Digital Commons Network^™

Illinois State University Salaries Fy2025, Illinois State University

Illinois State University Salaries

Includes two sections: administrative professional and civil service salaries, and non-tenure track, tenure track, and faculty associate salaries.

2025 University Research Symposium Program Book, The Graduate School

University Research Symposium Programs

Program book for the 2025 University Research Symposium.

Investigating Consumer Preferences For Laptop Computers Using Choice-Based Conjoint (Cbc) Analysis, Xiaoyi Yan

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

This study employs a choice-based joint (CBC) analysis to investigate college students' preferences for laptop computers. Data was collected from 49 students at a university in the Midwestern part of the United States. The authors focused on five attributes: brand, price, screen size, performance, and battery life. The results show that branding, especially Apple, is the most critical factor, indicating strong brand loyalty or perceived quality. Performance and battery life followed as most important and can be affected by high usage. Conversely, the impact of screen size is minimal, suggesting that students are prioritizing portability and functionality over larger displays. …

Volume 40, Issue 1

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

No abstract provided.

Climate Change Threatens Water Resources For Major Field Crops In The Serbian Danube River Basin By The Mid-21st Century, Jamshid Jalali, Nishan Bhattarai, Jillian Greene, Tao Liu, Oskar Marko, Mirjana Radulović, Molly Sears, Sean A. Woznicki

Open Access Publishing Support Funded Articles

Study region: Serbian Danube River Basin

Study focus: As climate change makes weather patterns more erratic, water supply for agriculture is becoming increasingly uncertain. This is concerning in the Serbian Danube River Basin, where crops are mainly rainfed and the growing season is becoming warmer and drier. Assessing the balance between future agricultural water demand and availability in a changing climate is critical to address agricultural water scarcity. To understand how changing climate will affect water availability during 2041–2070, we used the Soil and Water Assessment Tool+ hydrological model with field-scale crop rotations and irrigated extent data and forced with …

Media Quiteracy: Why Digital Disconnection Belongs In The Media Literacy Curriculum, Katie Day Good

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

In this essay, we introduce media quiteracy, which we use to conceptualize and describe the valuable learning that can happen through the refusal to take up new media or the act of pausing or ceasing its use. We see media quiteracy as an active and generative approach to learning and argue for its inclusion in the media literacy curriculum. We trace the history of critical engagement with technologies within education and then articulate what media quiteracy can look like in practice. We surface and discuss three potential obstacles to teaching media quiteracy, which include the ways in which it problematizes …

Best Practices For Applying And Interpreting The Total Operating Characteristic, Tanner Honnef, Robert Gilmore Pontius

Geography

The Total Operating Characteristic (TOC) is an improvement on the quantitative method called the Relative Operating Characteristic (ROC), both of which plot the association between a binary variable and a rank variable. TOC curves reveal the sizes of the four entries in the confusion matrix at each threshold, which make TOC curves more easily interpretable than ROC curves. The TOC has become popular, especially to assess the fit of simulation models to predict land change. However, the literature has shown variation in how authors apply and interpret the TOC, creating some misleading conclusions. Our manuscript lists best practices when applying …

Taking Revolution Seriously, Zohra Ahmed

Faculty Scholarship

Every so often, a prison strike will make national news, as it did in 2014, 2016, and 2018. ¹ The media will focus on the atrocious conditions of confinement; the unchecked violence; the wages numerated in pennies; and the state’s indifference to the strikers’ modest demands for food, medical care, and human contact.

Orisanmi Burton’s² book, Tip of the Spear: Black Radicalism, Prison Repression, and the Long Attica Revolt, urges us to process such reporting with a healthy dose of skepticism. What if prison rebellions were telling us something else, something even more important? What if they were …

Exploring The Use Of Artificial Intelligence As An Instructional Learning Tool In Middle School Mathematics Classrooms, Maurice Guest Jr

Student Theses and Dissertations

This quantitative causal-comparative study explored the effectiveness of AI instructional/learning tools, specifically the IXL platform, in middle school mathematics classrooms. In this study, AI tools, such as IXL, were investigated to determine if there was a significant influence on students’ academic growth and achievement in light of the continuing teacher shortage in Arkansas. The lack of highly qualified teachers has led to Arkansas high school students’ underperformance in mathematics. Framed by a Constructivist approach, the study viewed learning as an active, engaged experience in which students shaped their own learning, rather than passively receiving information in the classroom. Data from …

