Digital Commons Network^™

University Of Northern Iowa Faculty Senate Meeting Minutes, April 27, 2026, University Of Northern Iowa. Faculty Senate.

Documents - Faculty Senate

Meeting minutes from the Faculty Senate of the University of Northern Iowa.

University Of Northern Iowa Faculty Senate Meeting Agenda, April 27, 2026, University Of Northern Iowa. Faculty Senate.

Documents - Faculty Senate

Meeting agenda from the Faculty Senate of the University of Northern Iowa.

Strategies Of It Leaders For Deploying Cloud-Native Applications In Emerging Markets, Peter Ekhator

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Cloud-native applications are transforming organizational information technology (IT) operations by enabling scalability, flexibility, and cost efficiency. However, some IT leaders in emerging markets lack evidence-based strategies for successfully deploying cloud-native applications. IT leaders and organizational decision-makers are concerned because ineffective deployment limits the ability to leverage cloud technologies for innovation, operational resilience, and sustained competitiveness. Grounded in the technology–organization–environment (TOE) framework, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry was to explore strategies IT leaders use to deploy cloud-native applications in emerging-market contexts. Data were collected using semistructured interviews from 10 IT leaders with experience deploying cloud-native applications and were supplemented …

The Low-Temperature Heat Capacity And Thermodynamic Functions Of Mg3n2, Ca3n2, And Sr3n2, Natalie Parkinson

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Alkaline earth nitrides are highly hygroscopic materials used in metal refinement and various synthetic processes. In this work, the low-temperature heat capacities of Mg₃N₂, Ca₃N₂, and Sr₃N₂ were measured for the first time. The Ca₃N₂ sample contained impurities, necessitating corrections to the heat capacity data. The absolute entropies of Mg₃N₂, Ca₃N₂, and Sr₃N₂ at 298.15 K were determined to be 75.1, 114.9, and 188.5 J∙K⁻¹∙mol⁻¹, respectively. Gibbs energies of formation were …

Evaluating Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonist Safety Before Upper Endoscopy: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Zohaib Ahmed, Amna Iqbal, Sami Ghazaleh, Abdallah Kobeissy, Ali Nawras, Yaseen Alastal, Hani Saad, Sarmed Mansur, Idrees Mohiuddin, Umair Iqbal, Dushyant Singh Dahiya, Syeda Faiza Arif, Connor Campbell, Wade Lee-Smith, Mohammad Asif, Faisal Kamal, Aamir Saeed, Omar Horani

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: The use of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) has remarkably increased in the past few years as they have demonstrated significant reduction in A1c and major cardiovascular outcomes and have led to weight loss with low risk of hypoglycemia. GLP-1 RA use has raised concerns about potential associations with increased gastric retention and adverse outcomes in upper endoscopy procedures.

METHODS: We conducted a comprehensive search across multiple databases to identify comparative studies evaluating the impact of GLP-1 RA exposure versus non-exposure on upper endoscopy outcomes. Studies comparing GLP-1 RAs to other medications were excluded. The primary outcome was …

Foreign Language Experience Effects On L2-Accented Speech Attitudes In College Students, Jordan L. Ellington

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study is to test whether knowledge of a second language in college students can affect perceptions and prejudices towards speakers with foreign accents. The testing was completed through both implicit and explicit attitudinal measures in regard to recorded audio stimuli. The explicit attitudinal testing was performed through participant self reporting of attitudes. Participants were presented with first (L1) or second (L2) language accented English samples and then rated that speaker in terms of various characteristics or traits that represented the speaker's solidarity and status. The implicit testing was performed in an Auditory Implicit Associations Test on …

In Re: Whittaker Clark & Daniels

2026 Decisions

USDC for the District of New Jersey

In Re: Whittaker Clark & Daniels

2026 Decisions

USDC for the District of New Jersey

Ndls Communicator: Week Of 04.27.26, Notre Dame Law School

NDLS Communicator

The Latest News

• 3L Nikki Rafferty has been selected as the recipient of the 2026 Thomas L. Shaffer Public Interest Fellowship
• 3L Erin Hiestand has been named one of the American Constitution Society’s 2026 Next Generation Leaders
• Notre Dame Law School’s Barristers Mock Trial Team (the Law School’s Trial Advocacy Team) won the regional championship and advanced to nationals at the American Association for Justice (AAJ) Student Trial Advocacy Competition.
• The Notre Dame Exoneration Justice Clinic (EJC) will welcome three law students from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) to its summer internship program.

