Digital Commons Network^™

Development Of Soft Skills In Occupational Therapy Education: A Faculty Perspective, John Adkins, Alysha Skuthan

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

Soft skills, such as communication, emotional intelligence, and response to feedback, are critical for the success of occupational therapy students but are often underemphasized in educational standards and curricula. This qualitative study examined how faculty perceived, defined, and facilitated the development of soft skills during the didactic phase of occupational therapy education. Using a phenomenological design, 12 faculty members from accredited occupational therapy programs participated in semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis revealed six themes: Hidden Skills, Incorrect Assumptions, and What’s Trending addressed faculty perceptions, while What’s Developing, What’s On Us, and Why Does It Matter described faculty responsibilities and strategies to …

Primitive Reflex Integration Training For Occupational Therapy Students In India, Nalini Sripall, Samuel K. Durairaj, Arun Kumar, Suja A. Chandrasekaran

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

Primitive Reflex Integration (PRI) is an important intervention for occupational therapists for the treatment of neurological, motor, and sensory processing issues in children. The topic is clinically relevant, yet there is scarce formal education available on the subject for occupational therapists in India. A needs assessment survey was developed and implemented to better understand the knowledge related to PRI of 40 postgraduate occupational therapy students in India. The needs assessment showed that most of the students were aware of PRI but were not consistently using PRI techniques to treat retained primitive reflexes. The participants also noted barriers, such as a …

What Motivates Occupational Therapy Students To Self-Study Anatomy, Samantha Williams, Athena Kirou-Mauro, Kelly Hennessy, Lexi Davidson, Emily S. Ho

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

Informed by self-determination theory, this study examined the motivations and preferred learning styles of entry-level occupational therapy students and explored how their perceived anatomy competency related to their academic performance. To investigate this, ninety-seven occupational therapy students completed a reflective assignment through which they set anatomy self-study learning goals. Self-study learning approaches were categorized, and the relationship between student perceived anatomy competency and academic outcomes (i.e., anatomy quizzes, term grades) was analyzed. When examining self-study learning approaches, students favored computer assisted instructional tools (n = 75, 77%) and integrated clinical application with their learning goals (n = 52, …

How Do Students Come Across Occupational Therapy And What Makes Them Want To Study Occupational Therapy? Implications For Recruitment, Mette Eg Bruun, Mette Krohn, Sofie Balle Riis, Lene Tanggaard, Tina Helle

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

Recruitment challenges in occupational therapy education vary globally. To address workforce needs, it is necessary to examine the factors influencing students’ decisions to pursue occupational therapy. This study investigated how students discovered occupational therapy, what they found appealing about the profession, the influence of study location, and demographic differences between students enrolled in an urban university city and a rural district. Three focus group interviews with 15 occupational therapy students were conducted, supplemented by descriptive statistics comparing student characteristics across urban and rural programs. Qualitative analysis identified five categories: (1) discovering occupational therapy by chance, (2) the power of occupational …

Validity And Reliability Of The Professional Belonging Scale For Occupational Therapy Students Version 2, Sarah Corcoran Otd, Otr/L, Pooja Patel Drot, Otr/L, Izabela Dubiel Drot, Otr/L, Theresa Rhett-Davis Edd, Otr/L, Nancy Green Ms, Drot, Otr/L, Emily Pasqualetto Drot, Otr/L, Amanda Carter Drot, Otr/L

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

A strong sense of belonging supports student engagement, motivation, clinical competency, retention, and overall well-being; yet few tools specifically assess this construct in occupational therapy (OT) and occupational therapy assistant (OTA) programs. To address this gap, Corcoran et al. (2025) developed the Professional Belonging Scale for Occupational Therapy Students (PBSOTSv1). The current study aimed to revise the PBSOTSv1 for clarity, inclusivity, and alignment with emerging theoretical frameworks and to evaluate the revised version (PBSOTSv2) for content validity and internal consistency reliability. Revisions involved expert cognitive interviews and Content Validity Index (CVI) ratings, guided by Allen et al.’s framework of belonging, …

