Digital Commons Network^™

The Effect Of Set Volume Autoregulation On Hypertrophy And Exploratory Relationships With Subjective Feedback Metrics, Jacob F. Remmert

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present

Purpose: This study examined whether autoregulation (AR) of set volume led to different hypertrophy outcomes compared to following a fixed training program. We hypothesized that AR would lead to superior hypertrophy. Further, we examined relationships between various subjective feedback metrics and hypertrophy in an exploratory fashion.

Methods: Thirty-four trained men and women had their upper limbs randomized to either an AR condition (AUTO) or a fixed condition (FIX) for unilateral biceps curl training over 10 weeks. Biceps muscle thickness (MT) and upper arm circumference (AC) were assessed at baseline, four midpoints, and post-intervention. Data were analyzed using a mediation framework …

Resurrecting The Romani Presence - Restoring Cultural Memory In Triana Seville, Jesus A. Sanchez

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

In an era of placeless architecture and fragmented civic identity, this thesis investigates how design can cultivate belonging through cultural and historical meaning. It examines the disjunction between spatial function and symbolic resonance in contemporary civic institutions, proposing a framework for architectural memory — a system of strategies that translate narrative, context, and collective history into spatial experience. Through precedent studies and design research, the project explores how rootedness can be achieved through materiality, sequencing, and light, transforming civic space into a vessel of memory and participation. The design proposal, a Romani Museum in Triana, Seville, situates architecture within …

Ballots And Beliefs: Diverging Views On Election Integrity From The Public And Officials, Anita Manion, David C. Kimball, Paul Manson, Paul Gronke, Joseph Anthony

Center for Public Service Publications and Reports

Public opinion about election integrity and election administration is frequently cited in policy debates in the United States. Due to their role in administering elections, local election officials (LEOs) provide an authoritative voice on election-related matters. Yet it remains unclear whether differences between LEO and public opinion reflect compositional differences between these groups or fundamentally distinct ways of evaluating election integrity and reform. We compare the main predictors of opinions about election administration for LEOs and the public in the United States on election integrity, voting values, and election reforms using national surveys from 2020 and 2024. We find that …

When Healing Becomes Horror: Medical Malpractice And Institutional Fear, Taryn Prater

COD Library Student Research and Award Symposium

I studied medical malpractice through the lens of Monster Theory, examining how systemic failures, institutional silence, and cultural ideals shape harm in healthcare. I learned that malpractice is not only a legal issue, but a structural and ethical one, where fear and lack of transparency erode trust and impact both patients and providers.

Monstrous Medicine website

Faculty Sponsor: Professor Aleisha Balestri

There's Nothing Tragic About Being Fifty: An Introduction To Hagsploitation, Kayla Brabant

COD Library Student Research and Award Symposium

A brief introduction to Hagsploitation, a subgenre of Exploitation film both established and popularized by the release of Robert Aldrich"s What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962). Notable examples of these films will be discussed, as well as historical context, and the potential for a feminist reading on the subgenre.

Faculty Sponsor:  Professor Dylan Simons

Boosting Psychological Well-Being In One Session: A Rapid Counseling Approach To Digital Detox And Music Therapy, Aryobimo Oentarto

Buletin Konseling Inovatif

The rapid acceleration of technology has trapped modern youth in a digital connectivity paradox, where constant social media exposure triggers cognitive distortions and maladaptive behaviors that erode psychological well-being. This study evaluates the effectiveness of a Rapid Counseling approach integrated with Single-Session Music Therapy (RC-SSMT) in enhancing the psychological well-being of youth by breaking the cycle of digital addiction. Using a pre-test and post-test experimental design, the study focused on six youths (aged 15–17) at Church "X" in Jakarta who were identified as having low psychological well-being. The intervention combined a mandatory digital detox as a behavioral task with music …

Bdnf Signaling Dysfunction In College-Aged Males: Mapk/Erk Contributions To Mood, Cognition, And Motivation., Abdul-Rahman Kassak

COD Library Student Research and Award Symposium

BDNF Signaling Dysfunction in College-Aged Males: MAPK/ERK Contributions to Mood, Cognition, and Motivation.

