Digital Commons Network^™

Western News, February 9, 2017, Western Michigan University

Western News (1972-2018)

Story highlights: Join Dunn on leg of five-day; 14-city farewell tour, Local exec named to serve out trustee term, WMU’s supply chain program ranks No. 2 in world, WMU celebrates research; diversity and global engagement, Safety communication changes enacted, Learner support program self-study reports available for review by faculty; staff, On Campus with Michelle Loedeman

February 2017 News Items, Office Of Vice President For Research

Research and Discovery News

• WMU celebrates research, diversity and global engagement
• Professor wins prestigious Japanese literary prize for poetry

Western News, January 26, 2017, Western Michigan University

Western News (1972-2018)

Story highlights: Rinvelt; Bolger to lead governing board, Businessman’s estate gift benefits multiple unit, WMU postgrad data shows 92 percent find swift success, NEH grant aiding first-generation college students, Emeriti Council awards $10,000 in book scholarships for spring semester, On Campus with Jim Hilliker, Nonresident undergraduate tuition sharply decreased

Western News, January 12, 2017, Western Michigan University

Western News (1972-2018)

Story highlights: Governor appoints two new WMU trustees, Product design program is object of $3 million gift, WMU employee wins regional United Way sweepstakes, College of Aviation’s gift-giving elves still flying high, New appointments to key leadership positions announced, On Campus with Sheneeka Skinner, Time to review winter weather policies; procedures

Human-Nonhuman Chimeras, Ontology, And Dignity: A Constructivist Approach To The Ethics Of Conducting Research On Cross-Species Hybrids, Jonathan M. Vajda

The Hilltop Review

Developments in biological technology in the last few decades highlight the surprising and ever-expanding practical benefits of stem cells. With this progress, the possibility of combining human and nonhuman organisms is a reality, with ethical boundaries that are not readily obvious. These inter-species hybrids are of a larger class of biological entities called “chimeras.” As the concept of a human-nonhuman creature is conjured in our minds, either incredulous wonder or grotesque horror is likely to follow. This paper seeks to mitigate those worries and demotivate reasonable concerns raised against chimera research, all the while pressing current ethical positions toward their …

The Uncatchable Crook: Pursuing Effective State Crime Control, Daniel J. Patten

The Hilltop Review

This article investigates an interesting conundrum of addressing crime when the state commits a crime itself, and most often is the primary apparatus of crime control. Even more difficult in pursuing state crime control, the state typically plays a major role in defining crime. Criminologists commonly suggest state sanctions to address crime, and states to sanctions other states for their crimes. However, such an approach struggles when faced with the punishment of a powerful state’s criminal actions such as the United States. After laying out the controversy at the heart of controlling state crimes, several criminological theories traditionally employed to …

The Hilltop Review, Vol 9, No 1. Fall 2016

The Hilltop Review

No abstract provided.

Using High Fidelity Simulation To Impact Occupational Therapy Student Knowledge, Comfort, And Confidence In Acute Care, Debra M. Gibbs, Mary Dietrich, Emmy Dagnan

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: As the demand for occupational and physical therapists in acute care settings is increasing, students are reporting a need for increased educational preparation to handle the complexities they may face in this setting. This pretest/posttest study examines the impact of an inter-professional high fidelity simulation experience on perceived levels of knowledge, comfort, and confidence among occupational therapy doctorate students when handling an acutely ill patient in an ICU setting.

Methods: Two cohorts of occupational therapy students participated in an inter-professional acute care scenario with high fidelity simulation mannequins (Cohort 1, n = 19; Cohort 2, n = …

Evaluation Of A Coaching Experiential Learning Project On Ot Student Abilities And Perceptions, Erin A. Phillips

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Innovative teaching methods to address emerging practice needs are critical components of effective occupational therapy education. Experiential learning strategies can enhance skill development and translation of knowledge into OT clinical practice. In addition, skills such as coaching may provide important links to health promotion practices. Thirty-two occupational therapy students took part in an experiential project to connect occupational engagement and health for a community of older adults. A pretest/posttest design was used to evaluate program outcomes in student perceived abilities, and narrative reflection papers provided postexperience qualitative information. The students improved in all 10 areas of abilities self-assessment with …

