Digital Commons Network^™

Academics Meets Action: Community Engagement Motivations, Benefits, And Constraints, Alicia M. Schatteman

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

In recent years, civic engagement has increased with college students, which has been recognized by the Carnegie Institute and is the focus of this article. One example is the growth in community service and service-learning programs. This study builds on the work of Clary et al. (1996 and 1998) that examined student motivations for participating in community service projects. The purpose of this paper is to determine who participates in a college community service event, what motivates them to participate, what are the constraints, and what are the benefits of participating. Furthermore, this study adds to the literature and uses …

The Impact Of Community-Based Learning In School Guidance, Ericka J. Fisher, Martha Espinal, Sarah Masterson, Julia Savastano, Kristen Vartanian

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

In this article we explore how higher education partners, in this case a small, Jesuit, liberal arts institution, can partner with local public schools through community-based learning in order to increase counseling-based resources in the public schools. Using the case study of one undergraduate course’s field-based experience component, we examine the initial impact on the undergraduate participants as well as potential contributions to the public school. Given the economic constraints facing American public schools, the lack of sufficient guidance and counseling staff within schools, and the growing need for counseling-based services, the need for community partners to contribute to this …

Reconsidering The American Dream And U.S. Latino Culture In A College Spanish Service-Learning Course, Zak K. Montgomery, Serena B. Ugoretz, Sarah E. Montgomery, Sarah Vander Zanden, Ashley Jorgensen, Mirsa Rudic

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

This study explores how a joint Photovoice project about the American Dream between a U.S. Latino culture course and a multicultural middle school class influenced college students’ perceptions of Latino culture. In addition to outlining the service-learning course design, the study also analyzes the trajectory of the students’ understanding of the American Dream. As a result of the partnership, college students’ American Dreams shifted away from the archetypal personal success narrative toward a more civically- oriented approach.

The Evolution Of An Urban Design Curriculum In Landscape Architecture And A Community-Based Design Center, Frank Sleegers, John R. Taylor

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

Urban community-based design centers have multiple potential functions. Ideally, they give voice to previously underrepresented groups in public discussions of urban design and environmental change. When combined with a university design curriculum, they can be training grounds for a new generation of urban designers sensitive to the needs, wants, and desires of local stakeholders. This study describes the co-evolution of an urban design curriculum at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a design center in the nearby city of Springfield, Massachusetts. Four key areas related to community service learning were evaluated through a mixed methods approach including historical analysis, qualitative …

Enflonsia (Clesrovimab-Cfor): A New Era In Rsv Protection For Infants, Katherine Ghattas Pharmd, Rileigh Smith Pharmd, Amanda Rawa Pharmd

Transformative Medicine

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is a leading cause of serious lung infections in infants and young children, especially during the winter months. For decades, preventative options were limited, costly, or only available to babies at high-risk. The FDA approved Enflonsia (clesrovimab-cfor) in June 2025, given as a single injection to protect infants thorough their first RSV season. Since it is designed for broader infant use and can be distributed through programs such as Vaccines for Children, Enflonsia may help close long-standing gaps in RSV prevention.

Bifascicular Block: Harmless Finding Or A Red Flag?, Muhammad Asad Hanif

Transformative Medicine

No abstract provided.

Successful Management Of High-Risk Gestational Choriocarcinoma With Choriocarcinoma Syndrome: A Case Report, Ava R. Hansen, Hannah Daley, Priyanka Raju, Jonathan Buerger

Transformative Medicine

Introduction: Choriocarcinoma is a rare and highly malignant gestational trophoblastic neoplasia that is treatable with timely and appropriate intervention. However, choriocarcinoma may lead to life-threatening complications, such as choriocarcinoma syndrome (CCS), a rare type of tumor lysis manifesting as hemorrhage at metastatic sites of advanced tumors.

Case Description: This case involves a 30-year-old woman, gravida 3 para 0, with high-risk choriocarcinoma and a WHO score of 11, indicating high risk. Initial management comprised Etoposide, Methotrexate, Actinomycin D, Cyclophosphamide and Vincristine (EMA/CO) chemotherapy until multisystem complications arose, including the development of CCS which resulted in an abdominal compartment syndrome. An exploratory …

Comparative Oncogenic Phenotypes Of Polyclonal And Monoclonal Ybx1-Expressing Hcc Cell Lines, Yamile Abuchard Anaya, Kaylee Renteria, Veerababu Nagati, Manish K. Tripathi

Research Colloquium

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of primary liver cancer and disproportionately affects underserved populations due to socioeconomic and healthcare disparities. The Rio Grande Valley (RGV) in South Texas exemplifies this issue, with high rates of obesity, diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and viral hepatitis (B and C)—all major risk factors for HCC. McAllen, Texas, part of the RGV, is notably one of the most obese cities in the U.S., exacerbating HCC prevalence and severity in this region. Late-stage diagnosis remains a critical challenge due to limited access to screening and early intervention.

