Digital Commons Network^™

Eusectra: European Nuclear Security Training Centre Providing Hands-On Training And Education In Nuclear Security And Safeguards, Willem Janssens, Veronique Berthou, Abbas Kamel, Jean Galy, Klaus Luetzenkirchen, Klaus Mayer, Stefan Nonneman

International Journal of Nuclear Security

The European Nuclear Security Training Centre (EUSECTRA) inaugurated under this global name about 10 years ago and operated by the European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC), located both on the Karlsruhe (Germany) and Ispra (Italy) sites, includes a large variety of capacity building and professional development activities which span from the hands-on training for nuclear security and safeguards actors (e.g. respectively border guards or customs and nuclear inspectors) to educational efforts in both nuclear security and safeguards. Whereas the first ones, which gave rise to the new name, focus mainly on detection, on-site assistance, crime-scene management, technical reach-back and nuclear …

Longer-Term Impact And Efficacy Of Nebraska's In-School Elementary Grades Savings Programs, Jennifer Davidson

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Theses and Other Student Research

The prevalence of in-school savings programs is widespread. Research on program efficacy is not. This mixed-methods case study contributes to the gap in the research literature. The study examined the in-school savings program, conducted in the elementary grades, from multiple perspectives. The first perspective was a longitudinal one that assessed high school student financial behaviors and evaluated if there were any lasting effects from participation in the program when they were in elementary school. The second perspective was an educational one that assessed what elementary school teachers and administrators who implemented the programs thought about the benefits of the program. …

Does Mathematics Training Lead To Better Logical Thinking And Reasoning? A Cross-Sectional Assessment From Students To Professors, Clio Cresswell, Craig P. Speelman

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

© 2020 Cresswell, Speelman. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Mathematics is often promoted as endowing those who study it with transferable skills such as an ability to think logically and critically or to have improved investigative skills, resourcefulness and creativity in problem solving. However, there is scant evidence to back up such claims. This project tested participants with increasing levels of mathematics training on 11 well-studied rational and logical reasoning tasks …

Building Assets For Humanitarian Settings, Women's Refugee Commission, Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This document is the Women’s Refugee Commission and the Population Council’s adaptation of the Building Assets Toolkit and its core activity, the Asset Exercise, for use in humanitarian contexts. An asset-building exercise is a thoughtful way to build intentional program content for girls to determine what assets they need in order to survive and thrive. This is particularly important for programs intended to reach the poorest girls in the poorest communities based on sound evidence on the reality of their lives. The Council’s Building Assets Toolkit is rooted in this exercise, helping practitioners, policymakers, and advocates build tailored, meaningful, …

The Makings Of A Peer: Evidence On Within-Classroom Heterogeneities In Peer Effects, Jonathan L. Presler

Dissertations - ALL

This dissertation consists of three essays on peer effects in elementary school classrooms using data from New York City (NYC) public schools. Each chapter explores a different component of within-classroom interactions in order to build towards an understanding of what makes a peer relevant.

The first chapter proxies for the social network using a set of shared characteristics (homophily). In this coauthored work, we are not interested in measuring the classroom peer effect, but rather we estimate and then rank each network's effect on academic spillovers. This answers the question: which characteristics are socially important, and by how much?

The …

Are We Producing Society-Ready Foresters? A Quantitative Content Analysis Of Graduate-Level Forestry Curriculum, Jacqueline Meyer

The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal

Forestry education in the United States has been hailed for its ability to provide students with the scientific and technical skills needed for a career in forestry as much as it has been criticized for ignoring social dimensions of the discipline. Its inability to adapt curriculum to the increasingly multidisciplinary nature of the forestry profession has led to stagnant or decreasing enrollment and lack of student diversity in recent years. While forestry education and curriculum has been thoroughly analyzed at the undergraduate level, no such analysis exists for graduate curriculum. This study analyzes the course content of 40 graduate-level forestry …

Examining The Impact Of Climate Change Film As An Educational Tool, Brittany Bondi, Salma Monani, Sarah M. Principato, Christopher P. Barlett

Student Publications

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to evaluate the effectiveness of film in communicating issues related to climate change. While previous studies demonstrate an immediate effect of a film post-screening, this study also considered if a film can inspire long-term effects, and if supplemental educational information plays a role on participant understanding.

