Digital Commons Network^™

The Influence Of Social Media On Elementary School Students: The Perceptions Of Administrators And Elementary Educators, Caitlin Krauszer

Theses and Dissertations

Each day, social media applications are downloaded, uploaded, and changed to meet the users' needs utilizing these apps (Tang & Patrick, 2020). With the constant change in social media platforms, utilization of such platforms is increasing daily and students navigating these platforms is occurring at younger ages (Fredrick at el., 2024; Perez-Chada et al., 2023). This study focused on the social, emotional, and academic impacts students are experiencing due to social media use from the perspectives of building administrators and faculty members. This study also investigated the policies in place within a specific school district that address student social media …

Hierarchy And Ideology Antagonism: Artificial Intelligence In Ridley Scott's Alien, Grace Anastasia Pula

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This thesis examines the objectively threatening structure of artificial intelligence (AI) in the narrative plot of Alien and how it exerts control over the humans. Using a structuralist approach with Louis Althusser's Ideological State Apparatuses (ISAs), I will examine the character relationships and how an android, Ash, enforces a patriarchal, hierarchical system. Drawing on Mark Coeckelbergh’s AI Ethics and Jacques Ellul’s The Technological Society, I will outline broader fears that technology will surpass human intellect and serve a destructive function within an oppressive system. Analyzing two examples of AI characters, the film showcases capitalist ambitions through technological identities and their …

Staff Attitudes Toward Ai Adoption At A Private Research University, Ashley C. Smith

Theses and Dissertations

This study addresses the limited research on university staff attitudes toward artificial intelligence use and adoption. Using the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) research framework, the General Attitudes towards Artificial Intelligence Scale (GAAIS), and quantitative survey methodology, the study examines the attitudes of higher education staff toward AI, specifically examining whether demographic or professional characteristics are factors. The findings indicate that staff had moderately negative attitudes toward AI while also expressing some concerns. The results suggest that more resources and support for AI are needed for staff to address concerns. It also suggests that construct-level analysis …

Digital Docent: An Analysis Of Accessibility In The Digital Music Space, Erin L. Fowler

Theses and Dissertations

The world is constantly changing and growing, most often seen through advances in technology. When it comes to the world of music, the same can be said, and digitization of musical material is moving at a faster rate than ever before. With the influence that music has on society and considering new ways of making music more accessible to the general public through the public-facing museum format, I wanted to examine how digital music museum exhibits and experiences can be made accessible and if it is possible to fully represent what an in-person exhibit can offer. In 2010, Smithsonian created …

Integration Of Community-Engaged Research Technology And Methods To Guide Tobacco Regulatory Science In Rural Communities, Melissa H. Abadi, Stephen R. Shamblen, Mary Kay Rayens, Kirsten T. Thompson, Amy Wildman, Kathy Rademacher, William Wieczorek, Raphael Nishimura, Shyanika W. Rose, Mikhail N. Koffarnus, Seth Himelhoch, Ellen J. Hahn

Biostatistics Faculty Publications

Objective – This study aims to build a rural Appalachian cohort to examine how US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) regulatory policies influence tobacco and nicotine product use across levels of rurality. Methods – The AppalTRUST (Appalachian Tobacco Regulatory Science Team) Cohort integrates four inter-connected Community-engaged Research + Technology (CEnRT) elements to support recruitment and retention: (1) building trust and cultural relevance; (2) addressing barriers to participation in research; (3) focusing on ethics and confidentiality; and (4) fostering ongoing and consistent collaboration between the scientific and field teams. The study uses a dual sampling design …

We-Making Through Technology: Social Cohesion And Virtual Adaptation In Community Arts Organizations For Artists With Idd During Covid-19 Pandemic, Yumi Shirai, Michelle Boulanger Thompson, Tamara Shetron

Rehabilitation Sciences Faculty Publications

COVID-19 public health restrictions disrupted in-person arts participation, increasing risks of social isolation and reduced community access. Prior research shows that many people engaged in home-based arts and cultural activities during lockdown, supporting emotional regulation, a sense of belonging, and social connection; however, little is known about how these shifts affected community arts organizations that serve artists with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD), a population disproportionately impacted by the pandemic and longstanding inequities. We examined how community-based arts organizations adapted programming for artists with IDD during the COVID-19 pandemic, including barriers and unanticipated outcomes relevant to equitable access and participation …

The Garden Of The Machine: Simulated Wildness And Digital Domestication In American Literature 1970-2020, Cameron Netland