Sorafenib, a first-line …

Using Gliders To Track Low Dissolved Oxygen Water In Dungeness Crab Habitat In Partnership With Quinault Indian Nation, Roxanne J. Carini, Joe Schumacker, Jack Barth, Charles Seaton, Mary R. Gradoville, Jan Newton

Benefits of Ocean Observing Catalog (BOOC)

Autonomous underwater gliders operated by Oregon State University, OSU, in collaboration with the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, CRITFC, and funded by the Northwest Association of Networked Ocean Observing Systems, NANOOS, are monitoring water quality along the central Washington shelf with guidance from the Quinault Indian Nation, QIN. The gliders collect high-resolution data on temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, and other water properties, helping identify seasonal hypoxic zones. Data from these missions are visualized on the NANOOS Visualization System, supporting real-time decision-making for fisheries management. These insights allow resource managers to mitigate risks to Dungeness crab populations by identifying low oxygen …

Book Review - Collaborative Futures: Critical Reflections On Publicly Active Graduate Education. Syracuse: The Graduate School Press, Syracuse University Gilvin, A., Roberts, G., And Martin, C. (Eds) 2012., Jay Gatrell

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

No abstract provided.

Book Review - Academic Interaction With Social Partners: Investigating The Contribution Of Universities To Economic And Social Development. Cape Town, South Africa: Hsrc. Glenda Kruss, Mariette Visser, And Mogau Aphane (2012)., Charles Norman

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

No abstract provided.

Community Service In Saudi Arabian Universities: A Comparative Study, Hesham K. Alfares, Muhammad H. Al-Haboubi, Mesfer M. Al-Zahrani

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

A comparative analysis is presented of community service activities in Saudi Arabian Universities. The methodology includes literature surveys, benchmarking, questionnaires, and focus group meetings. Community service definitions and activities are surveyed around the world. A benchmarking comparison is made between community service programs in 10 major Saudi universities and 20 top American universities. The current status of community service in Saudi universities is evaluated, and several improvement strategies are proposed.

Reading Beyond Research Results: The Hidden Curriculum In A College And Urban High Schools Partnership, Shirley Mthethwa-Sommers

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

The article draws from a study of a Gear Up partnership between a predominantly white middle class college and four urban high schools with a majority of low-income students of color. Teacher education candidates participated in community engagement through Gear Up at four urban high schools. The study shows that both college and high school students benefited from the partnership. However, employing internal and anticolonial theoretical lenses reveals the hidden curriculum that the positive results attained from the partnership may serve to buttress the myth of dominant culture’s supremacy.

Impact Of Service-Learning Courses With A Social Justice Curriculum On The Development Of Social Responsibility Among College Students, Yan Wang

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

In this study, six service-learning courses were studied to examine if a curriculum’s social justice emphasis has a significant impact on college students’ development of different types of social responsibility. The results suggest that service-learning courses with a social justice emphasis had a positive impact on the development of participatory and justice-oriented social responsibility, while service-learning courses without such an emphasis did not have an impact on the development of social responsibility.

Impact Of Degrees Of Service On Alumni Career Development, Judith Warchal, Ana Ruiz

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

This paper presents the results of a survey that assessed the long-term impact of varying degrees of service on alumni employment and attitudes toward careers. Alumni with service-learning and other service experiences (SL plus group) felt it was important to work to correct inequalities, to provide a service to others, to make a difference in the community, and agreed that their service, academic, and social experiences affected their career development.

Democracy In Action: The Contribution Of The Debatewatch Project To Civic Participation, Barbara A. Pickering, Leslie A. Rill

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

Every four years, Americans participate in political talk about the presidential campaigns with co-workers, family, and friends. This communication impacts attitudes toward civic engagement. Using the 2008 presidential election as a focal point, this study seeks to understand the impact of communication among citizens who engaged in political discussions at DebateWatch events. We examine the effect of debate viewing and post-debate discussions on perceptions of political information gained and increased interest in a presidential campaign.

