Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

The Role Of Peer Networks In Elementary Teacher Preparation Programs, Bayan Alnaim

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research provided insight into how peer networks related to the professional learning of TC as they moved through an elementary teacher preparation program. These formal and informal peer networks helped nurture collegiality among TCs to aid learning and provide emotional support, which allowed an edge toward forming an identity. This study examined the particular role of teacher networks in TCs’ learning (Al Sultan, 2021; Anderson et al., 2022). The study applied Social Constructivism and Communities of Practice frameworks to analyze the influence of peer networks on the development of teaching skills and professional identities. Data from TCs participating in …

Designing Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure To Benefit Residents In A Near-Port Community, Polly Parkinson, Emma Mecham, Fawn Groves, Amy Wilson, Ivonne Santiago

Teacher Education and Leadership Student Research

In the rush to meet electric vehicle (EV) adoption goals that address environmental and health concerns, transportation planners, engineers, and community policy experts cannot separate the context of socioeconomic factors from transportation needs. This data analysis indicates that because transportation decisions are backgrounded by health, work, and housing, EV adoption must also address multifaceted human needs. Communities focused on building more electric vehicle charging stations motivated this research to find ways for all households to benefit. This primarily qualitative study, including a community survey and individual interviews, engaged residents in the planning process. The inductive research project grew from a …

Promoting Sophomore Progression: Academic Advocates’ Perceptions Of Holistic Interventions And Data Analytics, Sarah Angela Wray Marshall

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study explored academic advocates’ perceptions regarding holistic student interventions and data analytics utilization to enhance sophomore success at their institution. This study contributes to the literature on sophomore success by providing an academic advocacy perspective and to the emerging literature using data analytics to enhance retention, persistence, and graduation rates in higher education. Multiple methods of data collection were employed, including four academic advocate interviews, document analysis, and reflexive journaling. A hybrid thematic analysis approach was used to analyze the data. By exploring practitioners’ narratives, the research addressed a gap in scholarship on how academic advocates enact their …

It Shouldn’T Be About Where They Sit, But About Where They Can Succeed: A Pilot Study About Teachers’ Experiences With Lre In A Rural Middle School, Angela D. Norris, Silvia Correa-Torres, Heather Tellier

Journal of Educational Research and Innovation

One of the key principles of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 2004) is to ensure that students with disabilities receive quality education with their non-disabled peers in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE). Teachers are pivotal in fostering inclusive classrooms, yet rural schools face challenges in resource allocation, professional development, and recruitment and retention of qualified teachers and other personnel, making implementing inclusion and the LRE principle difficult. Research indicates rural educators feel ill-prepared to implement inclusive practices due to a lack of knowledge, limited resources, and specialized skills to support students who have disabilities. The purpose of this …

Pre-Service Teacher Perceptions Of Preparedness: Collaboration With Diverse Families Of Children With Disabilities, Guofeng Shen, Sandy Bowen

Journal of Educational Research and Innovation

Collaboration between educators and families is a critical issue in the field of education. This topic becomes even more salient when working with culturally, linguistically, or economically diverse families of children with disabilities. Both research and practice have shown that many educators enter the profession without adequate preparation for this aspect of their role. This study examined pre-service teachers' attitudes, comfort level and perceived preparedness to collaborate with diverse families of children with disabilities while completing their university teacher preparation programs. A total of 159 pre-service teachers representing 40 institutions completed an online survey addressing this topic. Results indicated a) …

Thank You To Our 2024/2025 Reviewers, Paul B. Freeman Od, Brian K. Foutch Od, Phd

Optometric Clinical Practice

Reviewers

Branch Retinal Artery Occlusion After Covid-19, Danielle Kalberer Od, Mba, Grace Tan Od

Optometric Clinical Practice

Background: A healthy, 39-year-old male patient presented with sudden onset, painless vision loss of the right eye’s superior visual field two months after a mild case of COVID-19.

Case Report: The patient was diagnosed with an acute branch retinal artery occlusion and referred to the emergency department for prompt evaluation. When the emergency workup was unremarkable the patient was referred to cardiology and hematology and follow up with a retinal specialist. The exhaustive systemic work-up was unremarkable other than recent COVID-19. Retinal perfusion to the affected area resumed in the weeks after the incident but irreversible vision loss occurred.

Conclusion: …

Ocular Myasthenia Gravis: A Case Report, Erica Vanderpool Od, Carla Gilbertson Kuiken Od

Optometric Clinical Practice

Background: Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune disease caused by faulty transmission at the neuromuscular junction leading to fatigable muscular weakness. Ocular MG is distressing in that it can cause visual difficulties, but generalized MG can be life-threatening. MG is an acquired disorder that can easily be overlooked in clinic and is commonly misdiagnosed. Providers should be aware of the clinical features of this condition, as well as the critical testing needed to confirm the diagnosis so the appropriate management course can be implemented.

