Digital Commons Network^™

At The Crossroads Of Race, Class And Culture: Identifying The Unintended Consequences Of Technology On The Agency Of Blues Musicians, Michael D. Berghoef

Dissertations

This dissertation explores the impact the rapid evolution and implementation of technology has had on blues musicians and the music they created and shared with their audiences over the past sixty years. The past 150 years have seen the conversion of nearly all musical participation as live, unmediated and with close proximity of performer to audience, to an experience that is increasingly recorded, digitally mediated and often listened to in isolation from others.

While a great deal of live music is still performed around the world on a daily basis, the impact of the largescale cultural shift move to what …

Student-Provided Technology In The Classroom, Matthew Lafleur

Masters Theses

With technology becoming more ingrained in the day-to-day business of 21^st century life, it is only natural for such technology to find its way into the hands of our youth and eventually the classroom setting. Student provided technology, specifically the popular smart phone, is proving to be a useful tool in students’ education to some but still seen as a potential danger to many others in the profession. With the world becoming more digitally connected, smart phones have the potential to be a great learning tool or an even greater source of distraction for students.

Art teachers across the …

Habitat Suitability Of The Mountain Pine Beetle In Alberta, Canada Under Future Climate Scenarios, Nathalie Woloszyn

Masters Theses

Mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins) is the most destructive insect currently devastating North American forests (Safranyik & Carroll, 2006). Native to western North America, the mountain pine beetle has recently expanded beyond its historic range, into the novel territory of Alberta, Canada. Since its arrival in the mid-2000s, the mountain pine beetle has diffused eastward at an average rate of 80km/year (Cooke & Carroll, 2017). Poised at the doorstep of the boreal forest, current concern anticipates the potential diffusion of the mountain pine beetle to eastern North America.

The Maxent (maximum entropy) model, a presence-only spatial distribution model, …

Recipient Rights Guidelines: Assessment Of Practical Interpretation, Patrick Wieszciecinski

Masters Theses

Although the State of Michigan has passed legislation to ensure that the rights of mental health service recipients are protected, there has been no published research evaluating the accuracy and consistency with which these guidelines are applied in real world cases. Quite obviously, even well intentioned policy may fall short of its intended goal if it is not implemented consistently and with fidelity. The State of Michigan trains Recipient Rights Officers (RROs) who in turn provide training and oversight for local mental health service agencies (Community Mental Health Agencies and PIHPs) who are charged with educating practitioners and other service …

University Auxiliary Services: A Review Of Factors Impacting Privatization Decisions, Rita S. Gordon

Dissertations

The dynamics of higher education funding present unique challenges and opportunities for administrators. One method university administrators employ to contain expenses and provide additional revenue is privatization of academic and non-academic services.

The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate the specific factors considered in a decision to privatize bookstore and/or dining service operations, and perceptions about whether the post-privatization decision met pre-privatization expectations. Gordon’s (2019) Privatization Decision Framework was created based upon existing research and then used to develop survey questions. Twelve pre-privatization decision factors, nine post-privatization contracted relationship expectation factors, overall satisfaction with the privatization decision, and …

Design Parameters For Planning Cluster Randomized Trials Of Cognitive Skill Interventions: An Empirical Analysis Using The Collegiate Learning Assessment, Yu Du

Dissertations

Recently, higher education has started to place a premium on rigorous research that uses randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to test the impact of educational interventions. This may be due in part to concerns about a deficiency of high-quality evidence of the effectiveness of programs, policies, and practices to improve undergraduate students’ outcomes. Given the naturally nested structure in higher education, e.g., students nested in colleges/universities, researchers in higher education start considering a specific type of RCT called a cluster randomized trial (CRT), which have been frequently used in K-12 impact research. In a CRT, whole clusters, such as colleges/universities, are …

A Pilot Study: Identifying The Characteristics Of Postsecondary Offices Of Disability Services Associated With High Graduation Rates, Tiffany B. White

Dissertations

Students with disabilities are entering postsecondary education at higher rates than ever before, but they are graduating at lower rates than their peers without disabilities. The Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act have made it possible for students with disabilities to avail themselves of services in higher education to maximize their potential. To implement laws and provide equal access to students with disclosed disabilities (SWDD), many higher education institutions use central offices to serve students with disabilities. The survey in this study collects information from disability office directors regarding services provided and office characteristics.

