Digital Commons Network^™

Hearing Is Believing: Using Audio Feedback In The Online Interpersonal Communication Course, Krista Hoffmann-Longtin

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

The introduction to interpersonal communication course (IPC) is popular for both communication majors and nonmajors alike, and as such, many departments have designed online versions of the course. Teaching IPC in this format has challenges, given its dual emphasis on theoretical understanding and skill-building. This reflection essay explores the efficacy of providing audio feedback on essays in the online IPC course, as a way to create a positive online presence, manage the grading load, and encourage students to implement the feedback. The rationale for this approach to feedback and implementation strategies are provided, as well as a discussion of outcomes …

The Practice Of Nonviolence: Teaching An Undergraduate Course In Nonviolent Communication, Sharon Lauricella

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

This Best Practices article outlines 10 tips relative to teaching a course in Nonviolent Communication (NVC). It outlines suggestions for readings, activities, and projects throughout a semester-long undergraduate course. The article addresses how students can learn both the theory and practice of nonviolence by means of readings and activities that address social problems such as sexism, racism, bias, and violence against oneself and the earth. Specific suggestions are provided for creative ways in which students can be engaged with readings so that they have ownership of their in-class experience. Details regarding an independent long-term project providing freedom of creativity in …

Developing A Digital Voice: Embedding Digital Communication Platforms, Networks, And Technologies In The 21st-Century Classroom, James M. Proszek

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

Introductory communication courses are an invaluable resource for improving students’ abilities to speak confidently, passionately, and persuasively, while also inspiring them to become more engaged citizens. However, digital media present new opportunities and challenges for designing courses that are relevant to students’ personal and professional interests and goals. Instructors who incorporate digital communication platforms, networks, and technologies into their classrooms can better prepare students to meet the complex demands of the technologically-mediated 21st century. In this essay, I offer 10 best practices for developing students’ digital media literacies within multiple communication contexts.

Pedagogy, Gender, And Communication: Learning And Unlearning Gender, Marian L. Houser, Robert J. Sidelinger, Angela Hosek

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

Courses in gender communication are designed to enable students to examine the role of gender and gender identity in everyday communication. To aid them to understand gender communication, they should be exposed to at least three foundational areas and supporting content. Sex and gender differences, the social construction of gender, and theoretical gender lenses (biological, psychological, and critical/cultural) are critical foundations that students should grasp to recognize the complexity of gender and gender communication.

The Effects Of Mood On Empathy, Openness To Diversity, Attitudes, And Willingness To Help Marginalized Groups, Angela J. Adams

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Members of marginalized groups such as lesbian women and gay men are often at an increased risk of threat or harm compared to their heterosexual counterparts. They may experience prejudice in the form of discrimination and stigma related behaviors. Due to the stigma lesbian women and gay men face throughout various stages of their lives, it is important to examine and discover which factors increase more acceptance and empathy. Additionally, it is important to examine ways to increase positive regard and reduce discrimination in order to promote psychological and overall wellbeing for lesbians and gay men. Given what we know …

Exploring The Factors Associated With Social Media Use In Local Health Departments, Suzanne Lamarca Madden

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Background: The health system in the United States is rapidly advancing, including newer technologies, newer ways of delivering essential public health services and population health. Approximately 70% of the public uses social media as a communication tool, which makes it an ideal platform for dissemination of information. Local health departments (LHDs) are accountable for assuring ten essential public health services, including informing, educating, and empowering people about health issues. Previous research showed less than 70% of LHDs are adequately performing this essential service. The purpose of this study was to examine what factors impact the use of social media by …

Emotional Intelligence Instruction For Millennials In Undergraduate Education, Jason M. Pollett

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the improvement, if any, of emotional intelligence scores of students who participated in and completed the specified professional development seminar. In addition, this study aimed to examine the relationship between emotional intelligence subscales of students enrolled in a professional development seminar that focuses on enhancing the emotional intelligence. The research design for this study was an ex post facto, quasi-experimental correlational quantitative research design. Data from the 371 students who enrolled in the Professional Development Seminar course during academic years 2015-2017 served as the sample for this study.