Student News

• Roselis Díaz De …

Writing As A Process Of Inquiry In Autoethnography For Meaning-Making: Reflections And Some Points For Consideration, Niroj Dahal

The Qualitative Report

This article explores writing as a process of inquiry and meaning-making in the autoethnographic tradition, offering reflections on the recursive, emergent, and dialogical/dialectical nature of writing, along with some points for consideration. Drawing on perspectives from qualitative research and narrative inquiry (Riessman, 2008), I argue that autoethnographic writing serves as a method of inquiry and/or discovery, generating ontological, epistemological, and axiological-driven cultural meaning that functions as a site of reflection, interrogation, and re-storying of lived experiences. This recursive, often messy, and reflexive act allows researchers to excavate, analyze, and interpret their lived experiences. Rather than viewing writing as a final-stage …

A Rigorous And Ethical Methodological Framework For Navigating Cultural Differences With Police Officers In A South African Rural Community, Masefako Andronica Gumani

The Qualitative Report

Research contexts pose different challenges during research processes, and these challenges may affect the credibility of study findings. This was especially the case when, as a researcher, I interacted with police participants from different cultural backgrounds from my own. This paper reflects on my experience as a female Sepedi‑speaking researcher conducting a Ph.D. qualitative, grounded theory study with male and female South African Police Service (SAPS) officers from the Venda and Tsonga cultural backgrounds. I used a reflexive autoethnographic research design to purposively look at myself as the subject of inquiry and analyze my reflexive journal using reflexive thematic data …

Beyond Victimhood, Expanding Narratives: A Generative Inquiry With Trafficking Survivors, Giacomo Chiara, Celiane Camargo-Borges, Diego Romaioli, Alberta Contarello

The Qualitative Report

This study is a generative inquiry with survivors of trafficking from a social constructionist perspective. Inspired by the principles of Appreciative Inquiry, its focus is collaboration between researchers and trafficking survivors with a view to shaping and understanding their trafficking experiences together, expanding understanding of the topic and co-constructing a relational space in which counter-narratives on victimhood can be generated. It consisted of 10 interviews with women survivors of trafficking at the Italian Anti-Trafficking System. These women were from a range of nations and their experiences of exploitation varied. Taking a constructionist approach to research, we formulated an episodic-generative interview …

Testimonios De Una Estudiante De Doctorado: Regaining Joy In Graduate School Through Research-Practice Partnerships, Sophia Piral Lee

The Qualitative Report

Through an epistolary critical autoethnography and Latina and Chicana feminist framework, I explore the question of how international graduate students of color can overcome cultural, linguistic, ethnoracial, and social class isolation on predominantly white campuses and in college towns. By writing a letter to my mother (one of my methods for survival in academia), I share my challenges as a Guatemalan, first-time mom, first-generation college student, international student, and non-English native speaker in graduate school during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, this writing helps me recognize how I overcame my isolation and regained my joy and …

Solo Faculty Program Coordinators In Student Affairs-Related Graduate Programs, Phillip A. Olt, Mitch Nasser, Louise Michelle Vital, Steven Tolman, James G. Archibald, Mary Ann Bodine Al-Sharif, Blue Brazelton, Rozana Carducci, Michael Houdyshell, Tryan Mcmickens, Cara Meixner, Molly Mistretta, Amy Paciej-Woodruff, Richie Stevens, Ann Wendle, Claude E.P. Mayo

