Digital Commons Network^™

Natural Language Processing And Neurosymbolic Ai: The Role Of Neural Networks With Knowledge-Guided Symbolic Approaches, Emily Barnes, James Hutson

Faculty Scholarship

Neurosymbolic AI (NeSy AI) represents a groundbreaking approach in the realm of Natural Language Processing (NLP), merging the pattern recognition of neural networks with the structured reasoning of symbolic AI to address the complexities of human language. This study investigates the effectiveness of neurosymbolic AI in providing nuanced understanding and contextually relevant responses, driven by the need to overcome the limitations of existing models in handling complex linguistic tasks and abstract reasoning. Employing a hybrid methodology that combines multimodal contextual modeling with rule-governed inferences and memory activations, the research delves into specific applications like Named Entity Recognition (NER), where architectures …

The Bourgeoisie Black Church: An Analysis Of The American Black Church's Aspirations And Imagination, Alexander Robert Booker

Seattle Pacific Seminary Theses

I am a product of the Black church. It is my home, my heart, and it has helped me spiritually, financially, and emotionally in many ways throughout my life. However, the church that I love dearly and has provided me with many opportunities has also provided spaces of harm, exclusion, and the promotion of an imperialistic Christ. This tension is not a unique tension for many institutions born in America, but what I see so clearly is the tension between the Black church’s countercultural and resistant roots that started in the brush harbors of the antebellum south and into what …

Exploratory Study Of Students’ Creative Mindset, Perceived Values Of Open Educational Resources, And Flow, Hungwei Tseng, Mark Sciuchetti, Yingqi Tang

Research, Publications & Creative Work

As the awareness, benefits, and adoption of Open Educational Resources (OER) in various fields have increased, so have efforts to conduct research on its impact on students learning behaviors, experience, and engagement. However, limited research has been conducted regarding the efficacy of using OER on students’ perceived enjoyment in learning and interactions with educational materials. This study aimed to examine the relationships between creative mindset, flow experience, and perceived values of OER among 88 online undergraduate students. First, results revealed that students who have a growth-oriented creative mindset are more likely to understand and embrace OER’s intrinsic worth. Their willingness …

The Effect Of Creatine Nitrate And Caffeine Individually Or Combined On Exercise Performance And Cognitive Function: A Randomized, Crossover, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial, Gina Mabrey, Majid S. Koozehchian, Andrew T. Newton, Alireza Naderi, Scott C. Forbes, Monoem Haddad

Research, Publications & Creative Work

This study examined the effect of creatine nitrate and caffeine alone and combined on exercise performance and cognitive function in resistance-trained athletes. In a double-blind, randomized crossover trial, twelve resistance-trained male athletes were supplemented with 7 days of creatine nitrate (5 g/day), caffeine (400 mg/day), and a combination of creatine nitrate and caffeine. The study involved twelve resistance-trained male athletes who initially provided a blood sample for comprehensive safety analysis, including tests for key enzymes and a lipid profile, and then performed standardized resistance exercises—bench and leg press at 70% 1RM—and a Wingate anaerobic power test. Cognitive function and cardiovascular …

Predicting Hurricane Evacuation Decisions With Interpretable Machine Learning Methods, Yuran Sun, Shih-Kai Huang, Xilei Zhao

Research, Publications & Creative Work

Abstract Facing the escalating effects of climate change, it is critical to improve the prediction and understanding of the hurricane evacuation decisions made by households in order to enhance emergency management. Current studies in this area often have relied on psychology-driven linear models, which frequently exhibited limitations in practice. The present study proposed a novel interpretable machine learning approach to predict household-level evacuation decisions by leveraging easily accessible demographic and resource-related predictors, compared to existing models that mainly rely on psychological factors. An enhanced logistic regression model (that is, an interpretable machine learning approach) was developed for accurate predictions by …

Exploratory Study Of Students’ Creative Mindset, Perceived Values Of Open Educational Resources, And Flow, Hungwei Tseng, Mark Sciuchetti, Yingqi Tang