This study focused on …

Predictors Of Community College Students’ Academic Success In The Corequisite Model, Damon Andrews

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine predictors of community college student academic success in the corequisite model. Academic success was defined dichotomously on a pass or fail basis. The population in this study included 1,933 students that enrolled in at least one corequisite English and/or mathematics course at the college between the fall semester of 2015 and summer semester of 2018. The predictors examined were a student’s sex, race, age at time of enrollment, Pell grant recipient status, first-generation college student status, high school GPA, placement test scores, academic major, time spent receiving academic tutoring in college’s …

Psychometric Properties Of A New Measure For Orthorexia Nervosa: The Orthorexia Nervosa Scale (Ons), Rebecca Conrad

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Orthorexia nervosa (ON) is a disordered eating pattern that has recently attracted attention from researchers and clinicians, and can lead to some of the same negative effects as other recognized eating disorders, including malnutrition. To continue exploring unique symptoms and features of this disorder, a new scientifically rigorous and inclusive measure needs to be created, focusing on a sample of individuals in the United States. The purpose of this dissertation was to create a valid measure for ON symptomology using rigorous statistical procedures with samples of United States adults. The first study determined the factor structure of the items though …

The Multicultural Center's Role In Black Male Success At A Predominantly White Institution, Stephan Tramaine Moore

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Many scholarly works have focused on the problems that Black males face in higher education at predominantly White institutions (PWI). However, few have explored specific factors that lead to the success of Black males. This study focuses on the Multicultural Center’s role in Black male success a PWI. There are a myriad of issues that Black men face when pursuing higher education ranging from a lack of financial resources to “invisibility” in the collegial environment. These challenges are further exacerbated for Black men who are enrolled at a PWI. The Multicultural Center (MC) is among the essential modalities that can …

Security Analysis Of The Internet Of Things Using Digital Forensic And Penetration Testing Tools, Olajide Ojagbule

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

We exist in a universe where everything is related to the internet or each other like smart TVs, smart telephones, smart thermostat, cars and more. Internet of Things has become one of the most talked about technologies across the world and its applications range from the control of home appliances in a smart home to the control of machines on the production floor of an industry that requires less human intervention in performing basic daily tasks. Internet of Things has rapidly developed without adequate attention given to the security and privacy goals involved in its design and implementation. This document …

Ambivalent Prejudice In News Media: Does Social Hierarchy Threat Change How We View Reporters?, Rebecca E. Burchette

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Despite research demonstrating the importance of news media, there remains a gap in the literature on how the reporter influences the perception of the information. This current experiment aims to fill that gap by evaluating how reporter race and social hierarchy threat alters perceptions of both the reporter and the information. White participants read an article with content that indicated that the current racial hierarchy is either under threat or likely to continue; the article was written by either a Black or White reporter. Participants then completed measures of perceptions of warmth and competence of the reporter, acceptance levels towards …

Laughing Out Loud: American Indian Comedy As A Force For Social Change, Jacob M. Ward

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Activism entails not only individuals overtly campaigning for changes in public spheres, but in other ways and strategies as well. One of these other avenues is the use of political satire and humor. Comedy publicizes frustrations of American issues, just as sit-ins, walk-outs, or marches do. For the most part, scholars fail to address the importance of humor. This work researches not only the comedic works of Charlie Hill, the 1491s, and other American Indian comedians, but also how their craft possibly alters stances and opinions. These comedians have a voice, and, therefore, deserve examination. This work shows the influence …

Future World(S): A Critique Of Disney's Epcot And Creating A Futuristic Curriculum, Alan Bowers

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

In my dissertation inquiry, I explore the need for utopian based curriculum which was inspired by Walt Disney’s EPCOT Center. Theoretically building upon such works as utopianism (Bregman, 2017, e.g., Claeys 2011;) and Disney studies (Garlen and Sandlin, 2016; Fjellman, I q work that combines historiography and speculative essays. The work explores how schools must do the hard work of working toward building a better future (Chomsky and Foucault, 1971).

Through tracing the evolution of EPCOT as an idea for a community that would “always be in the state of becoming” to EPCOT Center as an inspirational theme park, this …

Effects Of Mental Health Programs On School Violence, Lillian R. Gray

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Bullying, defined as any unwanted aggressive behavior(s) by another youth or group of youths who are not siblings or current dating partners that involves an observed or perceived power imbalance and is repeated multiple times or is highly likely to be repeated, is becoming an epidemic in our schools, with rates of victimization rising (Donegan, 2012). This thesis examines mental health programs already established within schools, as well as schools where students do not have access to mental health resources and compares the amount of violence that is perpetrated within these schools. Next, this study explores the relationship between bullying …

From Beyond The Grave: Dead Narrators In Young Adult Literature, Jessica L. Branton

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

While scholars and critics have explored various aspects of young adult literature, few have focused on the popular, but odd, use of dead narrators. When examining the dead narrators of Veronica Roth’s Allegiant, Jay Asher’s Thirteen Reasons Why, Lauren Oliver’s Before I Fall, and Jess Rothenberg’s The Catastrophic History of You and Me, it becomes clear that the dead narrators are used as a foil for adolescent growth and maturation, and they also allow young readers to empathize with and accept death through the protagonists. These protagonists experience a proto-adulthood as they die too soon to …

Exploring The Narratives Of Black Male Nurses In Southeast Georgia: Implications For The Implementation Of Culturally Responsive Pedagogy In Nursing Curriculum, Celine M. Pfund