Case Report: This case features a 67-year-old Caucasian male diagnosed with ocular myasthenia gravis …

Treatment Considerations For Early Primary Open Angle Glaucoma In Active-Duty Military, Ridwan Carim-Sanni Od, Danielle Kalberer Od, Mba

Optometric Clinical Practice

Background: Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness in the United States. The tools available to treat glaucoma via intraocular pressure (IOP) reduction include pharmacological therapy or surgical intervention.

Case Report: This case study explores these tools in the context of glaucoma in active-duty military personnel. It involves an active-duty army patient diagnosed with early Primary Open Angle Glaucoma (POAG) who was initially prescribed IOP-lowering medication. Barriers in treatment compliance occurred while the patient was deployed that led to significant glaucomatous changes detected when the patient returned stateside.

Conclusion: This report suggests a shift from the traditional pharmacological …

Cryopreserved Amniotic Membrane For Corneal Epithelial Abrasions: Case Series, Laura Goldberg Od

Optometric Clinical Practice

Background: Corneal abrasions are one of the most frequent ocular conditions encountered in the emergency department and can lead to significant morbidity and visual impairment. Amniotic membrane has inherent anti-inflammatory and anti-scarring properties that help accelerate epithelialization and help prevent the complications known to be associated with corneal injuries. Herein we assessed the time till complete epithelialization after in-office application of cryopreserved amniotic membrane in cases of traumatic corneal abrasions in the acute setting.

Case Reports: A total of ten eyes (5 right eye; 5 left eye) of ten consecutive patients (8 Male; 2 Female; average age 40.9 ± 17.8 …

Learning From Our Future Colleagues, One Case At A Time, Paul B. Freeman Od

Optometric Clinical Practice

Editorial

Infographic: Motivations To Write For Pleasure, Dominique Russell

Teacher infographics

A survey of 115,000 children and young people aged 5-18 from across the UK asked what, if anything, would make them want to write in their free time by giving them a list of 11 suggestions. The results offer insights into possible strategies for your own students.

The Future Of Nursing Leadership: Incorporating E-Learned Artificial Intelligence (Ai) Pathways With A Precautionary Focus Of Patient-Centered-Care, Jamie Anne Marcus Dr, Bonnette Villalba Webb

FDLA Journal

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a data-driven mathematical process that incorporates machine-based-logic, usually in the form of algorithms. Education, training, and competencies are now conducted through virtual reality, robotics, simulation, and technology learning-based-platforms by healthcare organizations. This represents a significant change in the future of nursing practice. The adaptability of technology-based-learning platforms can impact the quality and efficiency of learning for some of the workforce population. Nurses' perception of technology and AI-driven nursing practice may vary based on generational orientation and can be a potential barrier to learning, practicing, and adaptability of this framework. The forging of well-trained resilient nurse leaders …

Holistic Support For Online Learners: A Framework For Mental Health Integration, Charlotte A. Jones-Roberts

FDLA Journal

The mental health crisis among college students has been well-documented, with increasing rates of anxiety, depression, and other psychological distress. Online learners, in particular, face unique challenges related to social isolation, self-regulation, and access to mental health resources. Understanding mental health in the context of online education is critical due to the unique challenges posed by virtual learning environments (Saade et al., 2017; Kumari et al., 2021). This paper explores the importance of mental health support in higher education and proposes a three-level framework for integration: university-level, LMS-level, and course-level support. By addressing common concerns and utilizing a Universal Design …

From Barriers To Bridges: Enhancing Accessibility In Education With Generative Ai, Amy Sugar, Faith Delorenzo

FDLA Journal

Generative artificial intelligence (GAI) tools have the potential to rapidly advance accessibility and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in K-12 and higher education settings. By effectively crafting prompts and leveraging existing GAI tools, educators and students can reduce barriers for all learners, including those with disabilities. In this paper, we discuss practical strategies and considerations when using GAI to create flexible and engaging learning experiences while building an accessible and inclusive learning environment.

The Ai Reckoning: Why Higher Education Must Evolve — Now, David L. Hart Jr, Rebecca J. Armstrong

FDLA Journal

The transformative impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on education possesses a wealth of potential advantages. AI has introduced new dimensions to teaching and learning, fostering personalized education, automating administrative tasks, and expanding access to resources worldwide. Through adaptive learning platforms, AI can customize learning experiences to meet individual student needs, making education more inclusive and accessible. AI-driven tools can also aid instructors by automating grading, attendance, and other administrative tasks, enabling them to focus more on engagement. Additionally, AI-powered data analytics offer insights into student progress and performance trends, facilitating targeted interventions to support student success.