The Qualitative Report

Many graduate programs in student affairs-related subfields employ just one full-time faculty member, who then also functions as the program coordinator. Program coordinator duties and compensation vary widely, but they are generally the person who ensures all aspects of the program function. Research shows that fulfilling these responsibilities in addition to teaching, research, and service is difficult; however, this study sought to expand on that literature to understand what it was like to coordinate a HESA program as the only full-time faculty member isolated in that subfield at the institution. We utilized the hybrid qualitative methodology of phenomenological polyethnography, wherein …

What Multiple Theories Can Illuminate In Qualitative Research, Sherry Marx, Rachel Billings, Taylor Dexter, Mark T. Lewis, Patrick Ocran, Douglas Weber

The Qualitative Report

Our aim in this paper is to help scholars better understand theory’s purpose in qualitative research, how it is employed in data analysis, and the strengths and limitations of the insights it can reveal. We do this by sharing our practice using multiple theories to make sense of a common data set in an advanced doctoral class focused on theory in qualitative research. For the class final project, students chose different theories to analyze one common data set: A brief historical article on the Los Angeles Zoot Suit Riots. Student-chosen theories included constructivism, actor-network theory, symbolic interactionism, critical race theory, …

Healthcare Institutions’ Influences On Health Literacy Levels In Mothers In Greensboro, North Carolina, Wole Ajala

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Immigrant populations experience persistent challenges within the U.S. healthcare system, including marginalization, discrimination, and limited access to understandable health information, which contribute to health disparities. Factors such as low income, cultural differences, and intersecting identities related to gender and race further compound these challenges. This qualitative phenomenological study examined how these social determinants of health influenced the health literacy experiences of African immigrant mothers in Greensboro, North Carolina. Data were collected through encrypted WhatsApp audio interviews with eight African immigrant mothers who had used healthcare services in the United States. Interview recordings were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using inductive thematic …

Strategies To Reduce Diagnostic Wait Times In Vha Facilities, Frankie Loadz Odlens Beaubrun

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the largest integrated healthcare system in the United States, providing care to millions of veterans annually. Diagnostic service wait times affect veteran access to timely diagnoses and subsequent eligibility for disability benefits, vocational rehabilitation, and social services. The purpose of this integrative review was to identify evidence-based strategies to reduce diagnostic wait time within the VHA. The guiding review question addressed what strategies VA medical centers can use to reduce diagnostic wait times. Guided by Donabedian’s structure-process-outcome framework, a comprehensive literature search initially identified 487 sources across multiple databases. Subsequently, systematic screening and application …

Neurodiverse Secondary School Educators Transitioning To Online Teaching During Covid-19 Pandemic, Leane Pupo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The COVID-19 pandemic affected individuals, families, communities, and a variety of workplaces across the world. Many studies have addressed the impact of the emergency transition from on-ground to online on educators, students, and their families. However, while there is emerging literature on the impact of COVID-19 on neurodiverse individuals and on neurodiverse individuals in the workplace, there is little or no research on neurodiverse teachers. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of neurodiverse educators who transitioned from on-ground to online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. Bandura’s social cognitive theory of self-efficacy and Garmezy’s theory of resilience …

Bound By Belief: Exploring The Influence Of Internalized Rape Myths On Survivor Agency And Identity, Arika I. White

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This qualitative study explored how internalized RMA impacts survivors’ cognitive processing, coping strategies, and psychological agency, as observed by licensed psychotherapists who treat sexual assault survivors. Despite extensive literature on the societal impacts of RMA, less attention has been given to understanding how these cultural myths are internalized by survivors and manifest intrapsychically, influencing self-perception, self-blame, and identity reconstruction following trauma. Using a phenomenological approach, semi-structured interviews with therapists provided meta-level insights into how survivors’ narratives reflect internalized cultural stigma and misogynistic beliefs. Thematic analysis was used to identify patterns of maladaptive coping, internalized misogyny, and diminished agency, revealing how …