Faculty Sponsor:  Professor Liane Cochran-Stafira

A Three-Criteria Framework For U.S. Immigration Reform: Humane Treatment, Resource Reallocation, And Proportional Fallback, Eddie Contreras

COD Library Student Research and Award Symposium

This project examines how U.S. immigration enforcement could be restructured around three criteria: humane treatment, resource reallocation, and proportional consequences. The evidence, drawn from journalism, peer-reviewed research, government data, and international comparisons, consistently shows that current enforcement is poorly targeted, fiscally costly, and harmful to the community it depends on. At the same time, the picture is not one-sided: a real population of serious offenders exists, some workers benefit economically from restrictive policies, and even the strongest international models have real flaws. Administrative reforms within DHS could begin moving the system in a slightly better direction now. However, durable change …

Awareness And Perceived Benefits Of Ai Assistive Technology In Ghana’S Inclusive Education: An Exploratory And Context-Specific Study, Isaac Amoako, Vera Arhin, Eric Abodey, Daniel Gyapong Nimo

Mid-Western Educational Researcher

Background: Education experts have consistently emphasized that the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in education presents a range of transformative possibilities, including personalized learning, real-time feedback, automation of routine tasks, analysis of learner needs, and adaptability to the pace and requirements of individual students. While many Ghanaian teachers are increasingly familiar with generative AI tools, there remains a noticeable gap in awareness regarding AI-powered assistive technologies and their potential as a catalyst for advancing the nation’s inclusive education agenda. This study, therefore, seeks to assess the level of awareness among teachers concerning the use of AI-powered assistive technologies in supporting …

Shaped By The Feed: Big Data, Identity And Power, Ana Paula Andrada

COD Library Student Research and Award Symposium

I explored how big data and algorithms shape the way we think and interact at an individual and societal level. This started from things I kept noticing in everyday life. Through my research, I learned how the personalization and predictability in feeds can reinforce beliefs, limit our critical thinking, deepen polarization and threaten our freedom.

Faculty Sponsor:  Professor Aleisha Balestri

Understanding Perceived Agency: An Analysis Of Sex Workers’ Lived Experiences, Alyssa King

Undergraduate Research Journal

This study explores the perceived agency of female sex workers through narrative analysis of publicly available YouTube interviews from the Soft White Underbelly series. Using a qualitative design grounded in Modified Grounded Theory, the research employed open, axial, and selective coding to identify key dimensions of agency, including bodily autonomy, workplace control, financial decision-making and coping mechanisms. Findings reveal that sex workers’ agency exists on a spectrum, shaped by intersecting structural constraints such as criminalization, stigma, poverty, and violence. While some interviewees describe empowerment through control over clients and earnings, others report diminished autonomy due to coercion, financial dependency, and …

The House Of Pages: Longing, Confinement, And Women’S Imaginative Architecture, Ashtyn E. Hedlund

Undergraduate Research Journal

This article examines how women’s longing and imaginative agency are shaped, constrained, and reconstituted within domestic and psychological interiors in women’s literature. Drawing on Kate Chopin’s The Awakening, Edith Wharton’s The House of Mirth, Ann Petry’s The Street, Carmen Maria Machado’s In the Dream House, and Kelly Barnhill’s When Women Were Dragons, the essay employs bibliomancy as both method and metaphor, allowing chance, intuition, and textual resonance to guide critical inquiry. Through a symbolic “house” composed of five rooms, the article traces how each narrative transforms confinement into imaginative depth. These spaces reveal longing not …

Improving Rounding Communication In The Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Timothy Burchard, Sarah Brunner, Kathlyn Baharaeen, Katie Macmillan