Research, Publications & Creative Work

As the awareness, benefits, and adoption of Open Educational Resources (OER) in various fields have increased, so have efforts to conduct research on its impact on students learning behaviors, experience, and engagement. However, limited research has been conducted regarding the efficacy of using OER on students’ perceived enjoyment in learning and interactions with educational materials. This study aimed to examine the relationships between creative mindset, flow experience, and perceived values of OER among 88 online undergraduate students. First, results revealed that students who have a growth-oriented creative mindset are more likely to understand and embrace OER’s intrinsic worth. Their willingness …

Unfair Discrimination Standards, Actuarial Fairness, And Insurers’ Use Of Big Data, Laura L. Arp

Nebraska Law Review

Technological innovations in insurance rating allow increasingly large sets of data about insureds to be collected, analyzed, and turned into rates. Consumers’ concerns about artificial intelligence can translate into mistrust that their insurance rates accurately reflect the risk they present. In response, regulatory frameworks are being developed for testing these new algorithms. When people encounter the word “discrimination,” they often register a meaning of “unfair discrimination.” However, in the insurance context, “discrimination” is a neutral term.

This Article attempts to unpack the multiple and complex facets present in the definition of unfair discrimination—and in particular proxy discrimination—as applied to insurance, …

Heads Held High And Hands Holding Hope: The Victory And Vulnerabilities Of The Indian Child Welfare Act After Haaland V. Brackeen, Mikayla Jones

Nebraska Law Review

Congress enacted the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) in 1978 to mitigate the catastrophic effects of the federal government’s longstanding policy of forcibly removing Indian children from their families and tribal communities. ICWA has safeguarded Indian children and families for decades by setting minimum standards in state child welfare proceedings to prevent unwarranted removals, support family preservation and reunification, and foster cultural and community connection.

However, ICWA has faced numerous legal challenges since its implementation—often on the theory that the law discriminates against Indian children on the basis of race in violation of the Equal Protection Clause. In 2023, the …

Using A Congressional-Executive Agreement To Protect Abortion At Home And Abroad, Amanda V. Landaverde

Nebraska Law Review

In the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health, the Court rejected the existence of a constitutional right to abortion and obliterated the only federal protection of abortion. Two years after the Court’s decision, Congress has not passed federal legislation protecting abortion, and our country has no national standard on abortion access. In the meantime, in states with draconian abortion restrictions, women are forced to wait until they are at death’s door before the state allows them to have an abortion. This occurs despite the majority of Americans supporting some form of abortion access.

Although potential legislation …

Masthead & Table Of Contents, Vol. 103, No. 2

Nebraska Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Case Law Of The Court Of Justice Of The Eu On Art. 17 Of The 1999 Montreal Convention: An Evaluation From A Comparative Perspective, Michael Chatzipanagiotis

Journal of Air Law and Commerce

This paper analyzes the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) on Article 17(1) of the 1999 Montreal Convention (MC99) regarding the liability of international air carriers for death or bodily injury to passengers. The interpretational principles and methods applied by the CJEU are examined, accounting also for the particularities of the EU legal order. Furthermore, the results reached by the CJEU are compared with the case law of other jurisdictions, mainly the US, and doctrinal writings. Nonetheless, this paper does not explore the pertinent issues from a de lege ferenda perspective.

The paper concludes …

Empathy Development Among Undergraduate Health Professions’ Students Serving As Caregivers To Hospice Patients, Kelly Melekis, Carol S. Weisse, Emma Phillips, Claire Slattery

Health Professions Education

Although empathy is considered a core competency for healthcare providers and has been shown to play an important role in improving patient outcomes, empathy development while working with dying patients is not well understood and may present challenges during clinical training. This qualitative study explored empathy development among 24 undergraduate health professions students participating in an experiential training program where they served as caregivers providing bedside care to hospice patients. An exploratory case study design was used to assess empathy development as expressed via responses to a series of questions and vignettes prior to and upon completion of the training …

Mapping Change: The Effect Of Using Concept Mapping On The Students’ Engagement And Performance In Problem-Based Learning Tutorials, Tahany Mesbah, Enjy Abouzeid, Nahla Hassan, Mona Ghaly, Wagdy Talaat

Health Professions Education

Purpose: Problem-Based Learning (PBL) and Concept Mapping (CM) have parallel purposes as both are based on a constructivist view of learning. They promote active learning, support the construction of knowledge, and integrate learning as well as integrating disciplines So, this study was designed to investigate the effect of using concept mapping on the students’ engagement and performance in the PBL tutorials. Methods: The study is a pre-posttest two groups Quasi-experimental. The sample was 415 first year medical students divided into two groups (Group A and Group B). The instruments that were used for data collection were the University Student Engagement …

Challenging Feedback Literacy, Roma Forbes

Health Professions Education

No abstract provided.