Coordinated Telehealth For People With Parkinson’S Disease: A Qualitative Comparison Of Providers’ And Patients’ Experiences, Erin J. Bush, Reshmi L. Singh, Josephine Cox, Merrill R. Landers, Annalisa V. Piccorelli

The Qualitative Report

Telehealth increases access to allied healthcare in rural areas. People with Parkinson’s disease (PD) need improved access to health care, and from a patient-centered perspective, the coordination of their healthcare should be a priority. Four speech-language pathologists, two physical therapists, two pharmacists, and two study coordinators provided a coordinated allied healthcare intervention for people with PD in rural Wyoming and Nevada. Both the providers of the intervention, as well as the participants who received it, were interviewed about their experiences with the eight-week intervention and asked about aspects that were successful or unsuccessful. Through a naturalistic paradigm using a qualitative …

Thinking Towards The Future: Reflections On Engaging With Ai For Visual Data Presentation In Qualitative Research, Chloe Le, Anh Ngoc Quynh Phan

The Qualitative Report

This article reports our experience of exploring the use of ChatGPT to artistically present a segment of qualitative data in a visual form for one of our previous studies. We recounted our engagement with ChatGPT and reflected on our emotions and thoughts throughout the interactive process with this AI-powered tool for image generation. Our narrative analysis highlights the agency of ChatGPT as an active contributor to the creative endeavor and emphasizes our critical role as researchers in interpreting the data and in critically evaluating AI-generated images within the context of our research. The paper suggests that AI-text-to-image function can potentially …

Exploring Lay Meanings Of Happiness In Contemporary India: A Qualitative Inquiry, Kunmun Mishra, Kailash Bl Srivastava Professor

The Qualitative Report

Three decades of professional research suggest several explicit concepts of happiness; however, exploring the lay theories of happiness has largely been overlooked. Addressing this gap, our paper attempts to explore lay concepts of happiness in the contemporary Indian context. Given the inherently subjective nature of happiness, a qualitative study was conducted to explore the impact of beliefs and lived experiences on happiness. Data were collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews, and transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis. Meanings, causes, and actions to maintain happiness evolved into seven significant themes: contentment, achievement and hope, collectivist orientation, autonomy, materialism, pragmatic orientation, and spirituality. …

Advancing Sustainability In The Indonesian Oil Field Services Landscape, Firmansyah Arifin, Sudarso Kaderi Wiryono, Sylviana Maya Damayanti, Gatot Yudoko

The Qualitative Report

This study examines sustainability practices in Indonesia's drilling and oil field services (OFS) industry, addressing a critical research gap from a business and management perspective. Using a qualitative case study approach, ten in-depth interviews with industry leaders identified key performance variables and developed a sustainability model specifically designed for the OFS drilling sector. The findings highlight three core dimensions: Internal Variables (e.g., Employee Health and Safety, CSR Initiatives, ESG Performance, Cost Savings, Energy Efficiency, Carbon Footprint Reduction), External Variables (e.g., Green Financing, Stakeholder Engagement, Community Welfare), and Performance. Novel contributions include operationalizing advanced HSE technologies like cyber rigs and tailored …

Human Service Professionals’ Perceptions Culturally Competent Resources For Transracial Adoption, Rachelle Tau-Stewart

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Transracial adoption continues to increase in the United States, particularly in states with predominantly White populations; yet, culturally competent preparation and postadoption resources remain limited. The lack of structured cultural socialization and race-responsive supports places transracially adopted youth at increased risk for identity disruption, mental health challenges, and experiences of racism and microaggressions. The purpose of this qualitative action research study was to explore human service professionals’ perceptions of the services needed to provide culturally competent resources for transracial adoption in Washington State. Guided by the Transracial Adoption Parenting Series framework developed by the Coalition for Children, Youth, and Families, …

Occupational Stressors Correlated With Depression And Burnout Among Criminal Defense Attorneys, Fay Frances Spence

