Digital Commons Network^™

Single Tower Crane Allocation Models Using Ant Colony Optimization, Carlos Abelardo Treviño

Theses and Dissertations

The construction industry greatly benefits from the utilization of heavy machines and equipment to accomplish successful projects. Tower cranes, in specific, have a crucial role in the transportation of material loads across the site. Because these machines are fixed to the ground, it is essential for planners and managers to position them in a location that provides the most efficient transfer of materials possible. This is commonly known as the tower crane allocation problem, and many researchers have attempted to optimize the tower crane location using mathematical, artificial intelligence, and simulation approaches. However, many works from the literature contain critical …

Arkansas Soybean Performance Tests 2017, R. D. Bond, J. A. Still, D. G. Dombek

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

Soybean variety and strain performance tests are conducted each year in Arkansas by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s Arkansas Crop Variety Improvement Program. The tests provide information to companies developing varieties and/or marketing seed within the State, and aid the Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service in formulating variety recommendations for soybean producers.

Principles Of Accounting I, Acc 1101, Course Outline, Rachel Raskin

Open Educational Resources

Principles of Accounting I will introduce the fundamental concepts underlying financial accounting. It will explore the accounting cycle and demonstrate how the financial reporting process is impacted by accounting standards. You will learn to read and understand the financial statements and how proper internal controls are vital for the preparation of accurate and reliable financial information.

Tongs: Tldr; Opinion Network Guide System, Andrew Jen Wang

Master's Theses

In the modern world, huge amounts of text are being generated every minute. For example, Twitter users post their current emotions in tweets, while Facebook users vent about their experience in posts. In just one minute, Twitter users upload 350,000 tweets, and Facebook users post anywhere from 2.5 million to 3 million posts. To keep up with this growth in data, almost all of this information goes through automated text processing. To extract features such as the opinion and subjectivity in text, sentiment analysis is applied to the corpus. In this thesis, we present the TONGS library for conducting sentiment …

Widespread Theta Synchrony And High-Frequency Desynchronization Underlies Enhanced Cognition., E. A. Solomon, J. E. Kragel, Michael R. Sperling, Ashwini Sharan, G. Worrell, M. Kucewicz, C. S. Inman, B. Lega, K. A. Davis, J. M. Stein, B. C. Jobst, K. A. Zaghloul, S. A. Sheth, D. S. Rizzuto, M. J. Kahana

Department of Neurology Faculty Papers

The idea that synchronous neural activity underlies cognition has driven an extensive body of research in human and animal neuroscience. Yet, insufficient data on intracranial electrical connectivity has precluded a direct test of this hypothesis in a whole-brain setting. Through the lens of memory encoding and retrieval processes, we construct whole-brain connectivity maps of fast gamma (30-100 Hz) and slow theta (3-8 Hz) spectral neural activity, based on data from 294 neurosurgical patients fitted with indwelling electrodes. Here we report that gamma networks desynchronize and theta networks synchronize during encoding and retrieval. Furthermore, for nearly all brain regions we studied, …

Digitally Segregated Understanding Technology Readiness In Preparation For Higher Education Success, Gloria D. Mullons

Dissertations

The Digital Divide is the gulf between those that have access and use of technology and those that do not. The Digital Divide is a multilayered issue impacting low-income persons, low literacy persons, seniors, and persons with disabilities. The new emphasis is on whether people know how to use technological devices and the Internet for multiple purposes, especially to function and progress in daily society. This dissertation study focuses on technology readiness in preparation for higher education, specifically examining: 1) experiences students had prior to attending the HP3 program, 2) factors that influenced student preparedness for engaging in college-level technology …

A Program Evaluation Of Double-Period Algebra, Jason Major

Dissertations

Students in ninth grade traditionally take algebra courses, but many students come in lacking foundational skills in mathematics. High schools have tried to solve this problem by introducing double-period algebra courses with sporadic results. During this program evaluation, I interviewed an administrator and a teacher from two different high schools about the methods they used to begin and evaluate the program; I found that student-teacher relationships were the most important factor in the effectiveness of the program. Using quantitative data was a good starting point to determine the students who would benefit from the program and who would be successful, …

One Size Doesn't Fit All: Implementation Of Differentiated Instruction, Janet D. Butler

Dissertations

SIZE DOESN’T FIT ALL: IMPLEMENTATION OF DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION-A CHANGE LEADERSHIP PLAN

Differentiated instruction is an approach to teaching in which educators actively plan for students' differences so that all students’ academic needs are met. It is also a process of ensuring that what a student learns, how he or she learns it, and how the student demonstrates what he or she has learned is a match for that student's readiness level, interests, and preferred mode of learning (Tomlinson, 2008). In a differentiated classroom, teachers divide their time, resources, and efforts to effectively teach students who have various backgrounds, readiness and …