Perceived Impacts Of Confucianism On Placement Experiences Of Hong Kong Pre-Registration Occupational Therapy Students In The United Kingdom, Hin Yuet Li, Sarah Louise Mcginley, Rachel Dadswell, Rachel Houweling

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

This study explored the views of Hong Kong pre-registration occupational therapy (OT) students in the United Kingdom (UK) about how Chinese culture influenced their practice placement experiences. Students from diverse cultural backgrounds may encounter various challenges during OT placements, but little is known about how OT students from Hong Kong—where Confucianism traditionally shapes workplace expectations and the hierarchical teacher‑student relationship—experience placements in the UK. Two online focus groups to collect qualitative data were conducted in November 2022 with four participants who were UK-based OT students from Hong Kong (N=8 in total), two facilitators (OT students from Hong Kong, based in …

Effect Of Simulation On Occupational Therapy Students' Self-Efficacy When Preparing For Level Ii Fieldwork, Juliet Steffe, Karen Menard, Angela Gibson

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

Occupational therapy academic programs provide students with knowledge and professional skills through coursework and clinical skills practice, enabling them to transition successfully into clinical placement. Despite completing multiple semesters of didactic work, students may experience high levels of anxiety and self-doubt when preparing for Level II fieldwork. The problem addressed in this study was the lack of perceived self-efficacy in clinical skills when preparing for Level II fieldwork, leading to the potential for difficulty transitioning from the classroom to the clinic among entry-level occupational therapy graduate students. A basic qualitative study was conducted using focus groups to explore how providing …

Generative Artificial Intelligence Application In Occupational Therapy Education, James Wersal, Justin Mason, Mary Shotwell

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is a developing technology within Higher Education Institutions with substantial potential to transform teaching pedagogy, improve individualized learning experiences, and automate administrative functions. GenAI has the potential to bring significant enhancements by advancing adaptive learning interfaces, customized learning materials, and automate administrative support. Despite these benefits, ethical considerations, data privacy, and the risk of over-reliance should be considered prior to using GenAI. The authors highlight how GenAI is supported by adult learning theory and provide practical strategies for incorporating GenAI in the occupational therapy curricula and to support the faculty role. The impact of GenAI on …

Hands-On: Integrating Active Learning Into An Upper Extremity Occupational Therapy Elective, Jennifer Radziak, Katie Jones, Kelsey Picha

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

In an effort to provide students with advanced clinical practice skills, several occupational therapy elective courses were developed. The current article describes an educational innovation that involved an in-person elective course for graduate second year Master of Science in Occupational Therapy students that focused on the upper extremity. The course was team-taught, promoted active learning, and used unique activities to engage students in the learning process. Relevant evidence-based practice literature and clinical guidelines were incorporated into the course to teach students about the treatment of upper extremity conditions. The active learning strategies implemented in the course included fresh donor dissection, …

Simulation Training In Radiation Oncology, Michael C. Schell, Andrew W. Beavis, Derek W. Brown, Michael Milano, Michael O'Neill, Yan Yu, Daniel C. Pavord, Peter Dunscombe

Department of Radiation Oncology Faculty Papers

Simulation training can be used in the design of new processes or, more commonly, to train and re-train healthcare personnel in standard processes. Simulation training is one avenue to making radiation oncology a high reliability health care intervention. In this paper, we explore the relevance of simulation training to the provision of high-quality and safe radiation oncology practice against the background of simulation training conducted in high reliability industries. The use of simulation training in healthcare, as well as specific examples in radiation oncology, is reviewed. An outline of the steps for developing a simulation training program is provided. Simulation …

N Y State Dent J August-September 2026

The New York State Dental Journal

In the August/September 2026 issue, the reader will find the following feature articles:

• Prevalence of Acute Periapical Abscesses in Cannabis Users
• Odontogenic Myxoma in Maxilla
• A Systematic Review of Recommendations for Asynchronous Teledentistry

This issue includes regular columns with regional news impacting the New York membership including editorial and perspectives columns, legal, association activities, component news, continuing education opportunities, and classifieds.