Design/methodology/approach: Using surveys, we assessed undergraduate students’ climate change responses pre-, immediately-post, and 9-weeks post watching the climate change documentary The Human Element (Prod. Earth Vision Institute, 2018). In the 9-week interim before the final survey, half of the participants received weekly information on climate change via …

Observing The Impact Of An Engineering-Based Unit Of Instruction On 6th Grade Students' Attitudes Towards Engineering As Theyengage In Building Electric Bikes, Gregg Allred Olsen

Theses and Dissertations

In the past few decades, science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education has become a driving force for innovators throughout the world (Atkinson & Mayo, 2010; Bybee, 2010). STEM education has also become an economic factor in developing countries (Kennedy & Odell, 2014). Currently, many countries are struggling with how to effectively promote STEM education. The United States (U.S.) provides an interesting case study. Despite being one of the global economic leaders, it is behind in STEM education compared to other nations (Atkinson & Mayo, 2010; Dugger, 2010). STEM education helps to build world leaders including marketable and knowledgeable employees …

Patterns Of Authorship And Scientific Collaboration In Education: The Production Of Colombia In Esci, Alexander Maz-Machado, Bibiana Muñoz-Ñungo, David Gutiérrez-Rubio, Carmen León-Mantero

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This paper aims to carry out a bibliometric study on the scientific production on Education that occurs in Colombia and it is indexed in the Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI) database. To carry out this study, the data related to the documents indexed in the ESCI database of WoS were downloaded and, by counting frequencies, the patterns of document production by journal and by year, the most productive institutions, the indicators of collaboration in authorship and the type of collaboration were identified. An increase in co-authorship and collaboration rates, as well as in international collaboration was detected for the examined …

Alternative A - Mathematics (6-12), University Of Alabama In Huntsville

Graduate Program Checklists

No abstract provided.

Concept Mapping Versus Traditional Teaching Method On Health Sciences’ Students’ Score, Mirna Fawaz, Ayman El Khatib, Germine El Kassas, Said El Shamieh

BAU Journal - Health and Wellbeing

In the recent years, health care systems have been dynamically changing which demanded modifications in health care education. Current educational models are becoming more and more obsolete in enhancing the professional level of both teachers and students. Concepts maps are effective tools in processing large amounts of information, comprehending new concepts, as well as in generating information and amplifying creativity levels. The aim of this study is to compare the concept mapping versus traditional teaching method on Health Sciences’ students’ score. A Quasi-experimental design was implemented in the study. The study revealed that there was a significant difference between learning …

From Photocopying To Object-Copying In The Classroom: 3d Printing And The Need For Educational Fair Use In Patent Law, Alessandra T. Palazzolo

Georgia State University Law Review

This Note is broken into three parts. Part I includes background information about additive manufacturing, the Maker Movement and its importance in the promotion of STEM education, and the history of copyright and patent law. Part II analyzes the development of fair use in copyright law, potential reasons that patent law has no statutory fair use defense, and one exception in patent law that is essentially fair use—the Hatch-Waxman Act, a codified version of the experimental use exception for the pharmaceutical industry. Finally, Part III offers three distinct solutions aimed at protecting educators who use 3D printing in their curriculum.

The Effects Of Project Lead The Way Launch Curriculum On Elementary Girls’ Perception And Career Interests In Science, Technology, Engineering, And Mathematics, Mina Blazy

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The United States has examined the quality of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education since before the turn of the century. STEM educators are still having the conversation around why more women are not joining STEM pathways. Girls and boys as early as birth are curious about the world; through their own lens they learn about gravity from dropping spaghetti on the floor or seeing a small insect on the wall. As children get older they are influenced by the perceptions of their parents and peers.

This study looked at the perception and career interests of girls in STEM …

Homo Ludens Moralis: Designing And Developing A Board Game To Teach Ethics For Ict Education, Damian Gordon, Dympna O'Sullivan, Ioannis Stavrakakis, Andrea Curley

Conference papers

The ICT ethical landscape is changing at an astonishing rate, as technologies become more complex, and people choose to interact with them in new and distinct ways, the resultant interactions are more novel and less easy to categorise using traditional ethical frameworks. It is vitally important that the developers of these technologies do not live in an ethical vacuum; that they think about the uses and abuses of their creations, and take some measures to prevent others being harmed by their work.

