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Du Rural Summit 2025: Full Conference Proceedings, 2025 Du Rural Summit

DU Rural Summit Conference Proceedings

Proceedings of the DU Rural Summit 2025, held June 27-27 in the Pueblo Convention Center. A gathering dedicated to addressing the unique opportunities and challenges facing rural schools and their communities.

Disability Activism And Legal Education: How The Student And Parent Activists Of The Disability Rights Movement Paved The Way For Law Students To Challenge Discrimination, Dana Dworkin

Northwestern Journal of Law & Social Policy

Disability discrimination in education is a long-standing and powerful tradition in the United States. Students with disabilities in higher education have historically been, and continue to be, the most powerful harbingers of change in eliminating disability discrimination in education. The birth of the disability rights movement occurred in higher education institutions across the nation in the 1970s, and the movement achieved both cultural and legislative success. Its spirit continues on today in U.S. law schools. Law students with disabilities are utilizing the legislative advances achieved by the disability rights activists of yesteryear in order to create a more equitable system …

Experiences Of Post-Secondary Teachers With Using Information And Communication Technologies In Rural Communities, Latonya Shirelle Motley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Teaching and learning in the 21st century requires full access and use of digital technologies but this can be challenging in rural areas. Teachers at post-secondary schools in rural communities often have limited access to information and communication technologies (ICT), which restricts their ability to fully serve their rural students. Guided by the theory of the digital divide, the purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore the experiences of post-secondary teachers with using ICT in rural areas in the United States. Data for this qualitative study were collected from 44 participant interviews who evaluated their access of digital …

Community-Based, Culturally Relevant Stem: Engaging Rural And Indigenous Students Through Partnerships, Institutional Flexibility, And One Health, Ellen Chenoweth, Paul Cotter, Janice Straley, Kari Lanphier

Faculty, Staff, and Students

Rural and Indigenous students face many barriers to persistence in biomedical and STEM trajectories including poor access to science experiences, a dearth of relatable educational resources, and educational structures misaligned with rural and Indigenous student and community needs. Rural Alaska Students in One Health Research (RASOR) is designed to provide a positive first college experience for rural and Indigenous students. Key innovations include 1) a partnership between the University of Alaska and tribal governments to allow for culturally relevant, locallymentored research experiences and 2) a customizable program structure. We also surveyed adults in the region regarding attitudes about science, its …

Evaluating Nutrition, Exercise, And Education, On Mental Health And Quality Of Life In Menopause, Jill R. Stone

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Physical inactivity, poor nutrition, and a lack of understanding of menopause adversely affect mental health and quality of life in women entering menopause. Metabolic changes during this period can lead to an increase in visceral fat, loss of muscle mass, depression, and anxiety. These metabolic changes are linked to a higher risk for cardiovascular disease, type two diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. This cross-sectional quantitative study, guided by the health belief model, explored the contribution of adopting specific nutrition strategies, exercise, and education in women during menopause transition to help manage mental health (as measured by depression and tension), and quality …

Alma Link Resolver Subject Report 2024-2025, Andrée J. Rathemacher

Technical Services Reports and Statistics

Statistics for 2024-2025 on the number of OpenURL requests by Library of Congress classification code made to the Ex Libris Alma link resolver for items held by the University of Rhode Island Libraries.

Information provided includes Classification Code, Classifications, Number of Requests, Number of Clicked Requests, and % Clicks from Requests.

Alma Link Resolver Title & Issn Report (Top 500) 2024-2025, Andrée J. Rathemacher

Technical Services Reports and Statistics

Statistics for 2024-2025 on the total number of OpenURL requests by journal title and ISSN made to the Ex Libris Alma link resolver for items held by the University of Rhode Island Libraries. Includes only the top 500 journals.

Information provided includes journal Title, ISSN, EISSN, Number of Requests, Number of Clicked Requests, % Clicks from Requests.

