Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons^™

Evaluating The Impact Of Research Equipment Availability On Scientific Rigor, Reproducibility, And Innovation Across Stem Disciplines, Lyndi G. Hraban

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Research infrastructure plays a central role in shaping the quality and innovative capacity of scientific research. This study evaluates how the availability of research equipment influences scientific rigor, reproducibility, and innovation across STEM disciplines. Drawing on literature from science-to-science research, policy studies, and discipline-specific analyses, this project synthesizes existing scholarship to explore the relationship between access to infrastructure and key research outcomes. Findings across the literature indicate that access to advanced and well-maintained equipment can strengthen scientific rigor by enabling more precise measurements, improved experimental control, and the implementation of standardized research protocols. Shared and centralized facilities are also associated …

Performance Of Illustrations And Images As Language In Sarnath Banerjee’S All Quiet In Vikaspuri, Akanksha Barthwal Ms

SANE journal: Sequential Art Narrative in Education

Sarnath Banerjee’s All Quiet in Vikaspuri, fictionalizes but at the same time addresses water wars and political ideologies in the city of Delhi. By the means of eco-critical approach in the name of Vi-kas (development) Banerjee discuss the acts of slow violence subverted on nature in the name of progress (vikas). Through text/ images the author depicts chaos and challenges for the readers in more direct and obscene ways. The current paper attempts to look at Banerjee’s illustrations and images as new form of language emerged in modern Indian literature with the possibly that illustrations have more effect on …

Dataset: The Impact Of External Resource Use On The Validity Of Score Interpretation For A Biology Concept Assessment Administered Out-Of-Class, Tiffany J. Burgess, Crystal Uminski, Gia Alicea, Brian A. Couch

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Instructors use concept assessments to gauge student knowledge and guide course improvement. Many instructors experience time and logistical constraints around administering these assessments in class. For this reason, administering concept assessments outside of class can help increase feasibility. While previous studies have cautioned that the use of external resources (e.g., internet, course notes, peers) in the out-of-class setting may inflate assessment scores, the extent to which undergraduate students access various resources when completing concept assessments is unknown. The current study uses two survey question formats to better understand whether students engage with external resources when taking a biology concept assessment …

Dataset: Participation Versus Points: Examining The Impact Of Grading Conditions On Student Resource Use During An Out-Of-Class Biology Concept Assessment, Tiffany J. Burgess, Crystal Uminski, Brian A. Couch

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Instructors use concept assessments to collect diagnostic information regarding student learning and to inform decisions surrounding instructional interventions and course modifications. Administering concept assessments out-of-class helps preserve already limited instructional time, but instructors still must consider whether to apply a lower-stakes (i.e., participation) versus higher-stakes (i.e., correctness) grading scheme. An increase in stakes is likely to prompt additional effort, but it may also increase undesired behaviors and inadvertently prompt external resource use, such as students leveraging their notes, the internet, or their peers. In the present study, we compared student self-reported resource use on a biology concept assessment administered under …

Evaluation Of Distractor Model Specifications On Assessment Quality Within The Framework Of Assessment Engineering, Sunhyoung Lee

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Responding to the high demand for new test items, model-based item development has emerged as a promising approach for efficient item creation. Item models within Assessment Engineering (AE) offer a systematic framework that effectively generates a large volume of new items. In the development of multiple-choice questions, well-constructed distractors are essential for ensuring item quality, although creating them requires significant time and resources. A distractor model is a sub-model within an item model, producing correct answers and distractors aligned with all potential items to be generated. Various types of distractor models have different characteristics and offer efficient methods for generating …

Art Teams Year 4 Annual (Ad Hoc) Report 2024-2025, Guy Trainin, Kimberley D'Adamo, Hyeonjin Yoon, Azadeh Hassani, Zohreh Tamimdari, Jiabin Lyu, Michael Nti Ababio, Sarah Trainin

Research and Evaluation in Education, Technology, Art, and Design

This report documents the fourth year of the Art TEAMS project, a multi-year professional learning initiative focused on arts-integrated, transdisciplinary teaching practices across Nebraska K-12 schools. During the 2024-2025 academic year, the project advanced work with its second cohort of educators while maintaining engagement with the first cohort to assess the sustainability of implementation. The second cohort brought increased diversity in art forms, including ceramics, digital media, and career and technical education, demonstrating the versatility of arts integration across curricula.

