Adult and Continuing Education Commons^™

Standardizing Support: Creating A Digital Guidebook For College Access Professionals, Darci L. Vanwormer

Masters Projects

Despite the expansion of college access programs across the United States, a streamlined, comprehensive resource for college access professionals remains to be found. This gap disproportionately impacts first-generation, low-income, and racially minoritized students who may not have the knowledge and support systems necessary to navigate the realm of postsecondary education. Recent literature on college advising, college access, and diverse student needs was collected and analyzed to best inform the intervention. The purpose of this project is to provide an accessible, centralized guidebook via a user-friendly website that serves as a foundational resource for college access professionals and is supported by …

April 25, 2025 Minutes, Swosu Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Minutes

No abstract provided.

Assessing The Impact Of Media And Information Literacy On Creative Video Content Production, Reem M. Al-Zou’Bi

Journal of Media Literacy Education

This study explores the impact of Media and Information Literacy (MIL) on developing creative video production skills among undergraduate students at Al al-Bayt University, Jordan. The sample consisted of 60 students divided into an experimental group (MIL course) and a control group (Educational Foundations course). Using a quasi-experimental design, students’ video production skills were evaluated using a rubric covering nine key criteria, weighted based on expert input. Results showed that the experimental group significantly outperformed the control group in creative video production, highlighting MIL’s role in enhancing these skills. Notably, both groups emphasized content integrity similarly, while the MIL group …

Resilience And Demographics As Predictors Of Internet Addiction Among Polytechnic Library Users In South-South, Nigeria., Godwin Oberhiri-Orumah (Cln, Mnla), Esharenana E. Adomi Prof

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study investigated resilience and demographics as predictors of internet addiction among polytechnic library users in South-South, Nigeria. The study adopted the correlational research design. The population for the study was 3,302 library users from which a sample size of 412 library users in five federal polytechnics using the multi-stage sampling technique was selected. The instrument used for data collection was the questionnaire. The results show that the extent of Internet addiction among polytechnic library users in South-South Nigeria is moderate. The study also found that the level of resilience among polytechnic library users in South-South Nigeria is to a …

Teacher Training: An Investment In The Future Of Literacy Education, Kellie J. Hooper-Bressler

Wellspring: A Practitioner-Oriented Journal of Literacy and Language Education

One teacher's reflection on the professional development afforded by Reading Recovery coursework received thirty years ago in comparison to current explicit training in Science of Reading leads to conclusions about teacher training practices. The paper suggests not only is explicit foundational reading instruction essential for all new teachers, but continued investment at the school level improves the capacity of the district to meet the needs of students, including struggling readers, while also retaining future educators.

Getting The Unbanked, Banked: An Adult Education Intervention Program To Increase The Usage Of The Banking System By Low-Income Families, Orlando A. Smith

Dissertations

Financial literacy describes the skills, knowledge and tools consumers use to make informed financial decisions to meet their goals. The purpose of this study was to determine how many consumers utilize the resources offered by banks and credit unions and for those who do not, after participating in an intervention, will begin to do so. The Transtheoretical Model of Behavior Change served as the theoretical framework. It has been shown to be a useful model to examine adults’ change in financial behaviors. The sample consisted of 65 adults who lived within specific zip codes in a large metropolitan area in …

Educator Self-Efficacy In Implementing College Readiness Curriculum For English Language Learners: A Qualitative Hermeneutical Phenomenology, Emily Rose Munevar

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the self-efficacious perspectives integrating college readiness among English Language Learners for K-12 educator professionals at schools in the Southcentral United States. The theory guiding this study was Bandura’s theory of self-efficacy, which guides the research by providing the facets of educator self-efficacy that were used to design research and interview questions. Self-efficacy theory breaks down into four parts: mastery experiences, vicarious experiences, social persuasion, and physiological feedback. The central research question of this research was: What are the self-efficacious experiences of K-12 educator professionals integrating college readiness for English language learner …

The Branch Waitlist Project, Addison E. Youngkin

SPARK Symposium Presentations

The problem that we have found is that The Branch has a limited number of English education classes, as well as limited numbers of teachers and other opportunities for students to engage and learn. The waitlist for the English learning classes is about 150 students long, and this study will explore a way to provide students with helpful resources for everyday life while they are waiting to get into actual classes. This will be done through research about the topics that students struggle the most with in their everyday lives. Our specific objectives include providing those within the waitlist with …

Empowering Rural Communities: Unlocking Potential Through The Online Rural Economic & Community Vitality Graduate Certificate, Daniela Mattos

Cornhusker Economics

In today’s evolving economic landscape, rural Nebraska stands at a crossroads. While communities face challenges like population decline, job loss, and infrastructure needs, they also have enormous potential for growth, innovation, and resilience. The key to unlocking this potential lies in skilled, passionate leaders ready to shape the future.

