Digital Commons Network^™

Revamping Email Communications: A Review Of Five Free Email Design Platforms, Karen Okamoto

Publications and Research

This article reviews five free online email design platforms that libraries can use to create visually appealing and engaging email newsletters and other email communications. The five platforms reviewed in this article – Beefree, Mosaico, Smore, Stripo, and Tabular – are assessed according to ease of use, the availability of pre-designed templates, and other features, such as the ability to add collaborators. This review begins with a summary of the library and marketing literature on email communications, including best practices, and ends with a brief overview of email marketing platforms and services.

Cas Honors Symposium Program, Spring 2024, College Of Arts & Sciences Honors Program

College of Arts & Sciences Honors in the Major Symposium

No abstract provided.

Exploring Racial Disparities In Sex Trafficking Special Docket Court Programs, Aaron Murnan, Gwen England, Samantha J. Boch, Caneacha Matthews, Henry Ofori Duah, Islam Qasem, Sarah Manchak

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Purpose: The United States criminal legal system has a long-standing and well-documented history of perpetuating racial disparities in health and well-being through inequitable policing, sentencing, and incarceration practices. In the last decade, the criminal legal system has re-considered their response to women arrested for solicitation via sex trafficking specialty courts. Methods: The current study leverages publicly available data from one large Midwestern county to explore the presence of racial disparities within women’s referral to, election to participate in, and success within one specialty court program for women in the sex trade. Results: Between 1990 and 2022, approximately 27,790 women were …

Examining Associations Between Genetic And Neural Risk For Externalizing Behaviors In Adolescence And Early Adulthood, Sarah J Brislin, Andrey P Anokhin, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Researchers have identified genetic and neural risk factors for externalizing behaviors. However, it has not yet been determined if genetic liability is conferred in part through associations with more proximal neurophysiological risk markers.

METHODS: Participants from the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism, a large, family-based study of alcohol use disorders were genotyped and polygenic scores for externalizing (EXT PGS) were calculated. Associations with target P3 amplitude from a visual oddball task (P3) and broad endorsement of externalizing behaviors (indexed via self-report of alcohol and cannabis use, and antisocial behavior) were assessed in participants of European (EA;

RESULTS: …

A Second Look At Active Shooter Events: Expanding Our Understanding Of Key Factors, Kyle Gamache, Matt Zaitchik, Judith Platania, Cecelia Coslovi, Willem Pontbriand

Arts & Sciences Faculty Publications

In the current study, we investigate active shooter events (ASEs) with emphasis on expanding our understanding of key factors involved in these events. The impetus for this study is a 2015 exploration (Gamache et al., 2015) that highlighted common perpetrator and event characteristics in ASEs occurring in the US prior to 2014. Since the 2015 study, mass-shooting events have moved from tragic, isolated incidents, to a phenomenon that is widely discussed in the media and highly politicized. Our goal was to investigate continued trends, if any exist, and to compare our current sample of ASEs to the sample utilized in …

Adversarial Transferability And Generalization In Robust Deep Learning, Tao Wu

Doctoral Dissertations

Despite its remarkable achievements across a multitude of benchmark tasks, deep learning (DL) models exhibit significant fragility to adversarial examples, i.e., subtle modifications applied to inputs during testing yet effective in misleading DL models. These meticulously crafted perturbations possess the remarkable property of transferability: an adversarial example that effectively fools one model often retains its effectiveness against another model, even if the two models were trained independently. This research delves into the characteristics influencing the transferability of adversarial examples from three distinct and complementary perspectives: data, model, and optimization. Firstly, from the data perspective, we propose a new method of …

Suicidality Among Black Women: Considering Resiliency Within The Historic And Societal Context Of Risk, Samantha J. North

Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects

Suicide is a global health challenge that has been historically understudied among Black women. The interpersonal-psychological theory of suicidality (IPTS) is a primary theory examined in suicidality; however, the three factors within the theory (lack of belongingness, perceived burdensomeness, and capability to die) focus on the individual. The purpose of the current study was to examine these factors in an expanded context of the historical and societal impact of oppression. A mixed methods Qualtrics study was administered to Black women who voluntarily completed the survey anonymously. Quantitatively, the study found significant differences between the impact of the IPTS factors on …

Going Federal, Staying Stateside: Felons, Firearms, And The "Federalization" Of Crime, Jonathan Abel

American University Law Review

Scholars have long debated the federalization of crime. Proponents assert that federal prosecutions are more likely than state prosecutions to result in convictions and severe punishments, and thus more likely to deter crime. Opponents argue that federalization leads to the arbitrary, and even racist, punishment of a few unlucky defendants plucked from a sea of similarly situated peers. Everyone seems to agree about one thing, though: the federal system outstrips the state system in effectiveness and severity. Yet, no one has obtained the state-court data needed to substantiate these comparisons. This Article fills that gap with an examination of the …

Searching For Truth That Speaks To Power: Free Speech And Equality On Campus, Stephen M. Feldman

American University Law Review

University campuses are being rent apart in disputes pitting free expression against equality [read: diversity, equity, and inclusion]. Yet scholarly discussions and university declarations widely agree: While universities should encourage an inclusive educational environment, free-speech principles prohibit universities from restricting or punishing hate speech, group libel, and other forms of offensive expression. This Article argues that this prioritizing of free speech over equality on campus is mistaken. Equality should often be favored over free expression in campus settings. Although Supreme Court precedents are ambiguous, one can reasonably argue that the doctrine allows universities to restrict and punish offensive expression, including …

The Efficacy Of Mandatory Mediation In Courts Of Limited Jurisdiction: A Case Study From The Missoula Justice Court, Paul F. Kirgis, Brock L. Flynn

Faculty Law Review Articles

Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), particularly mediation, has become an integral component of the judicial system, promising efficiency, cost savings, and enhanced litigant satisfaction. Courts of limited jurisdiction, which handle high volumes of landlord-tenant disputes, debt collection cases, and small claims, have increasingly adopted mandatory mediation programs to alleviate docket congestion and promote settlement. This article contributes to the growing body of research on mediation in courts of limited jurisdiction by analyzing case outcomes in the Justice Court for Missoula County, Montana. Through a review of public court records from 2019-2023, we examine settlement rates, compliance with mediated agreements, and the …

Shades Of Service: Navigating Racial Diversity, Mental Health, And Occupational Stress Among Black Police Officers, Manina Jeudy

Theses and Dissertations

This study was conducted to learn about the unique challenges Black police officers face by exploring their lived experiences. This study looked at how these current and retired Black police officers navigate racial diversity, handle occupational stress and how their mental health is affected. The research was prompted by the lack of existing literature that focuses specifically on the lived experiences of Black police officers, as most studies of policing do not address this population in depth. Through Zoom interviews with a small group of officers, this study revealed their struggles at work and in their personal lives. By sharing …

A Descriptive Study Of The Perception Of Emerging Adults Aged 18-25 Years Toward Police Efficacy And Image In The United States, Jude Louis

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of emerging adults toward police efficacy and image. The study was descriptive, used quantitative methodology, and utilized a non-experimental design. Close-ended questions were used in an online format to survey emerging adults aged 18-25 years in the United States. The data was collected using the SurveyMonkey Audience, which was relatively cost-effective, able to gather information from the target audience within a short period of time, and efficient with any sample size. The study occurred over two months in 2024. Emerging adults in the United States aged 18-25 years irrespective of …

Spouse Violence In Case Of Police Officers In Puerto Rico: Violence In Police Families, Jorge Ismael Suarez

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation was designed to explore the relationship between factors related to police work and whether these factors help predict domestic violence in a sample of officers of the Puerto Rico Police. The following factors were explored in this study: external burnout, alcohol abuse, department withdrawal, and authoritarian spillover. This study was based on a previous study by Johnson et al. (2005), which revealed that violence exposure and domestic violence among police officers are linked according to four mediation chains. The mediation chain was a model implemented by the authors to determine the influence of burnout, authoritarian spillover, alcohol …

