Digital Commons Network^™

The Effects Of Using Computer-Assisted Learning To Teach Multiplication, Brian Unruh

Graduate Research Papers

This case study investigated the effects of using computer-assisted learning (CAL) while teaching multiplication facts to 32 third-graders. This quasi-experimental study spanned a six-week period and was analyzed using a variety of qualitative and quantitative techniques. Among these qualitative techniques were participant observation and formal and informal interviews. The quantitative component included document analysis of three separate instruments. This study demonstrated a low correlation between the use of CAL and recall skills. However, students felt comfortable and enthusiastic working with the computer. In addition to the excitement, students felt significantly more confident and successful using the computer. There was evidence …

Why A Board? Group Decisionmaking In Corporate Governance, Stephen M. Bainbridge

Vanderbilt Law Review

This Article begins by briefly describing the role of the board both in law and in practice. Part II explores the distinction be- tween consensus and authority as modes of institutional decision- making. As hierarchical institutions, corporations rely far more heavily on authority than on consensus. Yet, at the apex of the hierarchy is a collegial body that functions mainly by consensus.

Part III is the core of the Article. In order to evaluate corporate law's preference for collective decisionmaking, we need to know whether group decisionmaking is superior to that of individuals. A wealth of experimental data suggests that …

Citation And Representation, Alex Glashausser

Vanderbilt Law Review

A war is raging in the legal citation field. Arbitrary changes in the Bluebook from one edition to the next have incited a populist rebellion in the form of the Association of Legal Writing Directors' ALWD Citation Manual. This Article traces the causes of the conflict and assesses its likely outcomes. Professor Glashausser compares the two citation guides to eighteenth- century Great Britain and America: the Bluebook is the elite empire clinging to its position, and the Manual is the challenger hoping to ride a wave of populism to revolution. Overall, Professor Glashausser's Article sides with the Manual as the …

Theology In The Jury Room: Religious Discussion As "Extraneous Material" In The Course Of Capital Punishment Deliberations, Gregory M. Ashley

Vanderbilt Law Review

"Why would a God concerned about justice in a matter of life and death be willing to delegate an absolute power over life and death to such fallible and morally benighted creatures?'"

In the landmark Furman v. Georgia decision, Justice Brennan likened capital punishment to a mere game of chance: "When the punishment of death is inflicted in a trivial number of the cases in which it is legally available, the conclusion is virtually inescapable that it is being inflicted arbitrarily. Indeed, it smacks of little more than a lottery system." Although Brennan's argument in Furman focused primarily on disparities …

A Scalable Architecture For Harvest-Based Digital Libraries, Xiaoming Liu, Tim Brody, Stevan Harnard, Les Carr, Kurt Maly, Mohammad Zubair, Michael L. Nelson

Computer Science Faculty Publications

This article discusses the requirements of current and emerging applications based on the Open Archives Initiative (OAI) and emphasizes the need for a common infrastructure to support them. Inspired by HTTP proxy, cache, gateway and web service concepts, a design for a scalable and reliable infrastructure that aims at satisfying these requirements is presented. Moreover, it is shown how various applications can exploit the services included in the proposed infrastructure. The article concludes by discussing the current status of several prototype implementations.

Improving Student Achievement And Attitude In Middle Grade Social Studies Classes Through Learning Style Instruction And Design, Jennifer D. Vincent

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to improve student achievement and attitude in a middle school social studies class. Students were not performing well on tests and exams after experiencing traditional visual and auditory instructional methods. The Jack of diversity and creativity in delivery of instruction resulted in limited academic achievement and poor attitude towards social studies learning. Furthermore, long-term memory was also negatively affected because the traditional teaching approaches did not emphasize higher level thinking that promotes greater retention. The study integrates theoretical research concerning how students learn to the development of a strong historical rationale for implementing learning styles …

Development Of An Orientation Guide For Faculty Teaching Credit Contract Training Courses At Prince George’S Community College, Diana Wilkins

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The problem addressed by this development study was that faculty at Prince George's Community College (PGCC) have difficulty adjusting their instructional procedures to the adult learner in a business and industry enviomment. Therefore, there was a need to develop an orientation guide for faculty teaching credit contract training courses at Prince George's Community College.

