Digital Commons Network^™

Pathways, Outputs And Impact Of Nih-Supported Bioinformatics And Genomics Graduate Trainees In Africa, Daudi Jjingo, Andrew Walakira, Suhaila Hashim, Cisse Cheickna, Ronald Galiwango, Caleb Kibet, Florence N Kivunike, Gerald Mboowa, Fredrick Elishama Kakembo, Babajide Ayodele, Jean-Baka Domelevo Entfellner, Santie De Villiers, Karen Wambui, Segun Fatumo, Tinashe Chikowore, John Mukisa, Alfred Ssekagiri, Nicholas Bbosa, Julius Mulindwa, Samuel Kyobe, Mike Nsubuga, Grace Kebirungi, Eric Katagirya, Savannah Mwesigwa, Ibra Lujumba, Rogers Kamulegeya, Samuel Kirimunda, Stephen Kanyerezi, Shahiid Kiyaga, Ivan Sserwadda, Davis Kiberu, Bernard S Bagaya, Julius Okwir, Patricia Nabisubi, Grace Nabakooza, Mugume Twinamatsiko Atwine, Ricard Sserunjogi, Rolanda Julius, Mariam Quiñones, Meghan Mccarthy, Phillip Cruz, Karlynn Noble, Christopher J Whalen, Darrell Hurt, Maria Y Giovanni, Michael Tartakovsky, Deogratius Ssemwanga, John M Kitayimbwa, Steven J Reynolds, Christopher C Whalen, Andrew Kambugu, Neil A Hanchard, Li Jian, Peter Amoako-Yirenkyi, Graeme Mardon, I King Jordan, Samson Pandam Salifu, Mamadou Wele, Ezekiel Adebiyi, Jeffrey G Shaffer, Seydou Doumbia, David Patrick Kateete, Michelle Skelton, Nicola Mulder, Jonathan K Kayondo, Daniel Masiga, H3africa Consortium

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Global biomedical and health research is increasingly relying on genomic and computational approaches, largely driven by the increasing volumes of nucleic acid sequencing. Concurrently, epidemiological studies and clinical records are generating enormous amounts of data amenable to disease modeling, machine learning, and artificial intelligence techniques. Bioinformatics and data science expertise is therefore essential for improved population health. Accordingly, in 2012, the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) in partnership with the Wellcome Trust, and with support from the African Society for Human Genetics, initiated the H3Africa (Human Heredity and Health in Africa) consortium. One of its key goals was to …

Teaching Evolution After Kennedy And Mahmoud, Alexander Gouzoules

Faculty Publications

One of the longest running disputes at the intersection of education law and the First Amendment has involved conflict over evolutionary biology in American public schools. Through a century of nearly continuous litigation, creationist legislation and parental demands to exempt students from science instruction have been constrained by longstanding First Amendment doctrines.

That settlement is now unraveling. In Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, the Supreme Court abandoned its prior approach to the Establishment Clause in favor of a history-and-tradition analysis that is ill-suited to questions about modern scientific education. And in Mahmoud v. Taylor, the Court held that students' compulsory …

Investigating The Viability Of Fully Online Asynchronous Physics Instruction In Formal Education, Clifton W. Massey-Noel

Physics Dissertations

In this dissertation we present results from two consecutive investigations into the fully online asynchronous modality in Physics Education. We first discuss the efficacy of a fully online asynchronous section of Modern Physics held in Fall 2024. The asynchronous section is compared with four prior partially-flipped sections of the same class, two of which were held in-person, and two of which were held synchronously online. Results suggest that all three modalities can be made to be about equally as effective. We also discuss the efficacy of a fully online asynchronous section of Calculus-Based Introductory Mechanics held in Fall 2025. The …

Reading Wars, Don Herzog

Books

Once again, we’re fighting wars over reading. Who gets to read? What do they get to read? These days, the right is obsessed with removing LGBTQ books from school and public library shelves and ensuring students read only the Correct version of American history. The left is obsessed with eradicating right-wing fantasies, not to mention outright lies, from the internet, and with airbrushing or even purging racist texts. You don’t have to stoop to whataboutery to notice a suspicious resemblance. But once again is wrong. We’ve always fought these wars, even if the enemies come and go. In this book, …

