Digital Commons Network^™

The Emergence And Evolution Of Doctor Of Social Work Programs (Dsw): A Review Of Dsw Education, Student Outcomes, And Implications For The Profession, Cynthia Franklin, Will Francis, Katherine Montgomery

Journal for Social Work Scholar-Practitioners

The Doctor of Social Work (DSW) degree has experienced rapid growth since its resurgence in 2007, with a 260% increase in accredited programs between 2014 and 2019. This literature review synthesizes recent empirical and conceptual publications (approximately 2021–2026) on DSW programs, examining their historical development, distinctions from the research-focused PhD in social work, student demographics and motivations, program quality and graduate outcomes, and the role of cohort structures in online and hybrid learning environments. Findings indicate that DSW programs occupy a unique program type in the social work education continuum and serve a distinct population of experienced practitioners seeking advanced …

Treating The Trauma Beneath The Violence: A Reappraisal Of Intimate Partner Violence Perpetrator Interventions, Huda S. Shaikh, Vanessa Cordoba

Journal for Social Work Scholar-Practitioners

Intimate partner violence (IPV) remains a global public health emergency with little meaningful reduction in prevalence over the past two decades, despite extensive micro-level interventions targeting perpetrators through batterer intervention programs (BIPs) and legal accountability mechanisms (Arce et al., 2020; Babcock et al., 2004; Shetty, 2025; WHO, 2025). Using a macro social work and epistemological lens, this paper argues that the IPV field and judicial systems, particularly in the United States, have relied on an outdated and largely reactive paradigm that obscures the trauma histories of perpetrators, neglects intergenerational and neurobiological mechanisms, and perpetuates epistemic injustice toward both survivors and …

Reconsidering The Dsw-Phd Divide In Social Work Education: Administrative Implications For Faculty Roles, Recognition, And Support, Jesse Gilreath, Laura H. Trull, Brittany Stahnke, Madeline Shipley

Journal for Social Work Scholar-Practitioners

As Doctor of Social Work (DSW) programs expand and increasing numbers of DSW graduates enter academia, questions persist regarding how DSW and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) preparation are valued and integrated within social work education. Historically, the PhD has been viewed as the primary pathway for academic careers, while the DSW has been framed as a practice-oriented degree. However, this distinction increasingly reflects institutional assumptions rather than actual faculty contributions. This commentary examines the evolving role of DSW-prepared faculty in academic social work by integrating existing literature with findings from an illustrative survey of DSW-prepared faculty in Council on Social …

A Student-Centered Model For Ethically Evaluating Ai Integration In Learning Support Services And Beyond, Cristina Caputo, Raymond Bruels Iii, Alexis Rivera

AI in the Classroom: A Virtual Summit

As artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes higher education, learning support centers are uniquely positioned to intentionally assess whether if and how to best integrate AI tools into academic services. This session presents a 6-week project framework that was designed to:

• Review the literature on critical AI literacy and training

• Benchmark current best practices in AI policy, use, and integration alongside human-centered academic services

• Examine student AI knowledge and use (needs assessment)

• Identify and evaluate relevant AI tools or platforms

The framework was developed within the Academic Success Center (ASC) at Nevada State University where Center peer educators …

Teaching In The Ai Era: Studying Faculty Course Redesign, Visible Thinking, And Sustainable Implementation, Sierra Adare-Tasiwoopa Api

AI in the Classroom: A Virtual Summit

How can faculty development move beyond generic AI guidance toward redesigns that make student thinking visible, clarify AI expectations, and remain feasible for teaching-intensive institutions? This presentation shares the design and emerging findings from Nevada State University’s AI & Accessibility Academy study, which follows faculty from a summer course redesign academy into fall implementation. The study examines changes in faculty self-efficacy around AI-era pedagogy and accessibility, the redesign practices faculty implement, how course artifacts reflect process-focused assessment and accessible design, and what factors support or constrain sustained implementation.