Standards-Based Grading Within A School District Using Personalized Learning, Dywayne Hinds

Dissertations

This policy advocacy document, as part of my study, focused on my desire to implement a new grading practice within the district. This change will result in moving to a standards-based grading system from a traditional grading system. Although this would be a new practice within the district, many districts throughout the nation are making similar changes. The reason for my policy is associated with the need to measure more accurately student performance and to determine if students have mastered content specific standards within a course of study. Educators must place emphasis on the mastery of content specific standards that …

An Evaluation Of One District's Think Through Math Program And Curriculum Implementation, Dywayne Hinds

Dissertations

Think Through Math is a research based math program. One school district implemented the program to improve student performance on the state standardized assessment. After two years of implementation, 44% of middle school students in the district did not make adequate progress in math as measured by the state assessment. The purpose of my study was to determine the effectiveness of the Think Through Math program used within middle school Intensive Math classes throughout the district. Guided by research on the critical aspects of implementation, my study examined teachers’ perceptions of (a) resources used within the program, (b) the impact …

Kindergarten For Equity: A Policy Advocacy Statement, Amy Houlihan

Dissertations

The urgency to close the achievement gap means it is our moral imperative to provide all children with the opportunities necessary to succeed as early as possible. Knowing the critical timing of a child’s brain development from birth to age five, we cannot afford to wait until a child is six or seven years old to begin developing their academic and social emotional capacity. This policy advocacy document supports a statewide mandate for children to attend kindergarten at age five throughout the state of Illinois. With little need for increased resources to accommodate the mandate, the social, moral and ethical …

Ongoing Professional Learning Opportunities, Christie L. Mcmullen

Dissertations

As an answer to a lack of policy around follow up training between CRS Center Staff and school systems across the country, a policy needs to be created around providing follow up training opportunities nationally. This policy provides a repeatable, consistent model for CRS Center staff members to use with each school implementing CRS across the nation. This paper outlines the policy for allowing teachers to see other teachers implementing CRS strategies in their schools, therefore increasing the use of these strategies in classrooms nationally. This process will be applicable for school districts that works with CRS nationally. This policy …

Policy Advocacy - Advocating For Redesigned Adult Learning In Support Of Value-Added Teacher Evaluation, Caletha White

Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Redesigning adult learning in order to move toward excellence in the classroom is critical to improving the state of the reform work occurring in our schools. Building coherence among teams of educators by linking staff development to student achievement is the goal of the advocated policy. Providing a professional learning network for educators to work in teams, engage in meaningful and relevant work and develop transformative practices for the classroom is essential to school reform. Creating practical learning networks for classroom teachers that are based on student achievement, current practice, and staff needs is the basis for the policy. …

Exploring Teacher Effectiveness As Measured By The Danielson Framework For Teaching And Student Achievement Outcomes: Pursuing An Understanding Of Leading Students To Excellence-Pulse Study, Caletha White

Dissertations

ABSTRACT

The idea of teacher excellence is the guiding principal of exploring the teacher evaluation ratings of effective teachers. Using the Danielson Framework for Teaching as a tool for measuring teacher effectiveness through common goals, language and practices is the core of this study. Adding value to the teacher evaluation process through measures of student achievement supports the ideals around effective teaching and learning and teacher evaluation. As an educator and researcher, the goal is to understand what combination of teacher behavior, student learning and academic outcomes contribute to overall success for our students. Analyzing data in the school district …

Effective Implementation Of A Formative Assessment System, Kim Ontiveros

Dissertations

ABSTRACT

The purpose of the Change Leadership Plan was to identify and describe a current issue facing a school district and creating a vision of change to strengthen the issue. With this change plan, the problem is the formative assessment system. The plan advocates for a change to the formative assessment system strengthening student engagement and informing teacher instruction. The changes are examined in several different ways: describing the current situation, conducting research to support change, and designing a vision of what the formative assessment system will look like after the change. The research conducted was done through a survey …

A Collaborative & Systematic Approach To Implementing An Effective Standards-Based Grading And Reporting System: A Change Leadership Plan, Hector Freytas

Dissertations

This mixed methods study examined the collaborative efforts between the Standards-Based Grading and Reporting Committee (SBGRC) at Mountain West High School (MWHS) and the Leadership District Team (LDT), which consisted of the following stakeholders: the district superintendent, the chief business officer, the chief financial officer, multiple principals and assistant principals, students, and parents of Mountain West School District (MWSD). These groups researched effective grading and reporting policies and procedures for possible implementation, and worked toward developing a specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely (SMART) goal. In addition, a multiyear action plan was cocreated to streamline the process (DuFour, 2006). This …

A Collaborative & Strategic Approach To Improve School Achievement Through The Advocacy Of An Effective Grading, Promotion And Reporting Policy, Hector Freytas