The purpose of this study was to develop an orientation guide for faculty teaching credit contract training courses at PGCC. The research question addressed in this study was, "What is the appropriate content for an orientation guide for faculty teaching credit contract training courses at Prince …

An Evaluation Of The Availability Of Courses At Bevill State Community College, Teresa L. Johnson

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The purpose of this study was to determine whether courses are offered at Bevill State Community College (BSCC) to allow a student to complete an associate degree within two years. The problem was that a significant number of students transfer to four-year institutions without completing an associate degree at BSCC.

There was one research question for this study: "Does the schedule of courses at BSCC allow students to complete an associate degree within two years?''

The procedures consisted of a literature review, establishment of criteria, selection and validation of evaluation model, selection and administration of a needs assessment instrument to …

Development Of An Antiviolence Policy For Faculty Of Medcentral Hospital School Of Nursing, Nancy Martin

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The faculty at MedCentral Hospital School of Nursing did not know how to handle incidences of hostility and violent behavior involving students. While some of the faculty ignored or minimized threats, some took them as a danger to their safety. A protocol did not 2 exist that would give direction to the faculty and the director of the school of nursing. The purpose of the study was to develop an antiviolence policy for faculty of MedCentral Hospital School of Nursing. The research question was: "What is the appropriate form and content for an antiviolence policy for faculty of MedCentral Hospital …

Correlation Of Baccalaureate Nursing Students’ Portfolio Evaluation Scores With Other Measures Of Academic Performance, Karen A. Karlowicz

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

A portfolio evaluation tool had been created by undergraduate nursing faculty at Old Dominion University School of Nursing to enable student portfolios to be used as an adjunct method of program evaluation. While the tool was previously judged to have face validity and high inter-rater reliability, the lack of evidence to show that portfolio scores were comparable to other measures of academic performance used to determine the attainment of program outcomes was a problem. Thus, the purpose of this project was to investigate the extent to which portfolio evaluation scores correspond with other measures of academic performance.

There were four …

Development Of A Strategic Plan Based On The Evaluation Of Relevant Quality Measures For Joliet Junior College, Mary Lou D'Allegro

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The strategic planning process at Joliet Junior College had been dormant since 2000. The problem, therefore, was that no strategic planning was being conducted that adhered to the institution's accreditation mandates or addressed stakeholder expectations. The purpose of this dissertation was threefold. First, a systematic methodology to develop key performance indicators by soliciting the input of various stakeholder groups was generated. Second, an inventory of those key measures was developed via the input of a formative committee and validation by a summative committee. A pilot study was then conducted to further corroborate lucidity of those quality measures. The final inventory …

Development Of A Marketing Plan To Increase Enrollment At Windward Islands School Of Evangelism, With Plans For Implementation And Evaluation, Simeon Norton

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The problem under investigation was the low enrollment at the Windward Islands School of Evangelism (WISE), although WISE offers full scholarship to all applicants who are accepted. After 21 years of existence in the Caribbean, and offering a program with assistance that no other institution in the region offers, the student enrollment at WISE ought to be higher than what it has been. The purpose of this project was to develop a marketing plan that will render assistance to the alleviation of the problem of low student enrollment at WISE.

Five research questions guided this Applied Dissertation. First, "What are …

Evaluation Of U.S. Army Recruiters’ Satisfaction With Basic Recruiter Training And Their Challenges Encountering Today’S Youth Market, Richard E. Talley Colonel

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Despite the U.S. Army's recent success in recruiting, recruiters have difficulties in communicating with and attracting today's youth to Army service. Army officials reiterate that complacency about recent recruiting figures is misguided, and that, without the Army consistently meeting recruitment quotas, national security could be unduly threatened. The purposes of this study were to evaluate Army recruiters' satisfaction with their basic training course and its application to performance standards, to evaluate challenges recruiters face in attracting today's youth by development and administration of a survey instrument, and to report recommendations for improving the training course and remedying recruiters' difficulties in …

Development And Implementation Of An Occupational Safety And Health Administration Education Program For Healthcare Organizations Including A Plan For Evaluation, Anita L. Huse

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Today's healthcare organizations must comply with a myriad of laws, regulations, and other requirements governing the organization, delivery, and reimbursement of health care services (Ziel, 1998, p. 1032). The problem is that loss of educational support in the institutions as a result of cut backs often results in non-compliance with federal regulations. Many healthcare institutions are no longer meeting the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) educational requirements (Peck, 1997, p. 20). These healthcare institutions must now outsource to educational consultants to provide programs to address this compliance issue.