Lived Experiences Of Sexual Orientation Discrimination Of Gay Male Service Members, Dwayne A. Tyler

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The repeal of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy (DADT) has been an area of study among scholars since 2011. Researchers have demonstrated that discrimination based on sexual orientation is still occurring in the armed forces. However, researchers have not studied the lived experiences of active-duty male service members in the army who self-identified as gay. The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to examine the lived experiences of discrimination based on the sexual orientation of male service members who self-identified as gay in the army since the repeal of the DADT policy. Using semi-structured interviews, four self-identified gay …

Staff Education Project An Educational Project To Educating Mental Health Staffs On Stress Management To Improve Knowledge And Staff Retention, Lilian Eneude

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This evidence-based educational project addressed the knowledge gap in stress management techniques among mental health nursing staff at an acute psychiatric facility. Mental health professionals experience substantially higher rates of workplace stress and burnout compared to other healthcare workers, affecting staff wellbeing, patient care quality, and organizational outcomes. The practice-focused question was: Does educating mental health nurses on stress management improve knowledge as evidenced by pre- and post-intervention? A comprehensive literature search was done at the Walden University Library using CINAHL, PubMed, and PsycINFO databases that yielded 200 potential articles, with 45 full-text articles reviewed and 20 high-quality studies included …

Lived Experiences Of Ex-Offenders In Securing Stable Employment After Reentry Programs, Tony Lemar Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The reintegration of formerly incarcerated individuals into society has garnered increasing attention largely due to structural and social barriers that impede their successful transition. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of ex-offenders who successfully obtained gainful employment following their reintegration into society while navigating the enduring consequences of their past convictions. Self-determination, self-efficacy, and implicit theories grounded this study. Ten participants were recruited through social media platforms and flyers on community billboards in a suburban area of Ohio. Data were collected using semistructured in-depth interviews. Narrative coding, according to Saldana, was used …

Personal Social Media Usage And The Effect On Individuals’ Job Satisfaction: A Social Identity Theory Perspective, Daniel Adam Blair

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Social networking sites are web-based platforms that serve as tools to enhance connectivity and communication for a broad spectrum of different individuals, but they may be doing a disservice to the users who overuse the platforms as a means to bolster their self-esteem surrounding their different identities. The purpose of this study was to examine the differences in individuals’ job satisfaction levels when using personal social media (PSM) to varying degrees and how individuals’ social identities may influence this interaction. Utilizing the social identity theory framework, this study aimed to determine whether a relationship exists between PSM usage and job …

Strategies In Cybersecurity For The Protection Of Patient Health Information (Phi), Denise Holloway

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Health information technology (IT) professionals are consistently seeking better ways to balance the availability of patient health information (PHI) with data breach prevention, as these breaches negatively impact health organizations legally and ethically due to the exposure of PHI. However, some health IT professionals lack strategies to protect PHI against cybersecurity attacks. Grounded in Dr. Edward Hutchins’ distributed cognition framework, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry was to understand what strategies health IT professionals use to protect PHI against cybersecurity attacks. The participants were six IT professionals from Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia with at least five to seven …

Service Provider Practice And Dual Victimization Survivors Seeking Emergency Shelter, Lana Heinen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Violence Against Women Act supports responses to the crimes of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking. It does not provide a permanent or guaranteed pathway to safe and stable housing for those experiencing the dual victimization of domestic violence and human trafficking. Service provider practices can alleviate or aggravate barriers faced by this population. These practices are influenced by the education and training service providers receive before entering the field and throughout their career. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to explore service providers’ perceptions of structures and barriers contributing to the obstacles of accessing …

Elementary School Administrators Perceptions Of School-Wide Restorative Practices In A School District In Georgia, Simone Simmons