Adapting To A Challenging Fieldwork: Understanding The Ingredients, Emily Raphael-Greenfield, Ivettedari Miranda-Capella, Myra Branch

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Two occupational therapy students were assigned to an inpatient psychiatric unit for their first Level 1 fieldwork. With limited on-site supervision provided, they looked to each other for peer support and collaboration in assisting one patient with severe depression who was considered the “sickest patient on the unit.” The students were able to work together and make a positive intervention with this patient despite their novice status. Understanding what each of them brought personally to this experience as well as the nature of their working relationship and their use of concepts taught in the classroom has important implications for occupational …

Blended Approach To Occupational Performance (Baop): Guidelines Enabling Children With Autism, Jordan M. Skowronski, Jack R. Engsberg

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

The performance of daily activities is impacted by motor impairments in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Research has recently demonstrated the prevalence and specificity of motor impairments in people with ASD. The motor learning of individuals with ASD is partially intact, and evidence suggests that a method to alter skill learning and repeated practice of motor sequences might be beneficial. Aiming to use this knowledge to guide occupational therapy interventions, initial guidelines for children with ASD blended Cognitive Orientation to daily Occupational Performance (CO-OP) with virtual reality (VR) were created. An expert panel reviewed the initial guidelines. The results …

Parental Adherence To A Research Protocol To Investigate The Effect Of The Wilbarger Therapressure Programtm: A Qualitative Study, Hugh Stewart, Kobie Boshoff, Scott Weeks

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: The Wilbarger Therapressure Program^TM is a technique applied by parents at home for sensory overresponsivity in children. The program is anecdotally reported to be demanding on parents, which can affect parental adherence. Currently, there is an absence of high quality research to support the use of the program. This pilot study aimed at developing appropriate research protocols to investigate the effectiveness of the program on the stress response of children with sensory overresponsivity. This article reports on the second phase of the project.

Method: After participating in the trial data collection protocols to investigate the effect …

Perceptions Of Occupational Therapy Involvement In School Mental Health: A Pilot Study, Susan M. Cahill, Brad E. Egan

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Mental health providers outside of occupational therapy, including those who work in school systems practice, often do not fully understand the contribution that occupational therapy practitioners can make to the delivery of mental health services.

Method: The purpose of this mixed methods pilot study is to describe how instructional support staff from one special education cooperative learned about occupational therapy’s role in school mental health and to explain how this education changed the instructional support staff members’ perceptions regarding the involvement of occupational therapy practitioners in school-based mental health services.

Results: Instructional support staff's perceptions about …

Continuing Competence Trends Of Occupational Therapy Practitioners, Ketti Johnson Coffelt, Linda S. Gabriel

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

The purpose of this pilot study was to examine the perceptions and practices of occupational therapists regarding the types of professional development activities they seek to ensure competency. A self-report survey was used to investigate the therapists’ selection of and engagement in professional learning activities. The results from 43 occupational therapists were analyzed. Descriptive results identified the value of a professional development plan and collaboration with colleagues. Self-assessment and searching for and analyzing journal articles emerged as frequently used continuing competence learning practices. The results showed that therapists actively plan and select formal and informal professional activities to promote meaningful …

The Role Of Occupational Therapy In Community-Based Programming: Addressing Childhood Health Promotion, Julie D. Kugel, Heather Javherian-Dysinger, Liane Hewitt

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Obesity and poor health habits impact youth’s health and occupational participation. Occupational therapy’s role in preventing and treating obesity continues to emerge in the research literature. This article explores the impact of a community-based program emphasizing health and wellness for female youth.

Methods: Five girls 11 to 13 years of age participated in the healthy occupations program. Before and after the program, the participants engaged in an individual semi-structured interview and completed the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure and the CATCH Kids Club Questionnaire. The youth participated in a focus group midprogram.