The purpose of this project was to develop and implement an …

Fit And Function In Legal Ethics: Developing A Code Of Conduct For International Arbitration, Catherine A. Rogers

Faculty Scholarship

In this Article, I develop a methodology for prescribing the normative content of a code of ethics for international arbitration, and in a forthcoming companion article, I propose integrated mechanisms for making those norms both binding and enforceable. In making these proposals, I reject the classical conception of legal ethics as a purely deontological product derived from first principles. I argue, instead, that ethics derive from the interrelational functional role of advocates in an adjudicatory system, and that ethical regulation must correlate with the structural operations of the system. The fit between ethics and function, I will demonstrate, not only …

Deception In Advertising: A Content Analysis Of The Legal Parameters Of Deception, E. Carla Mitchell

Theses and Dissertations in Business Administration

One of the primary attributes of a free market economy is the uninhibited flow of truthful information regarding the goods and services available in the marketplace (Azcuenaga 1995). This free flow of information, in the form of advertising, enhances market performance by informing consumers and enabling firms to compete equitably based on the attributes of their offerings. Studies reveal that, for the vast majority of marketing managers, the regulatory environment serves as the primary influence in advertising strategy development and decision-making (Davis 1994). However, in their theory development, behavioral researchers often ignore the legal aspects promulgated by the FTC. Furthermore, …

Not For The Faint Of Heart: Fiscal Management Of Publicly Funded Law Libraries In A Time Of Economic Crisis, Steven D. Hinckley

Faculty Scholarship

The author examines the challenges faced by administrators of publicly funded law libraries in trying to gain sufficient financial support for their institutions at a time of fiscal crisis and during a era of increasing reluctance of state governments to fund libraries and other educational programs.

Ain’T Nothin’ But A Heartache? Love And Dating On Campus, Susan Murray

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Routinization Of Prenatal Testing, Sonia M. Suter

GW Law Faculty Publications & Other Works

As testing for late-onset genetic conditions becomes increasingly available, concerns have been raised about the psychosocial costs of obtaining such genetic information. Anxiety and distress can result from testing that offers only probabilistic results as to whether and when the condition will develop, especially when treatment is limited or unavailable. Many have therefore urged caution regarding late-onset testing, suggesting that knowledge can sometimes be toxic. This article argues that the same circumspection does not exist with respect to prenatal testing, which has become de rigeur as a result of a complex mix of norms within the medical community, society, and …

Historic Preservation Grants To Houses Of Worship: A Case Study In The Survival Of Separationism, Ira C. Lupu, Robert W. Tuttle

GW Law Faculty Publications & Other Works

The movement in the law of the Religion Clauses from Separationism, which requires distinctive treatment of religious institutions, to Neutralism, which prohibits such distinctive treatment, has been proceeding for the past twenty years. In some legal contexts, however, this movement has occurred erratically or incompletely, and normative questions remain about whether this paradigm change should proceed with respect to all relevant issues. In this paper, we test the positive and normative implications of the shift by exploring in detail a particular, heretofore unexamined legal context - government grants to active houses of worship for historic preservation. Many states have schemes …

Sites Of Redemption: A Wide-Angle Look At Government Vouchers And Sectarian Service Providers, Ira C. Lupu, Robert W. Tuttle

GW Law Faculty Publications & Other Works

The constitutional issues presented by the use at religious institutions of government-financed vouchers for social services have been addressed repeatedly, but virtually all of the writing in the field focuses exclusively on educational services. Most of that writing, moreover, takes the overly simple view that voucher programs are linear relationships running from government to recipient to service provider. Proponents of such programs argue that the presence of recipients as intermediate decision-makers breaks the link between the state and religion, and therefore solves the constitutional problem of church-state connection. Opponents argue that use of intermediaries is nothing more than "money-laundering," and …

How Should We Respond To The Growing Risks Of Financial Conglomerates?, Arthur E. Wilmarth Jr.

GW Law Faculty Publications & Other Works

The structure of the U.S. financial services industry has been transformed during the past two decades by the combined forces of new technologies, deregulation and financial innovation. Large banks, securities firms and life insurers have responded to these forces by pursuing a twofold consolidation strategy - acquiring direct competitors within their traditional industry sector and making cross-industry acquisitions in other sectors. The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999 ratified the ongoing trend toward cross-industry consolidation and facilitated the creation of large financial conglomerates. Based on empirical studies and the experience of the past two decades, it is highly doubtful whether the predicted …

Fostering Deep Connection: Emotional Learning, Spiritual Education, And Peer Mentoring For Adolescents, Johh A. Venturella

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This report describes an intervention in a Catholic, college preparatory junior-senior high school of 700 students designed to help students connect with other members of the school community and with God.