Current Research Interests In International Service-Learning, Jessica Arends

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

This paper aims to identify and present what research perspectives are currently practiced in the field of international service learning (ISL) in higher education. The author gathered articles on ISL from high-profile publications and analyzed the methodological lens from which each study was conducted. Using the knowledge-constitutive framework of Jürgen Habermas, each article was categorized as technical, practical, or critical. The author found that while the majority of studies in the ISL field are conducted from a practical research interest, the articles most commonly cited are technical. This analysis is followed by an exploration as to why research interests are …

The Application Of Universal Design & Digital Tools In Fashion Education, Richard Herriott, Christel Arnevik

Learn X Design Conference Series

A user-centred design process is reported in relation to fashion design teaching. Universal Design thinking is allied with the use of digital scanning tools and a suite of user-cented design methods. The area of interest is how this changes the self-understanding of the students and their design process. The results are insights on how user-orientated thinking produce changes in attitudes and work methods for the design students. Also reported are observations on the effects of selective use of in-person volunteers (as models) and virtual design tools. There is discussion of the persona design tool in contrast to in-person design for …

The University Hacks The Museum: Learning In The Wild, Jennie Schaeffer, Mia Sas

Learn X Design Conference Series

This study explores the collaboration between a museum and a university, which has lasted for over a decade. By integrating design students into the process of critically assessing and hacking exhibitions, the museum and the university has created a dynamic environment where new stories, unseen props, and innovative interactions are introduced to existing exhibitions. The partnership involves diverse expertise from educators, researchers, young adults, visitors and museum staff. The collaboration emphasizes hands-on participation, allowing students to engage with real-world exhibition practices as hackers of the permanent exhibitions. The aim of the study is to describe the working methods and to …

Dynamic Linkage For Understanding Design Knowledge, Sungho Lee

Learn X Design Conference Series

Understanding Design Knowledge (DK) remains an ongoing debate that encompasses diverse perspectives—from traditional academic theories to various practical methods and processes. The advancement of Design Education is guided by DK, and DK is shaped within Design Activity (DA). However, as socio-cultural problems become increasingly complex, DA has evolved into a more ambiguous and expansive concept. Similarly, the scope and definition of DK remain elusive and difficult to determine. In other words, DK is not a substance that can be easily described or defined, and the concept of DA is too intricate to be fully clarified today. Furthermore, the boundaries of …

Revisiting The Design Of Industrial Design Studio Space: A Reflective Discussion, Isil Oygur, John Dixon

Learn X Design Conference Series

The professional practice of industrial design, as well as the spatial design of classrooms and workplaces, has undergone significant transformations over the years. The same cannot be said for the core learning space of industrial design, the studio. Much design education is built around studio culture, following an adage that students will learn from their peers as much as from instructors. This collaborative learning aspect of industrial design has been challenged as design work has become predominantly digital. While scholars focus on pedagogy to address concerns and advance design education, the significance of physical learning space on teaching and learning …

Education Through Design For Social Empowerment, Lorenzo Imbesi, Luca D'Elia

Learn X Design Conference Series

The critical framework of education through Design-based practices emphasizes hands-on, experiential learning and its role in expanding STEAM education models. This approach leverages enabling technologies, such as digital fabrication tools, to provide transformative educational experiences that address societal challenges. This contribution explores how Design-based educational practices can serve as tools for social empowerment in marginalized communities, specifically examining the integration of STEAM methodologies with digital fabrication technologies to address educational poverty and foster social inclusion. The study discusses a case study focused on eight workshops in Ostia Ponente, where collaboration between universities, local authorities, and social organizations sought to combat …

Ux Design Meets Generative Ai: Posing Questions About Future Implications For Design Education And Practice, Filipe Honorato, Violeta Clemente, Ricardo Sosa

Learn X Design Conference Series

Generative AI is rapidly transforming the creative work landscape and our expectations about everyday products and services. This emerging paradigm shift driven by Generative AI presents both challenges and opportunities for the futures of UX design education and practice. While much of the recent research on Generative AI and human-computer co-creativity has been focused on technology advancements, design research offers valuable potential to anticipate negative impacts, co-envision alternative futures, and steer the development of Generative AI toward more positive design outcomes to individuals and communities. This paper presents a scoping review to identify focus areas, research approaches, and reflexive questions …

Addressing Student Anxiety In Design Education: A Call For Reflection And Action, Maura Flores, Sara Reader, Alis Iacob

Learn X Design Conference Series

Student anxiety in design disciplines in higher education seems to have risen since the Covid-19 pandemic and during rapid technology change. In Brazil and the UK, educators notice students struggle with the uncertainties of iterative creative processes, which can hinder their productivity and increase frustration. Anxiety, while a barrier, can also act as a catalyst for innovation when adequately managed. This letter invites a discussion about how educators can support students by fostering emotional resilience, promoting problem-based learning, and integrating information literacy.

