Digital Commons Network^™

Designing, Integrating, And Evaluating Blockchain Assignments In The Undergraduate Computer Science Program, Karol Lejmbach

Dissertations (1934 -)

Blockchains as a technology rely heavily on a wide range of computer science topics. These topics include: algorithms, data structures, network communication, cryptography and many more. These topics align nicely with topics often covered in undergraduate computer science course. Blockchain technology offers an interesting opportunity for computer science educa- tors. Blockchains rely heavily on a wide range of computer science topics. These topics include: cryptography, networking, data structures, and algorithms. Many of these top- ics are explored in undergraduate computer science programs either in core or elective classes. This offers an opportunity for teaching students about emerging technologies, such as …

Capital Projects As Catalysts For Strategic Change And Transformation In Higher Education, Lora Strigens

Dissertations (1934 -)

University campuses and their physical environments are a visible and symbolic representation of institutions. As the higher education landscape continues to shift and faces ongoing disruption, many institutions are considering significant strategic changes or broad transformation to remain competitive and thrive. As campuses around the country contend with aging buildings and infrastructure, they also have strategic priorities related to the changing needs and expectations of students, and the nature of teaching, learning, and research. Among these complex challenges, there is an opportunity to consider how institutions can leverage investment in the physical campus as a catalyst to support the strategic …

Quality Improvement Project: Improving The Clinical Teaching Experience Through Clinical Adjunct Orientation, Elissa Saunders

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Clinical adjunct nursing faculty often transition into academic roles without formal preparation, leading to role insecurity and high turnover rates that negatively impact student clinical experiences. The purpose of this quality improvement (QI) project was to implement a structured orientation checklist to improve perceived clinical teaching competency among novice clinical adjunct faculty. The project aimed to standardize onboarding and support the transition from clinical practice to academia. A quantitative pre-post intervention design was used with a convenience sample of clinical adjunct faculty employed for less than one year at a rural university nursing program. The project was guided by Kotter’s …

Strengthening Evaluation For Student Success, Hollan Scrivner

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Student evaluation is an important factor in guiding students to develop self-confidence and gain competency in nursing skills. For evaluation to be effective, it must be consistent. The purpose of this quality improvement project is to implement a training program to improve consistency and interrater reliability among faculty conducting skill evaluations. The impact of the training program will be measured by a pre- and post-grading exercise using a skills rubric. Data will be extracted from the rubrics and entered into a codebook for data analysis. The project was guided by the theoretical framework of Stephens’ Star Model of Knowledge Transformation …

Enhancing Provider Self-Efficacy And Documentation In Hypertension Management, Stephanie Nsiah

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Primary care providers often experience inconsistent confidence and incomplete documentation when managing hypertension, contributing to suboptimal blood pressure control. This quality improvement project addressed the need for structured provider education at an outpatient family clinic. The purpose was to evaluate the impact of a structured educational intervention on provider self-efficacy and documentation completeness. Using a quasi-experimental pre-post design guided by the Plan-Do-Study-Act model and Lewin's Change Theory, a 60-minute educational session was delivered to 12 licensed providers. Participants completed pre- and post-intervention self-efficacy surveys using the Acceptability of Intervention Measure (AIM) and Intervention Appropriateness Measure (IAM) and Feasibility of Intervention …

The Effects Of Visual Supports On The Acquisition Of Guitar Chords, Cole S. Jahna

Thesis Projects

There is a current literature gap in applied behavior analysis (ABA) and music-based leisure activities. This study utilized a multiple-probe design to evaluate the effects of visual supports on the guitar fretboard combined with behavioral skills training (BST) to teach correct strumming and finger placement of three guitar chords (i.e., E, C, and G) to a neurodivergent adult. By using a task analysis, the strum and each individual finger placement were scored as correct or incorrect during each chord trial. Three chords that were under 50% accuracy in baseline were selected for the intervention. The intervention was introduced sequentially to …

Edgecube -- An Iot Edge-Sensor Node For Tiny Machine Learning Applications, Nathan Gerard Timmins

Master's Theses (2009 -)