Administrators’ Perceptions Of The Impact Of Restorative Practices On Discipline Referrals And Suspension Rates In A Rural Elementary School, Gregory W. Brown

Theses and Dissertations

The problem addressed in the study involved excessive out-of-school suspensions, which have been a major concern for public school educators for decades. The purpose of the study explored the perceptions of participants regarding the effects of implementing restorative practices on suspension rates at a rural elementary school.The qualitative phenomenology study used a purposive sample of 10 educators who interacted with students suspended for violating the school's code of conduct. Six kindergarten through Grade 5 teachers, two Grades 3–5 grade-level chairpersons, the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support coordinator, and one administrator participated in the study. Utilizing case study approaches, this qualitative …

Competencias Digitales Docentes Y Su Desempeño Pedagógico En El Aula Virtual, Yanit Delgado Ramos

Theses and Dissertations

El presente estudio tenía como objetivo determinar la relación entre las competencias digitales del docente y su desempeño pedagógico en los cursos de educación a distancia de una Institución Universitaria en Puerto Rico.

En el marco de esta investigación, se eligió un diseño cuantitativo no experimental de corte transversal y enfoque correlacional. La metodología se fundamentó en el uso de dos cuestionarios específicamente diseñados para evaluar las competencias digitales de los docentes y su desempeño pedagógico en entornos virtuales: la Autoevaluación de Competencias Digitales de Docentes Universitarios que Imparten Cursos en Línea (ACDD) y la Autoevaluación de Desempeño Pedagógico Docente …

A Phenomenological Study On University Students’ Perceptions And Attitudes Of The Effectiveness Of Mobile Apps On Communicative Competence, Leveth Jackson

Theses and Dissertations

This phenomenological study is focused on understanding how university students who are learning English as a foreign language (EFL) perceive and experience using mobile application on their speaking abilities. The primary goal was to examine the perception and attitudes of EFL learners towards using mobile apps for independent English-speaking practice and creating a customized learning experience outside of the classroom.

The researcher also investigated the participants’ views on the challenges and advantages of incorporating mobile apps into university speaking courses. The findings of this investigation may inform language educators at universities on the potential benefits of using mobile apps in …

Diversidad De Enfoques Del Liderazgo Transformacional En Instituciones Educativas: Una Revisión Sistemática, Néstor Amado Cárdenas

Theses and Dissertations

El liderazgo transformacional por la amplitud en su definición ha sido hasta la fecha uno de los estilos más discutidos o investigados a nivel mundial, tanto en el ámbito académico como empresarial. Originalmente concebido como producto de la influencia que el líder ejerce sobre sus seguidores, muchos autores amplían esta idea a otra en la que este estilo de liderazgo es producto de diversos factores aledaños al de la influencia del líder como las cualidades del líder, la estructura de la organización o prácticas organizacionales, la cultura imperante tanto dentro como fuera de la misma, o hasta en la sociedad …

Engagement Strategies In A Virtual Classroom, Kelly Clarke

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation was designed to determine if cooperative learning strategies increased student engagement in a virtual elementary classroom. The purposes of this study were (a) to determine whether the implementation of cooperative learning strategies increased student engagement and (b) to explore student perceptions of engagement.

In this mixed methods research, the writer utilized a sequential explanatory design. The pre-test and post-test survey used in this study was based on the Elementary Student Engagement: Student Response created by the American Institutes for Research (2023). Convenience sampling was used to select 12 students to complete both surveys. A total of 4 …

African American Parents And School-Based Parental Involvement At The Secondary Level, Mark A. Dykes

Theses and Dissertations

Parental involvement is a multifaceted construct that includes school-based, home-based, and academic socialization. School-based parental involvement in education has been positively associated with academic achievement for all students. However, educational leaders are challenged to get parents involved in school-based activities, such as the School Site Council, Parent Council, and Open Houses.

