Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Commons^™

Supporting Effective Online Teaching And Learning, Serena Scalzi

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

Literature identifies numerous related concepts that support effective online education. These concepts include identity, mental models, social presence, motivation, social learning, self-regulated learning, communities of practice, cognitive load, and Universal Design for Learning. After a review of the literature, action research was conducted among participants from across the field of Online Education, including instructors, instructional designers, and embedded instructional technologists. This research collected and analyzed data regarding the practical application of these theoretical concepts, as well as the techniques, tools, and resources to support this application. The result of this action research project was a set of proven best practices …

Oh, The Lessons You'll Teach! Bringing Dr. Seuss Into Graduate Field Work, Megan Griffard

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

Teaching Practice and the Need It Addresses

• Incorporated classic Dr. Seuss children's literature into graduate Educational Policy and Leadership field experience coursework.
• Used one story per class session to guide discussions and activities.
• Connected themes from four Dr. Seuss books to students’ real-world work on school improvement initiatives.
• Literature supported students’ year-long capstone projects, helping them

Co-Creating Learning Journeys, Yvonne Houy

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

Viewing education as a journey of exploration and discovery, I invite students to co-create our path. As a “guide on the side,” I help students build a foundation while encouraging autonomy through co-creation—where students contribute to course design, content, assessment, and learning activities. This collaborative approach fosters deeper engagement, critical thinking, and meaningful learning. Research shows co-creation improves academic performance, skill development, and student-staff relationships. Instructors can support this by framing learning as exploration, modeling curiosity, building inclusive learning communities, and offering flexible, student-driven curricular choices that include research, topic proposals, and the creation of assessments based on co-developed content.

Thesis Equations: A Standard Formula To Help Craft A Thesis Statement, Meanna Williams

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

Thesis Equations is an outlining method that can be used for writing argumentative papers. It proposes a formulaic structure that acts as a base for students to craft a simple thesis. Students need to know how to make a claim. With the emergence of AI use, and the decreasing knowledge of foundational practices, utilizing proper brainstorming and outlining skills persists to be a difficult task for student writers.

Conversations Before The Conversation: Readying Dissidence Through Norm-Setting, Ashley N. Watson

Feminist Pedagogy

How can educators speak truth to power in ways that decenter whiteness while supporting student learning across different levels of awareness? What does the right balance of challenge and support look like in today’s unpredictable college environment? These questions are drawn from my experience as a Black predoctoral fellow teaching “Intercultural Dialogue” at a traditionally white public liberal arts university in rural Minnesota. This paper—both a reflection and recommendations for practice—outlines my approach to co-constructing and scaffolding a conducive learning environment rooted in emancipatory pedagogy.

Central Habits Of Highly Effective Tutors: Hospitable Practice, Rhetorical Listening, And Emotional Validation In The Writing Center, Edward A. English

The Writing Center Journal

This article explores hospitality as a theoretical framework for valuing emotional engagement and rhetorical listening in writing center consultations, challenging traditional views that prioritize rationality and detachment. Anchored in a university writing center, the study investigates how writing tutors engage with writers, adopting hospitality as a core principle. Semi-structured postconsultation interviews and a focus group allowed tutors to reflect collaboratively on their application of the hospitality framework. Thematic analysis with in vivo coding ensured participants’ voices remained central to the findings. By examining the lived experiences of tutors, the study highlights the dynamic relationship between emotional and rational responses in …

The Dark Lord And The Mafia Boss: A Comparison And Contrast Of Toxic Leadership In Darth Vader And Vito Corleone, Mya A. Garcia, Mikheil Makhviladze

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

This project employs a qualitative media analysis to explore toxic leadership through a comparative study of two characters: Darth Vader, the Dark Lord of the Sith, from the Star Wars Franchise, and Vito Corleone, from the movie The Godfather. Both rule very strongly, but in a destructive manner to those who serve underneath them. From using the book Haslam et al.’s (2020) "The New Psychology of Leadership”, we can analyze how they rule toxically through manipulation, fear, control, and how the followers are affected by their rule. Darth Vader rules under the idea that centralized power brings order. Never taking …

Developing A Collaborative Study Resource For Craft Academy Students, Makayla Jones, Annika Marshall, Lucy Mcclung, Heather Ott, Donna Besant