How We Failed Our Children By Failing Them: A Legal Analysis Of Scrapping Of No-Detention Policy In India, Debargha Roy, Sarthak Sahoo

National Law School of India Review

The ratification of the Convention of the Rights of the Child by India in 1992 obligated her towards developing legislation and interpreting laws in harmony with the convention in a child-centred manner to protect the best interests of the child. With the reading of right to education as a part of Right to Life under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution by the Supreme Court, followed by the insertion of Article 21A by the Parliament that guaranteed the right to free and compulsory education to children from the age of six to fourteen, there was a need to introduce a …

Languages Of Marginalization: Educational Inequality And Identity Formation Among Rohingya Refugees In Bangladesh, Md Khalid Rahman

Sustainability and Social Justice

This research paper investigates how language-of-instruction policies shape educational inequality and identity formation among Rohingya refugee children living in protracted displacement in Cox’ Bazar, Bangladesh. Analyzed from a human right–based framework, the study examines whether existing educational policies align with international legal standards on the right to education, including the UDHR, ICESCR, Child Convention and SDG 4. While these frameworks guarantee non-discriminatory and inclusive access to education, the reality in Cox’s Bazar reveals a persistent gap between normative commitments and policy implementation. Moreover, the study explores how the exclusion of both the host language (Bangla) and the native Rohingya language …

Fiscal Illusion And Property Tax Porportionality, Cathy Lynn Johnson

Dissertations of Practice

Tax Increment Financing (TIF) has become a widely utilized economic development tool, allowing municipalities to capture future increases in property tax revenue within designated redevelopment areas.

The study’s purpose was to examine how TIF districts in Illinois affect the proportional distribution of property tax burdens and the allocation of property tax revenues to public school districts. Guided by Resource Allocation Theory, Public Choice Theory, and Fiscal Illusion, the study investigated how the exclusion of incremental EAV alters tax rate calculations and redistributes tax responsibility among taxpayers both within and outside of TIF boundaries. A quantitative analytical framework was developed and …

Who Cares? A Critique Of Digital Classrooms In K–12 Education And What It Means For Students And Teachers, Jade R. Mccobb-Pratt

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This thesis presents a critical analysis of digital classrooms, i.e., pre-made digital curriculum modules being used in in-person K–12 schools as a replacement for face-to-face instruction. By applying Martin Heidegger’s critique of modern technology, I will demonstrate that digital classrooms fundamentally alter the traditional classroom structure, centering it around domination and exploitation. I will expand Heidegger’s critique by drawing on Albert Borgman’s work to explain how digital classrooms commodify education, thus removing the possibility of a meaningful and enriching educational experience. These critiques run parallel to Michel Foucault’s critiques of discipline in schools. I will recount Foucault’s critiques, apply them …

Interrupting Inequity: A Systems Change Approach To Reducing Discipline Disproportionality, Jesse Raymond Ault, Jacqueline Theresa Barber, Tara Alexis Hodges, Brittnei Nicole Mckeithen-Barnes, Marleny Perdomo

Doctor of Education Capstones

Disproportionate discipline in public schools remains a persistent and complex challenge, particularly for Black and Hispanic students, male students, and students with disabilities. This capstone project examined patterns of racial discipline disproportionality within a large, suburban school division, referred to throughout the project as Polaris County Schools (PCS), to better understand the systemic conditions contributing to these disparities. Using a mixed-methods approach grounded in the Public Education Leadership Project (PELP) framework, the research team conducted document and literature analysis, school board observations, partner consultations, and a review of disaggregated discipline data. The team also engaged in external interviews with experts …

Redefining Educational Technology: A Critical Collaborative Inquiry, Aras Bozkurt, Helen Crompton, Robert Farrow, Agnes Kukulska-Hulme, Jon Dron, Richard West, Agnieszka (Aga) Palalas, Matth Bower, Junhong Xiao, Ahmed Tlili, Danah Henriksen, Angelica Pazurek, Henk Huijser, Thomas K. F. Chiu, Petar Jandrić, Katy Jordan, John Curry, Royce Kimmons, Mutlu Cukurova, Thomas Reeves, Gwo-Jen Hwang, Peter Shea, Jason Lodge, Martin Weller, Davy Ng, Tutaleni Iita Asino

