Digital Commons Network^™

Examining Teaching Practices That Increase Student Mathematical Achievement, Jonah P. Zimmerman

Masters Projects

The current data in the United States surrounding mathematics shows that there are issues that must be addressed with teaching and learning math in the K-12 setting. In the perfect world, all students would meet grade level expectations in math prior to moving to another grade; however, this is not what is taking place. Students are not meeting proficiency, and as a result teachers and students alike are not gaining confidence in teaching/learning mathematics. This project looks at the Math Workshop Model as being one alternative to the more traditional teaching practices that are used today in the ABC School …

Combating Chronic Absenteeism With After-School Art Programs, Katherine Obholz

Art 895 Research Papers

Chronic absenteeism is a problem common within our education system, even more so in districts impacted by poverty. Consistent student attendance has and will continue to be an issue within our schools because it is difficult to pinpoint all the causes and issues that affect a student’s attendance. Despite this, art education, and after school art programs have been shown to improve student buy-in and help alleviate the inconsistent gaps in overall student attendance, behavior, test scores, life-skills, and improve participation within the classroom. This paper furthers the investigation by taking into consideration what the Boston and Chicago public afterschool …

The Ongoing Search For Democracy: A Comparative Analysis Of Racial Equality In Cuba And The United States, Michael T. Siderio Jr.

Honors Student Research

This Capstone Project is structured as a comparative analysis of the fight for racial equality for Afro-Cubans in Cuba and how it compares to racial equality for African Americans in the United States, specifically focusing on contemporary issues relating to employment and economic opportunities, as well as police brutality. Historical background will be given on each topic within the scope of racial equality, and a comparative analysis on how they are similar and how they differ will also be provided. The overarching goal of the research on historical background and doing the comparative analysis is to synthesize both respective movements …

An Analysis Of The Effectiveness Of Virtual Reality In Distance Learning, Rashana Weerasinghe

Honors Scholar Theses

This study focuses on the applicability of emerging technologies in education. To explore this, our research was conducted through an “Intro To Emerging Technology” course taught by the OPIM Department at the University of Connecticut. The class meets in two modalities: virtual reality environment and video-conferencing platform. Our research explores the learning outcomes produced by the different classroom environments, seeking to better understand the impact of virtual reality in distance learning. The purpose of this is to identify and predict how virtual reality will be integrated into a distance learning environment and understand if it can be used as a …

International Comparative Education: A Case For Russia, Kirill A. Strakhov

Pepperdine Policy Review

Moscow State University (MSU) in Russia does not have an adequate general education curriculum as part of the undergraduate requirements. The curriculum does not cover classical topics such as the exploration of human nature. At the college level, Russian students are not able to change their specialization even as freshmen. The policy recommendations are going to be grounded on the various philosophical understanding of education and its role in our society. MSU should include more open discussion seminars in order to develop crucial virtues of character. At the same time, MSU should implement a general education curriculum, which would keep …

Effect Of Education On Self-Reported Health, Mai Le '24

Student Research

Human Capital Theory pointed out health as a possible return to education. The question at the center of this research is if education can improve health. Replicating the work of Goesling (2007) on new data from the 2000-2022 Current Population Survey (CPS), a cross-sectional probit analysis shows a positive relationship between educational level and self-reported health. This relationship is robust and significant across age groups.

Uncovering A Natural History Mystery At The University Of Akron, Gary M. Holliday, Lara Roketenetz

Proceedings from the Document Academy

Students were engaged in a combination of detective work, biology, archives, art, and education/outreach to prepare a collection of taxidermied birds donated to the University of Akron by the Rhodes family in the early 1900s for public access and exhibition. Students had the opportunity to learn from leading experts regarding the historical significance of biological collections, proper preservation protocols, digitizing and archival practices, and the urgency of science education and communication for a public audience. Many campus and community partners were involved, including experts from local museums and nature centers.