Investigation Of A Global Mouse Methylome Atlas Reveals Subtype-Specific Copy Number Alterations In Pediatric Cancer Models., Melanie Schoof, Tuyu Zheng, Martin Sill, Roland Imle, Alessia Cais, Lea Altendorf, Alicia Fürst, Nina Hofmann, Kati Ernst, Dominik Vonficht, Kenneth Chun-Ho Chan, Tim Holland-Letz, Andreas Postlmayr, Ryo Shiraishi, Wanchen Wang, Alaide Morcavallo, Michael Spohn, Carolin Göbel, Judith Niesen, Levke-Sophie Peter, Franck Bourdeaut, Zhi-Yan Han, Yanxin Pei, Najiba Murad, Fredrik J. Swartling, Jessica Taylor, Monika Yadav, Garrett R. Gibson, Richard J. Gilbertson, Matthias Dottermusch, Rajanya Roy, Kornelius Kerl, Rainer Glass, Jiying Cheng, Martin A. Horstmann, Gerrit Wolters-Eisfeld, Haotian Zhao, Dominik Sturm, Viveka Nand Yadav, Louis Chesler, Simon Haas, William A. Weiss, Paul A. Northcott, Lena M. Kutscher, Ana Guerreiro Stucklin, Olivier Ayrault, Julia E. Neumann, Daisuke Kawauchi, David T W Jones, Kristian Pajtler, Ana Banito, Stefan M. Pfister, Ulrich Schüller, Marc Zuckermann

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Copy number alterations (CNAs) are hallmarks of cancer, yet investigation of their oncogenic role has been hindered by technical limitations and missing model systems. Here we generated a genome-wide DNA methylation and CNA atlas of 106 genetic mouse models across 31 pediatric tumor types, including 18 new models for pediatric glioma. We demonstrated their epigenetic resemblance to human disease counterparts and identified entity-specific patterns of immune infiltration. We discovered that mouse tumors harbor highly recurrent CNA signatures that occur distinctly based on the tumor subgroup and driving oncogene and showed that these CNAs share syntenic regions with the matching human …

Do Major Customers Affect Firms' Environmental, Social And Governance Activities?, Feng Dong, John A. Doukas, Stephanie Walton, Rongyao Gloria Zhang, Yiyang Zhang

Finance Faculty Publications

We examine the role of major customers in shaping firms' environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices. We find that firms with major customer relationships undertake fewer ESG activities compared to those without such ties. The association is attenuated when institutional ownership is high, firms are less diversified, customers exhibit greater bankruptcy risk and lower switching costs and during periods of elevated equity market sentiment. Taken together, our findings highlight that reliance on a concentrated customer base can weaken firms’ incentives to engage in ESG practices, with important implications for supply chain sustainability.

Machine Learning: Thematic Feature Grouping, And The Magnificent Seven: A Forecasting Analysis, Mirarmia Jalali, Mohammad Najand, Andrew Cohen

Finance Faculty Publications

This study examines the predictability of monthly excess returns for the “Magnificent Seven” U.S. technology firms using machine learning and economically motivated thematic feature grouping. Framed as a focused study of the most systemically consequential equity panel in modern markets—seven firms representing over 30% of the S&P 500—the analysis confronts a small-N, large-P environment where economically structured dimensionality reduction is essential. Using 154 firm-level characteristics categorized into 13 economic themes, we evaluate linear, penalized, tree-based, and neural network models in a small-N, large-P setting. Unrestricted models suffer substantial overfitting and fail to outperform the historical average benchmark out-of-sample. In contrast, …

A Conceptual Framework For Improving The Oral Health Of Children With Disabilities, Shiamaa Al-Mashhadani

Peninsula Dental School Theses

AbstractTitle: A Conceptual Framework for Improving the Oral Health of Children with DisabilitiesShiamaa Shihab Al-MashhadaniIntroduction:The effect of good oral health contributes to improving general health, well-being, and quality of life. Children with disabilities are more likely to develop oral diseases than the general population. They are disproportionately affected by dental diseases such as high dental caries, periodontal disease prevalence, missing teeth, and malocclusion. There are many challenges that children with disabilities and their carers experience regarding oral health, including access to dental care, availability of preventive interventions, oral health literacy, and education.This study aims to understand the personal experiences and …