To equip these developers to rise to this challenge and to create a positive future for the use …

Overcoming Adversity In The Stem Classroom: Examining Learned Helplessness In First-Year Community College Students Using Salivary Cortisol, Surveys And Interviews, Diane M. Price Banks

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation seeks to determine whether a relationship between STEM attrition and Learned Helplessness exist in a group of first year STEM majors studied at an urban community college. STEM attrition rates have shown that 69% of the 20% of incoming STEM freshmen in associate degree programs, drop out or switch their majors to non-STEM curriculum within their first year of college (NCES, 2013). Learned helplessness is a behavioral phenomenon where some may become helpless as the conditions surrounding their success become adverse. Classic signs expressed with learned helplessness include: lack of motivation, depression, poor social skills, absence of control …

Economics Of Higher Education Productivity, Uchenna K. Oparah

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

How does spending affect academic outcomes in higher education institutions? Postsecondary schools incur costs to provide services to its student body. In this study, I introduce multiple outcome variables, a two-stage production function, and current-year expenditures on core services to evaluate how school spending affects academic outcomes.

The empirical analysis includes 28 group sample parameter estimates from four outcome variables, the pooled sample, and group samples for each of six sectors. The fixed effects/instrumental variable (FE-IV) instructional expenditure parameter estimates were positive for 20 of the 28 group samples. The sign and size of the estimated academic output effects varied …

Assisting Children With Velocardiofacial Syndrome Who Have Developmental Disabilities And Delays Associated With Speech, Communication, And Education, Mckenzie K. Holty

Honors Thesis

Children with velocardiofacial syndrome (VCFS) have a variety of complex needs. Research shows that VCFS is characterized by a combination of medical problems, developmental delays, and learning disabilities, which vary from child to child. This syndrome also puts adolescents at a higher risk for developing psychiatric and psychotic disorders. The complexity of symptoms that can arise from VCFS can influence the ability of these children to communicate, socialize, and learn effectively. This literature review aims to discuss literature for caregivers, educators, and physicians to aid children effectively and understand their challenges relating to speech, communication, and education. This topic is …

Influences On The Implementation Of Guided Play Practices In Kindergarten: A Grounded Theory Study, Amy Schmidtke

Student Work

The professional capacity of a kindergarten teacher is central to the implementation of developmentally appropriate practices that support children’s learning and development. Evidence indicates that a teacher’s professional capacity is influenced through experiences with leadership, professional learning, and collaboration. Although research clearly supports the positive impact of play experiences for young children, the current educational climate does not provide teachers with the confidence or the structural supports needed to actualize play in kindergarten classrooms. The findings demonstrate what influences kindergarten teachers to implement guided play practices in their classrooms. The implications provide insight as to which elements of leadership, professional …

Black Expressions Of Dillard University: How One Historically Black College Pioneered African American Arts, Makenzee Brown

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The proposed public history project, Within These Walls (WTW), will be one component of a larger exhibit produced by Dillard University’s, Library Archives and Special Collections entitled The Star Burns Bright: History of Dillard’s Theatrical and Musical Arts, Faculty and Students. WTW will focus on Dillard’s historic African American faculty, students and alumni who became prominent painters, musicians, writers, actors and directors among them Adella Gautier, Randolph Edmonds, Ted Shine Frederick Hall, Theodore Gilliam, and Brenda Osbey. This exhibit will also highlight the many art programs, across genres, offered at the university between 1935 and 1970. This exhibit will demonstrate …

Controversy And The Common Core. A Book Review Of Common Core: National Education Standards And The Threat To Democracy, Courtney L. Gilday

Democracy & Education

For a decade, the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) have been no stranger to controversy. Tangled in the discourse have been numerous scholars, practitioners, policymakers, and community members. Many of those in favor of the Common Core argue that national standards provide a foundation on which to build equitable opportunities for student success, while those opposed say that they disempower autonomy of local schools, community members, parents, and students themselves. In Common Core: National Education Standards and the Threat to Democracy, Tampio (2018) highlights how national standards create barriers for students to operate as citizens in a democratic society. He …

The Struggle For Strong Democracy: We Need To Go Deeper. A Response To "Democratic Spaces: How Teachers Establish And Sustain Democracy And Education In Their Classrooms", Rick Ayers

Democracy & Education

The article by Collins, Hess, and Lowery (2019) explores struggles teachers faced in order to pursue Deweyan educational practices. This response proposes that even more is needed for a critical educational practice, called “strong democracy.” Such an approach requires addressing and countering the White supremacist legacy of U.S. capitalism and U.S. education. The article advances examples and various projects in strong democratic education.

