Digital Commons Network^™

Transformative Interventions In Cell Biology: The Development And Use Of Instructor/Student-Interactive Demonstrations Of Key Cell Biology Concepts, Prashanth Rao, Ashok Upadhyaya, Meera Nanjundan

International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

In Cell Biology, a sophomore/junior undergraduate-level high-enrollment core course, students are expected to develop a broad and detailed understanding of the functioning of eukaryotic cells. For example, some of the more challenging biological concepts include machinery involved in the replication and translational processes, protein trafficking/orientation in membranes, as well as both G protein-coupled receptor and receptor tyrosine kinase signal transduction pathways. In this instructional article, we describe prior published reports of the use of interactive demonstrations of several of these key biological concepts in the classroom. Furthermore, we narrate our efforts to integrate several of these disparate evidence-based techniques (EBTs) …

Learners Authoring Their Agency Related To An English For Academic Purposes Course, Riina Seppälä

International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

Given the demands of modern working life, university studies should support students’ life-long learning and agency. This article explores the types of agency learners from an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) course described in interviews. The interviews were conducted in two groups in 2 consecutive years, in two stages: at the end of the EAP course as well as 6 to 7 months later. Through thematic content analysis, three types of agency were identified: instrumental agency, operational agency, and reflective agency. These types usually differed in terms of the contexts in which the learners placed the agency, the positions the …

Meanings Of Authentic Learning Scenarios: A Study Of The Interplay Between Higher Education And Employability Of Higher Education Graduates, Kajsa Falkner, Eva Edman Stålbrandt

International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

The study is a part of the Erasmus+ project Skill-UP: Matching graduates’ skills and labour world demands through authentic learning scenarios. Higher education provides many different opportunities for students’ learning, though there are limited possibilities for them to learn through collaboration in authentic learning experiences. The article reports on a study which investigates meanings of authentic learning scenarios in higher education in relation to the employability of higher education graduates in a course within the bachelor’s programme in study and career guidance at Stockholm University, Sweden. Pre- and post-questionnaires on the employability skills of new graduates were completed by final …

Hybrid Teaching And Learning In Higher Education: An Appreciative Inquiry, Lori E. Kniffin, Justin Greenleaf

International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

This study is an appreciative inquiry (Cooperrider & Srivasta, 1987; Priest et al., 2013) into hybrid courses offered in Fall 2020, which included a combination of face-to-face and online elements. The courses in this study were part of an academic leadership studies program at Fort Hays State University and were taught in the hybrid format for the first time in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of the study was to identify the assets of the hybrid modality of instruction in order to retain and implement them post-pandemic in any modality. Our findings include three themes: (1) perceptions of …

“It’S Like Listening To An Audiobook”: University Of Botswana Students’ Lived Experiences And Views About Online Learning During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Boitumelo Ramoroka, Keokgale Basetsana Tlhobogang, Brigid Goitse Conteh, Beauty Boikanyo Ntereke

International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

The abrupt shift to online teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic put a strain on the education sector the world over. Using the social constructivist theory, this study postulates that faceto- face teaching and learning does not seamlessly translate to online instruction both in terms of pedagogical practice and learner experiences. This study explores students’ experiences with the quality of online learning during the pandemic. Data were collected through focus group discussions with undergraduate students across seven faculties. A thematic analysis of the responses reveals that participants mostly reported negative experiences with online learning arising from factors such as …

Active Learning Classrooms Vs Computer Labs: Student Learning, Emotion, And Classroom Settings, Megumi Kuwabara

International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

Using undergraduate students in the research methods course in Child Development as participants and keeping the instructional approach consistent, this study examined two research questions. The first research question tested the effect of two classroom settings, active learning classrooms (ALCs) versus computer labs, on students’ learning. The results found that students in ALCs performed marginally better than computer labs for overall course grades and papers, but not for exams. The second research question tested the relationship between the reduction of negative feeling state and learning and investigated whether the relationship differed based on the classroom setting (ALCs vs computer lab). …

Using Legitimation Code Theory (Lct) To Define And Track The Practice Of The Scholarship Of Teaching And Learning, Mark Brooke, Daron Loo, Chloe Wong

International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

In this article, we demonstrate how Legitimation Code Theory (LCT) can be enacted to explore the nature of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) in higher education. Specialization and semantics from LCT are applied to define SoTL practice and map cumulative knowledge building processes. As members of the Faculty Development Committee (FDC), we enact LCT tools to conceptualize our professional development. We provide SoTL narratives as well as vignettes depicting how LCT led to positive transformative learning. The article concludes that LCT tools, with their explanatory power, can be utilized to form highly effective components of a faculty development program.