The Three Ps: Political Polarization, Perception, And Pedagogy, Tianka Renee Sheard Mitchell

Student Theses and Dissertations

Political polarization significantly impacts modern education, especially within social studies, where teachers confront sensitive issues in their curricula. This study addressed two research questions: RQ1 examined teachers’ perceptions of the influence of political polarization, and RQ2 explored how these perceptions affect their pedagogy. Through the lens of Reconstructionist Educational Theory, this research highlights the necessity for social studies education to cultivate critical thinking and civic engagement among students. The study aimed to determine whether social studies teachers modify their instructional approaches in response to political polarization, as avoiding "hard history" could jeopardize students’ critical thinking and cultural literacy. Participants shared …

Cyber Security Of Autonomous Vehicles: The Implications For City Planning, Tegg Westbrook

Journal of Strategic Security

The rise of autonomous vehicles (AVs) has proclaimed positive consequences for urban quality, including reductions in accidents and deaths. As automobiles become digitalized, questions over cyber or electronic threats require further contextualization in urban security scholarship. Focusing on literature on radiofrequency interference of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)-aided and -dependent systems, the aim of this article is to consider threats to vehicle safety from electronic interference and the implications for users, city planners, asset managers, and vehicle manufacturers.

While well-known issues such as privacy aversion, tax avoidance, and fraud are documented, it expands on other less-well-known threats to autonomous vehicles …

Could It Be Cold War? How Sino-American Tensions Are Unfolding In The South Pacific., Peter R. Caldwell

Senior Theses

This thesis assesses the impacts of geopolitical competition between the United States and China, focusing on the South Pacific as a primary theatre for this great power contest, and investigating the uses of foreign aid by regional powers to effect both the geopolitical alignment and domestic policies of the developing states of the South Pacific. This paper finds that foreign aid to these South Pacific States is geopolitically motivated, and induces greater attention from competing regional powers, furthering the ongoing competition. This paper first provides an overview of the evolving political situation in Kiribati, a Pacific Island Country which has …

Harvest Leadership: A Philosophy For Empowering Indigenous Leaders For Ministry Among Unreached People Groups, Sarah Kelley

Christian Ministries Senior Capstone

One-third of the world's population lacks meaningful access to the gospel, underscoring a critical need for contextualized ministry and leadership development. This paper outlines a philosophy of ministry for Harvest Leadership, a ministry dedicated to empowering indigenous leaders for ministry among unreached people groups. Following William Frankena's philosophy of education as its framework, this paper argues that effective Christian education for these leaders must be contextually appropriate, emphasizing principles such as Oral Learning, Social Learning Theory, and Experiential Learning. By illustrating through the case of Pikugi, an Ache woman in Paraguay, the paper demonstrates how intentional ministry practices, informed by …

Africana Studies 2025 Apr Self-Study & Documents, Unm Academic Program Review

UNM Academic Program Review

UNM Africana Studies APR self-study report, review team report, response report, and initial action plan for Spring 2025, fulfilling requirements of the Higher Learning Commission.

A Comprehensive Assessment Approach For Multiscale Regional Economic Development: Fusion Modeling Of Nighttime Lights And Openstreetmap Data, Zhe Wang, Jianghua Zheng, Chuqiao Han, Binbin Lu, Danlin Yu, Juan Yang, Linzhi Han

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Assessing regional economic development is key for advancing towards the Sustainable Development Goals and ensuring sustainable societal progress. Traditional evaluation methods focus on basic economic metrics like population and capital, which may not fully reflect the complexities of economic activities. Nighttime light (NTL) has been validated as an alternative indicator for regional economic development, yet limitations persist in its evaluation. This study integrates OpenStreetMap (OSM) data and NTL data, providing a novel data integration approach for evaluating economic development. The study uses mainland of China as a case, applying ordinary least squares (OLS) and geographically weighted regression (GWR) to evaluate …

Demography, Human Capital, And Structural Change, Arjun Anand

Economics Undergraduate Senior Theses

This paper examines the role of demography and human capital transmission in shaping structural change during American industrialization (1860–1920). Using linked Census data, I document three stylized facts: (i) young individuals drive the transition to manufacturing; (ii) young migrants prioritize future earnings potential over current wages, whereas older workers prioritize current wages; and (iii) intergenerational income persistence is conditional on remaining in the parental sector. To reflect these findings, I incorporate overlapping generations with age-based preferences and intergenerational human capital transmission into a dynamic general equilibrium economic geography model. After calibrating the model, I conduct counterfactual experiments to quantitatively assess …

Reflections From Lived Experience: Disability And Public Libraries, Jeff Gutierrez

Independent Living and Community Participation

Summary of an interactive conference session that captured the views of rural Center for Independent Living (CIL) staff and consumers on the intersection of disability and public libraries in rural areas.