Visual Design In Instructional Design: Collaborating With Media Teams To Improve Online Learning, Ashley R. Salter

FDLA Journal

As online learning continues to grow and evolve, instructional designers (IDs) are increasingly called upon to create digital learning environments that are pedagogically sound, visually engaging, and accessible. Visual design—once considered a peripheral element of course development—is now recognized as a critical component of learner experience. This article explores how instructional designers collaborate with media teams or independently use tools like Canva and Adobe to enhance the visual quality of online courses. Through case-based reflection and practical examples, this piece highlights the value of intentional design, the supporting workflows, and the impact on learner engagement and instructional clarity.

Holistic Support For Online Learners: A Framework For Mental Health Integration, Charlotte A. Jones-Roberts

FDLA Journal

The mental health crisis among college students has been well-documented, with increasing rates of anxiety, depression, and other psychological distress. Online learners, in particular, face unique challenges related to social isolation, self-regulation, and access to mental health resources. Understanding mental health in the context of online education is critical due to the unique challenges posed by virtual learning environments (Saade et al., 2017; Kumari et al., 2021). This paper explores the importance of mental health support in higher education and proposes a three-level framework for integration: university-level, LMS-level, and course-level support. By addressing common concerns and utilizing a Universal Design …

Notebooklm: Revolutionizing Learning For Students With Neurodivert Challenges Using Ai And Universal Design Principles, Victoria Brown, Daniel Saurez

FDLA Journal

Students with neurodiverse challenges require effective tools to support their learning tasks. This article investigates the potential of NotebookLM in addressing these needs by defining specific requirements of neurodiverse students. Utilizing the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) model, the study examines how NotebookLM can enhance educational experiences for these students. Additionally, practical strategies for integrating NotebookLM into classroom settings are provided. The article concludes with an analysis of the tool's limitations and proposes potential upgrades to optimize its functionality.

Integrating Ai-Llms Into Educational Practices: A Study On Pre-Service Teachers' Readiness And Concerns, Jayrome L. Núñez, Wendell A. Lived, Jomar M. Urbano, Mark Anthony F. Jamisal, Mariecres B. Hontiveros

FDLA Journal

The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI), particularly Large Language Models (LLMs), into educational practices has become increasingly relevant, influencing pre-service teachers' preparedness and engagement. This study examines the readiness and concerns of pre-service teachers in adopting AI-LLMs for teaching, filling a gap in literature on AI's role in teacher education. Using a cross-tabulation analysis of survey data from 685 respondents across different educational majors and academic levels, the study highlights variations in AI adoption, familiarity, and ethical considerations. Findings indicate that AI engagement grows with academic progression, with Secondary Education majors demonstrating higher adoption rates than Elementary Education majors. While …

On The Influence Of British/American English In The Dominican Society/A Revisited Edition, Pedro J. Tavarez-Dacosta Dr., Fransheska Arias Reyes Lic., Ivanna Del Pilar Tavarez Vasquez Mag.

FDLA Journal

The present work is a historical/linguistic account of an unprecedented fact regarding the existence of two English Speaking Communities [British English and American English], in our country the Dominican Republic, where Spanish is the official and most used language, to the extent of being considered a monolingual nation or country. It is analyzed here, on how the Hispaniola Island was split into two different territories due to different treaties (Aranjuez, Ryswick, among others), held in the old European Metropolis and how the island came to be a French Colony (the territory of what is Haiti now), a Haitian Creole/French speaking …

Artificial Intelligence In The Efl Learning Process For Dominican Higher Education, Pedro J. Tavarez-Dacosta Dr., Fransheska Arias Reyes Lic., Ivanna Del Pilar Tavarez Vasquez Mag.

FDLA Journal

This research work, explores the important incidence that Artificial Intelligence has have in the development of modern higher education and education at all in our country, the Dominican Republic, before, during, and after the Sanitary Emergence brought by the Covid-19 Pandemic. Through this Documentary Research, we examine in details the case of the Dominican Republic as compared to those cases occurred in the international arena, as a means for reflection and understanding of this phenomena called Artificial Intelligence on its different modalities since Computerizing and Internet changed our lives, decades ago. It is the purpose of this work to bring …

Translanguaging Within The Scope Of Dominican Pre-College And College Education, Pedro J. Tavarez-Dacosta Dr., Fransheska Arias Reyes Lic., Ivanna Del Pilar Tavarez Vasquez Mag.

