Digital Commons Network^™

The New Legal Landscape For Text Mining And Machine Learning, Matthew Sag

Faculty Articles

Now that the dust has settled on the Authors Guild cases, this Article takes stock of the legal context for TDM research in the United States. This reappraisal begins in Part I with an assessment of exactly what the Authors Guild cases did and did not establish with respect to the fair use status of text mining. Those cases held unambiguously that reproducing copyrighted works as one step in the process of knowledge discovery through text data mining was transformative, and thus ultimately a fair use of those works. Part I explains why those rulings followed inexorably from copyright's most …

Decoding Smart Contracts: Technology, Legitimacy, & Legislative Uniformity, Jared Arcari

Fordham Journal of Corporate & Financial Law

Blockchain technology is increasingly permeating the everyday lives of countless people. Applications of the cutting-edge technology range from secured banking to tracking mortgage titles. A particular blockchain technology, dubbed “smart contracts,” has the potential to revolutionize how individuals and companies securely contract with each other. Smart contracts, however, are not widely employed, mainly because potential users are uncertain of their enforceability as contracts under existing state contract laws. Similar skepticism slowed the acceptance of electronic signatures in the late 1990s, but was resolved ultimately through a model uniform act recognizing electronic signatures’ effectiveness across interstate borders. This Note proposes a …

Course Syllabus (W19 Online) Coli 331t--Television Culture: "Lens, Mirror, Screen: Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four", Christopher Southward

Comparative Literature Faculty and Student Scholarship

Course Description:

Or a conjuncture of three moments in the dialectic of television as technical apparatus and cultural practice. In this course, we will read George Orwell’s 1984, view Michael Radford’s filmic adaptation of the novel, and consider a number of critical texts in order to think the psychological and social implications of television as an instrument of control, manipulation, and knowledge production. What, we ask, are the implications, in both 1984 and concrete experience, of light-speed communication capabilities for sense perception, consciousness, language, and awareness? In its dissemination of images and information, how does television impede and/or facilitate politics …

The Digitalization Of Development: Understanding The Role Of Technology And Innovation In Development Through A Case Study Of Kenya And M-Pesa, Kara Schachter

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis analyzes the connection of mobile phone technology to increased economic development in Kenya. Drawing on previous research, I first examine the state of development by analyzing social, political, and economic factors in Kenya in 2007/2008. I then examine the role of technology on these development factors in Kenya by focusing on the rapid rise of mobile money platform M-Pesa and the rise of decentralized banking. This thesis finds that M-Pesa’s success stems from the failure of public trust in traditional institutions, collaboration between the public, private, and nonprofit sector, initial lack of regulation to promote innovation, and heavy …

Nova Law Review Full Issue Volume 43, Issue 3

Nova Law Review

No abstract provided.

Touching, Tapping, And Talking: The Formation Of Contracts In Cyberspace, Mark E. Budnitz

Nova Law Review

No abstract provided.

Job Automation In The 1960s: A Discourse Ahead Of Its Time (And For Our Time), Miriam A. Cherry

Faculty Publications

(Excerpt)

New technologies, such as on-demand platforms, algorithmic management, artificial intelligence, 3D printing, virtual presence, people analytics, and gamification are all beginning to have an impact on the world of work. Many contemporary scholars and policymakers view these trends as provoking an existential clash with the traditional employment relationship, the gateway definition for most labor and employment law. While many portray the concern about technology and the on-demand economy as seemingly brand new issues, these contemporary discussions are fundamentally linked to the past as part of a longstanding dialogue on automation and work.

The concerns raised are cyclical, repetitious, and …

Technology In Legal Practice: Keeping Ethical Obligations In Mind, Teresa J. Verges, Christine Lazaro

Faculty Publications

(Excerpt)

The use of technology in the legal profession is ubiquitous, expanding, and ever changing. Lawyers connect with their clients, co-workers, and others through email. Cloud computing has allowed lawyers to create virtual and mobile workspaces, providing them with accessibility to client files and resources anywhere in the world. Social media allows lawyers to showcase their expertise and build their practice. Technology has undoubtedly impacted how lawyers provide legal services to their clients. However, as lawyers, we remain subject to long-standing professional and ethical obligations that govern our practice. This article explores how commonly used technology in legal practice implicates …

Utilization Of Research Technologies Within A Local Community Hospital In Ann Arbor, Stephanie Otto