2025 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

The Stem-X Files is a collaborative study resources created with the mission of fostering academic excellence and collaboration among Craft Academy students at Morehead State University. This student-led platform was founded by Rebekah Jones and Donna Besant Fall 2023, who graduated from the Craft Academy in 2024. This project allows for high-performing students to share their study materials with present and futures students. These study materials include notes, study guides, syllabi, and more. By empowering students to contribute to and utilize valuable academic tools, The Stem-X Files strive to contribute to students enhanced learning, knowledge sharing, and success while maintaining …

Patient To Nurse Ratios And Their Effects On Patient Care, Katalina White

2025 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

While working on a medical surgical unit at hospital A, I noticed that many nurses received upwards to 7 patients per shift. This led to many patient care activities not being able to be accomplished, unsatisfactory patient outcomes, nursing dissatisfaction, and nurse turnover rates increasing. Patient care was brought into question as the nurses on the unit felt overworked and understaffed. So the objective of this project is to introduce a 4-1 ratio of patients to nurses to improve patient safety, patient outcomes, and overall patient care. QSEN thrives for patient safety and quality improvement, so implementation of this standard …

Cataloguing Shadow (Phaeophyscia), Rosette (Physcia), And Cryptic Rosette (Physciella) Lichens Of Carter Caves State Resort Park, Payton A. Offill, Allen C. Risk

2025 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

A lichen is a composite, symbiotic partnership of a fungus and photosynthetic algae or cyanobacteria. These organisms provide stability to ecosystems through provision of nutrients and microhabitats to fauna and absorption of pollutants and large particulates in the air, serving as great indicators of environmental conditions. The purpose of this research was to document the diversity of three commonly encountered, though not easily discerned, foliose lichen genera found in Carter Caves State Resort Park: Phaeophyscia, Physcia, and Physciella. These three lichen genera are found to be small to medium sized, greenish grey, olive, or brown in color, and inhabit various …

Climbs: Revisiting Big Bone Lick To Develop A Late Quarternary Climate Record For Kentucky, Margaret Alden, Jennifer O'Keefe, Tori Reid, Hannah Sprinkle, Avery Wasinger

2025 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

CLIMBS P2 (Climate Learning, Prediction, and Building Response Systems Project 2: Paleo-perspectives) focuses on improving our understanding of historical flooding and landslide events in Kentucky using paired Holocene paleoclimate and sedimentary records. To date, few published paleoclimate records exist (Liu et al., 2013; Nunez Otano et al., in prep.). As an initial step in meeting the aims of P2, the OPaL lab at Morehead State University is focusing on completion of an in-progress latest Pleistocene - early Holocene palynology-based paleoclimate record derived from sediments in legacy Andrews/KGS cores from Big Bone Lick in Northern Kentucky. This region is the birthplace …

Effect Of Nordic Hamstring Exercise On Knee Flexor Torque In Female Athletes: A Pilot Study, Jarrod Plank, Lucy Singleton, Manuel Probst

2025 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

PREVALENCE Female athletes experience Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injuries 5-6x more often than male counterparts.

PREDISPOSITIONAL FACTORS The Q-angle refers to the pull vector exerted by the quadriceps muscle on the patella which results in greater valgus load on the knee ligaments.2,3,4,5,6 Females also possess lower levels of testosterone which yield decreased ligamentous strain tolerances.

MUSCULAR IMBALANCES Sufficient hamstring contraction during the landing phase decreases ACL strain by >70%, thereby limiting anterior tibial translation (ATT) force exerted by the quadriceps. As stated by Hewett et al., females present an absence of increased hamstring/quadricep torque ratio compared to males, resulting in …

The Effectiveness Of Turn Teams In Reducing The Incidence Of Hospital Acquired Pressure Injuries, Abigaile Blackburn

2025 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

It is commonly known in healthcare that pressure injuries (PIs) result in higher morbidity and mortality rates for the adult population. PIs include a range of intact, open, and deep tissue injuries related to prolonged immobility. To reduce the incidence of PIs, it is highly recommended to turn patients, usually alternating among the left side, the back, and the right side. Additionally, it is standard across most hospitals to enforce mandatory turning schedules, which is at least every two hours. The objective of the project is to investigate the effectiveness of using turn teams in hospitals and nursing homes. The …

An Introduction To The Sphecidae Of Eastern Kentucky, Dawn Barnett, Kyah Brinegar, Gracie Burdette, Sean O'Keefe