Year Four activities included delivering refined professional development courses grounded in emergent curriculum design, with significant curriculum modifications based on …

Where To Deposit Your Master’S Thesis Or Doctoral Dissertation In The Unl Digital Commons, Sue Ann Gardner, Paul Royster

Thesis and Dissertation Deposit Information Resources

A list of degree-granting programs with links to the proper series for thesis and dissertation deposit in the UNL Digital Commons.

UNL = University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Updated May 2025.

Find your degree-granting program in the list, then click on the link to go to the proper series to deposit your thesis, dissertation, or other student work.

If you have questions about the process or problems finding the correct series or uploading your work, contact Sue Gardner.

Equipping Teachers To Support Comic Literacy: An Analysis Of The Educational Potential Of Toon Book, Kayla Whitlock, Jewel Yoder Kuhns, Sara Kersten-Parrish Dr.

SANE journal: Sequential Art Narrative in Education

Teachers frequently reach for leveled readers to help facilitate their guided reading groups; however, there can be limits in using these leveled readers. One such limit relates to enjoyment and engagement. An answer to this is using TOON books during guided reading time. TOON books are graphic novel leveled readers and were created in response to a need for high quality books for readers of all levels. However, in reading these books teachers need to be aware of the comics form and how those features impact the reading process. In this article, we outline the features common in graphic novels …

Parody And Mis-Unda-Stendings In Comics Art World: Bridging The Gap With New Criteria, Yannis Koukoulas

SANE journal: Sequential Art Narrative in Education

The word parody and its many cognates such as appropriation, adaptation, pastiche, travesty, forgery, homage, tribute, swipe, etc., have often been at the centre of fierce debates within the traditional Artworld and various criteria have been proposed for the critical evaluation of visual and literary works. In particular, parody as a dominant practice in postmodern art is a concept that is subject to misunderstandings as to its content and meaning. In Comics Artworld, however, within which recontextualizing practices are very common, often with humorous content, the attempt to describe artists' works and intentions by the criteria applied to other arts, …

Teaching As Advocacy: Bridging The Gap Between World Language Classrooms And Community, Xinquan Liu, Guy Trainin, Chunmei Guan, Hangxin Yu

Research and Evaluation in Education, Technology, Art, and Design

World Language education in the United States faces significant challenges, including declining enrollments and diminished community support. This paper introduces Teaching as Advocacy as a proactive framework to address these issues, proposing a mindset that integrates advocacy seamlessly into teaching practices. By leveraging community engagement and emphasizing "Connection" and "Community," the framework extends classroom learning into real-world contexts. Strategies such as cross-disciplinary collaborations, service-learning projects, partnerships with ethnic communities, and strategic use of social media amplify the impact of language education, demonstrating its value through tangible outcomes. This paper offers practical examples to showcase how Teaching as Advocacy revitalizes World …

Step-By-Step Guide To Uploading Your Master’S Thesis, Doctoral Dissertation, Or Other Student Work In The Unl Digital Commons, Paul Royster, Sue Ann Gardner

Thesis and Dissertation Deposit Information Resources

This is a step-by-step guide to online deposit procedures for UNL theses and dissertations. The same steps are used for both theses and dissertations.

Note:

Deposit of master's theses in the UNL Digital Commons is required, not optional.

Deposit of doctoral dissertations into ProQuest/Clarivate is required while deposit into respective departmental series in the UNL Digital Commons for public access is optional, but recommended.