Research Showcase

Background: Effective communication during rounds is essential for safe, efficient, and high-quality care in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), where patient complexity requires timely interdisciplinary collaboration. Despite being standard practice, multidisciplinary rounds face barriers such as inconsistent structure, interruptions, absent team members, and variable attending physician preferences limiting full stakeholders' engagement. Baseline observations in our PICU highlighted a lack of shared mental models, with order read-back occurring only 13% of the time and respiratory therapist (RT) presence in just 31% of rounds. To address these gaps, our team initiated a project to standardize rounds for improved interdisciplinary communication of …

Increasing Concomitant Naloxone And Opioid Prescribing From A Pediatric Emergency Department: Qi Project, Justin Chu, Leslie Hueschen, Christopher Kaberline, Michelle Dephillips

Research Showcase

Problem Statement/Question: Opioid overdose is one of the leading causes of death in the pediatric population, primarily in adolescents. The 2024 American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) opioid prescribing guidelines recommend that naloxone be co-prescribed with opioids as prevention for future overdose deaths. However, in 2024, naloxone was co-prescribed with only 1% of opioids written from our emergency departments (ED).

Background/Project Intent (Aim Statement): This quality improvement initiative aims to increase the percentage of naloxone co-prescribed with opioids at a pediatric tertiary care ED and pediatric community ED from 1% to 50% by March 2026.

Methods (include PDSA cycles): Root cause …

Factors That Contribute To Unemployment In The School-To-Work Transition, Brittany Verrette

Online Journal for Workforce Education and Development

This paper explores the problem of unemployment for Black or African American high school graduates as well as Latinx graduates. As college increasingly becomes a risk of return on investment, more young adults intend to enter the workforce immediately after high school graduation; however, many Black and Latinx graduates experience difficulty in transitioning from school to work. Using Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory, this paper explores the contributing factors that make gainful employment difficult for high school graduates of color.

Keywords: unemployment, school-to-work transition, high school graduates, career education, K-12, workforce development

Embracing Neurodiversity In The Workplace: Strategies For Human Resource Management To Foster Inclusion And Enhance Employee Well-Being, Sameer Ahmed

Online Journal for Workforce Education and Development

Abstract

Objective: This literature review examines strategies for fostering the inclusion of neurodivergent individuals in the workplace with a focus on the role of Human Resource Management (HRM). Background: Neurodiversity refers to variations in neurological functioning and includes conditions such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia and others. Recognizing neurodiversity as a valuable form of human diversity can enhance workplace innovation and performance. Method: A comprehensive review of the recent literature on neurodiversity in the workplace was conducted by employing qualitative analysis techniques, including thematic coding, comparative analysis, and critical reflection. Results: Key findings encompass the …

Improving Documentation Of Pneumonia Diagnoses On General Pediatrics Inpatient Teams, Nicole Neeley, Timothy Burchard, Nicholas Clark, Jason Chandler, Hank Unterschuetz

Research Showcase

Problem Statement/Question:

Appropriate documentation of medical diagnoses is crucial to hospital billing and can limit insurance contention of medical treatments. Incorrect or vague documentation of diagnostic codes can decrease hospital reimbursement, and post-discharge queries can cause unnecessary time burdens on physicians.  Pneumonia diagnoses account for almost 25% of all queries at Children's Mercy Hospital, mostly due to failure to include specific details such as causal organism or location. From September 2023-2024 roughly 10% of pneumonia diagnoses required queries, of which 95% had suggested changes accepted, indicating that there is a need for improvement with initial documentation.

Background/Project Intent (Aim Statement): …

How Motivation And Engagement Lead To Meaningful Work In Creative Majors, Katherine Brobst

UTC Spring Research and Arts Conference

This poster presentation is on a study that seeks to determine the factors that foster meaningful creativity in college students through their motivation and engagement tendencies. Many factors can contribute to how college students are motivated and engaged in the various aspects of their daily lives. The key to meaningful work is doing something that connects a person with their interests in a conscious manner. This study, conducted in the spring 2024 semester, included 9 upper classmen studying in creative majors including Studio Art and Photography with various minors at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga. Participants provided a myriad of …

Possum, James A. Jordan

Valparaiso Fiction Review

No abstract provided.

