Digital Commons Network^™

Key Components In An Online Class, Renae Darlene Farrell

Graduate Research Papers

This literature review focuses on what needs to be in place to have an effective online class. Instructional design models, interactive learning communities, learning theories, and instructional/student technology training are some of the issues that the literature review documents. The purpose of this literature review is to examine research on the topics of the instructional design process and the transformation of a traditional classroom to an online classroom. The conclusions formed within this document are based upon literature reviews about the topics of effective online classes. This review has led to a conclusion that online education can be an effective …

Strategies For Bridging The Gender Gap In Technology Use : From Education To The Workplace, Martha Frazier

Graduate Research Papers

This literature review is about strategies for bridging the gender gap in technology use in the classroom and the workplace. The research done on the subject indicates that a gender gap does exist in the classroom and the workplace. Women and girls have not been encouraged to participate in classes or training that will prepare them to make the transition from the classroom to the workplace. The conclusion of this review suggests several methods to aid instructors and employers in bringing about equity in the classroom and the workforce. The implementation of diversity training, mentoring, and role modeling are just …

Professional Portfolios : Creating A Framework For Teacher Accountability Portfolios, Stephany K. Messer

Graduate Research Papers

Educators are being held accountable for their actions in the classroom by their states and local districts. In Iowa teachers are required to demonstrate competency for eight different standards that include 42 criteria. One form of meeting this requirement is by creating a professional portfolio. A problem that many educators face is the lack of direction provided to create this portfolio.

The purpose of this project was to design a framework for creating a professional portfolio. Instruction on this framework will be provided through seven professional development sessions targeted for novice teachers. At the completion of the professional development sessions …

Face-To-Face Training Versus Web-Based Training : Which Instructional Approach Is Better?, Nichola J. Lewis

Graduate Research Papers

Training skilled employees is essential in determining the success of an organization. Determining which type of training, whether face-to-face or web-based, will best serve the needs of an organization remains an issue. This literature review will attempt to answer the questions, "How do adults learn; what is web-based training; what is face-to-face training; is web-based training more effective than face-to-face training; and can web-based training and face-to-face training be combined?"

Reading Comprehension Strategies For Students With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Susan Reese

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this paper was to describe Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), its possible causes, characteristics, treatment options, and instructional strategies used for teaching reading comprehension to people with this disorder. ADHD is characterized by inattentiveness, hyperactivity, or impulsiveness to a degree beyond what is considered normal for the person's age.

While the exact causes are unknown, research is beginning to reveal that the disorder is brain based and genetic in disposition. Presently there is no cure for ADHD, but treatment options are available which include medications and/or therapies. Reading comprehension strategies to assist people with ADHD include chunking, …

The Importance Of Vocabulary In The Classroom, Sherri Neofotist

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this review of the literature focused on two primary areas: (a) to examine the research findings as they related to vocabulary acquisition and instruction and (b) to determine the importance of the research findings regarding students' reading comprehension.This study also sought to provide educators with information as to what a comprehensive program of vocabulary instruction consists of as well as research-based vocabulary teaching strategies to use in the classroom to help students recognize and know words and word meanings and to improve students' comprehension.

The review examines the following three questions: (a) What is the relationship between …

Incorporating Interactive Writing Throughout The Day In A Kindergarten Classroom, Amy Sobaski

Graduate Research Papers

This study examined the use of interactive writing in a kindergarten classroom. Interactive writing and related terms were explained, and connections were made between interactive writing and learning standards. Possible problems and solutions were discussed, and a case study was conducted in a kindergarten classroom. Guidelines were presented for successful integration of interactive writing into a balanced literacy program. Also, conclusions were drawn from the case study and reviewed literature, and recommendations were made for the use of interactive writing in the classroom and for future research in this area.