The session describes the study’s mixed-methods design, including faculty pre/post/follow-up surveys, artifact …

Building Bots That Teach Thinking: Using Custom Ai Chatbots To Enhance Critical Thinking And Decision-Making, Megan Biagi

AI in the Classroom: A Virtual Summit

Generative AI is increasingly common in education, but its effect on student learning depends largely on how it is used. This interactive session will introduce practical strategies for creating custom AI chatbots that encourage students to think through problems rather than simply ask for answers. Participants will explore ways to design bots that ask learners to explain their reasoning, consider alternative perspectives, identify assumptions, and revise their thinking before receiving feedback.   Examples from healthcare education and other disciplines will show how these tools can support guided inquiry, reflective questioning, clinical reasoning, and decision-making. Participants will review and revise sample chatbot …

5…4…3…2…1, Julia M. Renzelmann

Narrative Medicine: Essays on Health and Care

No abstract provided.

Just A Stomachache, Jillian M. Spinali

Narrative Medicine: Essays on Health and Care

No abstract provided.

Power Of Badass, Jessica A. Smith

Narrative Medicine: Essays on Health and Care

No abstract provided.

Testing Personalization In Llm-Based Mental Health Support: A Proposed Experimental Design For College Students, Tchalim P. Agninoube, Greg Williams

Annual DBA Scholars Conference

Rising student mental health demand has outpaced campus counseling capacity. This paper proposes a 2x2 between-subjects experimental design to test whether a personalized LLM-based chatbot, grounded in just-in-time adaptive intervention principles and cognitive load theory, provides better short-term anxiety reduction than a standard chatbot across stress and neutral contexts. The personalized chatbot uses wearable stress data, sleep quality, self-reported overwhelm, and support preferences to select between low-load and elaborative support paths. The design contributes a practical framework for evaluating personalization in AI-driven mental health tools and informs scalable, responsible institutional deployment.

Bridging Awareness And Action: A Multilevel Model Of Organizational Learning, Safety Climate, And Sickle Cell Trait Safety Compliance, Kimberly Snowden

Annual DBA Scholars Conference

Despite the existence of NCAA and National Athletic Trainers’ Association guidelines, preventable sickle cell trait (SCT)-related adverse events continue to occur in athletic settings. This study examines how organizational learning capacity, safety climate, leadership commitment, and individual risk perception influence compliance with SCT safety protocols and related safety outcomes. Drawing on Organizational Learning Theory, Safety Climate Theory, and the Health Belief Model, the study proposes a multilevel framework tested through an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design. Findings are expected to identify organizational predictors of compliance and provide practical recommendations to strengthen SCT safety implementation and reduce preventable athlete harm.

The Paradoxes Of Mental Health Disclosure In The Workplace: What Employee Voices Reveal About Courage And Organizational Culture, Steve G. Winkel D.B.A.

Annual DBA Scholars Conference

The lived experience of mental health disclosure is deeply paradoxical. Drawing on thematic analysis of qualitative data from 572 U.S. employees with diagnosed mental health conditions — 282 of whom disclosed to a manager or HR professional — this paper presents three central paradoxes: (1) disclosure normalizes experience but does not neutralize vulnerability; (2) the same conversation produces both safety and stigma; and (3) disclosure requires courage, revealing the inadequacy of existing organizational norms. A constructivist grounded theory approach guided the inquiry. Theoretical implications for stigma management theory (Goffman, 1963) and psychological safety research (Edmondson, 1999) and practical implications for …

Money Talks: What Parents Are And Aren’T Teaching Kids About Financial Literacy, Joseph D. Foresi, Robert J. Glew

Annual DBA Scholars Conference

Financial literacy among young adults remains low despite the family's central role in early financial socialization. This study examines the relationship between parental financial socialization and children's financial literacy, extending the LeBaron-Black et al. (2022) parent financial socialization survey to incorporate cornerstone financial literacy concepts including budgeting, saving, borrowing, and investing (Redmund, 2010). Survey results reveal that while many parents introduce their children to basic financial concepts, they systematically fall short of teaching the foundational literacy skills associated with long-term financial well-being.