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Technology has the ability to change the way clinical trials are conducted. Technology utilization has expanded into research in the form of handheld smartphones, wearables, and social media. This project explored technologies and assessed which of those technologies are being utilized at a community hospital. A survey was designed, developed, and disseminated to principal investigators and co-investigators of research within the hospital. The results showed that few of the technologies included in the assessment are being utilized by the researchers at the hospital. The most popular technology category being utilized by the researchers is smartphone technology. This research could contribute …

The Attention Crisis Of Digital Interfaces And How To Consume Media More Mindfully, Kristen M. Liu

Scripps Senior Theses

Digital forms of media are monopolizing individuals' attention spans, utilizing visual strategies that demand our interactions. Throughout the history of media technology, mediums have become increasingly immersive, presenting more information than ever before. The user interface designs of digital platforms can damage our ability to focus and distribute attention in meaningful ways. Through analysis of our digital media consumption, this capstone project ultimately proposes mindful practices that help us lead more balanced lives and thrive in the digital age. The second half of this capstone project is a digital zine with digital illustrations, animations, and editorial-style articles. The digital zine …

Recording As Heckling, Scott Skinner-Thompson

Publications

A growing body of authority recognizes that citizen recording of police officers and public space is protected by the First Amendment. But the judicial and scholarly momentum behind the emerging “right to record” fails to fully incorporate recording’s cost to another important right that also furthers First Amendment principles: the right to privacy.

This Article helps fill that gap by comprehensively analyzing the First Amendment interests of both the right to record and the right to privacy in public while highlighting the role of technology in altering the First Amendment landscape. Recording information can be critical to future speech and, …

Unicorn Stock Options - Golden Goose Or Trojan Horse?, Anat Alon-Beck

Faculty Publications

Large privately held startups valued at $1 billion or more (“unicorns”) are dealing with employees’ conflicts of expectations due to the illiquidity of the shares of stock acquired upon exercise of their options.

Until about eight years ago, many talented workers chose to work for a startup company for a lower cash salary combined with a substantial stock option grant, and the dream of cashing out for a large sum of money after an initial public offering (“IPO”) of the startup’s stock.

Today, unicorns remain private for extended periods of time in part because they are often no longer dependent …

Stem On A Budget: A Basic Guide For Teaching Stem In Ops Afterschool Programs, Tyrome Williams

Criss Library Faculty Publications

This guide was written with the goal of providing a rough lesson plan, which could act as a supplemental guide for sustainable activities at sites in the Omaha area to better serve their students and children. The STEM lessons I chose in this book are engaging, hold education value, and are cost effective if used properly. This book contains valuable information to supplement STEM learning. Whether you’re a teacher, instructor, supervisor for children, or a substitute; you will always be the most valuable asset in your classroom. This is a free use document and should not be sold for any …

Comment: Microchipping Employees And Privacy Implications - Does My Boss Know Where I Am Right Now?, Samuel E. Simpson

Marquette Benefits and Social Welfare Law Review

Existing law surrounding employee privacy does not adequately address privacy concerns raised by microchip programs. A handful of states have passed laws that prohibit mandatory employee microchipping programs, but the vast majority have not passed any preventative legislation. In states that have passed laws, the limited protections that do exist fail to address a wide range of issues that have not yet come up in the context of employer-provided technology. This comment will briefly overview employee privacy law to highlight some of the issues that will arise if the law remains untouched. Then, it will propose solutions that would serve …

The Utilization Of Sports For Peace And Unity In Society, Christian Taylor

Senior Honors Theses

There are many ongoing conflicts in the world. Many methods to end these conflicts have been attempted with various levels of success. A United Nations study in 2003 determined that sports should be increasingly used as a method to bring about peace in the world. This finding can be supported when looking at the ways sports united divided nations and, at times, brought unity among nations. Along with this, sports have seen a dramatic rise in popularity due to the revolution of technology and the rise of media. As the media and technology continue to develop, sports will continue to …

Bitcoin, Virtual Currencies, And The Struggle Of Law And Regulation To Keep Pace

Marquette Law Review

At less than a decade old, Bitcoin and other virtual currencies have had a major societal impact, and proven to be a unique payment systems challenge for law enforcement, financial regulatory authorities worldwide, and the investment community. Rapid introduction and diffusion of technological changes throughout society, such as the blockchain that serves as Bitcoin’s crypto-foundation, continue to exceed the ability of law and regulation to keep pace. During 2017 alone, the market price of Bitcoin rose 1,735%, from about $970 to $14,292, causing an investor feeding frenzy. As of September 11, 2018, a total of 1,935 cryptocurrencies are reported, having …

