Digital Commons Network^™

A Study Of Applications Of 3d Animation For Emergency Medicine Pedagogy, Huilong Zheng

Open Access Theses

There is ample precedent for the use of 3D animation in education, though little research on specific applications in the field of medicine. An experiment was carried out to assess the suitability of 3D animation for educational purposes in emergency medicine courses. Two groups of experimental participants were assessed on their ability to respond to three emergency medical situations in simulated test scenarios. Both groups received equivalent information on how to treat the three different medical emergencies. The control group received the information in traditional lecture format. The experimental group instead received the information from a set of 3D animations. …

High School Students' Motivations And Views Of Agriculture And Agricultural Careers Upon Completion Of A Pre-College Program, Andrea K. Scherer

Open Access Theses

Pre-college summer residential experiences hosted by a College of Agriculture have the potential to expose high school students to new career opportunities and fields of study that they may not have considered, and may influence agricultural literacy, perceptions of agriculture, and interest in agriculture. Engaging these students is important for meeting the demand for more students graduating with agriculture degrees prepared to solve 21st century challenges. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the outcomes of two separate pre-college experiences, the Molecular Agriculture Summer Institute (MASI) and the Purdue Agribusiness Science Academy (PASA), and participating high school …

Farmers' Use Of Mobile Phone Technology For Agricultural Information Services In Lilongwe District, Malawi, Benjamin F. Chisama

Open Access Theses

Mobile phone technology can be a useful tool to provide farmers with relevant and reliable agricultural information for critical farming decisions in developing countries such as Malawi. An increasing number of rural farmers have been faced with information asymmetry challenges due to some pitfalls in the extension systems. In addition, knowledge gaps on farmers’ use of mobile phone technology; their awareness and use of MAIS; and their preferred topics to be delivered using mobile platforms were identified. However, little was known on how farmers were using existing MAIS. This study’s aim was to explore the potential of providing mobile agricultural …

Thematic Analysis Of Influencers On Continuing Professional Learning Of Tenure Track Engineering Faculty As Assistant Professors At An Ru/Vh Institution, James Edwin Cawthorne

Open Access Dissertations

“Although the need for lifelong learning of professionals is stressed through university education, the patent differences between learning as a student, within a controlled framework focusing on accessible outcomes, and learning as a professional have not been clarified” (Webster-Wright, 2009, p. 708). Assistant professors are entry level professionals in academia who been prepared through their extensive education process to be lifelong learners and yet it is unknown how these assistant professors are engaging, or being engaged by others, in continuing their professional learning (CPL) for short-term and long-term success in academia as a career. This study aimed to understand who …

Methods To Facilitate Community Participation In Humanitarian Engineering Projects: Laying The Foundation For A Learning Platform, Andrea Mazzurco

Open Access Dissertations

Humanitarian engineering (HE) is a new interdisciplinary field that is rapidly emerging worldwide. Many not-for-profit organizations such as Engineers Without Borders, Practical Action, and International Development Enterprise have been flourishing with the goal of providing technological solutions to those who need them the most. In engineering programs across the U.S., HE, service-learning, community engagement, and similar programs are gaining popularity because they offer an efficient way to meet ABET accreditation criteria, while also teaching valuable technical and professional skills to engineering students. However, the cultural, social, and political differences among communities and engineers often add degrees of difficulty that cannot …

It Is "Broken" And "Accented": Non-Native English-Speaking (Nnes) Graduate Students' Perceptions Toward Nnes Instructors' English, Hyo Jung Keira Park

Open Access Dissertations

This study investigates the perceptions of non-native English-speaking graduate students towards non-native English speaking (NNES) instructors’ accented English. Students (N=161) who were enrolled in an oral English course at Purdue University participated in a survey. Follow-up interviews were conducted with voluntary participants (N=9) to examine the perceptions of NNES graduate students towards NNES instructors in depth. The findings in the survey showed that more than one third of the participants experienced difficulty with their NNES instructors due to their limited intelligibility and restricted command of English. Furthermore, one third of the participants expressed that they would transfer to another section …

Teaching Food Systems In Alaska, Jessika Beam

Student Projects for Graduate Degrees

The health of Alaska’s food systems relies on the maintenance of food availability, food access, and food utilization overtime to ensure that food security exists. The Teaching Food Systems in Alaska educational modules were created to offer an opportunity to provide expert information and education to Alaska youth on the importance of food systems literacy in Alaska. The educational modules were created to engage youth in the food system. The goal is to inform and educate Alaska youth about food systems in Alaska through the development of a series of educational learning modules organized to address the three primary components …

End-Of-Life Heart Failure Education With Staff Nurses; A Quality Improvement Project, Carisa Battah