Exploring And Describing Current Behavioral And Social Sciences Curricula In Predoctoral Dental Programs, Casey D. Wright, Lance Brendan Young

School of Dentistry Faculty Research and Publications

Purpose

To maintain accreditation status, predoctoral dental programs in the United States and Canada are required to train future dentists in the fundamentals of behavioral sciences. Each program independently determines how to fulfill this task, and little information exists on the consistency of training across programs. The purpose of this study was to identify the range of topics currently taught in predoctoral dental programs in the United States and Canada, who teaches them, and the modes of instruction and assessment.

Methods

Invitations to complete an online survey were emailed to faculty responsible for, or familiar with, the behavioral sciences curricula …

Preservice Eal/D Teachers’ Relational Agency During Online Paired Practicum, Hongzhi Yang, Andrew Ross

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

There is scant research on preservice English as an additional language or dialect (EAL/D) teachers’ paired practicums in an online context. Underpinned by Cultural Historical Activity Theory, this paper explores how preservice EAL/D teachers exercise their relational agency during online paired practicums. Data were collected from five preservice EAL/D teachers’ weekly journals written during their paired practicums and interviews after they completed their paired practicums. Following the key components of relational agency, the thematic analysis highlights the dialectical relationship between preservice teachers’ relational agency and different types of collaboration, evidenced by the formation of mutual objects, tool mediation, and shared …

Development Of An In-Service Teacher Educator: Becoming, Doing, Knowing, Being And Belonging Through The Tensions, Fatma Gümüşok, Gölge Seferoğlu

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This qualitative case study analyses the professional identity development of an in-service teacher educator (ISTE) through her conceptualisations and tensions. The participant possesses multiple degrees in different fields (BA in physics teaching, MA and PhD in Educational Administration) and became an ISTE in English Language Teaching (ELT) with this interdisciplinary background. We mainly focused on her lived experiences of developing as an ISTE in ELT in the context of in-service teacher education (INSET) in Türkiye. The thematic content analysis of an in-depth face-to-face interview suggests that resolving tensions early may be needed for ISTEs to persevere in their new job. …

What Do You Know About Adhd? A Comparison Between Mainstream And Special Education Teachers, Sigal Eden, Nufar Sukenik

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This study investigates the knowledge and attitudes toward Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) among a large cohort of mainstream and special education in-service teachers in Israel. Given the pivotal role of teachers in identifying and managing ADHD symptoms within the classroom, it is crucial to ensure they possess adequate knowledge and positive attitudes toward the disorder. Previous studies have indicated a gap in knowledge and attitudes between mainstream and special education teachers, often influenced by factors such as teacher training, personal experience, and demographic characteristics. This study addresses these gaps by utilizing the well-validated ASKAT questionnaire to provide a comprehensive assessment of …

Investigating Western Australian Teacher Perceptions Of Young Children’S Challenging Behaviour In The Early Years (Kindergarten To Year 2): An Exploratory Analysis., Gillian Smith, Kay Ayre, Helen Egeberg

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

An upward national trend in challenging behaviour amongst young children in Australian schools has prompted widespread concern and garnered frequent media scrutiny. Scholars have established that child-teacher relationships are central to understanding and mitigating challenging behaviour; however, exploration of teacher perceptions of children's challenging behaviour in the early years has been scant. This paper reports on findings drawn from a larger mixed-methods study of how teachers perceive, and respond to, young children’s challenging behaviour. Survey data from 111 Western Australian teachers of Kindergarten to Year 2 showed that challenging behaviour is appraised contextually, and relational pedagogy is valued. The analysis …

