Digital Commons Network^™

National Patient Safety Goals: Reducing Health Care Disparities In Adult Patients With Alcohol Misuse, Jolie M. Carpenter

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Background: An estimated 76 million people worldwide suffer from alcohol use disorder, accounting for almost two million deaths annually. The Joint Commission has made it a requirement to screen all patients admitted to an inpatient facility for health-related social needs, including alcohol use. By doing so, outpatient resources can be provided appropriately.

Purpose: The facility of interest does not currently have a discharge follow-up protocol. The purpose of this project was to implement an evidence-based protocol to follow-up one week after discharge to determine if patients accessed the community resources provided for alcohol use disorder and to determine whether the …

Influenza And Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Correlating Adult Immunization With Exacerbation Reduction After Implementation Of The Global Initiative For Obstructive Lung Disease Recommendations In A Rural Clinic, Jessica Semyonova

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Background: Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may experience exacerbations of the disease, leading to disease progression, decreased lung function, increased mortality, and decreased quality of life. However, one of the clinician’s best tools in preventing exacerbations may be the distribution of annual influenza immunizations.

Purpose: This project aimed to determine whether implementing an influenza vaccination protocol would increase influenza vaccination uptake and decrease COPD exacerbation rates.

Project Design: An influenza vaccination protocol was implemented over an eight-week period. During that time, data was gathered and compared to data from the previous year when a vaccination …

Commit To Sit: Does Purposefully Sitting With Adult Medical-Surgical Patients At A Rural Hospital Impact Patient Satisfaction?, Jolie A. Puckett

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Background: Patient satisfaction surveys encourage patients to provide feedback about their experiences with healthcare organizations, and the surveys also play a critical role in identifying gaps in care that may contribute to patient harm. Effective communication between nurses and patients is crucial for delivering high-quality healthcare; therefore, initiatives to enhance this communication should be explored and implemented.

Purpose: This quality improvement project aimed to evaluate whether sitting with patients improved patient satisfaction scores for a medical-surgical unit within a Northwest Georgia inpatient facility.

Project Design: A pre- and post-design method was utilized to compare patient satisfaction scores before and after …

Utilizing Text Messaging To Increase Annual Mammogram Screening Compliance, Lacey B. Santa Cruz

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Background: Routine mammography can lessen breast cancer deaths, but many patients do not follow the current screening guidelines. Limited access to mammography and insufficient awareness lead to missed screening appointments.

Purpose: The purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project was to improve annual mammogram adherence among women aged 40-74 by implementing an electronic medical record (EMR)-based text reminder system.

Project Design: Secondary patient data was collected from a privately owned, rural family practice clinic. Using the Mobilize-Assess-Plan-Implement-Track (MAP-IT) quality improvement framework, the project implemented a text message reminder intervention through the EMR. Eligible patients received a text reminder …

Investigating Individual Variability In Autistic Identity And Its Moderating Effects On Mental Health And Quality Of Life, Sydney Richelle Terroso

Theses and Dissertations

The autistic community has long voiced the mental health of autistic adults as a key clinical and research priority. Autistic identity, or the recognition and embrace of core autistic traits as integral to an individual's identity as a whole, may be a potential target for therapeutic approaches aimed at supporting well-being and quality of life. The current study investigates individual differences in self-reported autistic identity scores by demographic factors and by features of autism and health history using online survey data from N=225 autistic adults. Additionally, with a subset of the participants who completed an interconnected study of current mental …

The Evolution Of Agriculture Marketing: Harnessing Data Analytics To Understand Generational Shifts And Influencer Trends, Lexi Schweigert

Theses

The findings reveal that data analytics plays a crucial role in shaping marketing strategies in agriculture. Generational shifts, particularly among Gen Z and Alpha, are driving changes in consumer preferences and expectations. Influencers are also playing an increasingly important role in shaping the perception of agriculture and food among these generations.

Customizing Ai Strategies Across Multiple Generations, Matthew Harrer

Theses

This project investigates how artificial intelligence can help brands and marketers connect more effectively with Generation X, Millennials, and Generation Z. The literature review lays the groundwork that focuses on consumer behaviors and the integration of AI into digital marketing practices for each generation. The second part of the project involves a secondary data analysis of 21 recent marketing surveys and reports that explores topics related to trust, personalization, and social media. By integrating the findings into an insightful guidebook, marketers will be able to maximize these insights into clear actionable strategies.