Gender Differences In American Children's Oral Narratives, Nadezda M. Zernova

Graduate Research Papers

Gender differences exist among different aspects of children's development (such as social, cognitive, and emotional). Children's narratives have been used as a common assessment tool (Libby & Aries, 1989; Wang & Leichtman, 2000) to learn more about gender differences. Knowledge of existing differences enables educators to individualize their teaching for boys and girls in order to benefit their development. The present study focused on gender differences in the following areas of American children's oral narratives: characters, emotional tone, structure, content, and language. The participants of the study were 14 kindergarteners and first-graders (7 boys and 7 girls) between ages 6 …

What Is The Meaning Of This!?: A Case Study Of A Small, Public School In Iowa And Its Acceptable Use Policy Interpretation, Patricia L. Miles

Graduate Research Papers

This study examined why parents and students may have signed acceptable use policies without completely understanding the meaning or consequences of what that document implied. This study examined the acceptable use policy and its background, use and interpretation from the Iowa Valley School District in Marengo, Iowa.

A case study methodology was used to answer interview questions and collect data from the school district. Over a period of approximately two months, the researcher interviewed: students from various grade levels, teachers from various grade levels, technology coordinators, administrators, various board members, and various parents. The interviews were administered one at a …

M Is For Marshalltown, Beth S. Steffa

Graduate Research Papers

There are not any informational picture books about the required third grade local history unit in Marshalltown, Iowa. The purpose of this research is to provide a new age-appropriate illustrated informational alphabet book to be used in conjunction with the Marshalltown history unit. The format will contain photographs of notable people and historic sites that are taught in the third grade unit. Other people and places that make Marshalltown unique are used in order to make the alphabet complete. Cultural diversity is represented in the project.

The template for this project will be shared with the third grade teachers who …

Using American Library Association's Current Notable Literature For Younger And Middle Readers To Help Enhance The 6 + 1 Trait Writing™ Model In The Elementary Classroom, Debra Zwank

Graduate Research Papers

This study recognized that teachers perform under an incredible amount of stress daily. They feel overcome at the end of each day by stress and high expectations placed upon them for their students to achieve (Black, 2003, p. 37). In addition, the study showed that reading aloud was an important component in helping students become excited about reading and writing. Furthermore, research shows teachers need to help students make connections between what the teacher shares as a read-aloud and what is being taught in the classroom. Therefore, the media specialist is there to help teachers make the connection between award-winning …

Nebbe's Nature Nest : A Summary Of An Animal Assisted Therapy Camp, Nicole A. Whisler

Graduate Research Papers

Two graduate students conducted a small animal assisted therapy camp. The main goal for this camp was to enhance and promote the campers' socialization skills and self-esteem through the use of animal assisted therapy. Two pre and post measurement scales were used to evaluate the children's loneliness and self concept. The campers participated in a one-week camp lasting approximately three hours a day. To meet desired lesson goals, the campers engaged in direct animal contact and specific animal assisted activities. The following is a complete description and reaction to the animal assisted therapy camp led by Trisha (Hobbiebrunken) Ames, Nicole …

Estimating And Reducing The Memory Requirements Of Signal Processing Codes For Embedded Systems, J. Ramanujam, Jinpyo Hong, Mahmut Kandemir, Ashish Narayan, Ankush Agarwal

Faculty Publications

Most embedded systems have limited amount of memory. In contrast, the memory requirements of the digital signal processing (DSP) and video processing codes (in nested loops, in particular) running on embedded systems is significant. This paper addresses the problem of estimating and reducing the amount of memory needed for transfers of data in embedded systems. First, the problem of estimating the region associated with a statement or the set of elements referenced by a statement during the execution of nested loops is analyzed. For a fixed execution ordering, a quantitative analysis of the number of elements referenced is presented; exact …

A Design-Based Research Strategy To Promote Scalability For Educational Innovations, Jody Clarke-Midura, C. Dede, D. J. Ketelhut, B. Nelson, C. Bowman

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

This article offers insights into how the design of innovations can enhance their “scalability”: the ability to adapt an innovation to effective usage in a wide variety of contexts, including settings where major conditions for success are absent or attenuated. We are implementing the River City MUVE curriculum, a technology-based innovation designed to enhance engagement and learning in middle school science, in a range of educational contexts. Based on our studies of these scaling up activities, we offer examples of design strategies for scalability and describe our plan to develop a “scalability index.”