Evaluation Of The Utility Of Informative Priors In Bayesian Structural Equation Modeling With Small Samples, Hao Ma

Education Policy and Leadership Theses and Dissertations

The estimation of parameters in structural equation modeling (SEM) has been primarily based on the maximum likelihood estimator (MLE) and relies on large sample asymptotic theory. Consequently, the results of the SEM analyses with small samples may not be as satisfactory as expected. In contrast, informative priors typically do not require a large sample, and they may be helpful for improving the quality of estimates in the SEM models with small samples. However, the role of informative priors in the Bayesian SEM has not been thoroughly studied to date. Given the limited body of evidence, specifying effective informative priors remains …

Stem Education In The Elementary School Classroom, Kendal C. Carter

Education | Master's Theses

There is a disparity in research conducted for STEM education across elementary, middle, high school, and college. STEM learning teaches students to ask questions, look at a problem through multiple lenses, work collaboratively with others, plan carefully, become flexible, embrace change, improve upon their idea, persevere through challenges, and open themselves up to discussing new ideas and differing points of view. The literature review revealed the differing schools of thought regarding STEM education, a variety of implementation methods, and the changes seen in classrooms detailing how students connect in class curricula to real world examples. The literature also highlighted a …

Establishing And Promoting An Institutional Repository And Research Information Management System, Darren Sweeper, Karen Ramsden

University Libraries Scholarship and Creative Works

The purpose of this paper is to share the experiences and to highlight lessons learned from the establishment of the institutional repository (IR) while collaborating in a state-wide initiative to showcase the scholarly output of New Jersey researchers.

Usage And Effects Of Video Games In Education, Kevin Sagara

ART 108: Introduction to Games Studies

In modern society, the act of playing games entices certain prejudices towards those who decide to participate in such activities. Those prejudices normally revolve around negative stereotypes where games are meant for non-social adults and are seen as something akin to addiction if gone too far. But how much gaming is needed to be considered as an addiction and what actual effects does it have on mental growth, social capabilities and academics? As a community revolving around technology as much as we are, understanding how video games play a role in our social space is an important aspect to growth. …

Strategies And Algorithms Of Sudoku, Callie Weaver

Mathematics Senior Capstone Papers

This paper discusses different strategies for the game of Sudoku and how those strategies relate to other problem solving techniques while also attempting to use those other techniques in a way that improves the strategies for Sudoku. This includes a thorough analysis of the general algorithm and an algorithm that is formed by the Occupancy Theorem and Preemptive Sets. This paper also compares these algorithms that directly relate to Sudoku with algorithms to similar combinatorial problems such as the Traveling Salesman problem and more. With the study of game theory becoming more popular, these strategies have also been shown to …

Engaging Students In Science Through Effective Teaching, Alexis Nader

Honors Projects

What does effective teaching look like? How can research be implimented into the classroom?

An Investigation Of The Experiences Of New Teachers And Their Reasons To Stay In The Classroom, Jessa N. Mcentire

Honors Theses

New teacher attrition rates have increased over the years. Twenty percent of new teachers will leave the profession after three years. That number increases to forty-four percent after five years of teaching. For those just entering the profession, these numbers can be daunting. The purpose of this study was to determine the reasons for this departure and what actions schools employ to help lessen this attrition rate. After screening four teachers to gain a general insight into their experiences, eight teachers with a similar educational background were selected for additional interviews. This study was intended to determine how much of …

The Embark® Protocol: Dog Genomics In Genetics Laboratories, Alexandra Kissel

Honors Theses

In a world of ever-advancing technology, it is imperative that young pre-health professionals are educated according to the most relevant research. One of the most fundamental, foundational concepts of health is genetics. This field is rapidly expanding, and quickly engraining itself into the realm of healthcare. Genetic testing and gene therapies, once subjects of science fiction, have become commonplace. It is more important than ever that health professionals have a concrete knowledge of genetics, and this begins with the proper education of pre-health students.

With this idea in mind, a laboratory protocol was designed for students of the Bisc 336 …

Chronic Poverty Among Youth In The United States, Kara Reed

Ballard Brief

In the United States, 15.5 million children are living in poverty. The more time children spend in poverty, the more likely they are to continue to experience poverty as an adult. The cycle of intergenerational and chronic poverty is perpetuated by various factors. such as unsatisfied basic needs. lack of access to quality education, and issues related to underemployment and unemployment. As a result. youth in poverty are more likely to perform poorly in school, be exposed to and affected by crime. and experience health problems. Some leading practices for poverty focus on strengthening the quality of early childhood education. …