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study is to examine the reasons why African American parents are not fully involved in the policymaking and organizational activities at the target secondary school. This study is guided by the combined conceptual frameworks of Critical Race Theory, the Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler framework, …

Percepción Sobre Los Factores Que Inciden En La Utilización De La Plataforma De Microsoft Teams En Tiempos De Pandemia, Jessica Rosa Domenech

Theses and Dissertations

El diseño de investigación fue de naturaleza exploratorio con un enfoque fenomenológico correspondiente al paradigma cualitativo. Se utilizó la entrevista en profundidad para obtener la información. Los hallazgos relevantes demostraron que Los factores internos que incidieron en el uso del Microsoft Team incluyeron la disposición y competencia tecnológica de los maestros, su nivel de familiaridad con la plataforma y su capacidad para integrarla en su metodología de enseñanza. Los factores externos, la disponibilidad de recursos tecnológicos y acceso a Internet en las escuelas y hogares de los estudiantes es un aspecto importante que puede influir en la utilización de TEAMS. …

Experiencias De Los Líderes Universitarios Sobre La Planificación Estratégica En Las Instituciones De Educación Superior En Puerto Rico, Iván J. Escalante Claudio

Theses and Dissertations

El propósito de este estudio fue explorar las experiencias de los líderes en Instituciones de Educación Superior en Puerto Rico en relación con la planificación estratégica. Se utilizó un enfoque cualitativo con análisis temático para comprender la esencia de estas experiencias y cómo influyen en el proceso de planificación estratégica, con el objetivo de identificar las competencias necesarias para implementar la planificación estratégica, los desafíos operativos que enfrentan los líderes y el papel del estilo de liderazgo en este proceso. La investigación se basó en entrevistas semi-estructuradas con líderes de Instituciones de Educación Superior en Puerto Rico. Se aplicaron los …

A Study On Reducing Motor Stereotypy With Response Interruption And Redirection Using Functionally Matched And Unmatched Stimuli, Alana Fallucca

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation was designed to expand the scope of existing literature on the use of response interruption and redirection intervention with functionally matched and unmatched stimuli to reduce motor stereotypy in children with autism. While response interruption and redirection is an effective, evidence-based strategy for the reduction of vocal and motor stereotypy, it requires interruption of each instance of stereotypic behavior and implementation of an alternative behavior. This process can be laborious, implementation of which depends upon the frequency of stereotypy. To mitigate the intervention difficulties with response interruption and redirection implementation, a single-step functionally matched stimulus that is …

Instructional Leadership And Self-Efficacy: A Case Study About Elementary School Principals, Barbara J. Hall

Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this applied dissertation was to develop a better understanding of how elementary principals in a large school district in the southeastern United States perceive their self- efficacy as instructional leaders and administrators. The pressures of high accountability play an impactful role in how principals view their roles and their ability to perform effectively.

This qualitative case study utilized interviews and Photovoice for data collection. Participants were six elementary school principals from the same southeastern school district. Participants were interviewed independently. A second, photo-elicited interview was conducted with each participant to discuss the significance of their photographs. A …

El Impacto De La Herramienta Teams En Los Maestros Como Medio De Enseñanza Ante Un Evento Pandémico, Jessica M. Rivera Figueroa

Theses and Dissertations

La herramienta de Microsoft Teams demuestra ser una completa y efectiva en el desarrollo de clases virtuales sincrónicas y asincrónicas ante una pandemia. La accesibilidad permitió la continuidad de la educación en el Departamento de Educación de Puerto Rico. Dicho proceso trajo consigo muchas incógnitas para el uso efectivo de la herramienta a pesar de adiestramientos y asistencias.