This thesis presents a novel internet-of-things (IoT) edge device, EdgeCube, a compact embedded system that combines a microcontroller unit (MCU) and a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). The proposed platform explores a trade-off between the performance gains achievable through FPGA-based acceleration and the associated increases in cost and power consumption. The primary contributions of this thesis include (1) the design of a compact hybrid MCU–FPGA edge architecture intended for vision workloads, (2) a streaming MCU-to-FPGA data path using SPI for frame transfer, and (3) an end-to-end hardware prototype and evaluation on an embedded inference task. Designed for IoT vision applications, EdgeCube …

Building Resilient Cities: Strategies For Sustainable Urban Development In Response To Climate Change In Uae, Thekra Hattawi

Theses

This thesis discusses the way cities may grow and adopt resilient urban measures to incorporate sustainability, technological advancements, governance systems, and financial systems in order to reduce the effects of climatic changes. Cities across the globe are being threatened by the effects of climate change due to the growing number of threats to humans, which include global temperatures increasing, marine level rising, droughts due to water shortages, and extreme weather patterns. This thesis will discuss ways in which the city centers of cities particularly in the UAE can strategize and embrace a holistic resiliency planning to address these multidimensional problems. …

Of Another Order: Constructing The Everyday Elsewhere, Hannah Yandoh

Theses

This thesis investigates the intersection of contemporary painting and ceramics through the critical framework of Situationist thought, using it as a lens to destabilize binary systems of meaning. Ceramic forms are treated both as physical structure and as metaphor. The project draws on Situationist ideas to question authorship, value, and artistic authority, while embracing naïve and unresolved visual strategies. Repetition, variation, and spatial ambiguity shape works that exist between object and gesture, especially within the domestic sphere. Combining studio experimentation, material exploration, and surface intervention, this work proposes a hybrid practice where 2D and 3D operate together as interdependent destabilizing …

Analyzer-Less X-Ray Interferometry With Super-Resolution Methods, Murtuza S. Taqi

LSU Master's Theses

X-ray interferometry provides valuable information on attenuation, small-angle scattering, and differential phase contrast. This multi-modal contrast can aid in many clinical applications, such as lung diseases and breast cancer. However, standard inter- ferometry has an analyzer grating that can increase the dose requirement to maintain the same image quality as a standard X-ray. We propose the use of super-resolution methods for X-ray grating interferometry without an analyzer, with detectors that fail to meet the Nyquist sampling rate needed for traditional image recovery algorithms. Detector phase- steps are used to nominally recover the sampling and iteratively recover the visibility and the …

Effective Strategies Used By Small U.S. Technology Business Leaders To Reduce Turnover And Improve Productivity, Iesha Tyrie Hayes

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

High employee turnover in small U.S. technology firms undermines productivity and disrupts workforce stability. Small U.S. technology business leaders are concerned with employee turnover because persistent workforce attrition weakens operational continuity, increases organizational strain, and limits the ability to sustain a stable and effective workforce. Grounded in psychological capital (PsyCap) theory, this qualitative pragmatic inquiry was to explore leadership strategies used by small U.S. technology business leaders in North Carolina to mitigate negative employee experiences that contribute to turnover and reduced productivity. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and publicly available organizational documents. Using thematic analysis, three themes emerged: (a) …

Educators’ Experiences With Structured Word Inquiry For Spelling Underachievement In K–8 Students, Leah Skinner

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem addressed in this basic qualitative study was that K–8 students in the western United States continue to experience spelling underachievement despite structured literacy interventions. Grounded in Bowers and Kirby’s structured word inquiry (SWI) framework, the purpose of this study was to explore educators’ experiences implementing SWI for spelling instruction with K–8 students in the western United States. Data were collected through semistructured interviews with 16 K–8 educators with SWI experience who were selected through purposive and snowball sampling. Thematic analysis using open and axial coding resulted in six themes. Findings indicated that educators perceived SWI as an effective, …

Competition And Community In Marx’S Alienation Theory: Addressing 21st Century Social Isolation Through A Laclauian Lens, Brett J. Zimmerman