The …

Police-Community Collaboration In An Upper Midwest City, Samuel Imbody

Masters Theses

Recent clashes between law enforcement and civilians have brought the issue of police-community relations to the forefront of many political discourses. While community policing has achieved a degree of success in alleviating these problems, many of the issues raised by the seminal Kerner Commission in 1967 remain today. This phenomenological case study represents a contemporary look at a city named “Heartland,” which has received accolades from numerous organizations for its community policing efforts. The primary source of data were in-depth interviews with police officers, and members of community organizations in the city of Heartland, analyzing how these two parties collaborate …

The Use Of Life Story Interventions Between Older Adult With Dementia And Caregivers: A State Of The Science, Katelyn Mater

Honors Theses

Objective

To synthesize the research findings of storytelling techniques in healthcare settings for adults 50 and older with a diagnosis of dementia.

Data Sources

Data was gathered using the databases CINAHL, Clinicalkey, Pubmed, OVID, Proquest, and Web of Science using the search terms “storytelling/story-telling” and “caregiver”. Articles chosen for this review ranged from 2003-2018.

Data Extraction

Inclusion criteria were: 1). primary research articles, 2). written in English 3). research focused on the use of story-telling between healthcare providers and 4). participants were adults 55 and older with a dementia diagnosis. A total of 9 studies have been selected for further …

Stigma Mitigation Through Fine Arts, Kendall Owens

Honors Theses

Social stigma has plagued our society for centuries. It isolates groups of people based on erroneously defined characteristics causing stigmatized persons to be viewed as socially “abnormal”. This debarment from full social acceptance results in poor population health and well-being. Fine arts have been an integral component of society since the beginning of civilization; current and past research have found involvement in fine arts to improve health and well-being in many ways. In this project, relevant studies related to stigma, fine arts, and population health will be reviewed to support the argument that “fine arts combat and mitigate the …

Continuous Improvement In Student Affairs, Jen Wells

Assessment in Action Conference

Imagine booking a trip but never getting on the plane, or buying a movie ticket but never walking into the theater. Or what if you fully planned a program, but you never executed it? Barring environmental or extraneous factors, it’s hard to imagine not following through in these scenarios. Now, think about learning valuable information through an assessment project, but never using it. This should be equally unfathomable. The data collected in our assessments should be meaningful by informing our work and helping us continually improve. This presentation offers strategies on how to make data-informed decisions, demonstrate why this is …

Assessing The Assessors: Potential Barriers To Engaged Writing Assignments, Lisa Singleterry, Susan L. Caulfield

Assessment Grants

The aim of this project is to inform departments and schools within the College of Health and Human Services of how their faculty, in general, approach writing-related requirements with their courses. Authors adapted 3 surveys to measure faculty perceptions about writing, including faculty approaches to assigning writing, faculty comfort levels with writing and how equipped they are to assess writing. Data will be entered into SPSS for data analysis that will be used to inform needs for department and faculty support or policy development.

Continuous Improvement In Academic Affairs, Jen Wells

Assessment in Action Conference

As faculty, we are asked to focus on teaching, research, and service; how we manage our work is often pre-determined by how we allocate time to these three elements. With that, the question is where assessment and continuous improvement fit. This presentation will offer a model of continuous improvement and ideas on how it can be integrated in your current work and not as a check the box exercise. We will also review how assessment can be scaffolded and implemented at the graduate level.

Curriculum Mapping As A Path For Success, Susan L. Caulfield, David Paul, Cynthia Visscher

Assessment in Action Conference

This workshop engages participants in a conversation about their knowledge and experience with curriculum mapping. Examples of curriculum mapping are provided, along with assessment outcomes related to such mapping. Participants will be asked to articulate a class or program-level outcome and workshop facilitators will be able to assist with the definition and creation of outcomes. Such outcomes will then be related back to curriculum mapping. Participants will leave with two different examples of curriculum mapping, as well as some experience in engaging the process of curriculum mapping.

An Analysis Of The Developmental Enrichment Of The Seattle Children's Playgarden, Caitlin Koob

Honors Theses

This paper analyzes the opportunities for developmental enrichment, as provided by the Seattle Children’s PlayGarden, from the perspective of occupational therapy. The PlayGarden, located in Seattle, Washington, is an inclusive playground, preschool, and summer camp that promotes inclusion of children with disabilities. The analysis highlights each area of occupation, as identified in the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework, and discusses the garden’s contribution to facilitate growth in those specific skills (American Occupational Therapy Association [AOTA], 2014). The intentionality of the design and program structure advocates for children to maximize their independence in activities of daily living, despite the play-based approach. …

Exploring A Connection Between Learning And Student Perception Of Place, Katelyn Roberts