The Paradox Of Protection: How Age Of Consent Laws Fail The Youth They Were Designed To Defend, Christie Smith

Advanced Issues in Criminal Law: Sex Offenses

This paper examines the historical development, modern inconsistencies, and unintended consequences of age of consent laws in the United States and abroad. Tracing the doctrine from its origins in English common law through reform movements in countries such as the United States, India, and Canada, the paper argues that age of consent laws have often reflected shifting political, economic, and patriarchal objectives rather than coherent principles of protection or developmental maturity. The paper explores discrepancies across jurisdictions, contradictions in adolescent autonomy, gender bias in enforcement, and the overcriminalization of consensual relationships between minors. It further analyzes how modern statutory frameworks …

No Child Left To Heal Alone: Rethinking Restitution For Child Victims Of Sexual Abuse, Jessica Valiani

Advanced Issues in Criminal Law: Sex Offenses

This paper examines the long-term psychological, emotional, and financial harms suffered by child victims of sexual abuse and argues that existing restitution statutes in the United States fail to provide meaningful, sustained support for survivors. Drawing on developmental psychology research, criminal restitution frameworks, and comparative state statutes, the paper demonstrates how current laws often limit recovery to narrow categories of offenses or leave compensation largely discretionary. The paper further analyzes Kentucky’s “Melanie’s Law” as a model for imposing ongoing offender-funded obligations and proposes a new child-centered restitution statute requiring convicted offenders to fund therapy and treatment for survivors of child …

The United States Still Says “I Do” To Marital Rape: An Examination Of Modern Marital Rape Exemptions, Jaiden Herald

Advanced Issues in Criminal Law: Sex Offenses

This paper examines the persistence of marital rape exemptions in the United States despite the formal criminalization of spousal rape in all fifty states. Through historical analysis and statutory comparison, the paper traces the origins of marital rape exemptions to common law doctrines rooted in implied consent, coverture, and the treatment of women as property. It further analyzes modern exemptions that continue to shield perpetrators through loopholes involving cohabitation, incapacity, reporting requirements, or reduced penalties. By highlighting statutes from states such as South Carolina, Arkansas, and Iowa, the paper demonstrates how marital status continues to undermine equal protection for victims …

Preparing A Qualified Workforce To Support The Disability Community Through The Lend Interprofessional Learning Experience, Megan K. Roberts, Beth W. Degrace, Mark J. Fisher, Sandra H. Arnold

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

Leadership and workforce preparation are vital roles of the nation’s academic institutions to advance health care services for the members of our communities. Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and other Related Disabilities (LEND) programs aim to prepare leaders in health care services and advocacy to improve systems and the quality of care and supports for the disability community, specifically children with developmental disabilities. LEND programs enhance standard health care pre-service training by providing interdisciplinary learning experiences for student trainees from a minimum of ten disciplines in 300 hours of learning activities over one academic year. An innovative feature of LEND programs …

Finding Your People, Finding Your Place: Institutional Collaborative Writing Groups As A Compassionate Approach To Developing A Professional Sotl Identity, Ruth L. Healey, Sean A. Morrissey, Mick Healey

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

Practising the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) has been shown to help staff from non-traditional backgrounds (e.g. professional backgrounds) develop a sense of belonging within academia. This article examines how institutional collaborative writing groups support inexperienced SoTL practitioners in finding their place within their institution. Drawing on literature about SoTL identity and collaborative writing groups (CWGs), we consider how these CWGs assist colleagues in shaping their professional identities. We found that some staff did not see themselves as ‘academics’ or ‘researchers’, especially when their job emphasised teaching, such as ‘Teaching Fellow’. However, they strongly desired recognition and appreciation for …