2025 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

The Sphecidae are solitary wasps that can be used to assess biodiversity on a larger scale. Sphecidae are called solitary because they do not live in colonies but rather in dirt burrows, constructed nests, and existing cavities. Their behavior reflects their name as they rarely sting people and do not mind them much, as they commonly nest near or on human dwellings. Sphecidae occur worldwide and include four subfamilies: Sphecinae, Crabroninae, Nyssoninae, and Philanthinae. Of the 10,220 known species, 1200 occur in North America. Sphecidae prey on various invertebrates, including spiders, caterpillars, and bees. Members of the subfamily Sphecinae genera …

Improving Fall Risk Precautions: A Safer Approach To Protect Patients, Dylan Fraley

2025 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

The purpose of this project is to highlight current fall risk precaution flaws at facility XYZ and implement new changes that would increase patient safety. As a nurse, safety comes first for both patients and staff, with new guidelines and interventions we can decrease the number of preventable falls in the hospital setting. We would implement changes that have showed positive outcomes in evidenced based practice and prioritizes patient comfort and safety. These new precautions would be patient centered as their safety needs would be better met. Teamwork and collaboration are also essential as many of the interventions in this …

Impacts Of Local Clay On Ceramic Glazes, Emily Fischer, Abigail Morgan, Quinn Maher

2025 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

This region of eastern Kentucky has an important and rich history of clay, from the brick companies like Haldeman, Louisville, and Granh, to the once-thriving Lee clay that employed a large percentage of the Morehead community and the surrounding areas of Appalachia. To further explore the rich history of local clay in Kentucky, this study analyzed the effects of using local clay on traditional glaze recipes. The purpose of our study was to prove that adding specific increments of local iron-rich clay to a basic glaze recipe would impact the glaze in one of the following ways: texture, opacity, color, …

Diversity/Adaptations Of The Galapagos Land Snails (Bulimulus) On The Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, M.E. Hargan, Charles Lydeard

2025 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

The Galapagos Land Snails, scientific species name Bulimulus, are native to the Galapagos Islands off the coast of Ecuador. There is varying climates and geography throughout the islands and these snails evolved and adapted to these variances. On our experience abroad trip, the goal was to find our selected animal we researched and try to prove whatever hypothesis we found to be correct. I researched and found that depending on the island/area the snails where their cones were shaped different from each other although they were the same species they had variances. I had set out to see if this …

Battling Ventilator Associated Pneumonia, Kelsey Carrier

2025 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

The purpose of this literature review is to address common or potential concerns that may contribute to the hospital setting where we are receiving practicum experience. A potent issue in hospitals today is the healthcare acquired infections that occurs worldwide. One of the biggest contributors to healthcare-acquired infections is ventilator associated pneumonia (vap). QSEN, which is Quality, Safety, and Education for Nurses is integrated into the literature review by enhancing the knowledge of Nurses and safety of the patients. By researching potential health concerns, it helps us better understand the issue and what we can do to prevent it.

The Potential Impact Of Overusing Isolation Precautions, Laci Johnson

2025 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

While Isolation Precautions (IP) help prevent infections, excessive use can harm patients' mental and physical health. Research shows that prolonged IP increases anxiety, depression, and social isolation, leading to worsened outcomes and longer hospital stays. Overuse may also create stigma and communication barriers, reducing care quality. This poster highlights the need for a balanced approach to IP to protect both patient well-being and infection control.

Benefits Of Interdisciplinary Rounding For Better Patient Outcomes, Brooklyn Phipps

2025 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

Interdisciplinary rounding in healthcare teams can significantly improve communication and patient care. Miscommunication often arises when multiple physicians and healthcare professionals are involved in a patient's care, leading to fragmented or delayed treatment. By adopting interdisciplinary rounding, healthcare teams can share expertise and knowledge, ensuring that all members are aligned on the patient's plan of care. This approach directly supports the QSEN competencies, including Teamwork and Collaboration, which fosters effective communication and mutual respect among team members, and Patient-Centered Care, which ensures the patient is a central part of the decision-making process. Furthermore, it enhances Safety by minimizing the risk …

Improving Patient Safety Through Bedside Shift Report, Madison Caudill

2025 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

This project addresses the issue of nurses at Hospital A not participating in bedside shift report, often conducting report in hallways or at the nurses' station. This practice can compromise patient safety, communication, and continuity of care. The guiding objective is to implement bedside shift reporting to enhance patient safety, improve communication, and foster a more patient-centered approach. • Interaction of the six QSEN principles: • Patient-centered: Including patient in their care by including them in the report process. • Teamwork: Encouraging collaboration between outgoing and incoming nurses. Enables patients to take an active role in their own care. • …

Nurse-Patient Ratios And The Effects On Patient Outcomes, Mortality, And Costs., Martin Helms