China Study: Emerging Challenges In Social Security, Health Care, And Leadership (Volume I), Patrick D. Huff

Theses and Dissertations

China is poised to introduce sweeping innovation and disruptive social change onto their national stage. As China’s leadership, economic power, and authority increase the country will be subject to increasing internal and external challenges. This study seeks to identify the significant internal social challenges China is most likely to confront along its path to global leadership. The purpose is to explore and discover the social challenges that are likely to face China and to predict the direction the country’s leadership will take over the next decade. The study approaches the problem by undertaking an initial 9-step process of investigating 6 …

Validating Military Culture: The Factor Analysis Of A Military-Related Adaptation Of Acculturation, Mathew A. Tkachuck

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The concept of acculturation has a long history, and measures of the construct attempt to assess the degree to which attitudes and behaviors reflect the interaction between different cultures. Berry’s acculturation framework (1997) is arguably the most empirically-supported and well-known model of acculturation. Berry’s model posits that an individual may have difficulty appropriately adapting to a culture different than his or her own depending on how much they are oriented to either culture. Moreover, Searle and Ward (1990) hypothesized that an individual’s acculturation orientation, in addition to how different the dominant and non-dominant cultures are from one another, impacts psychological …

Nature's Law And The Nature Of The Cosmos: Ancient Human Stories About Perennial Moral Concerns, Roy Balleste

Intercultural Human Rights Law Review

When I was twelve years old, I was a guest at an unknown installation managed by the U.S. Air Force. The installation harbored a precious instrument: a solar telescope. I stood in front of the telescope while looking into outer space, and I was both excited from my visit and anxiously hoping for a better future for humanity. This experience opened up for me a world of new perceptions about the cosmos. I had wondered before about the mysteries of the universe. Since that time, new technologies have been developed and the achievements of human ingenuity have been fascinating, but …

Is The Grass Greener On The Other Side Of The Geofence: The First Amendment And Privacy Implications Of Unauthorized Smartphone Messages, Kearston L. Wesner

Journal of Law, Technology, & the Internet

Geofencing technology enables companies to obtain users’ physical location and deliver customized communications, including political messages. But to accomplish this, some businesses transmit user data to third parties without consent. The privacy tort of intrusion and Federal Trade Commission actions target unfair or deceptive practices, but these avenues are inadequate. Users’ privacy should be safeguarded by creating a federal privacy statute that requires opt-in notification and periodic reminders of data collection, usage, and transmission practices.

Simulation As A Remediation Tool For Clinically At-Risk Associate Degree Nursing Students, Janna G. Lock

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Evidence-based remediation options are limited for nursing students who fail their clinical competency evaluations. Scholarly literature provides a paucity of studies related to the use of simulation-based technology to remediate nursing students. The research question focused on the difference in the initial competency demonstration evaluation scores of associate degree nursing students compared to the reevaluation scores after remediation with simulation-based technology. Benner's novice to expert and Kolb's experiential learning theories were used to explain how nurses acquire and develop skills. The researcher used a quantitative one-group pretest posttest design to examine archival data from 149 nursing students from a South-Central …

Looking At Perceptions Of Work/Life Balance With Technology In Young Adults, Sara-Maria Juntunen

Communication

This paper examines young adults’ perceptions of work, life, and the balance in between in light of information and communication technologies (ICTs). The intention of this study is to provide a deeper understanding of young adults’ world views for the benefit of organizations. 22 undergraduate students between the ages of 18 to 40 from five different colleges at a Midwestern university participated in a focus group or one-on-one interviews. The age-frame was selected to include young adults in a life stage imperative to their career development. Central themes found in regard to technology use, work, and work/life balance included: viewing …

China Study: Emerging Challenges In Social Security, Health Care, And Leadership (Volume Ii), Patrick D. Huff

Theses and Dissertations

China is poised to introduce sweeping innovation and disruptive social change onto their national stage. As China’s leadership, economic power, and authority increase the country will be subject to increasing internal and external challenges. This study seeks to identify the significant internal social challenges China is most likely to confront along its path to global leadership. The purpose is to explore and discover the social challenges that are likely to face China and to predict the direction the country’s leadership will take over the next decade. The study approaches the problem by undertaking an initial 9-step process of investigating 6 …

Using Labeling Theory As A Guide To Examine The Patterns, Characteristics, And Sanctions Given To Cybercrimes, Brian K. Payne, Brittany Hawkins, Chunsheng Xin