Results: The participants were receptive …

Cds- Annual Report 2017, College Of Health And Human Services

Center for Disability Services News

Overall Report

College Of Arts And Sciences Magazine: 2017, College Of Arts And Sciences

College of Arts and Sciences news

• WMU’s New President
• Arts and Sciences Fulbright Scholars
• Sports Media Students Work With ESPN3
• Interns Strike Gold at Michigan State Capitol and Beyond
• The Kalamazoo Autism Center, One Year Later
• Dr. Jim Olson, B.S. ‘84, Advances Cancer Treatment Through Scorpion Venom
• Dr. Jeffrey Angles Wins Japan’s Most Prestigious Prize for Literature
• Bringing Students One Step Closer to Graduation
• Unexpected Award Benefits Nearly 100 Students
• Geology and Mineral Museum to Undergo Renovation
• Congratulations to the 2016 Honorees

Western Michigan University Graduate Catalog 2017-2018, Western Michigan University

Western Michigan University Course Catalogs (1904-present)

• General Information
• Calendars
• Western Michigan University Strategic Plan
• Graduate College

Western Michigan University Undergraduate Catalog 2017-2018, Western Michigan University

Western Michigan University Course Catalogs (1904-present)

• General Information
• Colleges
• Course Descriptions (by prefix)

Counselor Education And Counseling Psychology 2017 News, College Of Education And Human Development

Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology News

• CECP Assistant Professor and Graduate Students Publish Article on Career Development
• Prominent Psychologist to Deliver Lecture in Honor of James Croteau
• Assistant Professor Publishes Journal Article in Journal of Counselor Leadership and Advocacy
• WMU will award honorary degree to Antonio Flores
• CECP Professor serves on Sage Publications Editorial Board
• 2017 CECP Awards Reception
• Dr. Stephanie Burns and Graduate Student Gayle Garcia Publish Journal Article in the Journal of Employment Counseling
• Dr. Beverly Vandiver to be awarded the 2017 Distinguished Career Contribution to Research Award from Division 45
• Vandiver Honored for Research Relating to Ethnic Minorities
• Two Faculty Receive CEHD Emerging …

Gpu-Pcc: A Gpu Based Technique To Compute Pairwise Pearson’S Correlation Coefficients For Big Fmri Data, Taban Eslami, Muaaz Gul Awan, Fahad Saeed

Parallel Computing and Data Science Lab Technical Reports

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) is a non-invasive brain imaging technique for studying the brain’s functional activities. Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient is an important measure for capturing dynamic behaviors and functional connectivity between brain components. One bottleneck in computing Correlation Coefficients is the time it takes to process big fMRI data. In this paper, we propose GPU-PCC, a GPU based algorithm based on vector dot product, which is able to compute pairwise Pearson’s Correlation Coefficients while performing computation once for each pair. Our method is able to compute Correlation Coefficients in an ordered fashion without the need to do post-processing reordering …

Discovery: Research Annual Report 2017, Office Of Vice President For Research

Research Annual Reports

• Center for Research on Instructional Change in Postsecondary Education (CRICPE)
• The Office of the Vice President Initiated a New Program - Undergraduates Discover Discovery
• NSF Career Award Winners - Fahad Saeed, Elena Litvinova, and Wendy Beane
• Interdisciplinary Majors and Minors Focus on Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts
• Faculty Scholar Award
• From Invention to Commercialization
• External Funding
• WMed Research Activities
• Undergraduate Research Excellence Award Recipients
• Support for Faculty Scholars Award
• Graduate Student Research and Travel Grants
• External Awards to Faculty and Staff
• Research and Creative Activities Poster Day - Graduate Student Participant Winners
• Technology Development Fund Awards
• Faculty Research and Creative …

Food Marketing Conference, 2017- Student Yearbook, Haworth College Of Business

Food Marketing Conference and Yearbook

Food and CPG Marketing Yearbook

Professional Reflections - Winter 2017, College Of Education And Human Development

College of Education and Human Development News

The magazine for the College of Education and Human Development. Alumni Edition 2016-17, Celebrating 60 years with 60 alumni stories.