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Educational technologists have not settled on a fixed definition of the field and likely never will. However, attempting to define the field helps to understand the epistemological meanings that shape what the field sees, values, and considers worth pursuing. Through a critical historical review spanning over a century, alongside theoretical engagement with the concepts of entanglement and distributed agency, this paper identifies three key insufficiencies in current educational technology frameworks. These are the persistence of an instrumental-facilitative paradigm that treats technology as a resource deployed by human agents; the theoretical dissolution of the pedagogy-technology dichotomy that existing definitions have not …

Navigating Mental Wellness: A Peer-Led Journey Into Adult Services, Kristin G. Haberek

DSW Capstone Projects

Students with severe emotional disturbances (SED) occupy one of the most underserved intersections in American education and mental health care. As they age out of children’s services, they face abrupt service discontinuation, disrupted therapeutic relationships, and adult systems ill-equipped to meet their needs. These vulnerabilities, including heightened risks of crisis, hospitalization, homelessness, and justice involvement, constitute a central practice problem. This capstone addresses these transitions across three scholarly products: a systematic literature review, a theoretical concept paper, and a practical application paper, tracing a unified arc from diagnosing structural failures to proposing an evidence-informed, equity-oriented clinical response. Synthesizing key findings …

Ai Policy In Virginia Public Schools: A Comparative Analysis, Jesse Senechal, Jamelle Simmons, Jonathan D. Becker, Melissa Ware, Michael Broda, Kindy Anderson, Eric Byers, Kiana Bradford, Thea Racelis, Meleah Ellison

MERC Publications

This MERC research and policy review explores policy implications of artificial intelligence (AI) in Virginia public schools. It is part of a two part series with a companion report focused on AI implications for PK-12 teaching and learning. The report has two parts:

1. A review of the AI policy landscape around PK-12 education
2. Virginia AI policy analysis

It concludes with a series of key takeaways and recommendations for PK-12 policy and practice.

Ai In Pk-12 Education: Implications For Teaching And Learning, David Naff, Meleah Ellison, Casey Bailey, Tzu-Wei Wang, Kiana Bradford

MERC Publications

This research and policy review from the Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium (MERC) explores the implications of artificial intelligence (AI) for teaching and learning in public PK-12 education. It is part of a two part series with a companion report focused on AI implications for PK-12 policy. The report explores two questions:

1. How is AI shaping teaching and instructional practice?
2. How is AI shaping student learning and development?

It concludes with a series of key takeaways and recommendations for PK-12 policy and practice.

Evaluating Artificial Intelligence Large Language Mocdels In Dental Education: A Cross-Sectional Survey On Usage, Perceptions, And Integration At A U.S. Dental Scho, Celine Sheng, Camie Mcfarland, Nikola Angelov, Sridhar V K Eswaran, Richard Halpin, Jennifer Chang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Introduction: The adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in higher education presents opportunities and challenges for dental education. This study explores the use of Large Language Model (LLM) based AI tools, including ChatGPT and Grammarly AI, among faculty and students at the UTHealth School of Dentistry in Houston (UTSDH). This research assessed usage patterns, perceived benefits and concerns, and AI training demand.

Methods: A piloted, cross-sectional survey was administered via email. The survey included Likert-scale, multiple-choice, and open-ended questions. Respondents provided demographics and rated their LLM-based AI tools for use and perceptions in educational, clinical, and research contexts. Data was analyzed …

A Mixed-Methods Study Of K–12 Educators’ Perceptions And Use Of Artificial Intelligence Across Multiple Settings: Personal, Professional, And Classroom, Christopher M. Casal

