survey. When compared to national data, our students faired similarly, and all students struggled with certain epistemic assumptions about science knowledge. As also seen in the national database, change in science attitude was slight and nonlinear. Student self confidence in what a career …

Taking Into Account Interpersonal Aspects Of Teacher Feedback: Principles Of Responding To Student Writing, Elena Shvidko

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Providing feedback on student work is a fundamental aspect of instruction and an important part of the learning process. A considerable amount of literature describes the pedagogical value of different types of feedback—explicit vs. implicit, comprehensive vs. selective, direct vs. indirect, and feedback on content vs. feedback on form—thus treating feedback primarily as an instructional/informational phenomenon. It must be remembered, however, that there is a real person behind each paper; therefore, interpersonal aspects of teacher feedback should not be disregarded. This article discusses five principles of responding to student writing that take into account this interpersonal nature of feedback: providing …

Enacting Rhetorical Listening: A Process To Support Students’ Engagement With Challenging Course Readings, Jessica Rivera-Mueller

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Many educators assign course readings to purposefully enlarge students’ perspectives. In doing so, though, educators may face a range of behaviors—reluctance, resistance, avoidance, disengagement—from students who feel that such readings negatively press upon their prior knowledge, belief systems, or educational goals. This teaching challenge is often present for social justice educators. However, “rhetorical listening,” a rhetorical theory developed by Ratcliffe (2005), is a pedagogical tool that can help shift students’ understandings of and expectations for the activity of reading, thereby creating a learning environment that supports meaningful engagement with challenging course readings. In this article, the author outlines a process …

Full Issue: Journal On Empowering Teaching Excellence, Volume 4, Issue 2

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

The full Fall 2020 issue (Volume 4, Issue 2) of the Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence.

Do Urban Red Foxes Attack People? An Exploratory Study And Review Of Incidents In Britain, Bethany Bridge, Stephen Harris

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Human–wildlife interactions are believed to be increasing worldwide, and a number of studies have analyzed the risks posed by larger carnivores. However, people can also perceive smaller species of carnivores as threatening, particularly in urban areas. Red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) started to colonize British cities in the 1930s, and there is growing public concern about foxes biting people, particularly babies. These events are generally described in the press as attacks and generate intense media coverage and speculation that foxes view human infants as potential prey. Because foxes rely primarily on auditory cues for hunting, we conducted acoustic playback …

Educational Policies Committee Agenda, September 3, 2020, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

Approval of 2 April 2020 Minutes

Subcommittee Reports

• Curriculum Subcommittee
• Academic Standards Subcommittee
• General Education Subcommittee

Other Business

Curriculum Subcommittee Agenda, September 3, 2020, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

Approval of 2 April 2020 Minutes

Program Proposals

Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services

• Add new specialization within the existing Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction
• Add new specialization within the existing Master of Science in Curriculum and Instruction

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

• Restructure the department

Semester Course Approval Reviews

Other Business

• Learning objectives for new course approvals

“Scientists Can’T Really Talk To People”: Unpacking Students’ Metacommentary On The Racialized And Gendered Science Nerd Trope, Sarah K. Braden

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

Mass-media representations of the stereotypical science nerd position scientists as white, male, and largely English-speaking. Teachers and students who state a desire to work in equitable science learning communities may nonetheless reproduce inequities through their classroom practices which either embody or validate the science nerd stereotype. This study compares secondary students’ metacommentary on the science nerd trope in a mass-media representation to their metacommentary on their own and their peers’ classroom practices and sheds light on design elements for Critical Race Media Literacy (Yosso, 2002) tasks that may promote equity in science education spaces.

Exploring The Importance Of Play, Motivation, Identity, And Dialect In Arabic Language Learning And Teaching, Lindsey S. Mabey

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

This portfolio is a compilation of work that the author wrote during her studies in the Master of Second Language Teaching program at Utah State University. During her time in the program, the author also served as an instructor of Arabic at the university and at a local grade school, as well as serving as a teaching assistant. This work is informed by the author’s personal reflections on these experiences in conjunction with her studies.

The portfolio consists of three sections: (1) teaching perspectives, (2) research perspectives, and (3) an annotated bibliography. The teaching perspectives revolve around the author’s beliefs …

Fostering Student Success Through Meaningful Communication And Positive Connections In Language Teaching, Bracken Lind

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

This portfolio is a compilation of the research I completed during my studies in the Master of Second Language Teaching program at Utah State University. The research was informed by my personal experiences as a high school aide to English Language Learners and as a college-level Spanish instructor, as well as by my coursework throughout the program.

The portfolio is divided into two main sections: teaching perspectives and research perspectives. In the teaching perspectives, I highlight some of the crucial themes in language teaching. The section on research perspectives contains two research papers written in support of my teaching philosophy.