Student Projects for Graduate Degrees

Heart failure (HF) is a serious diagnosis and a major public health concern. The symptoms can be exhausting and can vary from person to person with periods of acute exacerbations requiring hospital admission. It is important for hospital staff nurses to be able to speak with knowledge and comfort about end‐of‐life planning. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to increase nurses’ awareness of the functional classification systems of HF, options and timing for palliative care, and describe nurses’ intent to use the information in practice. Nurses reported planning on using the information to “Be more Sensitive and Listen.” …

Discretion And The Implementation Of Federal Disability Policy In Postsecondary Education, Katy Annette Washington

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Disability Services Providers (DSPs) have historically been the personnel tasked with implementing federal disability policy at postsecondary institutions primarily since the passage of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990. The model adopted by the majority of DSP offices is student-driven and requires students seeking academic accommodations must go through a formal process to determine eligibility for services, and then play an active role in their provision. Disability-related policies at the campus level are usually authored by DSPs who are seen as experts by the institution and its stakeholders. However, sometimes …

Equitable Student Engagement: A Correlation Between Personalized Learning, Student Engagement, And Poverty Level, Andrea Yeager Neuzil

Student Work

The student population in classrooms across America is growing increasingly diverse in socio-economic background, schema, and learning styles; however, far too many academic programs are designed for a “one size fits all approach” that does not engage students. Educational leaders who promote new ways to personalize instruction in order to improve student engagement reap benefits far beyond what is expected. The researcher investigates the relationship of personalized learning and student engagement and socio-economic status. Previous studies have demonstrated the impact of student engagement as a means to improve academic achievement, school climate, and family and community involvement. The researcher includes …

Revision And Re-Writing As Adaptation: Using Adaptation Theory To Encourage Student Recognition Of Rhetorical Situations, Alicia Claire Troby

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Many students don’t want to revise their writing, or do so in small, surface-level ways. This has been an issue many composition instructors have faced over the years, and there is a large body of scholarship about revision and the writing process by many in writing studies. From Nancy Sommers, Janet Emig, Donald Murray, and others, to more recent publications “post-process,” composition instructors and writing studies scholars are concerned about revision and the role it plays in students’ learning to write. As a strategy for teaching bigger-level revision, I implemented the use of adaptation theory (reading/watching and doing adaptation) as …

The Juvenile Addiction Risk Rating For Use In Vocational Rehabilitation, Paul Tyler Hickerson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The prevalence of substance use among adolescents warrants considerable concern since it often has detrimental effects on an individual’s physical and mental health, and correlates with worsened Social, physical, and employment outcomes. Research shows that adolescents with disabilities are especially susceptible to the development of substance use disorders. To address this concern and to ensure accurate rehabilitation service planning, effective screening for substance use risk is necessary. Unfortunately, the most common screening instruments for adolescent substance use rely on information obtained solely from self-report. This type of data, although useful, is also susceptible to inaccuracies due to such factors as …

Verbing History: A Textualist Approach To Gendered Politics In U.S. History Curriculum, Ginney Patricia Norton

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Using three curricular interventions from World War II, I employ an alternative rhetorical history to understand how Social studies curriculum has become a space for the simultaneous deliberation of both national identity and gender politics. In working through the propaganda of Rosie the Riveter, the stories of the women of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and the experiences of gay men and women in the military during the war, I suggest that Social studies curriculum normalizes and reifies gendered, racial, and queer citizenship in relationship to white, masculine, and heteronormative citizenship. It also utilizes epideictic rhetoric to rhetorically and historically construct problematic …

Black Male Emerging Adults: Investigating Inequalities In Adult Transitions, Social Learning, And Criminality, De Andre' Terrell Beadle

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Emerging adulthood is a life stage that developed as a result of numerous macro-structural changes in recent decades (Arnett 2015), and which has implications for life course criminality and identity formation (Massoglia & Uggen 2010). Much research has been done in the area of the new life stage known as “emerging adulthood,” however little to no research has been done on how emerging adulthood relates to or changes classic findings in criminology, especially about the importance of disadvantages embedded in racial inequalities. This mixed method study analyzes data from the National Study of Youth and Religion (NSYR) to examine Social …

Effectiveness Of The Arkansas 4-H Atv Safety Training Course, Jesse Bocksnick

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In response to popularity of ATVs in Arkansas and youth ATV accident rates, the Arkansas 4-H program established an ATV safety training program in 2008. The program has educated 1,500 youth in Arkansas about basic concepts of safe ATV operation in response to youth accident rates. The course covered proper equipment, laws, proper riding, and handling techniques. The program has not been evaluated. The study was to evaluate participants’ knowledge levels prior to participation in the program and after receiving instruction and hands-on ATV operation training, and to determine if Standard Course and S-Course participants’ knowledge scores were different. The …

Bringing Students Back To Mathematics: Classroom Knowledge And Motivation, Giang-Nguyen T. Nguyen, Joel B. Goodin

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

This paper reports part of a larger research study that investigated how teachers motivate students to learn mathematics at the college level. Findings from the study indicated that teachers have the power to influence and reinvigorate students who had given up learning mathematics. In the framework of Self-Determination Theory (SDT), the researchers analyzed five students’ motivational levels based on intrinsic and extrinsic motivation to see how each student was motivated by their teacher. Findings from the study could provide some directions for future research on students’ motivation to learn mathematics.