The Impact Of A 14-Day Writing Challenge On Self-Regulation Skills, Nicole M. Mishnick, Ron Rhone, Kayla Reed

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

This mixed-methods exploratory study, conducted with eight Ed.D. students at a single U.S. university, examines the impact of a 14-day writing challenge, an intervention designed to foster self-regulation and promote progress among doctoral students working on their dissertations. The writing challenge included daily writing tips, goal-setting prompts, and an opportunity for students to reflect on their writing practices. While exploratory, quantitative findings revealed significant growth in students’ use of goal-setting strategies and adaptive writing behavior. Qualitative analysis found that the writing challenge increased students' motivation, accountability, and self-awareness. The study findings suggest the environment created by the writing challenge positively …

Bayesian Or Frequentist? Testing The Association Between Statistical Approach In A Research Methods Class Project And Research Attitudes, Jacob B. Rode

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

Research methods courses commonly include an empirical project. This quasi-experimental study examined whether using Bayesian statistics to analyze data would be associated with more positive student perceptions of research methods projects. At a private university in the U.S., two research methods courses were taught using frequentist statistics and two using Bayesian statistics for the project analyses. Students (N = 88) reported their attitudes towards research three times across the semester, and their perceptions of the project at the end of the course (Time 3). At Time 3, there were no significant differences between frequentist and Bayesian classes in their …

"Better Than A Boring Textbook": Studying Development Through Middle-Grade Literature, Heidi A. Sackreiter

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

College students are sometimes reluctant to purchase textbooks for various reasons, but they still must study the necessary content in a course or academic program. This Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) research project examined college students’ perceptions of reading middle-grade novels in place of a traditional, formal textbook within an Adolescent Development course. All participants were part of a teacher education program at a four-year, public institution in the Midwest United States. Questionnaires were administered at the conclusion of two semesters, and respondents shared impressions about the middle-grade reading. Response to studying middle-grade novels instead of a textbook was …

Student Experience Of Ai-Driven Discussion Boards In An Undergraduate Course, Blake C. Colclasure, Jamie Greig, Taylor K. Ruth, Victoria Beasley

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

Instructional platforms that incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) are emerging in higher education. Scholarship of teaching and learning should not only examine student learning outcomes from the use of novel AI technologies but should also investigate student perceptions of these technologies. We employed the user experience (UX) framework to investigate students’ UX of the instructional AI-driven platform, Packback, as a mode for online discussion boards. A survey using the User Experience Questionnaire was developed and employed in a general elective arts and humanities undergraduate course offered online and in-person. Data from 96 undergraduate student responses were analyzed and large variability was …

Curriculum Negotiation: Supporting Student Autonomy To Enhance Student Engagement, Brenda L. Thomas, William Reynolds, Jonathan Ponce De Leon, Caroline Sorbara

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

Student disengagement has become a prominent concern across higher education in the five years since the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet students who are engaged in learning tend to be more successful academically. Therefore, pedagogies that enhance student engagement increase the probability of students’ success. This qualitative study explored curriculum negotiation as one such pedagogy. Results demonstrated similar behavioral and cognitive engagement from students in traditional and negotiated classes, but greater affective and agentic engagement from those who negotiated the curriculum with their classmates. Additionally, more students in negotiated classes indicated transformative learning than students in traditionally taught classes. We examine the …

Deep Or Surface? Understanding Learning Approaches Among Undergraduate Students, Kelzang Tentsho, Jigme Wangchuk, Kencho Pelzom

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

Student approaches to learning (SAL) have a significant impact on the quality of their learning and academic achievement. In this study, we examined the preferred learning approaches of undergraduate students and how these approaches change over time. The Revised Study Process Questionnaire (R-SPQ-2F) was administered to 75 students enrolled in the Anthropology program to evaluate students’ preferred learning approaches. The qualitative data were collected through focus group discussions involving 20 participants. Results showed a significantly higher deep score than surface score. Final year students had the highest deep approach score compared to other cohorts. The results also indicated that students …