Art Teams Grant Report Year 4, Guy Trainin, Kimberley D'Adamo, Hyeonjin Yoon, Azadeh Hassani, Zohreh Tamimdari, Jiabin Lyu, Michael Nti Ababio, Sarah Trainin

Research and Evaluation in Education, Technology, Art, and Design

Year Four of the Art TEAMs grant was designed to continue the professional learning for cohort two while following cohort one to measure implementation sustainability. Our second cohort of educators is excited about the program. It brings great diversity in art forms, including five ceramics teachers, a digital media teacher, and generalists from career and technical education and family and consumer science. This diversity of teaching domains helps illustrate the versatility and impact of the arts across K-12 curricula. We have revamped our professional learning curriculum and the process of learning from the educators who take part in the program. …

Art Teams: Teaching With Arts And Emerging Media Year 3 Infographic, Azadeh Hassani, Hyeonjin Yoon, Guy Trainin, Kimberley D'Adamo, Jiabin Lyu

Research and Evaluation in Education, Technology, Art, and Design

Grant annual report, year 3, infographic

Universty of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2025

Art TEAMS, Year 3: Supporting K-12 Teachers through the Integration of Arts-centered Practices and Emerging Media

Art Teams Year 3 Report, Guy Trainin, Hyeonjin Yoon, Azadeh Hassani, Zohreh Tamimdari, Jiabin Lyu, Kimberley D'Adamo, Gretchen Larsen, Elizabeth Valerio-Boster, Michael Nti Ababio, Sarah Trainin

Research and Evaluation in Education, Technology, Art, and Design

The Art TEAMs project, now in its third year, continues to enhance teacher professional development through art-integrated curricula and emerging media. Year Three focused on refining Cohort One’s learning, recruiting and training Cohort Two, and evaluating classroom implementation. Key advancements include an adaptive curriculum model that leverages co-creation to empower educators as active collaborators in their professional growth. Data reveal significant progress in integrating arts-centered practices, including creative research journaling and culturally responsive teaching frameworks. Partnerships with educational institutions and advisory board expansions have bolstered the program’s sustainability and dissemination. Classroom observations and teacher interviews highlight transformative impacts, such as …

The Standards And Expectations Of The Speech-Language Pathology Field, Abbie Summers

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The goal of this project was to provide individuals interested in the field of speech-language pathology with relevant information from professionals in various positions in the field. These sources were to include speech-language pathologists in education, research, academia, and medicine. Interviews were conducted with these professionals covering various questions about their experiences, salary, education, professional development, interprofessional work, and on-the-job skills. From these interviews, data collection occurred based on responses to find commonalities to include in the write-up. The article provides information on personal experiences in the field, professional certification, professional growth and development, salary expectations according to work settings, …

Longhand Versus Laptop Note Taking And Lecture Rate Influence, Junrong Lu

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Most college students take lecture notes to prepare for tests. With technology development, more students are recording notes on laptops rather than writing them longhand. Previous studies comparing laptop and longhand note taking mediums yielded mixed results, highlighting the need to identify influencing factors. The present study investigated a potential factor, lecture rate, through two experiments. Experiment 1 examined whether lecture rate differentially influences longhand and laptop note taking without note review. Experiment 2 investigated lecture rate effects before and after note review. Dependent measures pertained to various note-taking indices (e.g., verbatim overlap with lecture transcripts and numbers of words, …

Perceptions Of School Climate, Scott Siegel

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

This doctoral dissertation investigates the differences in perceptions of school climate among in-school stakeholders. The study focuses on how the participant’s role within the school and gender impact their perceptions of school climate. Surveys were administered to students and teachers in a high school setting, with quantitative analysis revealing statistical differences in perceptions among key groups. Notably, teachers demonstrated higher perceptions of school climate than students, indicating the role within the school has the potential to influence stakeholder perceptions. Additional findings include male students demonstrating higher perceptions of school climate than female students, indicating gender plays an integral part in …

The Use And Impact Of Strategic Planning In Nebraska Public Schools, Jodi A. Frager