Elisabetta Sirani’S Timoclea: Baroque Agency And The Aesthetics Of Feminine Rage, Shaylen Grace Gardner

Theses

This thesis examines Timoclea Kills the Captain of Alexander the Great (1659) by Elisabetta Sirani as a foundational example of feminine rage within the Baroque period. By framing Timoclea’s violent act not as an outlier or solely reactive gesture, but as a deliberate, composed assertion of power, Sirani constructs a model of feminine agency that defies patriarchal expectations of female submission and passivity. Through interdisciplinary analysis grounded in feminist theory, formal visual analysis, and retrospective cultural studies, this research argues that Sirani’s Timoclea exemplifies the Baroque’s strategic use of socially acceptable iconography to veil explicit challenges to gendered expectations. This …

Supporting On Their Own Terms: Eu Institutions’ Discourses On Mindanao, Vincent Carlo A. Legara

European Studies Department Faculty Publications

This paper critically examines the nature and dynamics of European Union (EU) engagement in Mindanao. The southern Philippines is historically home to Muslims, with a special region that is the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), formerly known as the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, where Muslims compose the majority of the population. Muslim Mindanao gained greater autonomy in 2019 after decades of violent conflict and the persistence of weak democratic institutions. Since the 1970s, Muslim secessionist movements have clashed against government troops for independence. These have contributed to poor human development indicators in Mindanao. The EU, previously the …

Using The Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership Common Data Model For A Multi-Registry Intensive Care Unit Benchmarking Federated Analysis: Lessons Learned, Aasiyah Rashan, Daniel P Püttmann, Nicolette F De Keizer, Dave A Dongelmans, Ronald Cornet, Otavio Ranzani, Wangari Siika, Matthew Smith, Steve Harris, Abi Beane

Anaesthesiology, East Africa

Objective: Federated analysis is a method that allows data analysis to be performed on similar datasets without exchanging any data, thus facilitating international research collaboration while adhering to strict privacy laws. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of using federated analysis to benchmark mortality in 2 critical care quality registry databases converted to the Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership (OMOP) Common Data Model (CDM), describing challenges to and recommendations for performing federated analysis on data transformed to OMOP CDM.

Materials and Methods: To identify as many challenges as possible and to be able to complete the benchmarking phase, …

Biocomputing Approach To Modeling And Modulating Calcium Signaling, Sehee Sun

School of Computing: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Biocomputing is an emerging field that seeks to perform computational tasks using biological substrates and processes. Unlike conventional computing systems based on silicon hardware, biocomputing leverages the parallelism, energy efficiency, and complex dynamics of living systems. Among various cellular mechanisms, calcium (Ca2+) signaling stands out as a central regulator of diverse biological functions, offering a promising basis for programmable logic and control in living cells.

This thesis introduces a novel framework for modeling and modulating Ca2+ dynamics using biologically inspired Boolean logic circuits. Specifically, we propose the Ca2+ Boolean Logic (CaBL) model, in which Ca2+ fluxes and interactions are abstracted …

Beyond Chatbots: The Emergence Of Autonomous Ai Agents In Libraries, Nikesh Narayanan

All Works

This chapter explores how generative AI and agentic AI are redefining library services through enhanced interactivity, personalization, and scalability of support. The rise of machine learning, and specifically natural language processing (NLP) with large language models, brought a new wave of capabilities to library chatbots. Moving beyond single-turn question-answering chatbots, the concept of autonomous AI agents (or agentic AI) in libraries represents a significant leap in capability. An autonomous agent is an advanced form of AI that can understand and respond to inquiries, then take action without human intervention. When they are given an objective, they can generate tasks for …

What Approaches Can A Preschool Teacher Use To Support Their Students’ Emotional Regulation Skills?, Lydia Caldwell

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Emotional regulation is a foundational skill in early childhood, closely linked to social skill development, mental well-being, and long-term academic success. Throughout this paper, researcher Lydia Caldwell explores the following question: what approaches can a preschool teacher use to support their students’ emotional regulation skills? Drawing from both literature and personal classroom experiences, this project was created with the author’s profession in mind. As a special educator who works with preschool students, Caldwell sees firsthand the amount of children struggling with emotional regulation, also referred to as self-regulation. The project will result in a series of flyers which serve as …

The Influence Of Supported Mainstream Classes On High School Special Education Students' Social And Emotional Learning, Clare Murr

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This study investigated how participation in supported mainstream classes influences social and emotional learning outcomes of high school special education students. The project was a result of the research done to answer the question: When high school special education students participate in supported mainstream classes, how are their social and emotional learning outcomes influenced? A comprehensive literature review revealed that integration of special education students into the mainstream classroom benefits their social and emotional development; however, unsupported inclusion often results in isolation and peer rejection. Effective co-teaching partnerships, that use the combined expertise of general and special education teachers, can …