The Molecular Effects Of Microwave Irradiation Upon Antibiotic-Resistant Bacterial Pathogens, Alistair White

Peninsula Dental School Theses

IntroductionAntimicrobial resistance is a global health crisis due to the emergence and spread of multidrug-resistant bacteria, driven by poor antibiotic stewardship, particularly in low to middle income countries where antibiotics can be bought over the counter. Currently, the molecular diagnosis of infections and genomic DNA extraction are both hindered by several factors including, expense, time, technical expertise, and the requirement of a laboratory-based setting. This makes it difficult to extract genomic material at point-of-care preventing the use of rapid molecular methods for the detection of antibiotic resistant genes. Thus, the gold standard for determining the appropriate antibiotics to treat infections …

Factors Related To Deviant Behavior, Chiara S. Popp

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Understanding the factors that contribute to deviant behavior across the life span remains an important goal in psychology and criminology. Guided by life course theory, the present study examined whether childhood trauma, social connectedness, perceived childhood socioeconomic status, and key life transitions are associated with deviant behavior in adulthood. The purpose of this research was to better understand how early life experiences and social relationships may shape behavioral outcomes later in life. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted with adult participants in the United States, aged 18 to 55. Participants completed measures assessing adverse childhood experiences, perceived childhood socioeconomic status, …

Differing Circulating Microrna Profiles Of Long-Lived Polish Populations, Fabrizzio Lijeron-Herrera

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Exceptional longevity, defined as a lower biological age relative to chronological age and maintenance of functional capacity or a slowing of functional decline, is a phenotype most readily observed in centenarians and nonagenarians. These individuals exhibit a phenomenon known as compressed morbidity, spending substantially less time in poor health compared to younger elderly populations, thus representing a unique human model of delayed aging. Circulating microRNAs (miRNAs), potent post-transcriptional regulators of molecular pathways, have emerged as important modulators of aging-related pathways; however, no study has comprehensively profiled miRNAs from serum in long-lived individuals from Central Europe. In particular, Polish populations present …

Symbolic Racism And Punitive Policy Preferences In The First Quarter Of The Twenty-First Century, Anthony T. Fulinello

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Despite the decay in the acceptability of explicit racism brought about by the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, implicit racism may continue to inform individual decision making even into the first quarter of the twenty-first century. Utilizing data from 25 years of the General Social Survey, this study examines how indicators of symbolic racism, a form of implicit racism, impact punitive policy preferences among the general United States population using separate logistic regression models isolating each indicator, plus a full model, for each outcome. Punitive policy preferences were operationalized as support for increased spending on crime prevention …

Stability Of Brown Carbon And Lipid Monolayers At The Air-Water Interface, Maaike Snider

Student Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Integrating Web-Gis And Inquiry Learning To Enhance Spatial Thinking In Geography Learning, Nyokro Mukti Wijaya, Meri Herlina, Sugeng Widodo, Suhendro Suhendro

Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange (JETDE)

This study investigates the impact of integrating Web-GIS with Inquiry Learning on secondary school students’ spatial thinking skills. A 2×2 factorial experimental design was employed with 116 eleventh-grade students from SMA Negeri 13 Bandar Lampung, divided into four treatment groups: direct instruction with printed maps, direct instruction with Web-GIS, inquiry learning with printed maps, and inquiry learning with Web-GIS. The Spatial Thinking Ability Test (STAT), a widely validated international instrument, was used to measure outcomes. Data were analysed using two-way ANOVA. The findings indicate that the learning media had a significant effect, with Web-GIS outperforming printed maps, whereas learning strategies …

Virtual Reality And Creativity In Visual Art Education: The Mediating Role Of Exploration Within A Project-Based Learning Framework, Lidan He, Shaharuddin Bin Md Salleh

Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange (JETDE)

Virtual reality (VR) is increasingly integrated into creative education for immersive, interactive learning. While prior research confirms VR’s potential to enhance learning outcomes, its support for creativity remains underexplored. This study examines whether exploration mediates the relationship between VR use and creative performance within a project-based learning framework. A quasi-experimental study was conducted with 80 second-year visual art students, who were allocated by intact sections to either a VR–PBL group or a traditional PBL group. Over four weeks, students completed an illustration-based design project. Creative performance was rated by experts, and exploratory behavior was measured using the Experiential Learning Survey, …