Selected Full Text Dissertations, 2011-

How U.S. K-12 educators perceive and use artificial intelligence (AI) is an emerging field of research as most existing research originates from Europe and Asia, often focused on higher education. This mixed-methods study examines U.S. K-12 educators’ perceptions of AI across three settings; personal, professional, and direct instruction, along with factors influencing acceptance, or resistance, and strategies to support integration. An anonymous survey, administered in the Spring of 2026, yielded 79 responses, primarily from suburban public school educators in the New York City vicinity. Quantitative data were analyzed, and open-ended responses were thematically coded. One of the most notable findings …

The State Of The Region: Hampton Roads 2026, Dragas Center For Economic Analysis And Policy, Old Dominion University, Vinod Agarwal, Josh Andrews, Andrea Barcenas, Barbara A. Blake, Leora Friedman, Elizabeth Janik, Angela Kwao, James V. Koch, Feng Lian, Nathan Moore, Melody Nguyen, Terry Parker, Mohamed Rahoui, Ashley Russ, Robert Mcnab

State of the Region Reports: Hampton Roads

This is Old Dominion University’s 27th annual State of the Region: Hampton Roads Report. While it represents the work of many people connected in various ways to the university, the report does not constitute an official viewpoint of Old Dominion, its president, Brian Hemphill, Ph.D., the Board of Visitors, the Strome College of Business, or the generous donors who support the activities of the Dragas Center for Economic Analysis and Policy.

This year’s report provides an opportunity to reflect on the region’s recent economic performance and ask how changes in federal trade, immigration, civilian employment, and spending policy have impacted …

Fear, Uncertainty, And The Chilling Effect: A Case Study Of Organizational Racialized Omission, Annie Jones

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Florida passed House Bill 7 in 2022 and Senate Bill 266 in 2023, both policies that restrict how race and racism are discussed and taught in the public higher education setting. Although scholars of race and racism contend that colorblind ideology drives the “new racism,” the U.S. is experiencing a resurgence in similar curriculum bans explicitly based on topics related to race and racism. With these trends has emerged a need to understand how explicitly racialized policies fit within the “new racism” framework. Using Victor Ray’s Theory of Racialized Organizations, this study analyzes how colorblind ideology and racialized threat are …

A Content Analysis Of Black Women's Race And Gender Depiction In American History Textbooks, Le'marqunita De'sharay Lowe

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Using a race and gender analytical lens, this research study examined how Black women were depicted in four secondary Advanced Placement Pearson’s history textbooks. Content analysis was the methodology to collect data from Pearson’s Advanced Placement history textbooks. Captions and images were analyzed to observe the patterns and themes that displayed the intersection between Black women's race and gender depiction. The interdisciplinary fields of history and education allowed an in-depth analysis of race and gender to be conducted throughout this research study. Two research questions were answered throughout this study. What do captions and images teach about the race and …

Digital Griots Playing Lottery Tickets: A Study Of Hip Hop And Social Transformation In Ghana's #Fixthecountry Movement, Jaime M. Kowlessar

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

On June 28, 2021, activist Ibrahim Mohammed (Macho Kaaka) was murdered in Ejura, Ghana, after using social media to criticize government failures. When protesters demanding justice were shot by security forces, politically engaged Ghanaian hip hop artists refused silence, contributing to Ghana’s #FixTheCountry movement—the nation’s largest youth mobilization in a generation. Yet scholarly debates about how hip hop contributes to social change remain unresolved, divided between those celebrating its activist potential and those critiquing its limitations. This dissertation introduces the lottery ticket theory as an alternative framework for understanding cultural activism’s relationship to political transformation. Rather than asking whether hip …

Educational Interventions To Prepare Undergraduate Students For Out-Of-Hours Practice As A Newly Qualified Doctor In The United Kingdom: A Scoping Review, Alex Gordon, Molly Parkinson, Rosanna Watts, Kamal El-Badawi, Erin Dawson, Rohan Chiktara, Lorna Burns, Nicola Brennan

Peninsula Dental School

Background: In the United Kingdom (UK), newly qualified doctors are routinely responsible for out-of-hours (OOH) care, often managing acutely unwell patients with limited supervision. Despite national recommendations encouraging OOH experience during medical school training, there is no formal curriculum for OOH practice. Objectives: This scoping review aimed to identify the range of educational interventions designed to prepare UK medical students for OOH clinical responsibilities and assess their reported effects on perceived and actual preparedness. Methods: Following Joanna Briggs Institute methodology, a systematic search of seven databases and grey literature sources was conducted. Eligible studies involved UK-based medical students and reported …