Ai Readiness Of Operations & Finance Professionals In A Large Urban Public School District Amidst Ai-Driven Digital Transformation, Adetunji Onamade

Annual DBA Scholars Conference

This qualitative study examined AI readiness among Operations and Finance professionals in a large urban public school district, a public-sector workforce underexamined in the AI adoption literature. Using a grounded theory approach, data from 24 interviews and three focus groups (37 participants) produced 164 codes across 12 themes. Findings converge on a single proposition: AI readiness in this District is an organizational infrastructure problem, not a technology problem. Two theoretical contributions emerged: the Organizational AI Readiness Infrastructure Framework, a three-level diagnostic model, and the AI Readiness Conditions Model, a five-stage prescriptive sequence from governance through systemic transformation.

Internship Factors That Affect Job Pursuit Intention In Nonmetropolitan Areas, Alex R. Henkel

Annual DBA Scholars Conference

Demographic trends show an outmigration of young adults from areas outside metropolitan areas, leaving employers and colleges looking for ways to reduce or reverse the trends. This mixed methods explanatory sequential study seeks to explain how internships relate to college graduates’ post-graduation plans via a study population of approximately 630 college seniors in a nonmetropolitan regional college. The study will survey students via two waves followed by in-person interviews using an integrated model combining Job Embeddedness Theory and Job Characteristics Model in a novel application that may suggest new approaches for internship programs to retain young people in nonmetropolitan areas.

Leadership Adaptation In Persistent Turbulence: An Empirical Model Of Sensemaking, Sensegiving, Preparedness, And Human Capacity, Daragh King

Annual DBA Scholars Conference

Leaders increasingly operate within environments characterized by uncertainty, disruption, ambiguity, and accelerating technological change. This research study investigated how experienced leaders adapt to persistent turbulent environments and identified the practices that support effective leadership under such conditions. An interpretivist qualitative research design was employed, drawing upon semi-structured interviews with eighteen senior leaders from diverse organizational contexts. The findings revealed five interconnected leadership practices: iterative sensemaking, sensegiving as mobilization, adaptive authority modulation, preparedness as enacted routine, and human-capacity regulation. Participants described turbulence not as an episodic event but as a continuous operating condition requiring ongoing adaptation. The study proposes an empirical …

Microbusiness Owner-Managers And Financial Planning: A Transtheoretical Model Of Behaviour Change Approach, Christopher L. Gorman

Annual DBA Scholars Conference

The practitioner-scholar proposes a cross-sectional study to investigate how microbusiness owner-managers adopt financial planning behaviour through the lens of the Transtheoretical Model of Behaviour Change (TTM). The study will examine the TTM’s stages of change and the factors that influence these owner-managers’ decisions to engage in financial planning. By applying a behaviour change framework to an underexplored area of financial planning research, the study will aim to identify barriers and opportunities to microbusiness owners’ adoption of financial planning. The findings will inform strategies CFP^® professionals can use to enhance client engagement, communication, and decision-making among microbusiness owner-managers.

Exploratory Data Analysis On Stress In America: The Impact Of Health, Age, And Employment, Liv E. Bookhamer, Olivia Turkal, Rebecca Fang

Modern Psychological Studies

Over the past few decades, stress levels in America have increased significantly. This study explores the relationship between stress and key demographic and health-related variables using the 2018 Stress in America survey data. The research aims to examine how age, employment status, physical health, mental health, and mental health treatment influence average stress levels in the U.S. Previous studies have highlighted that younger adults, particularly those aged 18-34, experience higher levels of stress, while individuals with employment tend to report greater stress than those without. Furthermore, stress is known to be linked to physical and mental health, with severe stress …

Becoming Anything: Stem Cells And The Power Of Analogy, Sarah O’Leary-Driscoll, Dr. Jessica Amacher, Academics

Professional Learning Day

How does a single cell become a heart, a neuron, or skin? In this session, we will explore stem cells and cell differentiation through analogy-based modeling. No prior knowledge necessary! Participants will work through a hands-on analogy that makes gene expression familiar and concrete. Then we will discuss other examples, and consider what makes analogies effective and where they break down. Come to learn the fascinating science of how we each develop; leave with a powerful teaching strategy you can use in any discipline.