The Rural Economic & Community Vitality (RECV) Graduate Certificate offered 100% online by the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Department of Agricultural Economics, provides a powerful platform to do just that. This 12-credit, no-prerequisite program is designed for individuals eager to create real, lasting impact in rural communities—whether you're already working in …

Effectiveness Of A Gait Assessment Model In Enhancing Understanding And Learning In Healthcare Education, Seema Saini, Arsh Shikalgar, Neelam Tejani, Tushar J. Palekar, Praveen Kumar

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Background: Traditional teaching models often fail to adequately convey the complexities of concepts such as gait analysis, a cyclic biomechanical process. This study introduces and evaluates a gait assessment system device as an educational model for healthcare students. The system aims to enhance learning through active experimentation with educators, focusing on teaching fundamental concepts like torque, potential energy, and kinetic movements. Methodology: A total of 80 fourth-year healthcare students specializing in physiotherapy participated in this study. The primary educational approach employed was the gait assessment model, designed to enhance understanding of basic biomechanical concepts such as torque, potential energy, and …

Supporting Elementary Educators Through A Nervous System Regulation And Social-Emotional Learning Skills Workshop Intervention: An Musc Capstone Project, Lily Morgan

Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Doctorate - Doctoral Capstone Symposium

Teachers have a great influence on developing children’s emotional intelligence, regulatory capacity, and occupational engagement. These professionals also happen to report some of the highest rates of stress, mental health challenges (Agyapong, B. et al, 2022), and burnout (Xie, M., et al, 2022). Providing teachers with education and support on nervous system regulation, social-emotional learning skills, and related topics can improve their ability to manage job stress, enhance modeling and interactions with students, and improve their quality of life. This project aimed to enhance knowledge, provide access to resources, and serve to support elementary educators at an inner-city school in …

Aviation Maintenance Education: Recruiting For Mctc's Aas Program, Shana Savard-Hogge

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A capstone submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in the Ernst and Sara Lane Volgenau College of Education at Morehead State University by Shana Savard-Hogge on April 10, 2025

Maternal Physical And Mental Health In The State Of South Carolina: Creating High-Quality Educational Materials, Elizabeth Chard

Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Doctorate - Doctoral Capstone Symposium

This capstone project, in collaboration with the Empowering Moms team at the Medical University of South Carolina, aimed to establish the foundation for a statewide occupational therapy initiative focused on maternal mental and physical health education as a preventative approach to addressing rising maternal mortality rates. The project involved assessing the needs of mothers, developing evidence-based educational materials, and compiling a comprehensive resource list to enhance access to information for mothers and community health partners (CHPs) across South Carolina. To support this initiative, a website and REDCap surveys were created to facilitate information dissemination and track outcomes. Embedded within the …

Building Bridges: A Community Health Worker Training Course, Taylor A. Ramsey, Lesley Khan-Farooqi, Phd, Otd, Otr, Dr. Sharita Ambrose, Dhed., Mph, Ches, Chwi

Spring 2025 OTD Capstone Symposium

Building Bridges: A Community Health Worker Training Course is a comprehensive 20-hour continuing education course designed for community health workers (CHWS) who work with Black pregnant women. This training course was developed for and in collaboration with Allure Alliance Incorporated, a non-profit organization whose mission is to improve the lives of Black women through community programming, education, and advocacy. This training course reflects an interprofessional collaborative approach to addressing the racial disparities in the Black maternal health population in the U.S. The course includes evidence-based strategies and health management interventions derived from the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework, 4th Edition (OTPF-4), …

A Comparative Study Of Success Rates Of Non-Traditional Students At Southeast Kentucky Community And Technical College Before, During, And After The Covid-19 Pandemic, Paul M. Bryant

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A capstone submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in the Ernst and Sara Lane Volgenau College of Education at Morehead State University by Paul M. Bryant on April 4, 2025.