Clinical Spanish Instruction In Physical Therapist Education: A Quasi-Experimental Comparison Of Instructional Schedules, Rose M. Vallejo, Eric Kruger

Health Professions Education

Purpose: As the U.S. Hispanic population grows, patients with limited English proficiency encounter health disparities that compromise their care. As a result, clinical Spanish instruction in health professions education has become increasingly necessary to address these disparities. This study compared the effects of two instructional schedules: condensed (8-week) versus distributed (2-year), for a required clinical Spanish course in a physical therapist education program. A secondary aim was to implement a Spanish-language OSCE to assess functional communication proficiency.

Methods: Forty-eight students (mean age 25.0 ± 3.3 years; 54% female) from two consecutive cohorts received 16 hours of flipped classroom Spanish instruction. …

Balancing Acts: Exploring Chronic Illness’ Impact On Achievement In Graduate Health Education, Olivia J. Fulton, Lizeth S. Iboy, Bonnie Decker

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

Graduate students with chronic illness encounter barriers as they navigate graduate programs to achieve their personal goals. Chronic illnesses are often invisible, which makes it more challenging to navigate the educational system. This study aimed to understand participants’ ability to engage in their academic environment and how the severity of their symptoms related to their diagnosis impacted participation in lectures, laboratory activities, exams, and competencies. Nineteen participants completed the online survey with questions regarding demographics and perception of how their condition impacted their academic performance on their best days versus worst days. Three assessment tools were incorporated into the survey: …

Integrated Incubators: A Novel Framework For Technology-Based Creative Arts Education, Brad Phelps Nisbet

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This thesis investigates the development and impact of an educational framework designed to bridge the gap between academia and industry within the media and entertainment sector. It addresses the prevalent "skills mismatch" where graduates often lack the specific technical competencies, foundational knowledge, practical experience, or soft skills required for entry-level positions in a rapidly evolving landscape influenced by advancements like virtual production, real-time VFX, immersive media, and Al. Grounded in both theoretical and practical insights, the framework aims to foster student creativity, technical proficiency, industry readiness, transferable skills, and adaptability, prioritising a transformative, student-centric learning experience.

The research employed a …

Noongar Culture, Arts Learning, And Wellbeing Literacy In Early Childhood: A Case Study Of The Song Room’S Deadly Arts Early Years Program In Western Australia Government Primary Schools, Jason Goopy, Narelle Lemon, Megan Mcpherson, Libby Jackson-Barrett, Jacqueline West

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This report presents findings from a case study examining how The Song Room's Deadly Arts Early Years program supports wellbeing literacy in early childhood education through engagement with Noongar culture, arts, and storytelling at Western Australia government primary schools. Conducted on Whadjuk Noongar Boodjar at Huntingdale Primary School and Orelia Primary School, the research was co-designed with Indigenous and non-Indigenous teaching artists, school communities, and The Song Room.

The study adopted wellbeing literacy — the capability to understand and intentionally use language about and for wellbeing across contexts — as its theoretical framework. Creative arts-based methods, including draw and tell …

Uae Traditional Folklore Through Modern Media And Its Educational Potential: The Case Of Freej, Shahad Imad Mostafa

Theses

This mixed‑methods study examined how the Emirati animated series Freej preserves traditional folklore through vernacular language, dialect, and idiomatic expressions, and evaluated its educational potential. Guided by four questions on folklore representation, dialect/idiom use, the role of the characters, and curricular applicability, the research combined content analysis of selected episodes, interviews coding and a survey of 100 Emirati participants; survey data were summarized with descriptive statistics to triangulate qualitative insights.