The Effect Of The Advocacy Social-Emotional Learning Program On Emotional Competence, Thomas Lee Morgan, Amie B. Cieminski, Suzanne Marmo, Keisha Kayon Morgan

Education Faculty Publications

School leaders are integrating social and emotional skills content into their academic curriculum to create a supportive learning environment and improve the implicit curriculum. The Generation Schools Network (GSN) Advocacy Program is a comprehensive, multi-component schoolwide initiative designed to promote students' social-emotional competence, college and career readiness, and academic success. Overall, the GSN Advocacy Program represents a holistic approach that promotes the interconnectedness of social-emotional development and academic success, aiming to prepare students for the challenges and opportunities they will encounter. The study aimed to test for baseline equivalence between the comparison and intervention groups regarding school climate, leadership, school …

Financial Exclusion In The Uk's Cashless Society Initiative: Challenges And Policy Considerations, Ogochukwu Monye

International Journal on Consumer Law and Practice

This study explores the challenges posed by the United Kingdom's (UK) cashless society initiative, which has sparked a surge in digital financial services (DFS), including contactless payment and online banking. While the policy promises benefits such as convenience, security, and faster transactions, there is a concern that many, particularly financially underserved and excluded consumers, will face isolation from the cashless transition. Data from the Bank of England (BoE) reveals that approximately 1.2 million UK adults lack access to traditional bank accounts, compelling them to rely primarily on cash transactions. Using the doctrinal research method, this study examines the compelling issue …

The Personal Is Political: School Board Members’ Motivation For School Governance, Andrew Lobdell

Dissertations of Practice

Understanding the motivation behind school board members' governance is crucial for ensuring the effectiveness of public schools. This research aims to analyze the motivations of five newly elected board members and compare them with past research on governance and motivation. The leadership qualities of school superintendents also impact governance and can influence board members' motivations for running and serving their communities. Similarly, board members' motivations can affect how superintendents lead their districts and prioritize different topics. The research is divided into three papers. Paper 1 reviews existing literature and is organized into three distinct sections that explore school board governance, …

Sel Walkthroughs: Promoting Practices That Foster Social And Emotional Learning, Garrett Podgorski

Dissertations of Practice

The concept of social and emotional learning (SEL) has been around Illinois since the early 2000s and a part of legislation for schools to implement since 2003. This dissertation focuses on the extant data of 483 observations from the Municipal Nashville Public School (MNPS) SEL walkthrough tool, which was utilized to investigate SEL implementation in select Illinois schools. Data were collected in the South Cook County area of Illinois.

This dissertation provides a review of literature in the areas of SEL that should be taught in K-12 schools and provides an in-depth review of best practices for utilizing walkthrough observations …

School District Budgeting: How School Principals’ Lack Of Budget Knowledge Can Lead To Negative Impact On Funding, Maria Treto-French

Dissertations of Practice

ABSTRACT

SCHOOL DISTRICT BUDGETING: HOW SCHOOL PRINCIPALS’ LACK OF BUDGET

KNOWLEDGE CAN LEAD TO NEGATIVE IMPACT ON FUNDING

Maria Treto-French, Ed.D.

Department of Educational Leadership, Educational Psychology and Foundations

Northern Illinois University, 2024

Kelly Summers, Director

Effective decision-making by school administrators is crucial for enhancing student

learning outcomes. However, many non-finance administrators need a comprehensive

understanding of school funding and allocation, which can hinder their ability to make informed decisions that positively impact student learning. This paper explored the importance of preparing non-finance administrators specifically those at the “Participating Community Consolidated School District” (PCCSD)to navigate the complexities of school funding …

Understanding School Financial Administrator’S Sphere Of Influence And Perception Of Role In Decision-Making Through A Comprehensive Review Of Historical, Legal, Philosophical, And Practice Perspectives On Local Decision-Making And Resource Allocation, Jacquelyn M. Bogan

Dissertations of Practice

UNDERSTANDING SCHOOL FINANCIAL ADMINISTRATOR’S SPHERE OF INFLUENCE AND PERCEPTION OF ROLE IN DECISION-MAKING

THROUGH A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF HISTORICAL,

LEGAL, PHILOSOPHICAL, AND PRACTICE PERSPECTIVES

ON LOCAL DECISION-MAKING AND RESOURCE

ALLOCATION

Jacquelyn Bogan, Ed.D.