Theses

Capitalism reorients human priorities by necessitating socio-economic competition and tying the preeminent priority of survival to the rate at which one accumulates material resources. The orientation of wage as the only means to survival has replaced the need for the working class to form tribes, build inter-group solidarity, and engage in their communities, resulting in a less fulfilling society. Marx is traditionally conceptualized as a political or economic thinker, and while much of his political and economic thought will be useful supplementary material, in Section I, I will be viewing Marx through a more interpersonal lens. The section will take …

Analysis For Predicting Surface Temperature And Combustion Of Heavy-Duty, Pre-Chamber-Enabled, Hydrogen Engines, Tony Spezia

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Hydrogen as an alternative fuel shows great promise to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions from heavy duty engines. However, the challenge for hydrogen engines is that hydrogen has very different combustion properties compared to conventional hydrocarbon fuels. Hydrogen has very high flame speeds, very low ignition energy, and very wide flammability limit. These properties result in hydrogen engines being prone to abnormal combustion. Abnormal combustion makes hydrogen engines difficult to control or can cause catastrophic damage to the engine, so it is important to avoid conditions where abnormal combustion occurs. Hot spots along the combustion chamber walls are often the …

Digital Twins For Sustainable Smart Cities: Applications In Urban Design And Energy Optimization, Hamda Bukhatir Al Shamsi

Theses

Digital Twins (DTs) have been found to be a revolutionary tool in developing smart cities sustainably. The dissertation is a critical analysis of the designs, strategies, and real-world uses of Urban Digital Twins (CDTs) in city buildings and energy efficiency. It investigates the transformation of the fixed 3D models into dynamic and real time virtual simulations that are a combination of Building Information Modeling (BIM), Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Internet of Things (IoT) sensor networks. The article covers the applications based on multi-scale, building, district and city scales and the role of the CDTs in visualization, stakeholders’ engagement, city …

Southeastern United States African American Business Leaders’ Effective Business Profitability Strategies, Maurice Chamblin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African American business leaders in the United States experience persistent operational constraints that affect business sustainability and long-term profitability. These leaders face recurring challenges in accessing capital, securing managerial support, and effectively utilizing resources, which may hinder their ability to remain viable and competitive. Grounded in resource-based view theory, this qualitative pragmatic inquiry project aimed to identify and explore the practical strategies used by African American business leaders in the Southeastern United States to increase their business profitability over more than 5 years. The participants were six African American business leaders from the Southeastern United States who had grown their …

Traditionally Certified, Second-Career Teachers’ Perceptions Of Intent To Stay In The Classroom, Tara L. Wells

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem that was addressed through this study was the high teacher turnover, including traditionally certified, second-career teachers (TCSCTs), in United States classrooms, despite support and additional resources provided. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine TCSCTs’ perceptions on the reasons and their recommendations to remain in the classroom. Ingersoll's teacher turnover and retention framework was used to conceptually frame this study. Using a basic qualitative design, semistructured interviews were conducted with 12 TCSCTs. Data were analyzed through thematic analysis. The following themes emerged: TCSCTs remain in the profession primarily due to a sense of purpose in their …

Burnout And Secondary Traumatic Stress Experiences In Mental Health Professionals Working With Military Veterans, Megan Carter

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Burnout among mental health professionals has been a long-standing phenomenon when working with trauma individuals resulting in increased job turnover rates and decreased quality of care for patients. The job demands- resourced model and constructivist self- development theory were used to guide this study. The purpose of this research study was to explore how mental health professionals working with the military veteran population experience burnout and secondary traumatic stress. A descriptive qualitative design was used with purposive and snowball sampling to attain 10 mental health professionals from various facilities serving military veterans. Data were collected from semistructured interviews and were …

From Browsing To Building: Navigating Your Google Resource Space (Drive & Site), Libby Cunningham