Sociology & Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Over the past decade, reports of cybercrime have soared across the globe. Criminologists agree that the increase in cybercrime stems from technological advancements that have changed all facets of societal interactions. While it is agreed that technology has shaped cybercrime, there is less understanding about the dynamics of cybercrime. In particular, some researchers have explored whether these offenses are simply traditional types of crime that are now carried out through different strategies, while others have argued that cybercrimes are, in fact, new types of crime. This ambiguity potentially limits prevention and intervention strategies. In an effort to build our understanding …

Analyzing Teachers' Technological Pedagogical And Content Knowledge, Diana Minerva Camberos

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This qualitative study analyzes the ways a professional development course entitled Sol y Agua helped teachers to acquire technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge (TPACK) and to implement technology in their classroom. This study also analyzes the experiences teachers had in the workshop and the recommendations they had to improve the workshop. TPACK is a framework which denotes that teachers have a deep understanding of how to represent content using technology, and that the technology is used effectively to teach the content knowledge. Technology is integrated as a component of the teacher content knowledge and the teaching topic, and not as …

Online Initial Teacher Education In Australia: Affordances For Pedagogy, Practice And Outcomes, Jillian J. Downing, Janet E. Dyment, Cathy Stone

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This paper reports on interviews with 19 senior teacher educators from 18 universities across Australia who offer fully online courses in initial teacher education (ITE). Teacher educators provided insight into four focus areas related to online ITE: 1) institutional practices; 2) affordances; 3) challenges; and 4) research priorities. Analysis revealed teacher educators perceived that online ITE can not only match on campus delivery but is also able to respond to reform agendas in ITE, including attracting students with attributes and characteristics that are likely to see them succeed as teachers, enabling students to experience contemporary approaches to learning, building strong …

Visible/Invisible: Female Astronauts And Technology In Star Trek: Discovery And National Geographic’S Mars, Amanda R. Keeler

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

This article examines the newest television programme in the Star Trek franchise, Star Trek: Discovery (2017–) and National Geographic’s part-documentary, part-fictional series Mars (2016–). I argue that Discovery and Mars make visible the depiction of developing technology and a breadth and depth of female astronaut characters, two elements that have been historically marginalised in sf narratives such as Star Trek: The Original Series (1966–9). Discovery and Mars both emphasise the purposeful centrality of female characters and their positions of authority as female astronauts and ship leaders. Each programme also foregrounds the representation and framing of technology, emphasising the not-yet-perfect science …

Developing A Digital Voice: Embedding Digital Communication Platforms, Networks, And Technologies In The 21st-Century Classroom, James M. Proszek

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

Introductory communication courses are an invaluable resource for improving students’ abilities to speak confidently, passionately, and persuasively, while also inspiring them to become more engaged citizens. However, digital media present new opportunities and challenges for designing courses that are relevant to students’ personal and professional interests and goals. Instructors who incorporate digital communication platforms, networks, and technologies into their classrooms can better prepare students to meet the complex demands of the technologically-mediated 21st century. In this essay, I offer 10 best practices for developing students’ digital media literacies within multiple communication contexts.

Implementing Technology Enhanced Mathematical Instruction In An Algebra I Course To Increase Students’ Academic Achievement In Mathematics, Carlos Marrero

Theses and Dissertations

In July 2015, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics established its position about the use of technology in teaching and learning mathematics. This important step forward opened a promise for many students and teachers that deserve the excellence of high-quality education in one of the most difficult educational subjects. In the 21st century, mathematics education can be one of the greatest recipients of all technological benefits reached by the most advanced societies of the earth.

The purpose of this applied dissertation was to measure the effects in mathematics academic achievement of implementing technology-enhanced mathematical instruction to a group of …

Wiki-Based Collaborative Writing In Esl Classrooms: A Study On Teachers And Students Perspectives And Attitudes., Mirella Gomes Da Silva

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Computer-mediated collaborative writing has drawn attention from second language researchers and instructors for a few decades, and due to recent developments in Web 2.0 technologies, the possibilities of wikis for collaborative writing have increased enormously. However, few studies have explored the nature of wiki collaboration and interaction, especially with small group writing activities using wikis. This study investigated how intermediate-level international ESL students at an urban U.S. Mid-South university interacted within the wiki-based collaborative writing platform Pbworks.com. Students and instructors perspectives toward the integration of wikis in writing assignments addressed. Sixty-four students, grouped into twenty-five groups of three, were asked …