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This basic qualitative study explored the perceptions of elementary school administrators regarding the uses of restorative practices (RPs) to address an increase in undesirable behaviors among K–5 students in a northern public school district in Georgia. Guided by restorative justice theory, which emphasizes repairing harm and fostering positive relationships, the study focused on understanding how administrators perceive the effectiveness of RPs in managing student behavior during instructional time. The research questions focused on administrators’ perceptions of the effectiveness of RPs in addressing student behaviors in the classroom. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 10 elementary school administrators from the …

Artificial Intelligence For Detecting Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (Nash), Muhammad Wildan Gifari, Yogi Ramadhani, Dhadhang Wahyu Kurniawan

Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research

Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), an inflammatory disease of the liver, has recently raised concern among healthcare professionals worldwide due to its asymptomatic features, making early diagnosis challenging. If left unnoticed, NASH often progresses to lethal diseases such as liver fibrosis or hepatocellular carcinoma. Recent developments in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) might facilitate the early diagnosis of NASH in a more efficient manner, forming a promising strategy to diagnose patients. In simple terms, AI is any machine that is capable of human-level intelligence, including visual perception, speech recognition, or decision making. A subclass of AI, which particularly deals with knowledge-based …

The Minnesota Conference Proposed Guidelines For Education And Training In Clinical Neuropsychology, Anthony Y Stringer, Kathleen Fuchs, Veronica Bordes Edgar, Thomas Bristow, Stephen Correia, Suzanne Penna, Anny Reyes, Douglas M Whiteside, Cady Block, Douglas Bodin, Sakina Butt, Matthew Calamia, Nyaz Didehbani, Peter Dodzik, Vonetta M Dotson, Mary Fernandes, Krista Freece, Richard Fuller, Glen Getz, Lana Harder, Farzin Irani, Laura Janzen, Brick Johnstone, Erin Kaseda, Megan Kramer, Cynthia Kubu, Jose Lafosse, Jennifer Lee-Darocha, Beatriz Macdonald, Adriana Macias Strutt, Michelle Madore, Will Mcbride, Luis Daniel Medina, Grace Mucci, Kritika Nayar, June Paltzer, Courtney Ray, Rebecca Ready, Taylor Rose Schmitt, Beth Rush, Shifali Singh, Scott Sperling, Lisa Stanford, William Stiers, Nikki Stricker, Allen Thornton, Ryan Van Patten, Susan Vandermorris, Kris Verroulx, Jaime Wilson, Ingram Wright, Andrea Zartman, Robert Bilder, Daryl Fujii, Amy Heffelfinger, Thomas Parsons, Antonio E Puente, Celiane Rey-Casserly, Brad Roper, Maureen Schmitter-Edgecombe

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Objective: The Houston Conference Guidelines (Hannay et al., 1998) provided an initial framework for North American neuropsychology training that served the specialty well for several decades. Subsequent advances in technology, increased diversity of the U.S. and Canadian populations, and the adoption of competency-based training models within Health Service Psychology have created a need to update neuropsychology training guidelines. Therefore, in 2022, the Minnesota Conference to Update Education and Training Guidelines in Clinical Neuropsychology began a two-year drafting process leading to the currently proposed update.

Method: A Steering Committee worked with content experts, consultants, and delegates representing North American neuropsychological organizations …

Effects Of Meeting Exercise Guidelines On Depression And Anxiety In Multiple Sclerosis – A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Sodiq Fakorede, Joseph Peters, Tanner Murphy, Ethan Truong, Libak Abou

Student Publications

Background: Depression and anxiety are common in multiple sclerosis (MS), significantly affecting quality of life. Previous studies on exercise interventions for mental health in persons with MS (PwMS) have shown mixed results, partly due to inconsistent adherence to the Physical Activity Guidelines for Multiple Sclerosis (PAG-MS).

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of PAG-MS-compliant exercise on depression and anxiety outcomes in PwMS.