Capstone Projects

This capstone project aimed to develop a trauma-informed, evidence-based support hub for Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) working with children involved in the foster care system. CASA advocates are frequently exposed to secondary trauma, burnout, and compassion fatigue, which can impact their effectiveness and overall well-being. Additionally, trauma exposure significantly affects children’s emotional regulation, behavior, and participation in daily occupations. The primary objective of this project was to design, develop, and organize a comprehensive digital resource platform tailored to the needs of Kalamazoo CASA and their active cases. Utilizing evidence-based literature on trauma-informed care and secondary trauma, relevant resources were …

The Missing Link Between Occupational Therapy And Hemodialysis: Program Development And Implementing Intradialytic Ot In A Rural Hospital Setting, Madison Maki

Capstone Projects

Occupational therapy (OT) has demonstrated effectiveness in supporting individuals undergoing hemodialysis, a life‑altering yet lifesaving treatment for end‑stage renal disease (ESRD) and chronic kidney disease (CKD). Despite this, hospitalized patients who require dialysis often receive reduced rehabilitation services due to the time‑intensive nature of dialysis and the productivity demands placed on therapists. Additionally, gaps in therapist knowledge regarding the unique functional deficits and educational needs of this population further limit service delivery.

This doctoral capstone project (DCE), conducted at Upper Peninsula Health System (UPHS), a hospital in rural Northern Michigan, addressed these barriers through the development of a comprehensive resource …

Development Of 6-Week Tier 2 Intervention Tracks Within An Elementary Mtss Framework, Maxwell Lyle

Capstone Projects

The Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) is designed to provide levels of support with differing intensity that align with student needs. Tier 1 is universal instruction provided to all students in the classroom. Students who do not demonstrate adequate progress may receive Tier 2 interventions, which are primarily small-group and, when appropriate, individual interventions that are skill-specific, time-bound (6–8 weeks), and include progress monitoring. Students who do not respond to Tier 2 may require Tier 3 supports, which are intensive, individualized interventions. Many school systems lack consistent, structured Tier 2 supports, particularly in Occupational Therapy-related skills, such as fine motor …

Addressing Barriers To Occupational Therapy Access For Foster Youth Through Advocacy And Education, Josephine Sanders

Capstone Projects

Occupational therapy (OT) is well positioned to support regulation, sensory processing, and participation in daily activities, yet its role in trauma-informed care is often underrecognized. Foster youth experience disproportionately high rates of trauma exposure, which can affect emotional regulation, behavior, relationships, and participation in meaningful occupations. Despite these needs, barriers within healthcare systems and limited awareness of OT’s role often prevent foster youth from accessing services.

This doctoral capstone experience focused on increasing access to OT for foster youth through advocacy, education, and advanced clinical learning and practice. The experience took place at CAYA Therapies in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where …

Culturally Responsive Trauma-Informed Care: A Crosspollination Through Content Analysis, Ryan Andrew Partika

LMU Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to investigate additional ways trauma-informed care can have more of a whole child approach, especially for the most vulnerable students. This research, with an eye on the most vulnerable, addressed the following a guiding question: what would a traumainformed system of care look like with a social justice dimension? To gain a better understanding of such a possibility, this research used a content analysis of the literature on trauma-informed care. From the literature, it became apparent cultural responsiveness has often been suggested as a needed addition for trauma care but has never been fully …

Gathering Places: Indigenous Resources, Economies, And Diplomacy In The Northeastern Great Plains, 1650 – 1806 Ce, Matthew D. Busch

History Theses, Dissertations, and Student Creative Activity

Centuries before European arrival in the Great Plains region of North America, Indigenous exchange networks connected people within the continental interior to the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and the Gulf Coast. Throughout this vast Native Space, Indigenous peoples sought new resources and opportunities to create sustainable and successful lifeways by harnessing the spiritual, economic, and political power of place as they journeyed across the landscape.

The Coteau des Prairies centrally located between the Missouri, Mississippi, and Hudson's Bay watersheds within the Northeastern Great Plains represents a unique place of power. This imposing glacially modified landscape characterized by numerous lakes, fertile …

Teachers' Perceived Impact Of Teacher-Led Committees On Agency And Morale, Sherry Wibben

Dissertations

The action research study examined how participation in teacher-led committees influenced teachers’ perceptions of agency and morale within an urban Midwestern high school. Grounded in theories of shared and distributed leadership, the study addressed a problem of practice centered on limited teacher voice, fragmented communication, and inconsistent collaborative structures. A convergent mixed-methods design was employed to evaluate changes in teacher morale and professional agency following implementation of teacher-led committees.