Findings indicated that audiences overwhelmingly perceived Freej as linguistically and culturally authentic: 95% rated the dialect as very/somewhat authentic, 94% said it reflects elders’ speech, and 89% felt the series …

Journal Of Roleplaying Studies And Steam (Jrpssteam) Vol. 4 [2025], Número 2 (Issue 2), Cristo Leon, Romano Ponce-Díaz Phd, Ivan Avila Gonzalez Phd, James Lipuma Dr., Bruce G. Bukiet, Ricardo Victoria-Uribe, Nazario Robles-Bastida, Chris Birmingham, Ximena Diaz Santillan, Edgar Francisco Vázquez Martínez He, Jorge Prieto Terrones, Juan Carlos C. González Vidal S, Edgar Meritano, Laura Magela Garcés Ramírez

Journal of Roleplaying Studies and STEAM

En una sesión de juego por medio del registro lingüístico se organiza la escena, se orienta la manera de nombrar las tareas, se distribuyen los roles actanciales, se establecen la expectativas; por lo tanto, se establece una puesta en escena. De tal forma, las prácticas lúdicas y ficcionales se configuran a partir de nuestra mirada del mundo e irremediablemente también reconfiguran esa misma mirada. El ser y el estar en un espacio es la especificidad mediática fundamental de los juegos de rol; dicho de otra manera, en los sistemas de juego de rol dentro de sus universos narrativos, en su …

Guiding Principles For Teaching About Genocide And Other Difficult Pasts, Kerry E. Whigham

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

This article outlines guiding principles for teaching “difficult pasts”—episodes of large-scale, identity-based violence such as genocide, crimes against humanity, colonialism, and enslavement—in ways that promote peace, human rights, and the prevention of future atrocities. Drawing from the fields of Holocaust and Genocide Education (HGE), Global Citizenship Education (GCED), Peace Education (PE), and Human Rights Education (HRE), it argues that instruction should move beyond the memorization of historical facts toward developing students’ socio-emotional and behavioral capacities to recognize and resist processes of othering, discrimination, and violence. The brief presents three main areas of guidance: curricular content, emphasizing conceptual understanding over rote …

Interventions To Promote Menstrual Health Among Adolescents In Lmic’S: Protocol For A Systematic Review, Precilla Dsilva, Sudhir Prabhu Dr, Prajna Kumari Dr, Baby S. Nayak Dr, Judith Noronha Dr

Manipal Journal of Nursing and Health Sciences

Background: Menarche brings out significant change in each girl’s life. Coping with the discomforts and adopting the body changes becomes a biggest challenge for every teen. Cost effective non pharmacological interventions will help to bring about improvement in the general wellbeing and quality of life in each adolescents life.

Objective: This review aims to determine the different menstrual interventions adopted by adolescent girls residing in Low and Middle Income Countries (LMIC’s). The Review question will be :What interventions are currently available, and how do they contribute in promoting menstrual health among adolescents from LMICs

Methods: This review will include …

Cybernest: A Step Forward For Training Cybersecurity Professionals, Justin Mott

Theses and Dissertations

The growing complexity of cyber threats has exposed a critical gap between academic cybersecurity education and the operational demands of the workforce. This thesis presents a pilot study for a use-case of CyberNEST, a simulation-based training platform that integrates adversary emulation and threat-informed learning to create realistic, hands-on experiences for cybersecurity students.(17) The system was designed to replicate Security Operations Center (SOC) environments and incident response workflows, allowing participants to investigate, analyze, and respond to simulated attacks under authentic conditions. This pilot-study performed training simulations using the CyberNEST platform, developed by Brigham Young University, with students, collecting data from pre- …

Kuleana Mākua: Native Hawaiian Parents' Exercise Of Agency In K-12 School Selection, Joseph Piikeha Kahaka`Ulamaikalaniki`Eki`E Hao

Theses and Dissertations

In this qualitative study the author investigates how Native Hawaiian parents on Hawai`i Island navigate educational choices for their children amidst a history of centralized, Western-dominated schooling and systemic cultural suppression. Grounded in Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory (SCT), the research explores parent perceptions of different K–12 school types and the complex factors that drive their selection. Through semi-structured interviews and a card sort activity with sixteen Native Hawaiian parents (n = 16), the study confirms that parental choice is fundamentally an act of indigenous self-determination defined by Kuleana Mākua (parental responsibility, authority, and privilege). The findings reveal that parents’ choices …