Methods: A systematic search was performed in EMBASE, PsycINFO, Web of Science, SPORTDiscuss, PubMed, Scopus, and CINAHL through October 2024 to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Eligible studies involved adults with MS and focused on exercise …

A Scoping Review Of Personalised Uk Maternity Care: Where Are We Now?, Louisa Tompkins, Gary Hodge, Jill Shawe, Lisa Burrows, Annick Bogaerts, Susie Pearce

School of Nursing and Midwifery

Background/AimsPersonalised care has been recommended continuously to improve UK maternity services. The aim of this review was to explore the current provision of personalised care and consider why it may not yet be fully embedded in practice.MethodsThis review of Embase, Medline, the Healthcare Management Information Consortium, the British Nursing Index, CINAHL, Google Scholar and reference lists found 15 articles published between 2014 and 2024, which were included for thematic analysis and synthesis.ResultsThe themes included the complexities of personalised care, different perspectives when implementing personalised care and the effect of cultural factors embedded in maternity services.ConclusionsBarriers to implementing personalised care include …

Innovating For Improvement — Improving Pressure Damage Prevention And Treatment In The Community Using Continuous Pressure Monitoring, Bridie Kent, Nicci Aylward-Wotton, Peter R. Worsley

School of Nursing and Midwifery

Each year, approximately half a million people in the UK develop pressure ulcers (PUs), with most occurring in the community among individuals with underlying comorbidities, frailty, mobility issues and a dependence on carers. Pressure relief is essential for healing, however, some patients find pressure-relieving equipment uncomfortable, hot and noisy, thus refusing to use it and are, therefore, often labelled as non-concordant. This service improvement project evaluated the ForeSite PT® pressure monitor to identify PU risk, support healing and influence patient and carer decision making, assessing its useability, alongside patient and carer education. The technology consisted of a mattress- and chair-sized …

Burnout Theory, Pandemic Teaching And Teacher Efficacy: What Is Lost When Schools Return To “Normal”?, Katy Farber, Penny A. Bishop

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

Our qualitative study examined educators’ perceptions of teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic through the lens of burnout theory. Using the three components of burnout as theorized by Maslach and Leiter (2016), we analyzed teachers’ self-reports of emotional exhaustion, cynicism/depersonalization, and reduced sense of professional self-efficacy. We interviewed 16 teachers who taught through the emergency remote-learning phase of the pandemic in March 2020 and remained in the same district when prepandemic practices returned. We conducted semistructured interviews in person and on Zoom with special educators, integrated arts teachers, school counselors, and general classroom teachers. We describe the unanticipated finding that teachers …

Wrists, James Miller

Fragments

No abstract provided.

Communication, Technology, And Culture

Communication Research Trends

"...from the alphabet to the motorcar, Western man has been steadily refashioned in a slow technological explosion that has extended over 2,500 years. From the time of the telegraph onward, ••• Western man bega'l to live an implosion. He began suddenly ... to play the movie of his 2,500 year explosion backward".

In characteristically vivid imagery Marshall McLuhan in Understanding Media expresses his belief in the power of technology to transform culture. McLuhan's words raise a host of questions about the complex interrelationship of culture, technology, and human consciousness. Questions such as: does technology determine cultural change? how do changes …

Violence In The Media

Communication Research Trends

Do film and television portrayals of violence cause aggressive behaviour in children, juvenile delinquency, increased crime? For more than fifty years this has been one of the most heavily studied - and heavily funded! - topics of communication research. In the United States and, to some extent, in Britain, no other question of media content has been such an important political issue. The public debate about media violence has offered to media researchers one of their most important opportunities to be directly involved in media policy discussions.

Yet, the continuing analysis of programme content by communication researchers such as George …

Television Viewing And Family Communication

Communication Research Trends

Over the past thirty years a host of research studies has sought to determine just what are the effects of television viewing on social behaviour. In particular, study after study has attempted to establish once and for all whether or not the watching of violent programmes by children and adolescents is a direct cause of later aggressive behaviour.