Learning From Indigenous Knowledge And Research, Rob Morrison

Faculty Publications

The goal of this sabbatical research is to learn more about non-Western ways of knowing and learning (epistemologies) and to become a more effective culturally responsive teacher. I investigated how Indigenous Knowledge and research practices can enrich current definitions and practices of Information Literacy and integrate them into the research process. Information Literacy is part of a larger and more complex research process that involves connecting researchers’ questions and purpose with literature reviews and the resulting new knowledge.

I am continuing my research journey that started with my dissertation work on Culturally Relevant Information Literacy and Critical Information Literacy (CIL). …

Does Ai Help Or Harm? Why And How Ai Use Influences Workplace Outcomes And Employee Well-Being, Haille Trimboli, Reka Lassu

Education Division Scholarship

Although the recent surge in excitement surrounding artificial intelligence (AI) might suggest it is a new development, AI has been applied in organizations for over forty years (Fanti et al., 2022; Markelius et al., 2024). Indeed, the term "artificial intelligence" itself emerged in the 1950s during a research project at Dartmouth College, where it was used to describe "machines able to simulate human intelligence" (Haenlein & Kaplan, 2019, p. 3). Most recently, in 2022, the landscape of AI use for laypeople greatly changed when OpenAI introduced ChatGPT, a generative AI tool, to the public; ChatGPT is an advanced AI language …

Swosu Fact Book Spring 2025, Joel Harrel Kendall, Diane Fitzsimmons, Kelsi Burghardt

Fact Books

The 2nd annual Southwestern Oklahoma State University Spring Fact Book provides a ready source of information to answer frequently asked questions about the University and its operations. The Spring Fact Book is compiled annually by the Office of Institutional Research to assist the university with strategic planning, academic program reviews, grant writing, accreditation, and institutional information to help guide decision-making. The report uses data collected from 2016 to 2025 and is designed to help faculty, staff, administrators, and external stakeholders better understand the student body and university trends.

“Like A Fish Being Judged By My Ability To Fly”: Barriers To Accessibility In Postgraduate Study, Molly E. Thompson

Publications and Research

This research paper explores the unique accessibility challenges faced by disabled postgraduate students and what can be done to address them. Testimonies and formal studies alike show how disabled graduate students have to deal with stigmatizing attitudes from their instructors (especially if they hold intersectional marginalized identities) on top of systemic barriers such as strict deadlines, unsustainably heavy workloads, inaccessible travel requirements, and disability services that are not suited to undergraduate needs. These problems are especially prominent in medical school where demands on time and energy are especially rigorous. To address these issues, disability service programs must be reformed to …

Coding An Assignment Calculator Exclusively With Chatgpt, Andy Tincknell, Heather P. Vandyne, Lisa K. Bell

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

Large Language Models like ChatGPT are influencing higher education and society in broader ways, including the coding and programming of applications and websites (Silva et al., 2024). This poster will profile how Forsyth Library, with no coders on staff, used ChatGPT to program an Assignment Calculator LibGuide without human coding. It details the process, challenges, and outcomes while highlighting AI’s potential to enhance resources for academic success and considers its efficacy and ethical implications.

Perceptions Of Agricultural Extension Practitioners After Undergoing Andragogical Training In Malawi, Lisa Kaslon, Nathan W. Conner, Catherine Mthinda, Limson Kaluzi, Austen Moore

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

The effectiveness of Extension work is highly dependent on the preparedness and professional competencies of Extension practitioners. One area of training that is of importance to Extension practitioners is adult learning. According to Malcolm Knowles, andragogy is the art and science of adult learning. This study looked at the principles of adult learning necessary for effective Extension programming. Twenty Extension practitioners were trained in andragogical principles, and their perceptions of using andragogy to redesign Extension programming were examined. The researchers found that, upon training, Extension practitioners felt that andragogical principles would help Extension work to be viewed more positively …

Fostering Autonomy And Self Efficacy: An Informal Caregiver's Guide To Encouraging Participation In Self-Care, Jade A. Evans, Steven M. Gerardi, Precious Osuoha

Spring 2025 OTD Capstone Symposium

Helping Hands and Active Lives is a practical guidebook designed to empower informal caregivers to support senior independence and well-being. It offers evidence-based strategies to enhance communication, mobility, and daily function while emphasizing the impact of caregiving approaches on occupational success.