Factors Related To Study Progress Among First-Year Agriculture Students, Hanna-Riitta Kymäläinen, Jokke Hasa, Ilona Södervik

International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

The first study year at university predicts the progress and quality of later studies. The aim of our study was to explore factors that affect first-year agriculture students. In the end of their first year, 49 students answered a questionnaire measuring self-efficacy, approaches to learning, and study-related burnout. They also reported the factors that enhanced or impeded their studies. According to their approaches to learning, students were clustered into three profiles. One of these represented successful students with an organized approach, strong self-efficacy and little burnout, and another a more unorganized group. The third group had a dissonant profile and …

Factors Related To Study Progress Among First-Year Agriculture Students, Hanna-Riitta Kymäläinen

International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

The first study year at university predicts the progress and quality of later studies. The aim of our study was to explore factors that affect first-year agriculture students. In the end of their first year, 49 students answered a questionnaire measuring self-efficacy, approaches to learning, and study-related burnout. They also reported the factors that enhanced or impeded their studies. According to their approaches to learning, students were clustered into three profiles. One of these represented successful students with an organized approach, strong self-efficacy and little burnout, and another a more unorganized group. The third group had a dissonant profile and …

Providing Proteins To Belizean Residents Through Poultry Products, Ellis Freel

Poultry Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Belize is a food insecure, developing country. Although Belize has plenty of nutritious food in-country, the exportation of that food to generate income contributed to a distribution issue of that nutritious food. More impoverished areas of Belize do not have access to nutritious food because of the lack of affordability and high export rates. Diets with a lack of food, or lack of balanced, nutritious food can negatively impact growth and cognitive development, especially in children. Poultry is one of the only products in Belize not able to be exported. Implementing poultry into Belizean diets would affordably alleviate food insecurity …

Examining The Relationship Between Textbook Formats, Students’ Self-Efficacy And Academic Performance In Higher Education, Anthony Eya

Dissertations

Ideally, educators would have sufficient data to understand how textbook formats (Ebook and Pbook) can transform negative student behaviors resulting from low self-efficacy to improve their academic performance (Alegre, 2014; Masa’deh et al., 2022). The problem driving this study is the lack of empirical data on the relationship between textbook format, student self-efficacy, academic performance, and behavioral factors that undermine student success in a self-regulated learning environment (Masa’deh et al., 2022). Also, there is a need for data that could inform strategies for solutions to poor student self-efficacy regarding textbook type and low academic performance (Alegre, 2014). This study used …

Covenant Dynamics: Understanding The Contrasting Outcomes Of Manna And Quail In Exodus 16 And Numbers 11, Rev. Hyeseong Peter Lee

Theology Graduate Theses

No abstract provided.

Indiana School Teachers’ Self-Efficacy Perceptions In The Areas Of Clear And High Expectations, Collaborative Inquiry, And Feedback, Jacinda Smith

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined Indiana public school educators' perceptions of self-efficacy in three instructional practices: setting clear and high expectations, fostering collaborative inquiry, and providing feedback. Using a quantitative approach, it explored whether these perceptions varied by teaching experience (0–5, 6–15, 16+ years), school location (urban, rural, suburban), grade level (PK–2, Intermediate 3–5, Middle School 6–8, High School 9–12), and socioeconomic status of the student population (0–25%, 26–50%, 51–75%, 76%+). Findings revealed significant differences, with veteran teachers and those in rural schools reporting higher efficacy levels than peers in urban settings or with fewer years of experience. These results suggest the …

Barriers To Effectively Integrating Technology Into The Classroom, Laura Beth Mccarty

Dissertations

This study examined barriers to integrating 1:1 technology into the post-Covid classroom, with an emphasis on determining whether student misuse of technology was a new barrier seen in schools across the United States of America. An online survey instrument was developed to examine existing barriers as well as student misuse of technology as a new barrier. Exploratory factor analysis was used to examine the relationships between these variables, and descriptive statistics were examined to determine which variables were barriers to the effective integration of technology into the classroom. When examining existing barriers, lack of technology training and support remained a …

¿No Pagan Taxes? Overview Of Federal Revenue-Raising In Puerto Rico, 2024, Carlos Vargas-Ramos, Javier Mendez Lacomba, Jorge Soldevilla-Irizarry