Yet today all that these studies can tell us for certain is that ''for some children, under some conditions, some television is harmful'' and that ''for most children, under most conditions, most television is probably neither harmful nor particularly beneficial." And we …

Navigating Economic Uncertainty With Small Business, Angela E. Nwaomah

SDA Business Teachers Conference

Abstract: In recent years, economic uncertainty has present significant challenges for many, particularly those with irregular jobs and unstable wages. This study examined the perspectives of the faith-based casual and contract employees on how they navigate the economic uncertainty with small businesses. The objective of study was to explore how contract/casual employees in faith-based organizations (FBOs) navigate financial instability by engaging in small businesses as a supplementary income source. All participants were workers of organizations of the same religious affiliation and the same employment policies guiding their operations in Kenya. Using a case study research design and purposive sampling techinque, …

Journalism, The Press And New Technology

Communication Research Trends

In Japan, the newspaper Ashai Simbun has installed a computer system which transfers newsprint to the presses, photosets the print, automatically bales the 12 million copies in the required numbers for each district of the country, and loads them on to waiting lorries; all without the help of a single human being.

Though the degree of automation at the Ashai Shimbun is exceptional, newspapers throughout the world are beginning to exploit the power of the computer to revolutionize the work ofj ournalists and printers. And not only the computer. The use of satellites for remote site printing and facsimile transmission, …

Voices Of Black Leadership: Town-Gown Relationships And The Black Community, Dave A. Louis, Kenzalia Bryant-Scott, Teranda J. Donatto

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

This study explores the perspectives of 27 Black community leaders from Black communities in the United States about town-gown relationships in their communities. Utilizing the responses of the participants, a basic thematic analysis was conducted, and participants’ findings discussed. Emergent themes included issues of mistrust, division, desire for community improvement, and the positive relationships with Black colleges and universities. The researchers offer suggestions to university administrators, community engagement coordinators, and institutions about their approach to create meaningful and collaborative partnerships with Black communities.

Community Members’ Perspectives On A Community-Engaged Process For Supporting Vibrant Greenspaces In Detroit, Alysha D. Matthews, Guilherme Hebling Costa, Karl Erickson, Karin A. Pfeiffer, Amber L. Pearson, Benjamin V. Dougherty

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

Greenspaces provide several well-being (Dinnie et al., 2013) and psychosocial benefits (Addy et al., 2004). Community-engaged research affords community partners a voice in the project (Cushman et al., 2004). This study assessed Detroit community members’ perceived benefits of and suggestions for engaging with the community to support greenspaces. Through qualitative analysis, a three-step process for community-engaged planning was revealed. Findings highlight strategies that involve community members in this process to enhance community engagement and well-being.

Conversations In Isolation: A Mixed-Methods, Multi-Perspective Evaluation Of Extreme Electronic Service Learning During Covid-19, Lauren M. Dinour, Jennifer Y. Daclan

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

Due to physical proximity constraints imposed by COVID-19, extreme electronic service learning (e-service-learning)—instruction and service offered completely online—allowed for the safe continuation of service-learning experiences. Using a combination of surveys and an autoethnographic approach, this study describes findings of an intergenerational extreme e-service-learning project from four perspectives: students, assisted living facility residents, community partner, and course instructor. Positive impacts were noted on personal, social, and learning contexts among each of the four perspectives.

The Heritage Conversation Partners Project: Virtual Cultural Heritage Exchange In An Anthropology Course, Michael J. Kimball, Karin L. Bates, Miranda Bermudez, Liner Emilce Solarte Chourio, Amanda Consol

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

We describe the structure, benefits, and challenges associated with a virtual cultural heritage exchange (VCHE) between undergraduate students in an applied anthropology class and a group of English language learners (ELL). Using qualitative data collection and analysis methods, the project aimed to teach anthropological methods and perspectives to the students while investigating three research questions: Will a VCHE (1) build social bonds and bridges, (2) improve English language acquisition, and (3) raise “heritage consciousness” (awareness and appreciation of, along with an associated sense of agency toward, cultural heritage) among participants? Results support the research questions and show the effectiveness of …