The Impact Of Proptech And The Datafication Of Real Estate On The Human Right To Housing, Michele E. Gilman

All Faculty Scholarship

Proptech is undermining the human right to housing. Proptech is a term of art for the digital transformation of the real estate industry. It includes a range of real estate businesses engaged in development, financing, construction, management, and more. Proptech’s boosters promise frictionless and efficient housing markets. However, Proptech appears to be reinforcing existing power imbalances in real estate markets that are masked by the supposed objectivity and opacity of computer-generated processes. Meanwhile, countries across the globe face a profound housing crisis, with a lack of affordable and safe housing, high rates of homelessness, and rampant housing discrimination and segregation. …

Murder On Music Row: A Narrative Analysis Of Mass-Mediated Country Music And Independent Texas Red Dirt Music, Jennifer A. Worley

Communication Theses

This project employs Roland Barthes' narrative codes as a framework for textual analysis to examine the underlying structures and meanings within song lyrics from two contrasting traditions of country music: mass-mediated Nashville country and Texas Red Dirt. With a sample spanning a five-year period, the study explores how narrative forms reflect broader socio-cultural dynamics and economic forces. Drawing upon the critical theory of the Frankfurt School, particularly the works of Theodor Adorno and Karl Marx, the project concentrates on the commodification of cultural products and implications for authenticity and truth in cultural expression. Through a comparative analysis, the research reveals …

A Critical Assessment Of Military Ai: Operational Risks And The Governance Gap, Julia Williams

Switzerland: International Studies and Multilateral Diplomacy

This paper examines how the intersection of operational risks and the regulatory gap of artificial intelligence in modern warfare creates a global security crisis. Through three case studies, the United States, Ukraine, and Israel, this research shows how these technologies are transforming contemporary conflict and outpacing legal frameworks. The research demonstrates that current forums for governance are failing to reach consensus on necessary standards and highlights how this regulatory gap enables systematic violence, undermines human judgment, and threatens global stability. The analysis focuses on key operational risks, such as black-box decision-making and bias, as well as barriers to governance, including …

Caught In The Middle: The Geopolitics Of The Visegrad Group’S Just Transition, Jack Helms

Switzerland: International Studies and Multilateral Diplomacy

Since the fall of the Soviet Union, the former satellite states of Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, and Hungary, together known as the Visegrad group, have found themselves at a geopolitical crossroads. After gaining independence, Poland, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia quickly ascended to pan-European alliances such as the European Union (EU) North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), dealing a geopolitical blow to Russia and setting the region up for integration with greater European geoeconomic grand strategy. Recent political movements in all four countries questioning Western leadership have imperiled one of the European Union’s signature long-term geoeconomic programs: reducing the continent’s reliance on fossil fuels. …

Missouri Policy Journal -Volume 2, Issue 2 (2025) -Full Issue, Lindenwood University

Missouri Policy Journal

No abstract provided.

Marine Animalia Diversity And Coral Reef Condition At Big Creek Beach And Boca Del Drago, Bocas Del Toro, Panamá: A Decade Of Change, Lucy Cornett

Panama: Tropical Ecology, Marine Ecosystems, and Biodiversity Conservation

As the oceans’ largest biological structure, coral reefs provide vital ecosystem services, including coastline production, food production, tourism, and preservation of biodiversity. The calm waters provided by the Bocas del Toro archipelago protection from the Caribbeans Sea promotes many coral reefs because of the calmer waters caused by protection from the Caribbean Sea. While many reefs are present, increases in tourism and other anthropogenic threats make monitoring the health of these coral reefs and the diversity of marine organisms of the utmost importance. This study examines the percent substrate cover and the diversity and density marine organisms of two coral …

‬ ‭ Spiritual Geographies And Living Ritual:‬ ‭ Misali Island’S Caves In Swahili Religious Life In Zanzibar, Everett Gordon