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

In the landscape of modern education, the role of a superintendent has become increasingly complex, marked by demands for higher student achievement and round-the-clock communication. This complexity, underscored by technological advancements and evolving accountability measures, underscores the criticality of strategic planning for school districts. This dissertation aims to explore the relationship between superintendent engagement with strategic planning and student outcomes, particularly focusing on high school graduation rates and ACT scores in Nebraska public schools. Drawing on theoretical frameworks such as Systems Theory, the study employs a quantitative approach, utilizing surveys administered to superintendents alongside publicly available archival data on graduation …

Developing And Sustaining A Graphic Scholarship Collection For Academic Libraries, Stewart Brower, Toni Hoberecht, Zane Ratcliffe, Bethie Seay

SANE journal: Sequential Art Narrative in Education

In early 2021, the Schusterman Library at the University of Oklahoma-Tulsa satellite campus took a new step towards building a culture of interest by creating the Graphic Scholarship Collection. This new endeavor is a curated collection of graphic novels, primarily non-fiction, aligned with the academic programs on campus, as well as promoting University initiatives in diversity, equity, and inclusion. A new organizational structure for the collection materials and their circulation metrics will be examined in detail. There will also be consideration of the challenges of selection and acquisition by a mixed team of selectors, some of whom have no experience …

Reflections Of “Use Of Comics In Social Studies Education” Course: The Opinion And Experiences Of Teachers, Genç Osman İlhan, Maide Şin

SANE journal: Sequential Art Narrative in Education

It is well known that a quality teacher education is necessary for qualified education. Teachers must be well-trained in multiple areas and have an open-minded structure. They must develop strategies based on the lesson and students, which needs effective material development and use. The materials to be used could be prepared by others and can be incorporated into the classroom setting or teachers could design and present them to students, which is essential for the quality of instruction. When a teacher creates and effectively employs instructional materials, his/her self-confidence will increase and teaching will be enriched and made easier. Comics …

Student Use Of Anchors And Metacognitive Strategies In Reflection, Anu Singh, Heidi A. Diefes-Dux

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Context: Self-regulation, a skillset involving taking charge of one’s own learning processes, is crucial for workplace success. Learners develop self-regulation skills through reflection where they recognize weaknesses and strengths by employing metacognitive strategies: planning, monitoring, and evaluating. Use of anchors assists learners’ engagement in reflection. Purpose or Goal: The purpose of this work was to gain insight into students’ use of anchors when reflecting on their learning. The two research questions: (1) To what extent do students link their self-evaluation and learning objective (LO) self-ratings to their reflections? and (2) What dimensions and level of metacognitive strategies do students use …

Art Teams: Teaching With Arts And Emerging Media Infographic, Elizabeth Valerio-Boster, Guy Trainin

Research and Evaluation in Education, Technology, Art, and Design

Infographic from Art TEAMS at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln about teaching with arts and emerging media.

Value Added By Using Joint Displays In Mixed Methods Research, Elizabeth Svoboda

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Mixed methods research collects, analyzes, and integrates rigorous qualitative and quantitative methods to gain a deeper understanding of a phenomenon than would be gained by using either method alone. Integration is one of the key features of mixed methods research and consists of mixing qualitative and quantitative research in a systematic way to generate new inferences or follow-up studies. However, the process of integration can be challenging to draw on expertise in both qualitative and quantitative methods, decide when and how to integrate qualitative and quantitative research, and combine multiple data sources in a coherent way to generate new inferences. …

An Illuminative Evaluation Of Two Models Of Reading Intervention Used In Middle Schools, Tachier M. Rezac

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Intervention research often investigates the curriculum or methods used to support learners, while less attention is given to the model of those interventions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of two models of reading intervention, and to better understand how they are serving middle school students. Working from a critical pragmatic lens, I employed illuminative evaluation methods to investigate three research questions: (a) What are the demographic profiles of students enrolled in reading intervention in grades seven and eight; (b) What are the differences in gains for students enrolled in the traditional intervention and reading lab …