Outlining The Experience Of A Process-Oriented Practice Towards Foregrounding Entanglements In Design Education, Monja Hirscher

Learn X Design Conference Series

If design is understood in a posthumanist sense as a practice that creates encounters between human and non-human actors, it can be interesting to look at the encounters or entanglements rather than at the things that emerge, as these develop the practitioner in the form of relationships, experiences, and learnings. The text traces the author’s craft-based and process-oriented practice in candy making and observes the situated entanglements that arise in the process, which lead to a proposal of anchor points to reflect on such a practice in educational settings. The individually emerging connections to becoming, bodies, places, times, actors, and …

Design Thinking (A Visual Critique), Ricardo Sosa

Learn X Design Conference Series

This visual submission presents a provocative visual argument (Blair 2012) that aims to interrogate the mainstream “Design Thinking” approach adopted in a variety of contexts including in an increasing number of design schools. By reducing complex high-order practices and mapping them onto the five-step DT sequence, the paper invites readers to interrogate the value, validity and usefulness of portraying design activity in such terms. What is gained and lost by reducing rich and complex activities as well-defined processes? What may these mappings suggest about how we teach and learn to navigate the rich territories of design? What is occluded in …

Visioning Transformative Futures In Advertising, Jay Irizawa, Sugandha Gaur, Angela Bains, Lesley-Ann Noel

Learn X Design Conference Series

Four professors discuss the complexities of introducing transformational change in a design curriculum upon arriving at a university located in a large cosmopolitan city in Canada. The newest professor leads the conversation to learn what that experience was like and asks how the university-wide curriculum changed, starting with the Advertising program in the Faculty of Design. Themes of intersectionality intertwine with the identities of the speakers, including their lived experiences as immigrants and settlers in an established institutional system of learning. What transpires is a revealing discussion about the complexity of integrating decolonial pedagogy in the classrooms, research, and practice …

The Impact Of Walking Without Digital Distractions On Design Creativity, Joao Ferreira

Learn X Design Conference Series

This paper aims to understand whether walking without digital distractions can enhance creativity during the ideation process in design education. The study involved ninety-seven third-year undergraduate design students in an experiment examining the relationship between solitude, walking, and ideation. Students were divided into two groups: an experimental group of forty-four students instructed to take walks without mobile phones during the ideation phase of their design process and a control group of fifty-three students who remained in the design studio. Both groups were tasked with generating design solutions for the same brief. Results showed that the experimental group produced ideas with …

Design Literacy In Undergraduate Education For Non-Design Fields, Derya Yorgancıoğlu, Esin Kömez Dağlıoğlu, Yeşim Çapa Aydın

Learn X Design Conference Series

This study dwells on the consideration that design literacy offers a holistic framework for design thinking that fosters the development of 'new literacies' essential for today’s world. Design thinking is increasingly adopted in higher education, particularly in non-design fields. However, design literacy isn't being integrated effectively, which significantly hinders a comprehensive understanding and application of design principles. This study explores how design literacy differs from design thinking and why it's important today. It points to the need to reconsider the dimensions of design thinking, as a well-confirmed concept in the literature. It portrays the findings of a case-study that inquires …

The Ongoing Evolution Of Design: New Life Forms, Manuela Maier-Hummel

Learn X Design Conference Series

As our world is getting super-complex and human’s influence creates disastrous effects on our planet, it becomes vital to nurture design-specific, future-oriented knowledge and skills to establish a mediating environment. How can an interdisciplinary design curriculum support the evolution of future-oriented and sustainable ecologies encouraging creative collaboration inventing, rethinking, and recreating the world? This research explores a novel bachelor’s programme between multidisciplinary faculties of Computer Science and Design and Art to educate future information technology and design specialists together. It examines the qualities of Design interweaving with Computer Science merging into a next-level design culture. From a design researcher’s point …