Developing A Serious Game-Based Platform To Support Programming Learning, Noven Indra Prasetya, Nia Saurina, Arief Ardiansyah

Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange (JETDE)

Programming learning, especially among informatics students, faces significant challenges related to understanding concepts and syntax, as well as low engagement in programming courses. To address these issues, this research developed DolananCoding, a serious game-based learning platform specifically designed for C++ programming learning. The platform integrates a live coding feature, enabling students to write code directly, along with a leaderboard to motivate them through healthy competition. The immersive concept in DolananCoding is designed to provide an interactive and enjoyable learning experience, aiming to enhance students’ engagement, motivation, and learning outcomes in C++ programming. This research aims to test the effectiveness of …

Large Language Model-Based Automated Item Generation In Stem Assessments: Historical Mapping And A Scoping Review Of Empirical Studies, Moses Oluoke Omopekunola

Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange (JETDE)

Educational assessments, from low-stakes classroom tests to high-stakes national examinations, require item pools that are valid, fair, and secure. Automated Item Generation (AIG) aims to efficiently produce large pools of calibrated test items. This paper adopts a two-part design: (1) a brief historical mapping situating LLM-based AIG within the broader AIG trajectory; and (2) a scoping review of empirical studies on LLM-based AIG for STEM assessments, published between January 2022 and January 2026. A structured search of ERIC, Lens and OpenAlex yielded 1,267 records; after deduplication and screening, 7 studies were retained for synthesis. In all studies, LLMs were primarily …

Enhancing Academic Literacy Through Ai-Supported Writing Analytics In Multilingual Higher Education, Riki Nasrullah, Septia Rizqi Nur Abni

Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange (JETDE)

This study examines the longitudinal impact of AI-supported writing analytics on academic literacy in multilingual higher education. Using a quasi-experimental design over two semesters with 124 undergraduates, the treatment group employed a GPT-based analytics tool, while the control group relied on conventional feedback. Using a longitudinal quasi-experimental design and repeated-measures analyses, the study found significant group effects and significant Group × Time interactions, indicating that the treatment group achieved larger and more sustained gains in academic literacy. Process-oriented indicators and learning analytics further showed a shift from surface editing to global revision, accompanied by deeper metacognitive engagement.

Coding, Machine Learning, And Game Engines In Initial Teacher Training, Sara Redondo-Duarte, José Manuel Sáez-López

Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange (JETDE)

This study evaluated the integration of coding, visual block programming, game engines, and machine learning (ML) modeling in initial teacher education. The aim was to examine the feasibility of this instructional approach and its association with pre-service teachers’ computational knowledge and attitudes toward programming and artificial intelligence (AI). A one-group pretest-posttest design was implemented with 129 undergraduate students enrolled in Primary Education degree programs at two public universities in Spain. Knowledge of computational concepts was assessed with a 10-item test analyzed using a paired-samples Student’s t-test, while attitudes toward programming and ML were evaluated with two Likert scales analyzed using …

Recent Progresses In Few-Nucleon Structure And Dynamics In Chiral Effective Field Theory, Laura Elisa Marcucci, Alex Gnech, Michele Viviani

Physics Faculty Publications

The most recent progresses made within the framework of chiral effective field theory for few-nucleon structure and low-energy reactions are here presented. In particular, for the A = 2 sector, the study of muon capture on deuteron is reviewed. Then, the results obtained using the Hyperspherical Harmonics ab-initio method for the 4He monopole form factor and the ³He(n^→ ,p)³H parity-conserving asymmetry are described.