Honors Theses

The quality of the physical environment is understood to impact overall health, wellbeing, and capacity to learn and engage in daily life. This pilot study explores how students in the Speech Language and Hearing Sciences program at Western Michigan University view the effects of indoor and outdoor nature spaces at the College of Health and Human Services on the East Campus of Western Michigan University on their learning experience. Results of the study suggest that there are significant relationships between the participant’s perception of interesting qualities in the College of Health and Human Services and feeling a sense of connection …

The Use Of Nature As A Treatment Modality In Occupational Therapy, Lauren Koch

Honors Theses

Nature is inherently therapeutic. Applying the principles of occupational therapy within the natural environment integrates the physical, mental, and socio-emotional health benefits afforded by nature into therapeutic intervention practices. The nature centered context of the outdoors addresses performance skills and patterns, highlighting its use as a therapeutic modality. As such, nature may be used as an effective treatment modality in the practice of occupational therapy due to the benefits that it affords. The incorporation of nature into therapeutic intervention may be based upon the environmental factors, available resources, and function of the natural environment. The goal of this literature review …

Wmu Board Of Trustees Formal Session March 14, 2019, Wmu Board Of Trustees

WMU Board of Trustees Meetings

• Oath Ceremony for Trustee Behen and Trustee Edgerton
• Acceptance of the Agenda
• Approval of the Minutes
• Remarks by the Chair
• Remarks by the President
• Comments by the Faculty Senate President
• Comments by the Western Student Association President
• Comments by the Graduate Student Association President
• Scholar Athlete Presentation
• Public Comments Regarding Action Items
• Board of Trustee Officer Election
• Room and Board Rates Summer 2019
• Consent Items
• General Public Comments

Fashion Startup Focused On Sustainability Wins Wmu's Business Pitch Competition, College Of Education And Human Development

Family and Consumer Sciences News

A clothing company focused on sustainable fashion won first place at Western Michigan University’s seventh annual K.C. O'Shaughnessy Business Pitch Competition and Showcase held on campus Feb. 15.

The Unruly Womb In Early Modern English Drama: Plotting Women's Biology On The Stage, Ursula Potter

Late Tudor and Stuart Drama

This study provides an accessible, informative and entertaining introduction to women’s sexual health as presented on the early modern stage, and how dramatists coded for it. Beginning with the rise of green sickness (the disease of virgins) from its earliest reference in drama in the 1560s, Ursula Potter traces a continuing fascination with the womb by dramatists through to the oxymoron of the chaste sex debate in the 1640s. She illuminates how playwrights both satirized and perpetuated the notion of the womb’s insatiable appetite.

Connections 03/2019, College Of Health And Human Services

College of Health and Human Services Newsletter

• Student helps theater launch program for visually impaired patrons
• David Areaux named new chair of Department of Physician Assistant
• Dr. Earlie Washington to receive 5th annual Purple Poppy Award
• OT student to present at national conference
• WMU alum finds success in Broadway's 'Hamilton'
• Miller Broadway lineup includes 'Grinch.' 'Les Miserables'
• Sixth-graders get a look at college life at WMU

Effectiveness Of Ultrasound (Us) On Adults With Lateral Epicondylitis (Le), Jensen Aubry, Ashley Ott

Occupational Therapy Graduate Student Evidenced-Based Research Reviews

Background:

• Individuals diagnosed with LE often present with increased pain and decreased functioning in daily activities. LE, commonly referred to as "tennis elbow," which results from stress and pain to the lateral epicondyle or extensor carpi radialis brevis (ERCB). This can develop from a single incident, injury or trauma, which results in pain with gripping and lifting (Leadbetter, 2016).
• Ultrasound (US) utilizes wave production to cause thermal or nonthermal sound waves to stimulate tissue by increasing collagen extensibility and enabling the inflammatory process (Knight & Draper, 2013).
• Areas being treated by US require different depths; a 1.0 mHz sound head …

Effect Of Ability To Cross Midline On Performance Of Handwriting, Lindsey Richmond, Michaela Marks

Occupational Therapy Graduate Student Evidenced-Based Research Reviews

Background

In the school setting, occupational therapists work with students to develop or improve handwriting skills, such as letter legibility, to support educational participation (Case-Smith, 2002). Handwriting is compromised of many essential skills and clinicians focus specifically on areas including motor planning, upper extremity range of motion, and bilateral integration (Giroux, Woodall, Weber, & Bailey, 2012) which are related to the ability to cross midline. Crossing body midline is the ability to reach across the center of one's body, which is essential for many everyday tasks.