A Message from the Dean
Celebrating 60 years
Make a Difference & Eat Healthy

• Libby MacQuillan
• Gregory Stacey
• Shantel Fessler
• Sarah Price

Make a Difference & Be Active

• Ashleigh Rogers
• Kyle Gleason
• Micah Zuhl
• Rob Kennedy

Make a Difference & Coach

• Mike McCarthy
• Tim Lester

Make a Difference & Be Positive

• Ronicka Hamilton
• Darrick Tovar-Murray
• Janee Steele
• Kristel Briney

Make a Difference & Guide

• Amy Dunham
• Kathrine Hyatt
• Ben Williams

Meijer Alumni

• Michelle Bieke
• Courtney Skinner
• Amber Hunt
• Kerry Johnson …

College Of Arts And Sciences: Winter 2017, College Of Arts And Sciences

College of Arts and Sciences news

• Through a statewide effort called Michigan Gateways to Completion, WMU is aiding students who typically struggle in biology, chemistry, math, physics and psychology.
• WMU professor’s new book examines how U.S. women voted in elections following suffrage.
• The Tandem Traveler: Dan Sundberg (Ph.D. ’15, Behavior Analysis) and Lisa Sickman (M.A. ’13, Behavior Analysis) are the brains behind the Tandem Traveler, a California-based tech start up that teaches foreign languages for the purpose of travel.
• The Mohammad Hossein Yassaman (B.A. ’77, Economics; M.A. ’78, Operations Research) Endowment for Chemistry, established by Hashem (M. A. ’88, Chemistry) and SuzAnne Akhavan-Tafti, will support a …

Conferring In The Café: One-To-One Reading Conferences In Two First Grade Classrooms, Bethanie Pletcher, Rosalynn Christensen

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive case study was to explore the teacher/student reading conferences in two first grade teachers’ classrooms in one primary school. Sixteen one-to-one reading conferences were recorded and transcribed over a two-month period and coded for content as related to the CAFÉ (Boushey & Moser, 2009) model of reading instruction, which the teachers used daily. We found that the two teachers placed heavy emphasis on students’ reading accuracy (the “A” in CAFÉ) and did not spend as much time working on comprehension, fluency, or expanding vocabulary (the C, F, and E in CAFÉ). We suggest teachers …

Fact Book 2017-18, Western Michigan University

Western Michigan University Fact Books

• 2 Year Calendar
• Mission and Goals Statement
• University Officials
• Organizational Diagram
• Accredited Programs at Western Michigan University
• Undergraduate Programs and Majors
• Graduate Degree and Certificate Programs

Written Language Performance Following Embedded Grammar Instruction, Ginger Collins, Jan Norris

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

This study explored whether presenting grammar instruction within the context of reading and writing would improve writing skills. The participating schools were using a traditional grammar instruction in which grammar lessons were predominately taught using worksheets and were presented separately from other reading and writing activities. This was termed Discrete Grammar Instruction (DGI). The researchers introduced a contextualized grammar instruction approach, termed Embedded Grammar Instruction (EGI), which taught grammar within authentic contexts of reading and writing. Students in grades three through eight were assigned to either the EGI group (N = 164) or the DGI group (N = 156). Two …

Exploring Writing Circles As Innovative, Collaborative Writing Structures With Teacher Candidates, Sherron Killingsworth Roberts, Norine Blanch, Nandita Gurjar

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Writing circles are “small groups . . . meeting regularly to share drafts, choose common writing topics, practice positive response, and in general, help each other become better writers” (Vopat, 2009, p. 6). In this exploratory study, writing circles were employed with elementary teacher candidates in hopes of enhancing their perceptions about writing and authorship. This mixed methods pilot used a convenience sample of 28 teacher candidates in a language arts methods course. Based on interest and using writing workshop elements, weekly writing circles were formed and generated one collaborative manuscript. Afterward, 68% of candidates reported improvement in writing skills. …

Effects Of A Technology-Assisted Reading Comprehension Intervention For English Learners With Learning Disabilities, Sara L. Jozwik, Karen H. Douglas

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

This study integrated technology tools into a reading comprehension intervention that used explicit instruction to teach strategies (i.e., asking questions, making connections, and coding the text to monitor for meaning) to mixed-ability small groups, which included four English Learners with learning disabilities in a fourth-grade general education classroom. We used a multiple baseline design across participants to evaluate the effects of instruction on strategy application as measured through comprehension rubrics (Keene, 2006) and on comprehension-question answering as measured through researcher-developed literal and inferential comprehension questions. Results showed that participants applied comprehension strategies and improved their percentage accuracy with answering comprehension …