French 203: Grammar & Conversation: A Faculty-Led Inquiry Into Reflective & Scholarly Teaching Benchmark Portfolio, Erica Schauer

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

The following Benchmark Portfolio is the product of a full reassessment of FRENCH 203: CONVERSATION & GRAMMAR, an intermediate-level grammar course that serves as a prerequisite for students pursuing a major or a minor in French at UNL. Previously, French 203 had been a review course that covered the essential grammar structures discussed in 101, 102, 201 and 202 and invited students to practice these structures orally with peers in class. This new iteration of the course, however, seeks to broaden the reach of student comprehension of French as a functional tool of communication by requiring students to understand and …

The Standards Will Never Be Enough: A Racial Justice Extension, Mya Poe, Maria Elena Oliveri, Norbert Elliot

Buros Center: Professional Staff Publications

Since 1952, the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing has provided criteria for developing and evaluating educational and psychological tests and testing practice. Yet, we argue that the foundations, operations, and applications in the Standards are no longer sufficient to meet the current U.S. testing demands for fairness for all test takers. We propose racial justice extensions as principled ways to extend the Standards, through intentional actions focused on race and targeted at educational policies, processes, and outcomes in specific settings. To inform these extensions, we focus on four social-justice concepts: intersectionality derived from Black Feminist Theory; responsibility derived …

Job Stress Moderates The Effects Of A Mindfulness Intervention On Early Childhood Teachers' Emotion Dysregulation, Emily J. Starr

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Addressing the current crisis of early childhood (EC) teacher turnover is essential for supporting the development of young children. Teacher attrition remains a concern for policymakers globally, and in the United States, early childhood teachers frequently cite job stress and lack of support as reasons for leaving the field. For over 40 years, researchers who study childcare have been concerned about the consequences of work-related stressors. Even if these stressors do not result in turnover, EC teachers’ psychological well-being may be impacted, leading to increased emotion regulation difficulties and more frequent negative teacher-child interactions. Young children’s emotional development is significantly …

Nefdc Exchange, Volume 37, Spring 2023, New England Faculty Development Consortium

New England Faculty Development Consortium Exchange

Contents

President's Message, Linda Bruenjes

Faculty peer coaching: Collaborative partnerships for instructional development

Swimming with students: Grading for learning at the University of Rhode Island

The art of the hook: How to engage your students from the first day of class to the last

Using feature films to explore the experience of individuals with severe disabilities: The role of critical reflection

Scoring online class participation based on concrete deliverables

NEFDC Board members

Impact Of The Pandemic On Computer Science Education, Dwight Miller, Guy Trainin

Research and Evaluation in Education, Technology, Art, and Design

This poster examines the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on computer science education in Nebraska. Data collected by Code.org on student and teacher engagement in CS education in Nebraska public and private schools helps paint a picture of the changing landscape.We reveal a significant decrease in rural student participation since the 2019-20 school year, a minimal increase in the number of teachers teaching with Code.org, and a significant drop in participation of girls at the secondary level. By uncovering these trends in engagement, we hope to inform and inspire educators and administrators to take action.

Multilingual Zambia - Language Issues In Primary/Secondary Schools Of The Eastern/Southern Provinces, Kenzie Steiner

NUTR/GLST 498b: Global Research Experiences in Nutrition and Health

Introduction: Zambia is a multilingual country that uses 8 different languages for instruction including English and 7 other indigenous languages.

Methods: Survey research conducted between May-June 2022 on 6-7th graders within 9 Zambian schools. Classroom observations made and teachers interviewed.

Results: In Eastern and Southern Provinces, Zambian teachers speak an average of 5 languages while students speak an average of 2. Both teachers and students say English remains the most important language followed by first languages.

Conclusion: Continued research on language-in-education policies and impacts on student performance must be conducted if “One Zambia, One Nation” is meant to promote all …