Authorship In Ecology: Attribution, Accountability, And Responsibility, Jake F. Weltzin, R. Travis Belote, Leigh T. Williams, Jason K. Keller, E. Cayenne Engel

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Quality and quantity of publications are among the most important measures determining the success of ecologists. The past 50 years have seen a steady rise in the number of researchers and collaborative manuscripts, and a corresponding increase in multi-authored articles. Despite these increases, there remains a shortage of useful and definitive guidelines to aid ecologists in addressing authorship issues, leading to a lack of consistency in what the term “author” really means. Deciding where to draw the line between those who have earned authorship and those who are more appropriately credited in the acknowledgments may be one of the more …

Ethical Marketing: A Look On The Bright Side, Thomas A. Klein, Gene R. Laczniak, Patrick E. Murphy

Marketing Faculty Research and Publications

This article offers an alternative to conventional approaches to ethical analysis in business and marketing. We submit that studying companies with exemplary records of ethical conduct and social responsibility offers useful and compelling guidance to marketing students and managers. It provides another needed perspective beyond simply examining examples of misconduct or offering normative advice that may not reflect the specifics of corporate situations. Based on examples presented in a recent text by the authors and Better Business Bureau Torch Awardees, we present information on thirteen companies of varying size and from several different industries. That information includes ethics policies, management …

Methodological Challenges For Identifying And Coding Diverse Knowledge Elements In Interview Data, Victor R. Lee, Moshe Krakowski, Bruce Sherin, Megan Bang, Gregory Dam

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

This paper, as part of a symposium on the analysis of clinical interview data and the development of a framework for analyzing students' intuitive science knowledge, identifies and discusses methodological challenges encountered when specifying the knowledge elements and resources are invoked dynamically during a clinical interview. Drawing from interviews with middle school students about the seasons and an analysis of knowledge in terms of 'nodes', two classes of problems are identified: those associated with identification of nodes and those associated with their application as codes to a transcript-based data corpus. We posit that these challenges are common ones associated with …

Television, Video, And Radio, Emily A. Hicks

Roesch Library Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Who Are "Clients"? (And Why It Matters), Allan C. Hutchinson

Articles & Book Chapters

Although the lawyer-client relationship is fundamental to the lawyer’s ethical and legal role, there has been little close attention paid to defining exactly who “clients” are. This article explores the shifting and multi-dimensional nature of the lawyer-client relationship. Consistent with the aspirational and pragmatic function of law and practice that underlies legal ethics and professional responsibility, the article argues there is no ideal taxonomy for categorizing “clients” and the obligations owed them. The identity of a client is neither fast nor fixed, and lawyers are subject to a spectrum of differing ethical duties and legal obligations that can vary in …

Limits Of The Law: Legal Challenges To The Health Services Restructuring Commission, Joan M. Gilmour

Articles & Book Chapters

No abstract provided.

Connecting Economy, Gender, And Citizenship, Mary G. Condon, Lisa C. Philipps

Articles & Book Chapters

This chapter explores emerging discourses of economic citizenship and con- siders how they might illuminate developments in taxation and securities law and policy. In previous work, we have discussed how different fields of business and commercial law help to construct and regulate a gendered and classed economic order (Condon 2000, 2001, 2002; Philipps 1996, 2002, 2003). Here we draw upon theories of citizenship as a possible source of new insights about the formation and governance of an increasingly market- oriented social order and law’s role in that process. First, we focus on the significant theoretical challenges posed by emergent notions …

Environmental Law For Sustainability, Stepan Wood, Benjamin J. Richardson

Articles & Book Chapters

No abstract provided.

Poverty, Agency And Resistance In The Future Of International Law: An African Perspective, Obiora Chinedu Okafor

Articles & Book Chapters

This article enquires into the likely posture of future international law with respect to African peoples. It does so by focusing on three of the most important issues that have defined, and are likely to continue to define, international law’s engagement with Africans. These are: the grinding poverty in which most Africans live, the question of agency in their historical search for dignity, and the extent to which these African peoples can effectively resist externally imposed frameworks and measures that have negative effects on their social, economic and political experience. International law’s future posture in these respects is considered through …

Law As A Social System, By Niklas Luhmann, Peer Zumbansen

Articles & Book Chapters

No abstract provided.