CUNY Centro, The Center for Puerto Rican Studies

Residents of Puerto Rico pay federal taxes. They did so to the tune of $5 billion in 2023. They have paid more than $3 billion a year in net contributions to the federal treasury for more than 10 years in a row. This is not a secret, but rather factual information that is publicly available. Yet, it is factual information that is not widely known. Moreover, it is information that flies in the face of the “people in Puerto Rico do not pay federal taxes” narrative. The volume of federal tax contributions originating in Puerto Rico reflects the rather dynamic …

Bank Competition Amid Digital Disruption: Implications For Financial Inclusion, Erica Xuewei Jiang, Yang Gloria Yu, Jinyuan Zhang

Sim Kee Boon Institute for Financial Economics

We study how digital disruption impacts bank competition, considering consumers’ heterogeneous digital preferences. We find that the rollout of 3G networks contracts bank branch networks and leads to divergence in branching and pricing strategies across banks. These developments benefit young consumers but increase the unbanked rate for poorer and older consumers. A structural model shows that the higher perceived digital quality by younger borrowers mainly prompts these adjustments, causing significant surplus losses for older savers. Counterfactual exercises illustrate that subsidizing older savers opting for mobile banking effectively offsets these disparities at minimal cost, facilitating a smoother digital transition.

The Ecumenical Dimension Of The Spiritual Exercises A Historical, Theological, And Practical Approach, David Krol

Jesuit School of Theology Dissertations

This thesis explores the ecumenical dimension of the Spiritual Exercises of Loyola, asking to what extent the Exercises can be adapted to Christian denominations beyond the Catholic Church and how their practice in an ecumenical context promotes church unity. The thesis statement argues that the ecumenical dimension of the Spiritual Exercises is based on the importance given to Scripture within them, thus fostering a common sense of following Christ and a reform of life, indispensable conditions for any ecumenical dialogue. The study underscores how the Exercises can contribute to Christian unity through historical, theological, and practical lenses.

Historically (Chapter 1), …

High-Severity Wildfires Alter Ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Foraging Assemblage Structure In Montane Coniferous Forests And Grasslands In The Jemez Mountains, New Mexico, Usa, Jonathan Knudsen, Robert Parmenter, Theodore Sumnicht, Robin M. Verble

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

High-severity wildfires create heterogeneous patterns of vegetation across burned landscapes. While these spatial patterns are well-documented, less is known about the short- and long-term effects of large-scale high-severity wildfires on insect community assemblages and dynamics. Ants are bottom-up indicators of ecosystem health and function that are sensitive to disturbance and fill a variety of roles in their ecosystems, including altering soil chemistry, dispersing seeds, and serving as a key food resource for many species, including the federally endangered Jemez Mountain salamander (Plethodon neomexicanus). We examined the post-fire effects of the 2011 Las Conchas Wildfire on ant communities in the Valles …

The Role Of Mentorship In Teachers' Intent To Persist In P-12 Public Education, Collins Robinson

Dissertations

Soaring attrition rates among teachers in public education have led researchers to attempt to obtain more insight into teaching intent to persist in American, public P12 education. Mississippi schools are allowed to join the MDE Division of Educator Effectiveness. This single division focuses on enhancing specific areas: “Mentoring and Induction programs, Mississippi Professional Growth system, Mississippi Teacher Residency, and Recognition Programs.” (Steen, 2024). The purpose of the study was to determine if there exists a statistically significant relationship between Mississippi public education teachers’ mentorship experience, mentorship effectiveness, and intent to persist. Secondly, this study was expected to determine to what …

Effectiveness Of Lavender Supplementation In Treating The Most Common Mental Health Conditions In Primary Care Settings: A Narrative Review, Taylor Irwin, Heather Justice, Kara Roman, Sophie Tajadod, Carilyn Ellis, Kristy Asbell, Jason Brumitt

Doctor of Medical Science (DMSc)

Primary care providers (PCPs) are increasingly challenged to meet the rising demand for psychiatric care in the United States (U.S.). 1,2 More patients are seeking mental health care from their PCP than ever before. The number of visits for mental health concerns increased by 50% from 11% of all visits in 2006 to approximately 16% of all visits in 2018. 1 Many patients are opting to seek treatment exclusively from PCPs rather than from psychiatric providers. 1 Several factors contribute to this trend, including a shortage of mental health care providers, limited insurance coverage for psychiatric services, and potential reluctance …

Ghazālī’S Influence On Mullā Ṣadrā’S View Of Causal Necessity And Freewill, Sayeh Meisami