Doctoral Dissertations

Studying American literature produced during the Information Age, from 1970 to 2020, reveals an evolution of wild human resistance to the increasing powers of digital technology. These increasing powers include capturing attention, fostering dependence, and training behavior through a process I call digital domestication. Digital domestication distances people from wildness, and as William Cronon writes in “The Trouble with Wilderness”, “Learning to honor the wild—learning to remember and acknowledge the autonomy of the other—means striving for critical self-consciousness in all of our actions.” (20). Through this framework of wildness, one reads characters in fictional narratives resisting non-coercive new technologies as …

Pawpulse Dog Collar, Sean Graham, Hailey Barger, Connor Mulichak, Addison Towne, Kieran Nolan

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

PawPulse is revolutionizing pet care through innovative technology that enhances pet health, safety, and well-being. Combining advanced hardware designs, AI-driven analytics, and IoT integrations, PawPulse offers a comprehensive ecosystem that empowers pet owners with actionable insights into their pets' health and activity. As a global leader in pet health technology, PawPulse integrates features like real-time health monitoring, predictive analytics, and location tracking into a seamless mobile app experience.

This project examines the growth and scaling strategies of PawPulse, focusing on critical areas such as Information Systems, Analytics, and Legal frameworks. It details the company's strategic evolution from a startup to …

Artificial Elections: How Artificial Intelligence Can Affect Elections And Decide Our Future, Ryan D. Granger

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This thesis examines the growing role of artificial intelligence (AI) in democratic elections, highlighting both its transformative potential and its associated risks. Drawing on a qualitative analysis of existing literature, the study explores how AI is increasingly integrated into political campaigns, election administration, and voter engagement. Key benefits include enhanced data analysis, personalized political messaging, and improved efficiency in campaign operations. AI also supports real-time fact-checking and more accurate vote tabulation, which can strengthen transparency and trust in electoral processes. However, the thesis emphasizes that these advantages are accompanied by significant challenges. AI technologies enable the rapid creation and dissemination …

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.

Teacher Self-Efficacy Perceptions For Technology Integration And Social Media Use As Instructional Tools: Future Implications For Pedagogy In Trinidad And Tobago, Paula Edwards Sealey

Dissertations

Problem

As the educational landscape in Trinidad and Tobago evolve post COVID-19, gaining an understanding of the purpose of teachers in the implementation of national and ministerial ICT policies seem imperative. The exploration of teacher’s personal belief about their ability to effectively infuse technology and social media with their traditional teaching practices, may provide much needed insight about the role that teacher self-efficacy plays in this educational shift (Caner & Aydin, 2021; Phillip & Cain, 2015). Very few studies in the local and regional literature involve teacher self-efficacy as a variable of interest. Moreso, there has been no research to …

Self-Leadership And Perceptions Of Artificial Intelligence: A Single-Case Study, Patrik Garren

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this single-case qualitative project is to uncover how self-leadership’s behavioral and cognitive strategies influence perceptions of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and AI adoption. While existing literature acknowledges that there is an association between self-leadership, technology’s perceived usefulness and ease of use, as well as comfort with AI preparedness and its professional impact, there is limited research on how self-leadership shapes perceptions of AI and AI adoption in real-life contexts. To fill this gap in contemporary literature, this project analyzes qualitative semi-structured interviews with 25 healthcare professionals involved in the implementation of ‘AI Model 1’ at their mid-sized United …

A Digital Audio Workstation-Based Analytical Framework For Contemporary Acoustic Music: Modeling Selected Excerpts By Viet Cuong, Robert Daniel Traugh

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) has made sound recording, manipulation, MIDI sequencing, and digital live performance accessible to nearly anyone with a computer and an interest in digital music-making. A DAW’s functionality is modeled on decades of development in analog modular electronic instrument design and sound recording techniques. Theorist and composer Jonathan D. Kramer, through his work in the 1980’s, referred to the invention of sound recording as a catalyst of a temporal discontinuity experienced by Western-trained musicians. Since that time, these same sound recording techniques have become increasingly prevalent in modern society. This document proposes a DAW-based analytical framework …

Against Ai Half Measures, Woodrow Hartzog, Neil Richards, Ryan Durrie, Jordan Francis

Faculty Scholarship

So far, U.S. consumer protection policy for artificial intelligence (AI) accountability has largely consisted of industry-led approaches such as encouraging transparency, mitigating bias, promoting principles of ethics, and empowering people. These approaches are vital, but they are only half measures. To bring AI within the rule of law, lawmakers must start drawing substantive lines.