How To Publish: An Author Workshop, Nelouise Geyer, Judith C. Bruce, Deliwe Rene Phetlhu

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Workshop presented on Thursday, 21 July 2016.

This two-part workshop will first explain the process nurses should follow to publish their research in a qualified journal. Writing for publication in scholarly journals can be considered a 'journey.' But writing for publication has, for most, become a requisite of professional practice - for educators, nurses and managers - as a means of communicating the findings of research; sharing new developments, innovations and best practices; and stimulating discussions on local, national and international stages. Knowing what to expect from journal editors and publishers is a good way to make sure the process …

Student Perceptions Of Scholarly Writing, Shirley Peganoff O'Brien, Dory Marken, Kelsey Bennett Petrey

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Learning the process of scholarly writing, including the significance of peer review, is an essential element in the preparation of students for professional practice. This descriptive research study, using Scholarship of Teaching and Learning methodology, explores one approach to teaching scholarly writing in an occupational science/occupational therapy curriculum. The writing assignment was designed to offer multiple points for feedback and revision and instructional features to reinforce learning. A survey of students [n = 169] participating in this scholarly writing project was conducted yearly to gather their perceptions of learning. The results revealed four key elements: instructional strategies are needed …

Student Rating Of Skill Performance Opportunities In Faculty-Directed Research, Carrie A. Ciro, Mary Isaacson

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

The purpose was to examine the feasibility of creating a faculty-driven research-based fieldwork (FW) I experience and to examine whether students engaged in a research-based FW I would report equivalent skill performance opportunities as students engaged in traditional FW I experiences. Twenty-four first-year occupational therapy students were given the option of choosing either a research-based FW I experience with a faculty member (n = 5) or a traditional FW I site (n = 19). The students self-reported their opportunities to perform ACOTE standards of practice related to professionalism, professional reasoning, use of sciences, and experiential learning using a Likert scale. …

Student Perceptions Of Scholarly Writing, Shirley P. O'Brien, Dory Marken, Kelsey B. Petrey

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Learning the process of scholarly writing, including the significance of peer review, is an essential element in the preparation of students for professional practice. This descriptive research study, using Scholarship of Teaching and Learning methodology, explores one approach to teaching scholarly writing in an occupational science/occupational therapy curriculum. The writing assignment was designed to offer multiple points for feedback and revision and instructional features to reinforce learning. A survey of students [n = 169] participating in this scholarly writing project was conducted yearly to gather their perceptions of learning. The results revealed four key elements: instructional strategies are needed …

Designing Universities Of The Future, Anna Valtonen

DRS Biennial Conference Series

How can we reform curricula, and universities at large, through a participatory design approach? Two development processes, one from Umeå Institute of Design in Sweden and the other one from Aalto University in Finland, are shown to exemplify this. These cases are used to highlight different practices on how change is designed and executed, what the prerequisites for a successful process are, what challenges these approaches bring, and how we can develop the practice of developing universities - thorough a participatory design approach - further.

Stemming On Stem: A Stem Education Framework For Students With Disabilities, Jiwon Hwang, Jonte C. Taylor

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

There has been increased attention paid to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics also known as STEM. The focus on STEM has been both educational and occupational. Unfortunately, students with disabilities perform below their peers without disabilities in math and science. The authors discuss issues related to STEM and students with disabilities. These issues include (1) traditional views of STEM education, (2) the importance of STEM education, and (3) students with disabilities performance in STEM. The authors posit a framework for STEM education for students with disabilities and promote the incorporation of the arts to increase students’ STEM knowledge and achievement.

Dewey Anticipates Habermas’S Paradigm Of Communication: The Critique Of Individualism And The Basis For Moral Authority In Democratic Education, Brian W. Dotts

Education and Culture

This article presents a novel account of a key concept in John Dewey’s reconstructionist theory specifically related to the nucleus underlying his idea of democracy: intersubjective communication, what Dewey called the “democratic criterion.” Many theorists relate democracy to a form of rule. Consequently, discussions of democracy tend to be limited to functionalist theories. Dewey’s idea of democracy establishes an important distinction from conventional theories by developing its radical, critical, evolutionary, and intersubjective potential. I argue that Dewey anticipated Jürgen Habermas’s Paradigm of Communication in his reconstructionist social theory with potential to de-reify institutions and to empower human beings democratically.