Assessing Asian American And Pacific Islander (Aapi) Teachers’ Workplace Wellness, Fiona Tang, Karen Park, Susan Macdermott, Deja Anderson

Fall 2022 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Teachers have many instructional, behavioral and classroom management, and administrative responsibilities (Cormier et al., 2021; Hilger et al., 2021; Roeser et al., 2022). There is limited research on occupational therapy's role in teacher wellness. This study aimed to assess the challenges and barriers that Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) teachers face, the causes of burnout, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on AAPI teachers' wellness. This study used a mixed methods research design, including an online survey and semi-structured interviews, focused on the challenges, barriers, strengths, and needs that AAPI teachers face in public, middle, and high schools …

How Can Design Thinking Be A Tool For Inspiring Creativity Among Adult Learners, Nicole J. Brower

Masters Projects

This research will partner the best practices of creativity education and those of adult learners to answer how design thinking can inspire creativity among adult learners in higher education. This survey-based qualitative research project used thematic analysis to gather the impression of instructors who use design thinking in their teaching and adult students who have encountered design thinking in their higher education coursework. Gathering impressions and coding the data highlights a theme that may shed light on the research question.

The Socioeconomic Background Of The Covid-19 Pandemic In New York City: Latinos In Corona, Elmhurst, And Jackson Heights, 1990-2019, Oscar Aponte

Center for Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies

Introduction:

This report analyzes the socioeconomic conditions of Latinos between 1990 and 2019 in three of the neighborhoods in New York City hit the most by the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of the number of cases and deaths per capita. The cases per capita in Corona, Elmhurst, and Jackson Heights neighborhoods were 1 in 19 people in Corona, 1 in 16 people in Elmhurst, and 1 in 19 people in Jackson Heights, significantly higher than the cases per capita in the rest of the city.

Methodology:

This study uses the American Community Survey PUMS (Public Use Microdata Series) for all …

Dual-Country Middle School Science Air Quality Curriculum Guide, Cassandra R. Sendra

Honors Capstones

The focus of this unit is to engage and enrich students’ perspectives on the human impact on Earth in different areas of the world. This unit will allow students to interact and learn about students in another country, learn about the air quality similarities and differences and what could affect the results of testing the air quality in two communities in different parts of the world. The goal of this unit is to have the students understand how humans impact the world around them and to compare their community to another community. The students will be accomplishing this goal utilizing …

Children And Technology: Why Technology Is Important For Our Children, Jill Mactiernan

Student Theses

Many people get scared when they hear about how much technology runs the world today. They tend to get frightened when they go to a store and have to use a selfcheckout instead of a cashier. Parents are scared of the dangers of the internet and how it will affect their children, so they tend to try to prevent/limit their children’s usage of the internet and other technologies. However, that may not always be the right move. Technology can not be avoided; it is a part of our everyday lives. With proper guidance and teachings, children can learn how to …

Racial Disparities In Physician And Non-Physician Health Professionals: Investigating Barriers For Pre-Professional Students, Emily Remer

Honors Projects

“Diversity” is a buzzword across today’s educational, professional, and office settings. With so many looking to “diversify” their fields, it is important to note the endless ways in which people are diverse. From culture to religion to age to gender to race, and the intersectionality of them all, there has been a push to increase diversity as a means to better serve individuals in minority groups. While all forms of diversity are important, as is their intersectionality, the purpose of this project is to focus on racial disparities. There is no question that racial disparities exist across many roles we …

Impacting Michigan Latino Students’ Perceptions Of Higher Education: How To Better Communicate And Promote 4-Year College Degree Opportunities, Michael A. Guerra

Masters Projects

In the state of Michigan, the marginalization of Latino students continues due to historical and social factors; this is ultimately reflected in higher education enrollment and graduation rates when compared to their White peers, the dominant group in the state (MI School Data, 2022). For varying reasons, not every student will seek higher education after high school, but it is worth ensuring opportunities and reasons to attend are properly communicated for sake of helping Latino students better explore all their college and career options. While the Michigan Latino population has the highest labor force participation compared to other racial or …

Final Master's Portfolio, Marisa Mount

Master of Arts in English Plan II Graduate Projects

The following portfolio project contains four separate pieces of writing produced during the author's MA coursework.