In this Article, we identify four AI regulatory approaches to consumer, data, and democratic harms as half measures. First, transparency does not produce accountability on its own. Second, while mitigating bias in AI systems is critical, even unbiased systems are a threat to the vulnerable. Third, …

Dollar Challenger? Cbdcs, Complexities, And Monetary Hegemony, Heng Wang

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Digitalization is transforming the architecture of the international monetary system, reshaping how currencies function and financial infrastructures evolve. Among the significant developments are central bank digital currencies (CBDCs)—new digital forms of national currencies. While CBDCs promise benefits such as efficiency, they also generate relational, technological, legal, and governance complexities that would profoundly affect the global financial landscape. Against this backdrop, a compelling question arises: will CBDCs, particularly cross-border CBDCs, challenge U.S. dollar dominance?

To address this, this Article adopts a forward-looking approach to examine three interrelated crucial questions: what makes CBDCs complex? What governance complexity is likely to arise? Will …

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 …

Taking Scale Seriously In Technology Law, Mark P. Mckenna, Woodrow Hartzog

Faculty Scholarship

Issues of scale—the relationship between the amount of an activity and its associated costs and benefits—permeate discussions around law and technologies. Indeed, it’s not much of an exaggeration to say that scale is the reason for most technology regulation.

But it’s not always clear how lawmakers and judges conceptualize “scale” when approaching questions around automated technologies. Scale is often used intuitively, just to mean “more.” But scale is not always just about more—scale can introduce new harms and benefits along different dimensions, not simply costs or efficiencies of greater magnitude.

In this Article, we argue for a more sustained interrogation …

2025 Best Legal Tech Tips, Tricks, Services, Gadgets & Websites, Indiana Continuing Legal Education Forum (Iclef)

Indiana Continuing Legal Education Forum 2025

Meeting proceedings of a seminar by the same name, held August 12, 2025.

Beyond Numbers: Decoding The Dynamics Of Qualitative Accounting Research Across Decades, Triana Eva Adiningsih

Jurnal Akuntansi dan Keuangan Indonesia

Background: This study examines the realm of qualitative research in accounting, highlighting its evolving methodologies and thematic emphasis. There has been increasing interest in qualitative methodologies, such as literature reviews, SLRs, archival research, bibliometric studies, and interviews, to explore the complex nature of accounting practices. Methods: This study identifies the principal themes, trends, and prominent authors in qualitative accounting research through a systematic approach that incorporates bibliometric analysis using VOSviewer and a thorough assessment of Scopus-indexed journals. Findings: The findings highlight significant themes, including sustainability, technology, governance, and the impact of global occurrences, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, on accounting …

#Diydiabetes: Type One Diabetes, Stigma, And Control In Digital Networks Of Diy Looping, Sophia M. Shelley

Culture, Society, and Praxis

The general public’s awareness of type one diabetes is often lacking and filled with misinformation that can lead to stigma around the disability. Often type one diabetics have to fend for themselves through the means of “DIY diabetes.” The delay in technological innovations and the slow approval rate of Health Canada, compared to the US Food and Drug Administration, makes improving the lives of those with diabetes much more challenging. The self-management of the disability enables diabetics to take agency of their treatment plan and is the primary reason for DIY diabetes. The main reason for this research is to …

A Bottom-Up Approach To Ai Facial Recognition Technology Wrongful Arrests And Subsequent 42 U.S.C. § 1983 Actions, Marty Ishmael

University of Cincinnati Law Review

No abstract provided.

Limiting A Liberal Education: Exploring Technology Access And Equity Through Universal Design And Critical Disability Studies, Marisa R. Carlson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This quantitative improvement study investigates how classroom technology policies impact equity, access, and alignment with liberal arts values at a small Catholic liberal arts college. The study arose from concerns regarding academic accommodations, where students needed to formally request access to digital tools that were widely available. The focus is on inconsistent and sometimes restrictive technology policies that create barriers for students relying on these resources.