Multidisciplinary Approaches And Challenges In Integrating Emerging Medical Devices Security Research And Education, Mehran Mozaffari Kermani, Reza Azarderakhsh, Mehdi Mirakhorli

Presentations and other scholarship

Traditional embedded systems such as secure smart cards and nano-sensor networks have been utilized in various usage models. Nevertheless, emerging secure deeply-embedded systems, e.g., implantable and wearable medical devices, have comparably larger “attack surface”. Specifically, with respect to medical devices, a security breach can be life-threatening (for which adopting traditional solutions might not be practical due to tight constraints of these often-battery-powered systems), and unlike traditional embedded systems, it is not only a matter of financial loss. Unfortunately, although emerging cryptographic engineering research mechanisms for such deeply-embedded systems have started solving this critical, vital problem, university education (at both graduate …

Access To Education: Transgender Students In Missouri’S Public Education System, Cailynn Hayter

Missouri Law Review

Although the questions about whether transgender students have a right to use the restrooms of their gender identity in public schools have been centered on moral and religious concerns, this Note does not focus on those aspects. Instead, it focuses on legal precedent and the implications of developing law on the issue in Missouri. The first half of this Note discusses the federal and state legal backgrounds of transgender students’ right to use the restroom of their gender identity, while the second half discusses the need for the Missouri General Assembly to adopt a specific statute protecting this right.

At The Intersection Of Gender And Race: A Qualitative Study Of The Lived Experiences Of African American Female Elementary Principals, Andrea M. Haynes

Student Work

This study examined the “lived experiences” related to race, gender, and the construct of time for five African American female elementary principals. The study specifically explored the intersectionality of race and gender. Through a qualitative phenomenological framework, the study aimed to research the implications of race and gender, at a specific point in time, for African American females in the elementary principalship. A phenomenological research method, that included semi-structured interviews, was employed to capture the essence of the participants’ stories and to fully understand their common experiences. Critical Race theory and Feminism theory were used as an intersecting lens for …

Souls Gone In The Wind? Suspending Belief About Rebirth In Contemporary Artistic Works In The Tibetan World, Françoise Robin

HIMALAYA, the Journal of the Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies

Belief in rebirth constitutes a core tenet of Tibetan Buddhism and has thus structured social and political power in Tibetan society for centuries through the tulku (reincarnate lama lineage) institution. Still, it appears to be questioned in a selection of recent short stories and films emanating from Tibet, in which the authorial voices point to a lack of certainty about reincarnation, opting for a suspension of belief. After a brief overview of the literary scene in Tibet today, and an analysis of the surveyed works, several hypothesis will be made to account for what may be seen as the beginning …

Quality Improvement: An Update For Outpatient Oncology Education, Nicole R. Gee

Master's Projects and Capstones

This project is focused on quality improvement in patient satisfaction with regard to side effect management after oncology patient education. The global aim of this project is to improve oncology-specific patient education through the development of an evidenced-based educational binder to be given to patients in a hospital outpatient infusion center and used as an educational guide for nursing staff. Effective standardized patient education has been seen to improve: satisfaction, quality of life, adherence, self-management, outcomes, and reduce unnecessary emergency room visits (Dalby, 2013; Mann, 2011; Smith et al., 2013). A rise in patient confidence for nausea and vomiting self-care, …

Education About The Adverse Health Effects Of Recreational Marijuana: The Role Of Type Of Persuasion And Source, Dina Mattern

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

In recent years, efforts have been made to legalize cannabis based on increasing research supporting medical benefits and the assumption, albeit questionable, that this is a safe drug. Statistics from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) demonstrate a sharp increase in users, especially among the youth population (2014). This is problematic because smoking marijuana during the teenage years has been shown to have possible adverse effects, such as despondency and potential complications in cognitive development. (Crane et al., 2012) This current study aims to explore effective ways to educate the public on the adverse health effects of recreational marijuana …

A Prison Of Education: The School-To-Prison Pipeline In Low-Income Schools, Adam Le

Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science

This paper examines the relationship between prisons and education in American culture, comparing public schools in California cities to wealthier private schools. The essay critiques the American dream’s notions of social stratification and success of the individual in racialized areas. The first section compares funding disparities between education and prison and argues that while funding is an integral part of the inner-city’s problem, the curriculum itself is ineffective. The second section takes a closer look at differences in the curricula and educational settings of an inner-city school and a private school. It offers ethnic studies in secondary education as a …