Assessing The Effectiveness Of Climate Change Science Communication In An Online Carbon Footprint Assessment, Jack Dimmock

Master of Science in Environmental Sciences and Management Projects

Climate change literacy and knowledge are influential in enabling people to take climate change mitigation and adaptation actions. Education about climate change usually takes place through two avenues, formal education and informal institutions, such as museums, television shows, and websites. To help residents reduce their household greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the local impacts of climate change, the San Luis Obispo Climate Coalition is using the carbon footprint website Bright Action (https://resilientslo.org). Bright Action calculates household carbon footprints, suggests ways to reduce carbon footprints, and provides educational material about climate change mitigation and adaptation. This study seeks to assess …

Lessons Learned From Emergency Remote Teaching And Learning In A Suburban High School, Stephen Beauchamp

Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to examine the experience of teachers and students from a Midwest, mid-sized suburban high school during Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT) stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. The researcher surveyed teachers and students about the challenges, benefits, and what they plan to carry forward post-pandemic. Because the teachers and students, prior to and over the course of the pandemic experienced several schedule options, preferences as to which schedule type they preferred were surveyed. Schedule types included Traditional, Block, Hybrid, or Remote schedules. Results indicated that for teachers, ERT was a time of learning and …

Impact Of Poverty On Education And Success, Briana Normandin

Honors Program Contracts

No abstract provided.

Cocreation In Health Workforce Planning To Shape The Future Of The Health Care System In The Philippines, Harvy Joy Liwanag, Jhanna Uy, Mary Ruth Politico, Mary Joy Padilla, Ma. Catherine Arzobal, Kaycee Manuel, Angeli Loren Cagouia, Pretchell Tolentino, Annika Frahsa, Kenneth Ronquillo

Health Sciences Faculty Publications

Background

The Philippines passed landmark legislation in 2019 on universal health coverage, including reforms in the development of its health workforce, an essential building block of responsive health care systems.

Health Workforce Planning Cocreation Process

We based our planning process on a model of cocreation defined as sharing power and decision making to solve problems collaboratively and build consensus around action. Through cocreation with policy makers, researchers, and other stakeholders, we performed projection studies on 10 selected health professions and estimated the need for primary care at national and subnational levels, which was the most extensive health workforce projection carried …

The Central Valley Transportation Challenge, Christian Wandeler, Steve Hart

Mineta Transportation Institute

The Central Valley Transportation Challenge provides underserved minority students, who are primarily from rural areas, with high quality transportation-related educational experiences so that they learn about transportation-related topics and opportunities in transportation careers. The CVTC is a project-based learning program that brings university faculty and students to K–12 classrooms in rural areas. The project operated with three main objectives: (1) support K–12 teachers’ understanding and implementation of the CVTC programs; (2) connect K–12 students with university faculty and students, and transportation professionals through the CVTC program; and (3) develop an online hub with transportation-related lesson plans and sequences. The results …

Diabetes Self-Management Education And Support: Understanding Knowledge And The Impact, Christina Dietz

All Dissertations

Diabetes has reached epidemic proportions in the United States. To address this, many organizations employ diabetes self-management education and support (DSMES) programs to aid in managing the impact of increasing prevalence. The purpose of this dissertation is to examine the impact of two Upstate South Carolina DSMES programs on several process and outcome measures for adults with diabetes, while also identifying current primary care provider DSMES knowledge and perceptions in an Upstate South Carolina health system.

This dissertation found inconclusive results on the impact of DSMES on PCP utilization, retinal exam screening, nephropathy attention, HDL, LDL, TC, and TG. DSME …

Understanding Neuroanatomy In A Virtual 3d Environment: Creation And Use Of A New Survey Tool To Evaluate The Effectiveness Of 3d Software In Neuroanatomy Education For Understanding Superficial And Deep Brain Structures., Akash Khare