Department of Educational Leadership, Educational Psychology and Foundations

Northern Illinois University, 2024

Benjamin Creed, Director

Public education in the United States is a multilayered endeavor with complex governance and oversight from federal, state, and local agencies. While there is involvement across all levels, local school districts have a significant degree of control in decision-making regarding resource allocation. Public education has undergone legal, economic, and philosophical changes since …

The Complexities Of Disproportionality In A Large Urban School District: A Look Into District Interventions And Identification Processes, Linnie Tennile Tarrant

Dissertations of Practice

This study delves into the implementation of the multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) and the special education identification process in a large urban school district in Illinois, with a specific focus on disproportionality in special education referrals. The district has been identified as disproportionate in categorizing African American students under the emotional disturbance (ED) category since 2014. Using a grounded theory approach, interviews were conducted with ten building-level administrators to investigate the consistency of MTSS implementation and the process of identifying students for special education services. Data was collected through in-depth interviews, and themes were analyzed using open, axial, and …

A Case Study Of Instructor Experiences Teaching In The Hyflex Modality At A Midwestern Community College In A Post-Pandemic Context, Jaime Riewerts Budziak

Dissertations of Practice

A CASE STUDY OF INSTRUCTOR EXPERIENCES TEACHING IN THE HYFLEX MODALITY AT A MIDWESTERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE IN A POST-PANDEMIC CONTEXT

Colleges are adding courses in the hyflex modality to their schedules to support the increasing need for students to take flexible paths to course completion. While there is research detailing the outcomes and experiences of students who take these courses, there is a marked scantness of inquiry into the experiences of the instructors who must provide multi-modal instruction and nearly nothing probing the topic in a community college setting. Since hyflex instruction poses a host of challenges, it requires targeted …

Building Effective Communicative Relationships: Understanding Superintendent And School Board Member Perceptions Of Trust And Role Responsibilities, Jason Blume

Dissertations of Practice

Effective superintendent and school board leadership teams are positioned to create learning conditions that promote student success. Research emphasizes that effective district leadership teams and school board relations directly correlate with improved student outcomes. Understanding the communicative relationships between school board members and superintendents as well as their perceptions of trust and role responsibilities will support leadership teams’ ability to effectively lead their school districts. Communication and mutual trust amongst team members is essential to fostering a strong collaborative environment.

The purpose of this research is to better understand how communicative relationships, trust, and role responsibilities support effective leadership. Following …

Research-Based English Language Arts (Ela) Instructional Practices: Characteristics Of Effective Ela Instructional Practices That Drive Student Achievement In Title I School Districts, Tequila Stamps

Dissertations of Practice

Children who attend and are educated in Title I School Districts often experience limited access to consistent research based and empirical English Language Arts (ELA) instruction. Consequently, such students are not adequately prepared for career and college readiness and typically underperform on standardized achievement tests. The purpose of this study is to explore the instructional strategies of middle school ELA teachers, who serve students at-risk of poor academic outcomes, yet support sustained student growth and achievement. It is to further identify a specific set of research-based strategies that foster student growth and achievement, particularly with students in Title I School …

To Speak Or Not To Speak: Institutional And Presidential Statements In Response To Community Crisis Events, Kimberly L. Caponi

Dissertations of Practice

To Speak or Not to Speak: Institutional and Presidential Statements in Response to Community Crisis Events

Kimberly L. Caponi, Ed.D.

Department of Counseling and Higher Education

Northern Illinois University

Carrie Kortegast, Director

The purpose of this case study was to understand the decision-making process of community college leaders in issuing institutional responses to community crisis incidents. During 2020-2021, in addition to the global COVID-19 pandemic, there were several high-profile racialized incidents that sparked calls for action and a racial reckoning. The research explored the decision-making process and experience of leaders in response to the murder of George Floyd. Five themes …