Psychosocial Effects Of Shared Book Reading, Amy Halling

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Many studies have examined the academic benefits of parents reading with their children, but few studies have looked at the psychological and social benefits, and even fewer have related the quality of shared book reading to psycho-social benefits. This study looked at whether positive and negative reading interactions during shared book reading predicted parent-child relationships, child social skills and child academic skills. Twenty-five parents of 4-year-olds read a story with their child and completed parent relationship and child social skills questionnaires. The reading interactions were then coded into two separate composite scores: positive and negative. Positive interactions did not significantly …

Extending Ethos In Digital Rhetorics, Andrew J. Hillen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This dissertation researched the concept of ethos, or appeal to authority or trust, on the social media platform, Twitter. Looking at collections of tweets, I found that the characteristics of the Twitter platform, as well as the general qualities of writing online, pushed users to use short cuts to trust, such as focusing in on specific buzz words, or through referencing well known organizations and individuals. Users also used internet culture as its own source of authority. They demonstrated that they were up to date on the latest trends and memes, and so were trustworthy accounts to follow. Users appealed …

Social Justice Mathematical Modeling For Teacher Preparation, Patrick L. Seegmiller

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Today's math teachers face significant social and political challenges for which they receive little preparation. Mathematics content courses can potentially provide additional preparation in this regard by providing future teachers with experiences to mathematically explore social justice issues. This provides them with opportunities to increase their awareness and sensitivity to social justice issues, develop greater empathy for their future students, and serve as examples for high quality instruction that they can emulate in their future careers. This dissertation recounts the development and revision of three social justice mathematical modeling projects, and shares evidence from student work samples of the ways …

Greentpu: Predictive Design Paradigm For Improving Timing Error Resilience Of A Near-Threshold Tensor Processing Unit, Pramesh Pandey, Prabal Basu, Koushik Chakraborty, Sanghamitra Roy

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

The emergence of hardware accelerators has brought about several orders of magnitude improvement in the speed of the deep neural-network (DNN) inference. Among such DNN accelerators, the Google tensor processing unit (TPU) has transpired to be the best-in-class, offering more than 15\times speedup over the contemporary GPUs. However, the rapid growth in several DNN workloads conspires to escalate the energy consumptions of the TPU-based data-centers. In order to restrict the energy consumption of TPUs, we propose GreenTPU - a low-power near-threshold (NTC) TPU design paradigm. To ensure a high inference accuracy at a low-voltage operation, GreenTPU identifies the patterns in …

No More “Social Distancing” But Practice Physical Separation, Debasree Das Gupta, David W. S. Wong

Kinesiology and Health Science Faculty Publications

Though not a new term, “social distancing” exploded onto the global stage as an expression to publicize the only means currently available to control the transmission of COVID-19. This term is increasingly being adopted and translated into the vernacular to inform and guide public behavior in most, if not all, countries around the world. However, any effective global response requires direct and unambiguous communication and sharing of ideas across communities with different cultural backgrounds as well as between researchers and responders across the disciplinary spectrum. Unfortunately, social distancing is a misnomer. The current use of social distancing – separating ourselves …

Choice‐Based Reminder Cues: Findings From An Mhealth Study To Improve Tuberculosis (Tb) Treatment Adherence Among The Urban Poor In India, Debasree Das Gupta, Amit Patel, Deepak Saxena, Naoru Koizumi, Poonam Trivedi, Krupali Patel, Devang Raval, Andrew King, Kerianne Chandler

Kinesiology and Health Science Faculty Publications

Poor treatment outcomes due to nonadherence and consequent high levels of drug resistance continue to challenge efforts to combat tuberculosis (TB) in India. Mobile health‐ or mHealth‐based reminder cues have been considered in multiple health behavior modification interventions, including TB treatment nonadherence. We conducted a quasi‐experimental study in Ahmedabad, India, to examine the effectiveness of mHealth‐based reminder cues customized to meet diverse patient needs. Results from this experiment indicate that the potential of customized mHealth reminder cues may remain unrealized unless addressed in conjunction with the multifaceted drivers of TB treatment nonadherence. The perspective we present here has broad relevance …

Enseignement Engagé: Engaging And Motivating French Language Learners, James T. Workman

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

This portfolio is a compilation of work that the author completed during the Master of Second Language Teaching (MSLT) program at Utah State University. It represents the culmination of the author’s personal learning and teaching experiences from his coursework and teaching experience both as a graduate instructor of French at USU and as a seventh-grade French Dual Language Immersion (DLI) instructor.

The portfolio consists of three main sections. The teaching perspectives section provides insight into the author’s beliefs about the ideal roles of teachers and students in an L2 classroom, both in a foreign language setting and an immersion setting, …

Beliefs And Self-Efficacy Of Parents Of Young Children With Hearing Loss, Sophie E. Ambrose, Margo Appenzeller, Alexandra Mai, Jean L. Desjardin

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

The purpose of this study was to learn more about the beliefs and self-efficacy of parents of young children with hearing loss. Seventy-two parents completed the Scale of Parental Involvement and Self-Efficacy - Revised (SPISE-R), which queries parents about their child’s hearing device use and their perceptions of their own beliefs, knowledge, confidence, and actions pertaining to supporting their child’s auditory access and spoken language development. Two beliefs were identified that related to parents’ action scores and one belief was identified that related to children’s hearing device use. Knowledge and confidence scores were significantly correlated with action scores and children’s …