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No prior studies have compared occupational stressors of criminal defense lawyers by practice setting (public defender, court-appointed, or retained). In this mixed-method study, the goal was to identify occupational stressors perceived by criminal defense lawyers in different settings and to determine if those stressors were correlated with depression, anxiety, and burnout, using Maslach’s burnout-engagement continuum as the theoretical framework. Based on stressors identified in semistructured interviews with 15 criminal defense lawyers, the Criminal Defender Stress Survey (CDSS) was created to measure the frequency and perceived intensity of identified stressors. The CDSS was incorporated into an online survey, along with the …

Final Report For Clas 485 Capstone Vōx Antīqua, Aaron Moreno

Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects

This report summarizes and details the process of creating the capstone project Vōx Antīqua, a Greek and Latin pronunciation web course. The site layout, methodology, and creative process are all covered with detailed endnotes, followed by a complete bibliography of all primary and secondary sources consulted. This Digital Humanities resource contains hundreds of audio files covering Greek (in Classical Attic and Post-Classical) and Latin pronunciation, along with sixteen examples of Greek and Latin literature with full audio and original translations. Introduction to syllabification, accentuation, and prosody in both languages is also included.

Rethinking Psychological Safety In The Work Environment: Nursing Students' Perspectives, Olivia Nyarko Mensah, Elizabeth Boatemaa, Anita Fosua, Egya Gyanzah Eshun, Mary Ani-Amponsah

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

Background: When the right working environment is created, it fosters the right behaviour in employees, A conducive environment is one that allows people to freely express themselves and escalate their concerns without fear of repercussion, victimization or undue consequences, it helps enhance work satisfaction (Ip et al., 2025; Turner et al., 2023). The classroom and the clinical work environment if appropriate and conducive should be such that it allows and not hinder free expression which can go a long way to ensure participation, satisfying individual concerns and group achievement (O’Connor et al., 2022). The central problem of the study was …

Night To Light Revive Before You Drive, Imelda S. Oca, Mary Ann Sison

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

At times, night shift nurses had little or no recollection of their commute home emphasizing the exhaustion experienced after working an overnight shift. Night To Light Revive Before You Drive is a project aimed to increase safety awareness to combat drowsy driving among night shift nurses through targeted interventions promoting wellness and safety. This in turn, positively enhanced the work environment, decreased the job burnout scores and lowered the night shift RN Vacancy and Turnover rates.

The Night to Light Revive Before You Drive is a pre-post interventional study design with an implementation timeline of twelve months focused on awareness …

The Clinical Passport: Documenting Competency Across Undergraduate Nursing Education, Sandra Rogers, Cindy Hudson, Jesse B. Stallsworth

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

Background: Exposure of undergraduate nursing students to essential clinical skills and the opportunity to perform those skills under appropriate supervision, is often variable and limited. Contributing factors are most likely multifactorial including the increasing time constraints placed upon lab and clinical faculty and the irregular and unstructured way that clinical skill instruction is delivered within some nursing programs. These factors have contributed to variability in students’ clinical preparedness and confidence in performing fundamental nursing skills. The purpose of this project was to develop and evaluate a Clinical Passport for the tracking of clinical skills in an undergraduate nursing program.

Intervention: …

Service Providers’ Perceptions Of Mckinney-Vento Implementation: Supporting Academic Performance And Attendance In K-12 Students’ Experiencing Homelessness, Darci Mcrae

Honors Projects

In Wood, Lucas, and Ottawa County, Ohio, approximately 2,508 students or 2.6% of total enrollment experience homelessness. The McKinney-Vento Act (MVA, 1987) aims to reduce educational barriers for these students by ensuring access to transportation, school enrollment, school supplies, and additional educational support. Despite these provisions, the effectiveness of MVA implementation varies among school districts due to differences in staff training, funding, procedures, and the diverse needs of students experiencing homelessness. This study examines service providers’ perceptions of how the MVA is implemented in public school districts and how it affects attendance and academic performance among K–12 students’ experiencing homelessness. …