Using Fables To Enhance Social Emotional Learning, Eric Albers

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The research question guiding this project is: How can we use fables to strengthen SEL connections with our students and families while enhancing the relationship between character development and life skills? The project addresses growing concerns about student anxiety, depression, and social disconnection while recognizing schools' expanding role in mental health. This work builds upon literature on home-school partnerships, bibliotherapy, and culturally responsive pedagogy, including research on fable comprehension, CASEL's SEL framework, and "funds of knowledge" that honor diverse cultural perspectives.The methodology involved developing a curriculum unit that integrates fables into the existing CharacterStrong SEL program through a Universal Design …

Solid Waste Education For Fourth Grade Students In Washington County, Minnesota, Jessica Hall

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The topic of environmental education has grown in recent years, but this study discovered that there is a lack of education focused on solid waste. Four key themes were explored in the current literature: climate anxiety, place-based education, social-emotional learning, and behavior change. This paper is not a research study, but rather a summary of previous research with a discussion of the current situation supporting the need for, and process of, this project’s development. The guiding questions for developing this project are: How can 4th-grade students and teachers in Washington County, Minnesota, perceive the impact of solid waste education lessons …

Promoting Environmental Literacy And Stewardship Through Interdisciplinary Teaching, Eric Wadnal

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Some of the most pressing issues the current generation is experiencing are related to the environment. Teachers, regardless of discipline, must be prepared to equip students with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes required to solve these issues. Environmental education (EE) is critical for promoting environmental literacy and stewardship. Therefore, this paper explores the research question: How can environmental education be applied to interdisciplinary learning that emphasizes community and builds meaningful connections to the local environment? The impact of connecting students to local environments and communities demonstrates the need for EE approaches that are contextually relevant, participatory, and interdisciplinary. To support …

Curriculum Promotion Of Students’ Stem Self-Efficacy, Rae Eisenreich

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

As the field of STEM grows and expands, it does the same within classrooms. Self-efficacy in students' STEM experiences and skill building can be promoted by educators. When students do have high STEM self-efficacy, they may be more likely to persevere through difficult tasks and remain optimistic during the learning process. This research is centered around the question: What are the five most critical components of STEM curriculum design that promote students' self-efficacy? After reading and researching, the five areas of criteria to help promote this became apparent: active and hands-on learning, inquiry-based with authentic problem-solving, self-identity and career awareness, …

Fostering Resilience Through Near Peer Mentorship In Elementary School, Bway Paw

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Near-peer mentoring involves pairing students with peers who are close in age but slightly more advanced in experience ensures the students' needs are met in ways that feel supportive and accessible. This capstone project explores how peer mentoring fosters social-emotional resilience in elementary students. The project is designed for a ten-week curriculum using the Minnesota SEL standard, which uses CASEL’s five competencies to be integrated into the classroom. Frameworks that carry this project include Bandura's social learning theory and self-efficacy, Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), Identity-Based Motivation (IBM), along with Masten’s ordinary magic. Research on resilience highlights that resilience …

Beyond Language Barriers: Challenging The Equity And Validity Of English-Only Standardized Tests For English Language Learners, Courtney Pille

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

English Language Learners represent one of the fastest-growing student populations in American schools, yet they are required to take state standardized tests designed exclusively for native English speakers. This practice creates significant validity, reliability, and equity concerns–as research demonstrates that academic English proficiency takes 4-8 years to develop while students face annual testing requirements beginning in grade 3. This capstone uses a comprehensive literature review examining standardized testing practices, English language acquisition processes, and equity challenges to answer the research question: To what extent does administering English-only standardized tests to English Language Learners (ELLs) produce valid measurements of their academic …

Form A More Perfect Union: Educational Direction For Teaching Effective Political Discourse, Brian Merchant

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Efforts to strengthen civics education in support of democracy have expanded in recent years. Schools increasingly offer project-based learning, authentic assessments, and rigorous course options. Yet while standards emphasize argument formation, little attention is given to the practical skills required for political discussion. Research shows that public schools, with their diversity of perspectives, are well suited to foster dialogical approaches to civic discourse. Despite this potential, classroom discussions often lack depth, and educators frequently lack the resources and training to engage students in high-quality political dialogue. This literature review identifies the importance of political discourse education, interdisciplinary practices to improve …

Middle School Science Inquiry-Based Learning On A Budget, Rosalie Olander

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This curriculum project was based on the question, “How can science educators teach middle school students while promoting quality inquiry-based learning with a minimum budget?” It was inspired by budget constraints forcing teachers to spend personal funds ($500-$750 annually) on classroom supplies. Science teachers are particularly impacted due to specialized equipment needs, and quality inquiry-based learning is often sacrificed due to cost limitations. The curriculum created as part of this project was written with the framework of Pedaste et al.'s (2015) inquiry phases, the National Research Council's (2012) A Framework for K-12 Science Education, and Wiggins and McTighe's (2011) Understanding …

Immersing Historical And Contemporary Indigenous Literature Into Middle School Reading And Writing Workshops, Connor Lynch