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

ABSTRACT

This dissertation inquiry explores the narratives of two Black male nurses in southeast Georgia. The framework for my research includes a variety of different theoretical components including works from both major nursing and curriculum studies scholars. The nursing workforce remains homogenized despite major recruiting. The intention of my research was to explore the experiences of Black male nurses to identify challenges, barriers, and systems of oppression that they may have encountered working in a profession dominated by White females in order to facilitate development of culturally responsive pedagogy in nursing. Methodologically, I mainly drew upon James Spradley’s work on …

The Effects Of Ses Stereotypes On Hurricane Decision Making, Alexandria D. Booth

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Despite the severe and often costly consequences associated with severe weather instances, there is a continuing problem with noncompliance to weather warnings. This issue is pervasive, and research has shown a number of factors that are related to weather response (Joslyn & LeClerc, 2013). Further, individuals of a low socioeconomic status (SES) are often disproportionately impacted by severe weather instances, such as hurricanes (Elliot & Pais, 2006). Past research has shown that individuals of a low education level do not understand some aspects (e.g., numerical uncertainty) of a weather warning, suggesting that weather warnings may not be accessible for all …

Public Health Workforce Perceived Impact Of Emerging Issues In Public Health, Kristie C. Waterfield

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Background: In an era where public health has been viewed as a global, multi-disciplinary field, the public health workforce has remained united to unfailingly holding fast to the mission of protecting, promoting, and improving the health of the public. However, the practice of public health is consistently evolving, and the workforce is continually facing a mirage of challenges. In order to overcome these challenges, practitioners need to be up-to-date on the necessary knowledge and skills to effectively deliver the core public health services.

Purpose: The purpose of this research was to explore the perceived impact of emerging trends in public …

Determining Political Inclination In Tweets Using Transfer Learning, Mehtab Iqbal

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Last few years have seen tremendous development in neural language modeling for transfer learning and downstream applications. In this research, I used Howard and Ruder’s Universal Language Model Fine Tuning (ULMFiT) pipeline to develop a classifier that can determine whether a tweet is politically left leaning or right leaning by likening the content to tweets posted by @TheDemocrats or @GOP accounts on Twitter. We achieved 87.7% accuracy in predicting political ideological inclination.

Eaglebot: A Chatbot Based Multi-Tier Question Answering System For Retrieving Answers From Heterogeneous Sources Using Bert, Muhammad Rana

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This paper proposes to tackle Question Answering on a specific domain by developing a multi-tier system using three different types of data storage for storing answers. For testing our system on University domain we have used extracted data from Georgia Southern University website. For the task of faster retrieval we have divided our answer data sources into three distinct types and utilized Dialogflow's Natural Language Understanding engine for route selection. We compared different word and sentence embedding techniques for making a semantic question search engine and BERT sentence embedding gave us the best result and for extracting answer from a …

The Effects Of School Disciplinary Policies On Violence, Delinquency, And Disorder, Ernest E. Zittrouer Iii

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The occurrence of violent and disruptive behavior in schools has been present throughout most of American educational history. The disciplinary policies established to address these behaviors have changed over time, becoming only more severe. The deterrent effect these policies were intended to produce has seen to be minimal, and despite a reduction in violent school victimization since the mid-1990s, schools continue to rely on these harsh policies (Skiba, 2014). This study examines the relationship between incident counts and discipline action counts for Georgia public schools (N = 2,150) for the 2017-2018 academic school year. This research utilizes negative binomial regression …

Emergency Preparedness With The One Health Approach, Holly Richmond, Joana Tome, Jessica Schwind

Eagles Talking About the Public’s Health

No abstract provided.

Eagle Educator, Georgia Southern University

College of Education: News & Publications (2003-2023)

• Project SEARCH: Real-Life Experiences. Real-Life Differences.
• STEMFest Returns with a Bang, Slime and even an Alpaca
• A look into the partnership with Hesse K-8 School in Savannah
• Using Virtual Classrooms Prepare Students for the Future
• Live and Learn with Fellow COE Majors
• COE Faculty Member Assists with International Research for Spanish-Speaking Youth
• Thompson Receives 2018 Staff Award
• 2018 Jack Miller Award Recipients
• Remembering Jack Miller
• Faculty Awards, Honors and Promotions
• To The Sapient Reading Professor
• Making a Difference, One Book at a Time
• First Generation Immigrant Draws on Experiences to Help Minority Students

Machine-Learning-Based Pml For The Fdtd Method, He Ming Yao, Lijun Jiang

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this letter, a novel absorbing boundary condition (ABC) computation method for finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) is proposed based on the machine learning approach. The hyperbolic tangent basis function (HTBF) neural network is introduced to replace traditional perfectly matched layer (PML) ABC during the FDTD solving process. The field data on the interface of conventional PML are employed to train HTBF-based PML model. Compared to the conventional approach, the novel method greatly decreases the size of a computation domain and the computation complexity of FDTD because the new model only involves the one-cell boundary layer. Numerical examples are provided to benchmark …