Interpreted through the conceptual frameworks of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Critical Disability Studies (CDS), this study was guided by the following research questions:

1. What expectations do students have regarding access to technology …

Influencing The Meteoric Rise Of Ai: Centering Ethics, Law, And Society In Urgent Policy Reform, Erin L. Shah Mspm, Heath A. Clark Mba, Xarlene B. Choi Bs, Garrett K. Chan Phd

The Guardianship Journal

Artificial intelligence (AI) represents a transformative technological advancement with the potential to yield extraordinary societal benefits while simultaneously introducing significant potential harms to individuals, governments, and society. The adoption of AI has outpaced the ability of society to collectively and cohesively respond through the implementation of adequate regulatory guardrails. While AI presents novel benefits and challenges, the broader dynamic of responding to new, uncharted technologies has historical precedence. The article's methodological approach employed empirical research using law articles and policies. As such, the article explores the benefits, challenges, and actual or potential harms in three business sectors: business and finance, …

Parameters Winter 2025-26, Usawc Press

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

Welcome to the Winter 2025–26 issue of Parameters. We open with an In Focus commentary: “Responsibly Pursuing Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) for the War Fighter” by A. Blair Wilcox and C. Anthony Pfaff. The issue also features two forums (Indo-Pacific Deterrence and Considerations for Modern Warfare) and the inaugural Strategic Competition Corner.

Authentic Relationships Among The Body Of Christ: Naming The Obstacles That Hinder Authentic Relationships And Expressing A Gospel-Centered Path Toward Overcoming Them, Luke J. Anderson

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Anderson, Luke J. “Authentic Relationships among the Body of Christ: Naming the Obstacles that Hinder Authentic Relationships and Expressing a Gospel-centered Path toward Overcoming Them.” Doctor of Ministry. Major Applied Project, Concordia Seminary, 2025. 157 pp.

St. Paul Lutheran Church in Grafton, Wisconsin, recently underwent a vision process in which they proposed five values to define their congregational living. One of these values is authentic relationships. Those who crafted this vision, as well as the entire body who adopted it, recognized this value as primarily aspirational in nature. While some relational connectedness existed, all sought to better define this value …

The Impact Of Classroom Technology Integration On Elementary Students’ Cognitive Development And Critical Thinking, Michelle Lynn Vandross

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation examined the impact of technology use in the elementary classroom on students’ ability to employ critical thinking skills. The objective was to initiate change by promoting professional development for elementary school teachers, leading to a meaningful and appropriate thought process. The primary intention of the literature review is to provide a three-fold framework, grounded in Biblical, theoretical, and thematic perspectives, that offers new insights into social-emotional learning by serving students through collaborative learning. The literature review lays the foundation for demonstrating the connection between Biblical integration and the cycle of social-emotional learning that supports students’ cognitive processing in …

Stakeholder Criteria For Trust In Artificial Intelligence-Based Computer Perception Tools In Health Care: Qualitative Interview Study, Ansh Rai, Meghan E Hurley, John Herrington, Eric A Storch, Casey J Zampella, Julia Parrish-Morris, Anika Sonig, Gabriel Lázaro-Muñoz, Kristin Kostick-Quenet

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Computer perception (CP) technologies hold significant promise for advancing precision mental health care systems, given their ability to leverage algorithmic analysis of continuous, passive sensing data from wearables and smartphones (eg, behavioral activity, geolocation, vocal features, and ambient environmental data) to infer clinically meaningful behavioral and physiological states. However, successful implementation critically depends on cultivating well-founded stakeholder trust.

Objective: This study aims to investigate, across adolescents, caregivers, clinicians, and developers, the contingencies under which CP technologies are deemed trustworthy in health care.

Methods: We conducted 80 semistructured interviews with a purposive sample of adolescents (n=20) diagnosed with autism, Tourette …

Technology Use In Elementary Music Education: A Scoping Review, David T. Casali

Journal of the Association for Technology in Music Instruction

The purpose of this scoping review was to look at how music technology has been used in the elementary music classroom from 2020 to April 2025. Uses of technology were organized using the Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition (SAMR) model (Puentedura, 2006). Only articles that both described how technology was used and what the learning process looked like were included. A total of 26 articles met the criteria for inclusion. Multiple uses of technology across the four levels of the SAMR were represented from 14 different countries. An article from each of the four SAMR levels is described in depth …

Bridging The Digital Divide: Educating Older Adults To Recognize And Prevent Scams, Isabella S. Chan

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The older adult community, especially those 60 years and older, is a frequent target of scams and financial exploitation. When an individual is scammed, and with the likelihood of older adults choosing not to report, many do not recover their money (CFPB 2022). Social isolation and cognitive decline are significant factors that increase an older adult’s susceptibility to scams; however, digital literacy and their lack of understanding of technology are also obstacles to detecting a scammer’s deception. In response to these concerns, I created an hour-long presentation to educate and bring awareness to older adults about scams and how to …

The Cost Of Having Everything, Aaron E. Lamont

be Still

This essay explores how our attention is shaped and often scattered by the digital world, especially within the environment of medical school. I hope it can help to encourage others to think more carefully about what really deserves their focus.