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This paper examines literacy and Indigenous literature through the guiding question ; What are the merits of infusing and integrating Indigenous literature in middle school reading and writing workshops in order to address state standards in representing perspectives and identities of historical and contemporary Dakota and Anishinaabe people? Through review of research literature and curriculum development methodology, this capstone concludes that Indigenous literature integration has positive impacts on student critical thinking development, cultural competence, analytical skills, and educational justice while successfully meeting legislative compliance requirements. By re-emphasizing Dakota and Anishinaabe perspectives in curriculum, students engaging with authentic Indigenous literature can …

Incorporating Cooperative Learning And Active Listening Skills In Secondary-Level Science Classrooms, Kaveri Kamatgi

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Middle school students are in a key stage of developing their social and emotional skills. Research emphasizes the importance of focusing on effective instructional strategies to support and enhance that development. In science classrooms, this means providing opportunities for cooperative learning and active listening skills, enabling students to interact and consider diverse perspectives while working in lab investigations, problem-based activities, or research projects. According to the NGSS framework for K-12 science education, students are expected to engage in scientific practices that foster scientific thinking skills. To support the development of these skills, this capstone project explored the question: How can …

Using Technology To Support And Engage Writing Of Immersion Students, Yiyu Guo

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Writing is an important communication skill and has an essential role in second language learning. Due to its active and productive nature, writing in a foreign language is very challenging for students especially for Chinese immersion students. Research indicates that integrating technology into writing workshops can significantly impact student learning, fostering skills like planning, writing, and creating digital stories. The capstone incorporates both research findings and writer's workshop lesson plans to answer the research focus: How to bring technology into writing to support and engage elementary Chinese Immersion students. Research concludes that technology presents a powerful set of tools …

The Integration Of Movement And Technology In Elementary Schools: Enhancing Student Learning, Emily Hillis

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of technology has increased within elementary classrooms. Research shows that there are many advantages and disadvantages to students having these technology tools during the school day. Movement-based learning has since taken a decline in elementary classrooms since the pandemic. Research suggests that movement is impactful to students retention, engagement, and mood. This encouraged the idea of How can educators combine technology and movement activities to enhance learning outcomes for elementary students? The literature review explores the different sides of technology and movement-based learning. It examines the advantages and disadvantages, challenges, and the impact that …

From Classrooms To Jail Cells: Reimagining Accountability In Public Education, Lennin Cruz Rojas

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Exclusionary discipline practices in the United States continue to funnel vulnerable students into the criminal justice system, reinforcing the school-to-prison pipeline. This capstone explores the methods and punishments students receive by asking: How do zero tolerance policies and exclusionary discipline practices in schools contribute to and play a role in the school-to-prison pipeline, particularly students of color? Through a mix methodology combining literature research, participant interviews, and narrative podcasting, the work examines how restorative frameworks can foster accountability, empathy, and community healing. The podcast weaves personal stories with data to shed light on the cost of zero tolerance discipline. The …

Infusing Dakota Values And Indigenous Pedagogies Into Secondary Social Studies Curriculum, Lily Fox

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This project was very meaningful for me both professionally and personally. There was a lot of growth as a researcher, teacher, and person; this growth is reflected in the project as well. I chose Dakota values to be regionally conscious of students that may be in the classroom and their cultures. The project itself shows how Indigenous pedagogies can be applied to content that may not appear to be Indigenous-related. The unit covers the emergence of trade on a global scale (700-1500CE) in a ninth grade world history classroom. Using Understanding by Design’s backward planning model as well as a …

Assessing The Relationship Between Screen Time, Academic Achievement, Executive Function, And Emotional Regulation: The Role Of Digital Citizenship In The Upper Elementary Classroom, Katherine Carlson

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Recent research has shown that elementary school students are spending time online at unprecedented rates, and that this excessive screen time has negative impacts on the physical and psychological health of children. The research question addressed in this project was: what is the association between screen time, academic achievement, executive function, and emotional regulation in elementary school-aged children? Excessive screen time has been found to negatively impact children’s emotional regulation, but the data regarding the association between academic achievement, executive function, and screen time were inconclusive, resulting in a partial rejection of the hypothesis. The research suggested that screen time …

Centering Adult Basic Education Students As Learners And Creators With Class Websites, Kristy Cannon

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

An adult basic education (ABE) class website can integrate educational theories and technology to center students as learners and creators. This research explored educational theories that include andragogy, other adult-specific learning theories, heutagogy, constructivism, culturally relevant theories, and traditional teacher-centered learning models and methods. This project integrated those learning theories with the online modality of a tool-rich class website to promote digital literacy and center students as learners and creators actively participating in their own learning. The project is a Google Sites class website that can be used as a model or template for ABE teachers to copy, modify, and …