Quantitative data were collected using Wong’s (1991) Staff Morale Questionnaire (SMQ), measuring leadership synergy, cohesive pride, and personal challenge. Surveys were administered at baseline (N = 30) and endline ( …

Biomass Fuel Processing, Mineral Matter Engineering, And Ash Phase Equilibria For Deposition Control In Coal To Biomass Boiler Conversion, Spencer Bandi

Theses and Dissertations

As the conversion of coal utility boilers to 100% biomass combustors gains traction, understanding the interconnected impacts of harvesting and storage methods, fuel preparation, and thermochemical ash behavior is critical. This study evaluates miscanthus, switchgrass, and corn stover, targeting a < 1000 µm particle size through minimal (shredders/hammer mills) and heavy (pelletizing) pre-treatment. While heavy pre-treatment failed in a coal mill, minimal pre-treatment succeeded. Miscanthus (forage-harvested/silage-bagged) proved optimal, exhibiting minimal exogenous mineral accumulation up to (1.26 w%) and the smoothest mechanical feeding (deviation < 9%) due to its low particle aspect ratio. Conversely, baled switchgrass and corn stover accumulated up to 9.23 w% mineral matter and exhibited severe feeding resistance (>17% deviation) driven by fibrous, high-aspect-ratio morphologies. During combustion, agricultural residues yield low ash fusion temperatures (AFTs), generating deposits two to three times stronger than coal. To mitigate this severe fouling, mineral additives (coal fly ash, lime, and cement kiln dust) were injected. These additives effectively raised bulk AFTs and reduced deposit tenacity by up to 73%. Specifically, 2 w% …

When The States Lost Their Senate: The Seventeenth Amendment, Katelyn King

Honors College Theses

To what extent has the Seventeenth Amendment impacted American federalism? The Seventeenth Amendment changed the way United States Senators are chosen from state legislature appointment to popular direct election. However, the framers of the U.S. Constitution established the original method for selecting U.S. Senators to safeguard an important principle in America’s government: federalism. If the Seventeenth Amendment decreased direct state influence in the federal government, it could have weakened federalism in America; consequently, the amendment may have altered how the American system of government is supposed to function. The U.S. Senate’s selection process was not only a safeguard for federalism …

Exploring Alternate Methods Of Flood Output Estimation During Natural Disasters, Finley Gardner

Honors College Theses

In April of 2025, extreme flooding damaged many homes and buildings of people across Kentucky. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) produces maps that show the potential for flooding in areas around water bodies, but many of the April flooding damaged areas were well outside of the FEMA classification zones. The main purpose of this thesis research was to create an accurate model of potential flood extent in Kentucky and compare it to FEMA maps. This model did not require extensive computing power and produced a map that accurately depicted flood extent through the use of Digital Elevation Model (DEM) …

Pembangunan Instrumen Literasi Pentaksiran Bilik Darjah Guru Bahasa Arab Di Sekolah Menengah, Norazida Ibrahim

Student Works (2020-2029)

Current educational transformations demand a paradigm shift from exam-oriented assessment to a more holistic Classroom-Based Assessment (CBA). However, the effectiveness of this implementation is limited by the absence of specific and validated instruments to measure CBA literacy within the context of Arabic language education in Malaysia. This gap results in the actual competency levels of teachers in this field being difficult to determine objectively, subsequently complicating the planning of precise professional development. Therefore, this study aims to develop and validate the Arabic Language Teacher’s Classroom Assessment Literacy (ALaTCAL) instrument based on Wilson’s (2005) Four-Building Blocks Model. The instrument encompasses the …

Does Ethnic Identity Moderate The Association Between Ethnic Discrimination And Gambling Harm Among Hispanic Or Latino/A/X College Students, Adrianna Jordan Valencia

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

No abstract provided.