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Studying cross-sections is a critical approach to learning and testing knowledge in neuroanatomy and the role of 3D technologies have been gradually increasing in medical education, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. A study was conducted in a quasi-experimental one-group pre-post interventional design in an online setting by creating and evaluating the effectiveness of a virtual lab in neuroanatomy for all neuroscience students enrolled in the Fundamentals of Neuroscience course in our department at the University of Louisville. Study modules were created using the 2D resources used in previous years and 3D web applications of Visible Body and AnatomyLearning.com software. A …

Safe Practices For Preventing Covid-19 Among School-Aged Children, Meleena Reyelle Banda-Garcia

Nursing | Senior Theses

Communicable diseases and infections are common health problems among children. Among the most impactful communicable diseases present today is COVID-19, a disease caused by a virus named SARS-CoV-2, which has forced many school closures due to rapid transmission. Despite children not being the main driving factor of the spread of the disease, severe complications underlying COVID-19 incidence have resulted in increased hospitalization among school-age children.The initial global response to the spread of COVID-19 included the closure of school systems; however as the disease continues to be effectively managed, communities are starting to re-open schools partially or entirely nationwide. Although pharmaceutical …

Understanding Sense Of Belonging Of Students Of Color Attending A Liberal Arts College, Jessica Wenger

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

College access programs have been created to provide students of color opportunities to attend college. The Posse Foundation selects promising urban high school students to attend highly selective colleges and universities across the country. College success is dependent on a variety of factors, two of which are successful social and academic integration into the campus community (Tinto, 1993). Related to integration, sense of belonging is the feeling that an individual belongs in their environment (McMillan & Chavis, 1986).

Transgender Health: Exploring Medicalization And The Interactions Of Race/Ethnicity, Disability, And Education, Evan Thomas England

Master's Theses and Capstones

There is a wide range of experiences among and between transgender, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, people of color) and disabled groups, but they all share histories of medicalization that result in marginalized health experiences and access to health care. To what extent do these health experiences and outcomes vary for U.S. adults with multiply marginalized intersectional identities? How, if at all, does the established moderating capability of education impact health outcomes for people who are transgender? Using data from the 2020 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, this study utilizes regression modelling to explore the interactions of race/ethnicity, disability, and education with …

Mental Health Concerns In The Pediatric Population Following Covid-19, Kristina N. Yaczik, Ashley M. Komosinski

Honors Projects

The COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to an increase in stress and mental health concerns in the pediatric population. Research indicates a decrease in pediatric mental health incidences in 2020, followed by an increase in 2021 and 2022. It is thought that the initial decrease may be due to the intensity of the pandemic at the time and a lack of hospital beds available. The increase suggests a response to the high levels of adversity and stress children and adolescents faced both during and after the origination of the pandemic. The evidence supports the idea that the COVID-19 pandemic had a …

Creating Nutrition Education For Lactating Parents, Audrey Fohey

Honors Capstones

Lactation is an important life stage that requires a unique emphasis on nutritional intake; existing educational materials on this topic do a poor job of meeting the needs of lactating parents. The purpose of this project was to work with a community partner, the DeKalb County WIC, to create educational materials that will address this issue. The creation of the educational materials was a multi-step process, involving exploration of the relationship between nutrition and lactation and collaboration with the established community partner. A written paper was synthesized, and three handouts were created. Each handout focused on a specific nutrient of …

Driver Education In Tennessee, Tennessee. Comptroller Of The Treasury.

Office of Research and Education Accountability

No abstract provided.

Dance Education In Pennsylvania Charter Schools: Advocating For Parity Among The Core Arts Disciplines, Donna Lynch

Master's Theses

The goal of this research was to collect data on existing dance programs and activities in Pennsylvania charter schools, and to advocate for the presence of dance in school arts offerings for academic credit, creating parity among the four core arts disciplines of visual arts, music, theater, and dance. The researcher developed three essential questions to guide this research:

Q1 What dance education programs currently exist in Pennsylvania charter schools, and what certifications are held by dance educators in these schools?

Q2 What obstacles, other than the teacher certification process, are preventing schools from hiring dance specialists and implementing dance …

Rethinking Absolute Immunity From Defamation Suits In Private Quasi-Judicial Proceedings

The University of New Hampshire Law Review

No abstract provided.