Dissertations

This policy advocacy study examined the current grade and promotion policy on record for Mountain West School District (MWSD) as it relates to mastery of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and the Illinois Learning Standards (ILS), the academic targets identified for students to be successful in colleges and careers. Furthermore, this study recommended changes to the existing policy at MWHS so as to report grades from coursework and those at the end of marking periods as accurately and fairly as possible, with specific skills-based feedback related to the mastery (or lack thereof) of both local and national standards that …

Becoming A Learning System That Maximizes The Modes Of Professional Learning: A Change Leadership Plan In A Middle School Setting, Emily Crement

Dissertations

This paper follows a program evaluation conducted at Hamlin Middle School. It begins with the premise that the Modes of Professional Learning function somewhat independently of each other and therefore, Hamlin Middle School fails to function of a learning system. The goal of the research is to establish a set of structures that leverages each of the four modes to their greatest advantage. The methodology is mixed method, utilizing quantitative results from the Illinois 5Essential Survey and qualitative data gathered during focus groups that convened to discuss the survey data. Results suggested that a) a culture of compliance negatively impacts …

Policy Advocacy: Standards For Professional Learning, Emily Crement

Dissertations

This paper advocates for a district level policy the Standards for Professional Learning as a way of defining what high quality professional learning should look like. The Standards for Professional Learning represent a compilation of decades of research on what characterizes effective professional learning. Since improvements in professional learning will lead to large scale school improvement, this paper concludes that the Standards be used to define effective professional learning. Presented in this paper is an analysis of need from the educational, economic, political, social and ethical perspectives. An argument in favor of adopting the standards is presented, and a counterargument …

Policy Advocacy: Adoption The 4 C’S Rubrics Into Illinois Vision 20/20, Michael Marassa

Dissertations

The focus of this policy advocacy is to add evaluation language to the Illinois Vision 20/20 policy specific to 21st Century Learning. The Illinois Vision 20/20 policy pillar of 21st Century Learning already identifies that students in Illinois develop skills of critical thinking, creativity, communication, and collaboration. The policy does not provide an explanation for school districts on how to achieve this goal. This policy advocacy adds language to the 21st Century Learning pillar through rubrics. These rubrics, specific to the skills described above and referenced throughout this dissertation as the 4 C’s, provide standard definitions for each of these …

Teachers' Perceptions On Professional Learning: A Mixed Method Program Evaluation In A Middle School Setting, Emily Crement

Dissertations

The purpose of this research was evaluate the program of teacher professional learning at Hamlin Middle School to guide formative improvement, therefore maximizing the potential of increasing teacher effectiveness and results. By facilitating evaluative thinking among teachers on the topic of teacher professional learning, the goal was to change how teachers conceptualize teacher professional learning. The discussion of professional learning was based on the Modes of Learning Framework (HarvardX, 2014), which organizes learning along two continua: hierarchical-distributed and individual-collective. Methodology included a survey on teachers’ perceptions on the modes of learning, and focus group discussions in which participants interpreted survey …

A Collaborative & Strategic Approach To Improve School Achievement Through Effective Attendance/Truancy Policies And Procedures, Hector Freytas

Dissertations

The purpose of this program evaluation was to review the current attendance/truancy policies and procedures of Mountain West High School (MWHS), identify gaps and concerns, analyze data, and make actionable recommendations that would foster improvement in academic achievement through attendance efforts. A growing body of research indicates that missing 10% or more of the school places students at risk of failing general education courses, having low grade point averages (GPA), and performing poorly on standardized testing in relation to peers with “good” attendance (i.e., 95% average daily attendance [ADA] or better). In addition, students who miss this much school time …

Elementary Teachers Of Writing: Paths, Passions, And Practices, Amy Huftalin

Dissertations

This mixed-methods study examined the personal and professional experiences of early elementary teachers related to writing, seeking relationships between their experiences and instructional practices. Data included a survey of 61 kindergarten, first, and second-grade teachers and two focus group interviews in a large urban district in the Midwest. Three major themes emerged from the data concerning the writing instructional practices: (a) the importance of peer collaboration on instructional practices and professional learning, (b) the consistent use of a common writing curriculum, and (c) the application of a Writer’s Workshop approach. The findings suggest that because writing is not a consistent …

Temple Playground, Mary Dengler

Pro Rege

No abstract provided.

Time-Zone Poems, Bob De Smith

Pro Rege

No abstract provided.

After My Mother Beats Me, Erica Hughes

Pro Rege

No abstract provided.

Private Associations, Bob De Smith

Pro Rege

No abstract provided.

Chronos And Kairos, John Zinkand

Pro Rege

No abstract provided.

441 East 1st Street, Matt Drissell

Pro Rege

No abstract provided.

445 And 449 East First Street, Matt Drissell

Pro Rege

No abstract provided.