2025 Medicaid Cuts Effect On Substance Use Intervention And Treatment, Noah K. Pierini

Modern Psychological Studies

The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” passed by congress will negatively impact substance use disorder (SUD) intervention and treatment. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) will be dismantled, state grants will be eliminated, and a streamlined enrollment process will be terminated. Vulnerable populations will experience more significant losses of insurance coverage in general and greater upticks in SUD-related mortality specifically. This is due to these populations relying on Medicaid for both overall and behavioral health care at a higher-than-average rate. Currently, research is limited on the relationship between SDoH and Medicaid’s effect on SUD intervention and treatment. Furthermore, there exists almost …

The Impact Of Cry-It-Out On The Parent-Child Relationship In Early Adolescence, Doris Prela, Melissa Dimartino

Modern Psychological Studies

Cry-It-Out (CIO) is a sleeping training technique where parents allow their infants to cry for periods of time without intervention, with the goal of teaching them to fall asleep independently and self-soothe. This study is one of the first to explore the effects of CIO on the parent-child relationship in early adolescence. A group (N = 25) of middle school parents and students were recruited to participate. Parents filled out a brief questionnaire about their child’s sleep patterns, creating two groups: (1) CIO and (2) non-CIO groups. Afterwards, middle school students filled out parent attachment inventory which measured parental trust, …

Beyond Adoption: Shared Values And Guiding Questions For Ai-Aware Teaching, Sarah Cummings, Lyndsay Munro

AI in the Classroom: A Virtual Summit

We will discuss how shared questions can provide coherence without requiring uniform practice across disciplines, courses, or instructors. Examples from faculty across disciplines demonstrate how educators can begin with common values while reaching different, contextually appropriate decisions. By shifting attention from finding the single “right” approach to AI toward asking shared questions about teaching and learning, the framework offers a practical way forward amid varied practices, perspectives, and policies.

Ai Across The Curriculum: Early Insights From Unr Students And Faculty, Elisabeth Linn, Elena S. Azadbakht, Rosalind Bucy

AI in the Classroom: A Virtual Summit

In July 2025, the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) joined librarians, educators, and administrators across 15-20 institutions to participate in an Ithaka S+R AI cohort. Ithaka S+R has worked with academic libraries, teaching and learning centers, and college administrators across more than 60 institutions, leading cohorts focused on teaching and learning with AI, integrating AI literacy into the curriculum, and more. This third cohort focused on defining, implementing, and scaling AI literacy initiatives across higher education. Through interviews with faculty and students, cohorts investigate needs surrounding AI literacy specific to their campus. This presentation will describe the preliminary results of …

Saving Macarthur: The Story Of America’S Most Daring Naval Rescue, And Of The Men It Left Behind, Edmund B. Hernandez, Rudy Tomedi

Naval War College Review

No abstract provided.

China’S Spies: Beijing’S Espionage Offensive, Andrew G. Wilson, Nigel West

Naval War College Review

No abstract provided.

Research & Debate—Moral Injury Is A Readiness Problem: The Case For A Chaplain-Led, Peer-Intervention Model, Matthew Ikenoyama U.S. Navy

Naval War College Review

No abstract provided.

Perception Management—An Overlooked And Enduring Element Of The 1980s Maritime Strategy, Anand Toprani, William Manthorpe

Naval War College Review

William Manthorpe’s views on perception management, drawn from newly archived materials, are reexamined and made available to the public for the first time.

From The Editors, Sam J. Tangredi, Editor-In-Chief

Naval War College Review

No abstract provided.

Autumn 2026 Full Issue, The U.S. Naval War College

Naval War College Review

No abstract provided.

Launching With Intent: How Three Simple Classroom Modifications Raised Assessment Scores By 10%, Arren Swift

Teaching Social Studies in the Peach State

This action research study evaluated the impact of three targeted instructional modifications designed to address a 9% decline in proficient and distinguished student performance on the Georgia Milestones End-of-Course (EOC) Assessment in High School U.S. History. Building upon district leadership initiatives, an instructional team implemented a triad of evidence-based interventions across 15 units: (a) transitioning from digital assessment platforms to traditional paper-and-pencil testing to protect academic integrity, (b) implementing "Launching with Intent" vocabulary bell-ringers utilizing Frayer models and interactive word walls, and (c) embedding weekly 10-item formative unit quizzes to leverage retrieval practice and memory reconsolidation. Comparative data analysis demonstrated …