Applying Deep Learning Approach To The Far-Field Subwavelength Imaging Based On Near-Field Resonant Metalens At Microwave Frequencies, He Ming Yao, Min Li, Lijun Jiang

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this paper, we utilize the deep learning approach for the subwavelength imaging in far-field, which is realized by the near-field resonant metalens at microwave frequencies. The resonating metalens consisting of split-ring resonators (SRRs) are equipped with the strong magnetic coupling ability and can convert evanescent waves into propagating waves using the localized resonant modes. The propagating waves in the far-field are utilized as the input of a trained deep convolutional neural network (CNN) to realize the imaging. The training data for establishing the deep CNN are obtained by the EM simulation tool. Besides, the white Gaussian noise is added …

A Major Root Architecture Qtl Responding To Water Limitation In Durum Wheat, Samir Alahmad, Khaoula El Hassouni, Filippo M. Bassi, Eric Dinglasan, Chvan Youssef, Georgia Quarry, Alpaslan Aksoy, Elisabetta Mazzucotelli, Angéla Juhász, Jason A. Able, Jack Christopher, Kai P. Voss-Fels, Lee T. Hickey

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The optimal root system architecture (RSA) of a crop is context dependent and critical for efficient resource capture in the soil. Narrow root growth angle promoting deeper root growth is often associated with improved access to water and nutrients in deep soils during terminal drought. RSA, therefore is a drought-adaptive trait that could minimize yield losses in regions with limited rainfall. Here, GWAS for seminal root angle (SRA) identified seven marker-trait associations clustered on chromosome 6A, representing a major quantitative trait locus (qSRA-6A) which also displayed high levels of pairwise LD (r² = 0.67). Subsequent haplotype …

A Multi-Center Comparison Of Vo2 Peak Trainability Between Interval Training And Moderate Intensity Continuous Training, Camilla J. Williams, Brendon J. Gurd, Jacob T. Bonafiglia, Sarah Voisin, Zhixiu Li, Nicholas Harvey, Ilaria Croci, Jenna L. Taylor, Trishan Gajanand, Joyce S. Ramos, Robert G. Fassett, Jonathan P. Little, Monique E. Francois, Christopher M. Hearon, Satyam Sarma, Sylvan L. J. E. Janssen, Emeline M. Van Craenenbroeck, Paul Beckers, Véronique A. Cornelissen, Nele Pattyn, Erin J. Howden, Shelley E. Keating, Anja Bye, Dorthe Stensvold, Ulrik Wisloff, Ioannis Papadimitriou, Xu Yan, David J. Bishop, Nir Eynon, Jeff S. Coombes

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

There is heterogeneity in the observed VO_2peak response to similar exercise training, and different exercise approaches produce variable degrees of exercise response (trainability). The aim of this study was to combine data from different laboratories to compare VO_2peak trainability between various volumes of interval training and Moderate Intensity Continuous Training (MICT). For interval training, volumes were classified by the duration of total interval time. High-volume High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) included studies that had participants complete more than 15 min of high intensity efforts per session. Low-volume HIIT/Sprint Interval Training (SIT) included studies using less than 15 min …

Performance Analysis Of A Thermal-Driven Tubular Direct Contact Membrane Distillation System, Abdellah Sharifian, Mehdi Khiadani, Ataollah Nosrati

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This paper examines the performance of a thermal-driven tubular direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) system theoretically and experimentally. A multi-step mathematical model was developed to predict the freshwater productivity of the tubular DCMD module applicable for both small and large-scale applications by considering the changes in the operational variables along the membrane’s length. The proposed model was verified by building an experimental rig which was tested under different operational conditions. The results showed that keeping the mass flow rates in the hot and cold channels either near the end or beyond the transition range of the flows results in higher …

Neuromeasure: A Software Package For Quantification Of Cortical Motor Maps Using Frameless Stereotaxic Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, Michael B. Gerber, Alasdair C. Mclean, Samuel J. Stephen, Alex G. Chalco, Usman M. Arshad, Gary W. Thickbroom, Josh Silverstein, K. Zoe Tsagaris, Amy Kuceyeski, Kathleen Friel, Taiza E. G. Santos, Dylan J. Edwards

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The recent enhanced sophistication of non-invasive mapping of the human motor cortex using MRI-guided Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) techniques, has not been matched by refinement of methods for generating maps from motor evoked potential (MEP) data, or in quantifying map features. This is despite continued interest in understanding cortical reorganization for natural adaptive processes such as skill learning, or in the case of motor recovery, such as after lesion affecting the corticospinal system. With the observation that TMS-MEP map calculation and quantification methods vary, and that no readily available commercial or free software exists, we sought to establish and make …