Longitudinal Spin Transfer To Λ Hyperons In Semi-Inclusive Deep Inelastic Scattering With The Clas12 Spectrometer, M. Mceneaney, A. Vossen, A. Acar, P. Achenbach, J. S. Alvarado, M. Amaryan, W. R. Armstrong, H. Atac, N. A. Baltzell, L. Barion, M. Bashkanov, M. Battaglieri, F. Benmokhtar, A. Bianconi, A. S. Biselli, M. Bondi, F. Bossù, S. Boiarinov, K. -Th. Brinkmann, W. J. Briscoe, V. D. Burkert, T. Cao, R. Capobianco, D. S. Carman, J. C. Carvajal, A. Celentano, P. Chatagnon, V. Chesnokov, H. Chinchay, G. Ciullo, P. L. Cole, M. Contalbrigo, A. D'Angelo, N. Dashyan, R. De Vita, M. Defurne, S. Diehl, C. Dilks, C. Djalali, R. Dupre, H. Egiyan, M. Ehrhart, A. El Alaoui, L. El Fassi, M. Farooq, S. Fegan, R. E. Ferguson, I. P. Fernando, A. Filippi, C. Fogler, K. Gates, G. Gavalian, D. I. Glazier, R. W. Gothe, Y. Gotra, B. Gualtieri, K. Hafidi, H. Hakobyan, M. Hattawy, T. B. Hayward, D. Heddle, A. Hobart, M. Holtrop, Y. Ilieva, D. G. Ireland, H. S. Jo, S. Joosten, T. Kageya, A. Kim, V. Klimenko, A. Kripko, V. Kubarovsky, L. Lanza, S. Lee, P. Lenisa, D. Marchand, V. Mascagna, D. Matamoros, B. Mckinnon, T. Mineeva, M. Mirazita, V. Mokeev, C. Munoz Camacho, P. Nadel-Turonski, T. Nagorna, K. Neupane, S. Niccolai, G. Niculescu, M. Osipenko, M. Ouillon, P. Pandey, M. Paolone, L. L. Pappalardo, R. Paremuzyan, E. Pasyuk, S. J. Paul, W. Phelps, N. Pilleux, S. Polcher Rafael, L. Polizzi, J. Poudel, Y. Prok, A. Radic, T. Reed, J. Richards, M. Ripani, P. Rossi, A. A. Rusova, C. Salgado, S. Schadmand, A. Schmidt, M. B. C. Scott, E. V. Shirokov, S. Shresstha, E. Sidoretti, D. Sokhan, N. Sparveris, M. Spreafico, I. Strakovsky, S. Strauch, J. A. Tan, R. Tyson, M. Ungaro, P. S. H. Vaishnavi, S. Vallarino, C. Velasquez, L. Venturelli, H. Voskanyan, E. Voutier, D. P. Watts, Y. Wang, U. Weerasinghe, X. Wei, N. Wickramaarachchi, M. H. Wood, L. Xu, Z. Xu, N. Zachariou, Z. W. Zhao, V. Ziegler, M. Zurek

Physics Faculty Publications

The polarization of Λ hyperons is preserved in the angular distribution of their decay products. This property allows one to study the spin structure of the Λ. In semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering where a high energy lepton interacts with a nucleon target and one or more hadrons and the scattered lepton are detected in the final state, the probability for a struck quark to impart the polarization of the lepton to the Λ may be measured. In particular, in electron-proton scattering this quantity may be related to the longitudinal light quark polarization of the Λ. Currently, limited experimental data cannot …

Inverse Problem In The Large Momentum Effective Theory Framework, Herve Dutrieux, Joe Karpie, Christopher J. Monahan, Kostas Orginos, Anatoly Radyushkin, David Richards, Savvas Zafeiropoulos

Physics Faculty Publications

One proposal to compute parton distributions from first principles is the large momentum effective theory (LaMET), which requires the Fourier transform of matrix elements computed nonperturbatively. Lattice quantum chromodynamics (QCD) provides calculations of these matrix elements over a finite range of Fourier harmonics that are often noisy or unreliable in the largest computed harmonics. It has been suggested that enforcing an exponential decay of the missing harmonics helps alleviate this issue. Using nonperturbative data, we show that the uncertainty introduced by this inverse problem in a realistic setup remains significant without very restrictive assumptions, and that the importance of the …

2026 Nh 4 H Qualifying And Entry For Ese, Hannah Majewski

UNH Cooperative Extension

No abstract provided.