Exploring Digital Training In Sales: Insights From Technical Recruiters’ Professional Development Experiences, Christopher Wilkey, Austin Hostetter

AMTP Proceedings 2025

In today’s fast-moving sales world, keeping skills sharp and learning new ones is key to staying ahead. As digital platforms become more common in workplace training, it raises the question, are they really helping professionals grow? This study dives into the training opportunities available to technical recruiters, focusing on how they’re using digital tools for professional development. By interviewing technical recruiters from a variety of companies across the U.S., this research explores their experiences, preferences, and thoughts on the value of these training methods. The interviews show a clear preference for in-person training over digital programs, which are often seen …

J Mich Dent Assoc April 2025

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

Each month, The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association provides news, information, and features about Michigan dentistry to our state's oral health community and the MDA's 6,200+ members. It stands as the primary publication reaching Michigan dentists. The April issue marks the end of an era, as the MDA announced it would discontinue providing a print issue and focus on digital distribution.

This month’s issue includes a cover feature on going non-par, a feature article on pterygoid implant placement and restoration, candidate’s biographical statements, and information on a new membership benefit for health and well-being. Regular departments include the New …

Medical Faculty Perceptions Of Faculty Development And Its Impact On Teaching Quality, Melinda Turner

Other Scholarly Works

American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine Educating Leaders 2025 Conference Session Presentation. School/ College: Session: D22.7 - Medical Ed Training Program: Concurrent Oral Session Abstract Theme: Empowering Educators: Professional Development, Leadership, and Scholarship Presentation Type: Research Audience Track: UME - Pre-Clinical Education Brief Description Medical faculty often transition from clinical practice to teaching roles with limited pedagogical training, impacting the quality of medical education. This study addresses the need for effective faculty development programs by examining faculty perceptions of their impact on teaching quality, a critical aspect of medical education. This research investigates the effectiveness of a faculty development …

From Gamers To Professionals: A Case Study On The Role Of Esports In Developing Employability Skills, Anthony Mark Gray Jr.

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

Workforce Skills have evolved to be critically needed and the ways of developing these workplace skills are evolving. This study explores the potential contributions of esports activities at colleges to the development of essential employability skills, including collaboration, communication, leadership, problem-solving, and teamwork, skills that are valued by human resources managers. Despite the growing popularity of esports and its potential to prepare students for the workforce, there is limited research connecting esports and even broader video games connected to the activities can influence skill development and career readiness. There is an increase in academic focus and identifying the knowledge skills, …

Acculturation Experiences Of International Students In The U.S. Cacrep-Accredited Counselor Education Programs: Challenges, Support Systems, And Systemic Barriers, Nargiza Amirova

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

International students significantly enrich U.S. counselor education and supervision programs by contributing diverse cultural perspectives that inspire teaching, research, and professional growth. Yet, these students often face complex challenges including cultural adjustment, language barriers, social isolation, and the academic demands of counseling academic programs that impact their educational outcome s and psychological well-being. Systemic barriers, such as visa restrictions and institutional unawareness, further complicate their experiences. This study explored acculturation experiences of international students enrolled in CACREP-accredited counselor education programs in the United States.

Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), in-depth interviews were conducted with seven international students on J1/F1 visas, …

March 28, 2025 Minutes, Swosu Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Minutes

No abstract provided.

Understanding The Role Of Academic Programs In Preparing Child Life Students For Internship – Perspectives Of Students And New Professionals, Camille Vereschagin

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

Certified Child Life Specialists (CCLS) are healthcare professionals trained to support the psychosocial and emotional needs of children and their families through hospitalization and other stressful experiences. Becoming a CCLS requires the completion of coursework, a 600-hour clinical internship, and certification through the Association of Child Life Professionals (ACLP). However, the transition from academic coursework to clinical internship can be challenging for students.

This qualitative study explores how child life academic programs prepare students for internship from the perspectives of students and new professionals. An exploratory-descriptive qualitative research design was used to examine the factors within academic programs that support …

Applying Kolb's Theory Of Experiential Learning In The Development Of An Evidenced-Based Practice & Research Council At An Acute Care Hospital, Cheryl Green, Daryn Brauner Msn, Todd Allen Lane, Judy Darlucio Rn, Stacey Peace Rn

Medical Nursing

The processes of adult learning can become convoluted as adults age, developmentally progress through the life cycle, have different employment opportunities, and pursue academic studies. It is important when engaging adults in the learning of new content, that an eclectic approach to learning be implemented to ensure information is comprehended, applicable, and reproducible. Kolb’s Theory of Experiential Learning provides adult learners with four stages of learning; concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation. These four stages, applied separately and in combination of adult learning modalities, enhance the adult learning experience by introducing diverse approaches to the processing of …