2025 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

Healthcare in the United States is constantly changing and adapting to the current health of the country. There are many considerations that play into providing quality, safe, and effective care. At the forefront of what is needed is nursing staff, that has seen a steep decline in recent years. One of the problems I see as a large influence on nursing is the ratio of patient's nurses are responsible for during their shifts. This research project is aimed at finding the relation between nurse-patient ratios and the outcomes on patients/hospitals. The study is focused on identifying improvement in patient-centered care, …

Entreprenurial Community Improvement Programempowering Students Through Experiential Learning For Community Impact, Kaylee Pionk, Olivia Robinson, Luke Seelye, Jachin Wilbur, India Young, Rachel Rogers

2025 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

No abstract provided.

Risk, Religion, And Rivalry: How Religiosity Affects Competitive Intensity In U.S. Firm, Mara Wilson, Ahmad Hassan

2025 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

Firms operate within cultural and societal contexts that shape their strategic decisions, with religion being a significant influence. Research shows that religious norms impact managerial decision-making and corporate practices (Chan- Serafin et al., 2013; Weaver and Agle, 2002). Even individuals who do not fully internalize religious values are influenced by local cultural norms, including religion (Spicer & Bailey, 2007). Religion plays a crucial role in shaping culture, which in turn affects economic behavior (Weber, 1905; Guiso et al., 2003). CEOs often look to religious teachings for guidance in navigating the secular business world (McCarthy, 1996; Nash, 2004). However, little research …

An Eye For An Eye: How Revenge Is Viewed As A Motive, Elizabeth Perkins, Talon Stallings

2025 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

Motives behind crimes play a large role in sentencing. A motive being defined as “the reason for doing something.” (Oxford Dictionary, 2023) In criminal cases, this translates to the reason for committing a crime. It’s well known that different criminal motives elicit different reactions from members of the public. (Wolfgang, 1958) This often leads to differences in sentencing. One of the most well known motives in crime is revenge, which is the act of criminally retaliating against one who a criminal believes has wronged them. (Kivivuori, 2016) In this research study, public opinion was gauged on how revenge is viewed …

2024-2025 Program And Abstracts Celebration Of Student Scholarship, Morehead State University. Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program.

2025 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

The 2024-2025 Program and Abstracts for the Celebration of Student Scholarship at Morehead State University held on April 16, 2025. A Showcase of Student Research, Scholarship, Creative Work, and Performance Arts.

Hazel Green Academy - A Reimagined Legacy, Jaxson Brewer, Ashlee Foxworth, Jacob Layne, Emma Layne, Rachel Rogers

2025 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

A poster describing the establishment and history of the Hazel Green Academy in Wolfe County, Kentucky from 1880 to 1983.

End Of Life Decision Making: The Right To Die On Their Own Terms, Alexandra Stacy

2025 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

For the capstone project I was asked to identify a “problem” that I observed at my clinical site this semester. One problem at my clinical site has stuck out to me significantly. Patients on the unit I have been assigned are often close to death and unable to make their own decisions and despite any legal paperwork that may be in place their power of attorney or state mandated power of attorney often go against the patients last wishes. While this does not sit well with me, and many others, this is a large legal and ethical issue that would …

Nurse Abuse And Patient Delirium: Effects On Nursing Profession, Briana Sharps

2025 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

Abuse against nurses is a growing topic in today's healthcare system, whether that reflects verbal, physical, or sexual abuse. During my practicum at “Hospital A” there were multiple instances of nurse abuse on varying levels of type and severity, with most related to patient delirium. Due to this, I chose to do my capstone project on the rise in nurse abuse and how we can improve this to promote quality and safe care to all patients using QSEN competencies to educate nurses on how to prevent adverse incidents of abuse towards healthcare workers as it relates to preventing patient delirium …

Quantification Of Nicotine Using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography & Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry, Marissa Blair, Emmalou Schmittzehe-Skarbek

2025 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

In recent years, electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), commonly known as electronic cigarettes (ECs), have gained popularity, particularly among adolescents (Cooper, 2022). • The core component of these devices is e-liquids which contain nicotine, propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin, flavoring, and other chemicals (Cheng, 2014; Sassano, et al., 2018). • The FDA regulates manufacturing, importing, packaging, labelling, advertising, promotion, sale, and distribution of ENDS, but they do not check the accuracy of reported information. • Studies have consistently shown that labelled nicotine concentration and actual concentration can range from as little as 35% less nicotine to as much as 52% greater …