El propósito del estudio fue identificar el impacto de la herramienta Teams en los maestros como medio de enseñanza durante la pandemia para mejorar su uso en el proceso educativo y que se logre un uso efectivo en todas las materias de …

Community College Faculty Perceptions Of Their Role In The Academic Achievement Of Minoritized Students, Erin R. Smith

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the perceptions of community college faculty and the impact of those perceptions on the academic success of African American and Hispanic students. Within the context of the achievement gap, finding out how colleges can better serve disadvantaged students supported the aims of this study. This research strove to contribute to the literature on 2-year institutions of higher education and to provide research from the perspective of 2-year faculty. The findings of this study could contribute to faculty professional development, onboarding, and environmental changes for 2-year institutions in support of the academic …

A Post-Pandemic Measurement Of The Required Soft Employability Skills For Business School Graduates, Sean O. Stallings

Theses and Dissertations

This non-experimental descriptive quantitative applied dissertation was designed to identify and analyze the soft employability skills desired by mid-Atlantic employers of business school graduates in a post-pandemic environment. The study evaluated alignment of the competencies possessed by business school graduates and the desired skills of employers. The study explored opportunities to guide change in the development of learning outcomes for business school undergraduates that were influenced by the effects of COVID-19 to ensure adequate postgraduation placement and overall effectiveness of business school graduates.

Workplace readiness or employability also included identifying new hires who had the full package that included hard …

Black Teachers, Black Students, And Cultural Brokering: Leveraging Positionality To Strengthen Academic Identity, Shakasha L. Stevenson

Theses and Dissertations

This study utilized a phenomenological photovoice approach to understand the lived experiences of veteran Black high school teachers. Black teachers are positioned to serve as cultural brokers to support the academic identity of Black students. The prevalence of symbolic violence in the Eurocentric curriculum and other curricular practices continues to hinder successful outcomes for Black students. The study leverages the experiences of Black teachers to understand how their positionalities influence their decision-making and pedagogical practices.

The literature review explored research on the social and political implications of Black education, Black identity development, cultural brokering, and academic identity. More specifically, the …

Should We Disaggregate Latino Youths Based On Ancestral Group When Examining Risk Factors Of Violent And Delinquent Behavior, Elvis G. Sevilla

Theses and Dissertations

Researchers frequently aggregate Latino subgroups during statistical analyses despite findings indicating that cultural distinctions within Latino subgroups have unintended hidden impacts on analyses. This study disaggregated the Latino sample to assess if Latino youth samples differ among subgroups (i.e., Mexicans/Mexican Americans, Cubans/Cuban Americans, Puerto Ricans, Central/South Americans, and other Latinos) who self-reported violent and nonviolent delinquent behavior. Also, this study used Sampson and Laub’s age-graded theory to investigate life-course characteristics that predicted violent and nonviolent delinquent behaviors. A two-step approach analysis determined the differences in violent and delinquent behaviors among Latino subgroups and then which life-course risk factors predicted the …

Victim Advocates' Experiences In The Provision Of Domestic Violence Services For Jewish Women, Michael Sue Jenefsky

Theses and Dissertations

Domestic violence is a serious, dangerous global epidemic and does not discriminate. Domestic violence has no limitations happening in all communities, religions, and cultures. There are many types of abuse, and it is not always physical; however, the underlying threat of violence is perceived by victims. Abusers use manipulative and coercive tactics to gain and maintain power and control of victims. It is deliberate and a choice. Feelings of shame, guilt, blame, failure, helplessness, and being trapped with no means to escape are prevalent among victims. Jewish women have specific feelings and fears that are associated with halakha, Jewish law, …

Examining Digital Hostility Against Black Women: A Thematic Analysis Of The Black Manosphere On Twitter, Nekea Sanders

Theses and Dissertations

The Manosphere is a collective of powerfully influential men who create and control harmful narratives about women online. Individuals within the Manosphere are disseminating their beliefs and garnering support through various online platforms, including social media. This research study sheds light on the Black Manosphere, a group within the Manosphere that has gone under the radar, despite the detrimental and toxic content they publish online about Black women. This qualitative research study examined the hostile rhetoric published by the Black Manosphere on Twitter (now X) about Black women. The research questions guiding this qualitative examination were: (1) What types and …