Philosophy Faculty Publications

Muḥammad Ghazālī (d. 1111) influenced some of the key metaphysical teachings of Shia Safavid philosophers, most prominently, Mullā Ṣadrā Shīrāzī (d. ca. 1636). In this paper, I argue that Mullā Ṣadrā reads Ibn Sīnā (d. 1037) through the lens of Muḥammad Ghazālī’s Sufi Ashʿarism to offer a solution to the problem of freewill in the Islamic context. In his adaptation of causal necessity from Ibn Sīnā, Mullā Ṣadrā argues that “necessity” as a concept is co-extensional with “existence” because in reality all that is the case is necessarily so. On the other hand, all things including voluntary actions and will …

Italians, Finns, Methodists, And The Klan: A Look Into The Complex Identities And Relationships That Were Prominent In The Upper Peninsula During The 1920s, Piper R. Kraft

HS 390 Primary Research Papers

This essay focuses on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in the 1920s and the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan. Using interviews from the Italian Oral History Collection, this essay explores the relationship between Italians, Finns, and the KKK. Rather than focusing on labor relations, this essay explores how these groups saw exogamy, the value placed on maintaining one’s religious connection and perceived racial identity. This research touches on the intersectionality of racialized ethnicity, religion, and class, concluding that the predominantly Methodist KKK would be more open to relationships, both personal and professional, with Finnish immigrants, even though they do …

Case Study On Seney National Wildlife Refuge: How The Upper Peninsula Led Wildlife Conservation In The Beginning Of The Twentieth Century, Holly A. Galligan

HS 390 Primary Research Papers

The research presented in this paper will weave together the story of how the Upper Peninsula became a crucial hub for wildlife conservation in the first half of the twentieth century. Seeking to answer the question of how and why this occurred, as well as why it is distinct from the social movement of the 1960s, the research is based on public awareness, photographic research developments, and the concept of the national system for conservation. Hunting played the main role in the motivations for this movement therefore, it is also heavily discussed throughout. The previous research on this subject emerged …

Uncovering The Causal Configurations Of Successful Nonviolent Regime Change Movements: A Systems Thinking And Fuzzy Set Analysis, William Scott Hinson

Dissertations

Under what conditions do nonviolent regime change movements succeed? While the literature on nonviolent resistance has shown several variables to be highly correlative in affecting regime change, little research to date has shown which configuration of conditions leads to regime change in differing polities and repressive environments. In this dissertation, Systems Thinking (ST) and fuzzy set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) are employed to analyze 25 randomly selected cases of nonviolent regime change movements drawn from the NAVCO 2.1 dataset. The principle of equifinality in ST and fsQCA directs the research to explore multiple sets of conditions that can lead to …

Assistive Technologies For Internet Navigation: A Review Of Screen Reader Solutions For The Blind And Visually Impaired, Juan Nino, Sherezada Ochoa, Jocelyne Kiss, Geoffreyjen Edwards, Ernesto Morales, James Hutson, Frédérique Poncet, Walter Wittich

Faculty Scholarship

The internet is a critical resource for individuals with visual impairments (VI), including those with low vision or blindness, enabling access to information and fostering independent participation in society. However, despite advancements in screen reader software, challenges persist in navigating complex and dynamic web content. This narrative review evaluates Assistive Technologies (AT), which enhance internet navigation for VI screen reader users, focusing on design strategies and usability outcomes. A systematic search across the ACM Digital Library, IEEE Xplore, JSTOR, and ScienceDirect identified 698 studies, of which 33 met the inclusion criteria, encompassing 502 participants. Key themes were extracted from bibliographic …

Multiple And Nonexistence Of Positive Solutions For A Class Of Fractional Differential Equations With P-Laplacian Operator, Haoran Zhang, Zhaocai Hao, Martin Bohner

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Research & Creative Works

Research about multiple positive solutions for fractional differential equations is very important. Based on some outstanding results reported in this field, this paper continues the focus on this topic. By using the properties of the Green function and generalized Avery–Henderson fixed point theorem, we derive three positive solutions of a class of fractional differential equations with a p-Laplacian operator. We also study the nonexistence of positive solutions to the eigenvalue problem of the equation. Three examples are given to illustrate our main result.

Fixed Income Fund Report, December 2024, Archway Investment Fund

Archway Investment Fund

No abstract provided.

Equity Fund Monthly Report, December 2024, Archway Investment Fund

Archway Investment Fund

No abstract provided.

Exploring The Correlation Between Sdoh And Diabetes Distress In Latinx Adults Ages 18-75, Vanessa Delgado, Erandy Camacho, Cassandra Tagorda-Varo

MSW Capstone Conference

No abstract provided.

Diabetes Burnout Among African American And Hispanic Women, Jackelyn Santos, Kalea Robinson, Estefania Vargas

MSW Capstone Conference

No abstract provided.