Assessing And Predicting Safe Power Mobility Use In Adults, Vannessa Valadez, Cally Mcshane

Occupational Therapy Graduate Student Evidenced-Based Research Reviews

Background:

The current body of knowledge is lacking criteria for vision, cognition, and psychological functioning and how they affect power wheelchair use. Assessment and training is a common issue for all clinicians working in the field during powered mobility rehabilitation. Research has shown that the skills required for safe powered wheelchair driving are consistent with the skills needed for safe automobile driving (Massengale et al., 2005).

For the first time instead of using task skills, process skills were introduced as part of a powered mobility assessment with the development of the Assessment of Learning Powered mobility (ALP) tool.

Benefits And Risks Of Botulinum Toxin-A Injections For Tone Management, Brittany Perlaki, Kate Soens

Occupational Therapy Graduate Student Evidenced-Based Research Reviews

Background Information:

Botulinum Toxin-A (BoNT/A) is being used as an adjunct to therapy to reduce focal spasticity, increase range of motion (ROM), manage pain, improve function, and possibly delay surgical intervention (Hoare & Imms, 2004). BoNT/A inhibits acetylcholine release at the neuromuscular junction resulting in temporary denervation and decreased muscular activity. Reinnervation eventually restores muscle function. Adverse effects include excessive weakness and atrophy of injected muscle, unintended weakness in adjacent muscles, and immunoresistance to BoNT/A (Ghasemi, Salari, Khorvash, & Shaygannejad, 2013).

Impact Of Fall Prevention And Home Modification Programs For Older Adults, Alyssa Collins, Kate Weston

Occupational Therapy Graduate Student Evidenced-Based Research Reviews

Background:

By 2030, the number of U.S. adults aged 65 or older will more than double to about 71 million (CDC, 2015). With these rapidly changing demographics, fall prevention and home modification programs provide preventative support for aging in place. The lack of fall prevention services is both costly and impacts quality of life for older adults. $50 million dollars were spent on medical costs due to falls in 2015 (Florence, et al., 2018). By reviewing the literature and critically evaluating the results of the research studies, conclusions can be made as to the most effective fall prevention methods for …

Effective Ot Interventions For Pain Management In Persons With Rheumatoid Arthritis, Danielle Rudd, Andra Stormer

Occupational Therapy Graduate Student Evidenced-Based Research Reviews

Background:

• Chronic pain is recognized as pain persisting past normal healing time and that may last or recur for more than 3 to 6 months. It affects about 20% of individuals worldwide (Treede et al., 2015).
• Persons diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) identify pain as the most common reason they seek medical attention and 68-88% of persons with RA rate pain as one of their top three priorities (Lee, 2013).
• Pain for RA is often treated using a pharmacological approach involving disease modifying antirheumatic drugs, glucocorticoids, non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, and opioids. Among rheumatoid arthritis patients, chronic opioid use increased from 7.4% …

Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy Vs. Bimanual Therapy For Children With Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy, Rachael Harroun, Emily Wirtz

Occupational Therapy Graduate Student Evidenced-Based Research Reviews

Background

About half the children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy (CP) experience limitations in activities of daily living and involvement in education, leisure, and other occupational activities due to impairment in hand and arm function (Tevahauta, Girolami, and Øberg, 2017).

Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy (CIMT) is a common intervention for children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy (Chen, Pope, Tyler, and Warren, 2014). By restraining the unaffected arm during functional participation, CIMT aims to increase spontaneous use of the affected arm (Dong, Tung, Siu & Fong, 2013).

Bimanual therapy (BIT) is also implemented with this population and includes intensive training in functional bimanual tasks …

Evidence-Based Ot Practice For Patients With Cancer Related Fatigue, Kelsey Spitzley, Laura Tatu

Occupational Therapy Graduate Student Evidenced-Based Research Reviews

Clinical Scenario: 38-year-old male diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma seeking outpatient occupational therapy services to address sleeplessness, pain, fatigue and return to work opportunities.

Standardized Comprehensive Measure To Guide Older Adult Discharge In Acute Care, Katlyn Agren, Madison Hirsch

Occupational Therapy Graduate Student Evidenced-Based Research Reviews

Background:

• In the acute care setting, occupational therapists play an important role in providing recommendations for discharge. Striving for appropriate and safe discharge is critical in avoiding hospital readmission, reducing safety risks, and promoting optimal functioning in older adults.
• 3.3 million adults are readmitted into the hospital within 30 days after discharge in the U.S., costing $41.3 billion annually (LaPointe, 2019).
• The average patient stay in the acute care setting is 5.5 days in the United States, putting occupational therapists in a time crunch to evaluate, treat, and prepare patients for discharge (OECD, 2017).