Tanzania-Zanzibar: Coastal Ecology and Natural Resource Management

Caves along the East African Swahili coast are more than geological formations—they are spiritual landscapes where the boundaries between visible and invisible worlds collapse. This paper explores the ritual and religious significance of three caves on Misali Island, a small coral rag island off the coast of Pemba in the Zanzibar Archipelago. Drawing on vegetation surveys and three weeks of ethnographic fieldwork, including interviews with local fishermen, waganga (healers), and marine rangers, this study investigates how these caves serve as sites of prayer, healing, and spirit veneration. It argues that the practices performed within and around these caves exemplify the …

Take Me To Church: Transmasculinity In Gay Male Erotic Space, Kurt Mclaughlin

Netherlands: International Perspectives on Sexuality and Gender

No abstract provided.

The Gaps Between The Pillars And Practice: Prevention Of And Responses To Gender Based Violence In South Africa, Madeleine Morrison

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study investigates how gender-based violence (GBV) is understood, prevented, and responded to in South Africa, with a focus on national frameworks, institutional practices, and broader sociopolitical dynamics. Grounded in feminist, decolonial, and intersectional methodologies, the research draws primarily from document and discourse analysis—centered on the National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (NSP on GBVF)—alongside a written interview with a professional working in the gender justice field. Despite outreach to over 40 individuals and organizations, direct participation was limited, reflecting wider issues of burnout, institutional gatekeeping, and resource constraints in the GBV sector.

The findings reveal that while …

Do Systems Exist?: A Conversation, Adam Walls, John M. Flach

Books Authored by Wright State Faculty/Staff

“Do Systems Exist? A conversation” is a refreshing and ambitious exploration of systems thinking, framed as a cross-disciplinary dialogue between Adam Walls, a business consultant, and John Flach, a cognitive systems theorist. The book resists the conventions of both academic textbooks and business manuals, opting instead for a conversational format that invites readers to think alongside the authors, rather than simply absorb pre-packaged conclusions.

This strength, however, may also be a limitation for some readers. Those expecting a structured framework or a step-by-step methodology for applying systems thinking in organizations may find themselves adrift in what feels more like a …

Agricultural Innovation To Climate Change In Northwest Pemba Island, Margaret Horn

Tanzania-Zanzibar: Coastal Ecology and Natural Resource Management

This study investigates how climate change is reshaping agriculture and food security on Pemba Island, Zanzibar, a region historically known as “The Green Island” for its rich biodiversity and agricultural productivity. Through semi-structured interviews with 11 local farmers and extended participant observation at the farm of government official Amour Juma Mohammed, the research reveals that increasingly erratic rainfall, rising temperatures, and prolonged droughts are disrupting traditional planting cycles and reducing crop yields. Farmers report the near disappearance of the vuli rainy season and increasingly severe weather during masika, leading to both water scarcity and crop damage. In response, many have …

Barriers To Telehealth Uptake And Use: A Scoping Review, Mackenzie Kemp, Kristin L. Rising, Gregory Laynor, Jessica Miao, Brooke Worster, Anna Marie Chang, Andrew J. Monick, Amanda Guth, Tracy Esteves Camacho, Kiana Mcintosh, Grace Amadio, Lindsey Shughart, Tingann Hsiao, Amy E. Leader

Jefferson Center for Connected Care Faculty Papers

OBJECTIVES: We conducted a scoping review to identify barriers to telehealth use and uptake from the perspective of patient, provider, and system that were documented in the literature. In addition to identifying and categorizing the barriers, we aimed to assess how barriers differed for studies conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as how barriers differed between the United States vs internationally based studies.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Comprehensive searches of the PubMed/MEDLINE, CINAHL, and Scopus databases conducted on December 29, 2021 yielded 17 887 results, with 11 221 potentially eligible documents after duplicates were removed. The team conducted an initial …

The Public Utility Regulation Of Dollar General, Olivia R. Sokos

West Virginia Law Review

As food insecurity persists across the country, few solutions have been proposed to address the lack of access to healthy food in rural regions. This Note explores whether public utilities regulation is a theoretical avenue for addressing rural food deserts. The contribution of this Note is to encourage the recognition of healthy food as a critical public good through a modern public utility lens and build solutions to inadequate food access in rural regions by considering the qualities unique to rural populations. One solution proposed herein is to apply a modern public utility framework to dollar stores, ensuring reliable and …