A survey of the 553 students in Grades 7 through 11 was administered in May 2000 to determine whether students were experiencing a lack of connection to the school community and to God that would warrant intervention. Participating in the student survey were the following groups: (a) 110 Grade 7 students, (b) 121 Grade 8 students, (c) 119 Grade 9 students, (d) 126 Grade 10 students, and (e) 77 …

A Design For The Infusion Of State Mandated Technology Standards Into A Teacher Education Credentialing Program, Paul F. Massmann

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to infuse state mandated technology standards into the curriculum of a small university accredited to grant teaching certification. The state recently revised its requirements for the entire credential process. In doing so, they developed a much more demanding set of technology standards than those currently in place in the program. This new set of requirements included not only specific standards to be met by the credential candidate, but required the faculty to model these standards in their traditional face-to-face classes. The goal was to effectively implement these new standards.

The solution had two distinct tracks. …

Establishing An Environment Of Safeness At Deborah Cannon Wolfe Elementary School, Dorothy E. Khonyongwa

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This report describes a program that was implemented to ensure an orderly and safe learning environment at a rural elementary school with a student population of approximately 285. An informal assessment of the school building and grounds revealed that the students were exposed to an unsafe and insecure school environment.

Planned solution strategies included (a) a school safety assessment, (b) an updated school safety plan, (c) a safety initiative team, (d) student and teacher safety training, and (e) the purchase of basic school safety equipment. These intervention strategies involved parents, students, teachers, administrators, and other community stakeholders. The process began …

Improving Teachers’ Ability To Create A Student-Centered Approach To Learning In Grade 7 Classes, Fredricka Fairclough

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This dissertation was designed to provide better understanding of the student centered approach to learning and to assist teachers in operationalizing different approaches across the disciplines thereby overcoming the difficulties they previously encountered. The 15 Grade 7 teachers were not previously trained to use the student centered approach to learning. They were challenged in the various classes because the new curriculum is student centered. As a result, they found it difficult to identify creative ways to design dynamic learning environments that involve students in doing and thinking.

The writer developed a plan that provided not only training but also support …

A Discipline Intervention Program At Jones Elementary School, Mike B. Campbell

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Will a staff-development program that includes an emphasis on conflict resolution, positive-discipline approaches, and proactive supervision lead to a reduction in discipline referrals for the school? In addition, will the development of the planning-room concept as a replacement for in-school suspension lead to fewer repeat offenders? Those were the research questions that guided this study. The school climate was measured through the discipline referral reviews and administrative observation.

The setting for this applied dissertation implementation was an elementary school serving 700 students in kindergarten through 5th grade. The school is located in a small community that is included in the …

Design And Implementation Of A Foreign Language In The Elementary Schools Program, Stephanie M. Pappagianopoulos

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This report describes a program that was initiated to promote the sequential study of foreign language beginning in the elementary schools. The program involved 78 third grade students from an urban elementary school. Approximately 10% of the students had some knowledge of the language before the program. The planned strategies included (a) distribution of a survey to parents and teachers within the pilot school; (b) tallying the responses; (c) adopting Spanish as the second language based on parent and teacher responses; (d) hiring an elementary school teacher with Spanish certification; (e) obtaining grant money for professional development . of the …

Development Of A Quick-St Art Manual To Improve The Quality Of First-Time Presentations On The Vision Athena Network, Robert Vardaman

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Providing for the training of first-time users to the Vision Athena video conferencing system became increasingly difficult because of the rapid growth of the system. In tum, the lack of training contributed to the decrease in quality of first-time events adding to the frustration of presenters and participants. The problem was that the Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration did not have a training plan to match the volume of growth that occurred. It was, therefore, necessary to provide a quick-start manual that was concise, easy to understand, and easy to use.

The purpose of the study was to develop …

Faithless Wives And Lazy Husbands: Gender Norms In Nineteenth Century Divorce Law, Naomi R. Cahn

GW Law Faculty Publications & Other Works

The article examines the nature of marriage and the expectations of husbands and wives in nineteenth century America by analyzing trial reports of famous nineteenth century divorce cases. The article argues that the textured history of divorce law in the United States shows how the law has affected gendered marital roles through its regulation of divorce. While fault is no longer the focus of divorce, conformity with gendered expectations remains a central aspect of the marital dissolution legal process. In the nineteenth century, conformity benefitted women; if they were the innocent spouse who had taken care of the children, the …