Comparison Of Selected Survey Instruments For Software Team Communication Research, Raghava G. Gowda, Donald J. Polzella

Psychology Faculty Publications

One of the factors that influence task productivity is communication pertaining to task, resources, and organizational issues. The objective of this research is to explore the availability of validated survey instruments in the area of organizational and team communication and assess their applicability in software development team research. Based on past studies, we have selected six comprehensive instruments. This paper provides a brief summary of the instruments and the various dimensions that they cover. The instruments are classified using a Group Variable Classification System (GVCS - input-process - output - feedback) model for team research. As most of the instruments …

Methodological Challenges For Identifying And Coding Diverse Knowledge Elements In Interview Data, Victor R. Lee, Moshe Krakowski, Bruce Sherin, Megan Bang, Gregory Dam

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

This paper, as part of a symposium on the analysis of clinical interview data and the development of a framework for analyzing students' intuitive science knowledge, identifies and discusses methodological challenges encountered when specifying the knowledge elements and resources are invoked dynamically during a clinical interview. Drawing from interviews with middle school students about the seasons and an analysis of knowledge in terms of 'nodes', two classes of problems are identified: those associated with identification of nodes and those associated with their application as codes to a transcript-based data corpus. We posit that these challenges are common ones associated with …

Good/Fast/Cheap: Contexts, Relationships And Professional Responsibility During Software Development, Marty J. Wolf, Frances S. Grodzinsky,

School of Computer Science & Engineering Faculty Publications

Engineering requires tradeoffs [23]. When engineering computer applications, software engineers should consider the costs and benefits to humans as an integral part of the software development process. In this paper we focus on reliability, a central aspect of software quality, and the influence of relationships and various software development contexts on the software developer.

Ethical And Managerial Implications Of Internet Monitoring, Andra Gumbus, Frances Grodzinsky

WCBT Faculty Publications

As Internet use pervades our personal and professional lives, organizations have become increasingly concerned about employee use of the Internet for personal reasons while at work. This has prompted the restriction of the Internet or the limitation of the Internet during work hours. Monitoring of employee Internet and email is another result of this trend. Legitimate business functions such as employee performance appraisal and progress toward goals are served by monitoring. However, poorly designed and communicated monitoring practices can be negative and have perverse effects on employee morale and productivity. Monitoring of employees erodes trust and may be considered an …

Theoretical Perspectives On Industry Clusters, Gashawbeza W. Bekele, Randall Jackson

Regional Research Institute Working Papers

The concept of industry clustering has generated much discussion in regional economic development theory and practice in recent years. Yet it is fair to say that an accepted definition or a unified theoretical framework has failed to emerge from the discussion, as the concept often seems to enliven itself under divergent theoretical approaches, including but not limited to work on agglomeration economies, industrial districts, business networks, knowledge spillovers, and regional innovation systems. This paper provides a review of the major theoretical propositions that seek to explain the clustering of economic activity and its presumed link with regional economic development. While …

County-Level Determinants Of Local Public Services In Appalachia: A Multivariate Spatial Autoregressive Model Approach, Gebremeskel H. Gebremariam, Tesfa Gebremedhin, Peter V. Schaeffer

Regional Research Institute Working Papers

A multivariate spatial autoregressive model of local public expenditure determination with autoregressive disturbance is developed and estimated in this paper. The empirical model is developed on the principles of utility maximization of a strictly quasi concave community utility function. The existence of spatial interdependence is tested using Moran’s I statistic and Lagrange Multiplier test statistics for both the spatial error and spatial lag models. The full model is estimated by efficient GMM following Kelejian and Prucha’s (1998) approach using county-level data from 418 Appalachian counties. The results indicate the existence of significant spillover effects among local governments with respect to …