FDLA Journal

Our country, which is today the Dominican Republic, is a Spanish speaking country due to the historical and well known fact that the then Hispaniola Island or Santo Domingo was split into two different colonies by effect of the Aranjuez Treaty (1777), held between the two Colonial Metropolis of Spain and France thus establishing the French occupation of the territory of Haiti to the West and the Spanish territory to the East, and producing therefore the establishing of two different countries with two different languages (Spanish and French), in a land (Quisqueya) in which in pre-Colombian times was occupied by …

Analyzing The Pisa Tests Results (2018) In Terms Of The Revised Bloom’S Taxonomy For The Spanish Reading-Comprehension Area Of Dominican Students., Pedro J. Tavarez-Dacosta Dr., Fransheska Arias Reyes Lic.

FDLA Journal

This work aims to analyze the Results of the PISA Tests for the year 2018 in the Dominican Republic as subministered every three year by the OECD presided over by Dr. Andreas Schleicher, and that it is long awaited both for the Ministry of Education-MINERD-, and as well as for the non-governmental society and the opposition parties, among others. This scenario which is not exclusively of our country puts on the table many questioning as that of, if the country shall continue as part of that program on the light that such testings have been hardly criticized in more developed …

Sociolinguistics Approaches In Efl Teaching Methods For Dominican College Students, Pedro J. Tavarez-Dacosta Dr., Fransheska Arias Reyes Lic.

FDLA Journal

This work is concerned with the effects or pedagogical influences of the so-called Sociolinguistics Approaches on Dominican College education, specifically at three groups of advanced EFL Classes at the State College, that is to say the Universidad Autonoma of Santo Domingo-UASD-, during the last virtual and first semester of this year (2021-1), as a part of the Core Curriculum of the said institution. The emphasis was placed in determining how certain currents of the like had have a considerable influence in both the teacher’s population as well as that of the students, resulting with not a new discovery, that Constructivism …

A Case Study On The Use Of Spelling As A Determining Factor In Teaching English Grammar In Dominican Schools, Pedro J. Tavarez-Dacosta Dr., Fransheska Arias Reyes Lic.

FDLA Journal

English spelling has always been described by many language researchers and teachers as a daunting task especially for learners whose first language is not English. This monograph presents the report of an investigation on the use of spelling, which includes the determining factor of grammar in the teaching of English, in it we will develop a program for observing students and teachers as an initial assessment, (pretest) and the design of the development of said observation as a final evaluation (posttest). This observation was made with the total of 28 students of the sixth grade of Primary School Nuestra Señora …

Language Immersion Programs For Dominican College Students/From The Russian Experience To The Mescyt Experience, Pedro J. Tavarez-Dacosta Dr.

FDLA Journal

The following work consists of a comparative research of two of the most outstanding immersion programs for foreign languages (Russian/English) that Dominican college students have ever undergone. The first one, happened decades ago in the cold distant Union of Soviet Socialist Republic where thousands of our students were sent as scholarship’s recipient to study in different Russian universities, after being selected by the Dominican Communist Party, and sponsored by the Soviet Government. The second one, is still happening in our country with the offering of the so-called English Immersion Program sponsored since 2005 by the Ministry of Higher Education-MESCyT- The …

Translanguaging Within The Context Of Dominican College Pedagogy, Pedro J. Tavarez-Dacosta Dr., Fransheska Arias Reyes Lic.

FDLA Journal

Since the democratic opening of the country (the Dominican Republic), in past decades and the subsequent phenomena of Worldalization, Globalization and the Influences of the Knowledge Society and Computerization, our society and with it the national educational system at all levels has been undergoing a series of changes and influences not ignored in the order for the teachings of foreign languages in our institutions of higher education and specifically at the Universidad Autonoma de Santo Domingo-UASD- In addition to the social, economic and political phenomena mentioned above, there are also the migrations of millions of Dominicans to mostly to the …

Globalization, Foreign Languages And National Identity In The Dominican Republic, Pedro J. Tavarez-Dacosta Dr.

FDLA Journal

Due to the fact of the transformation of the Dominican economy, jumping from a rural, sugar cane exporting-country to a more diverse economy, based in four pillars: The Remittance of US Dollars of Dominicans living in America, the Tourism Industry, the Duty-free Industrial Parks and the Major League Base-ball Players and Academies, it is not difficult to imagine that English has been the language par excellence behind those advancements. Those socio-political facts besides the phenomenon of globalization have had a tremendous impact in popularizing this language with the correspondent academic impact of modernizing and reforming our national curriculum, for both …

Methodological Discrepancies In The Teaching/Assessment Process Of Efl At The High School Level In The Dominican Public System, Pedro J. Tavarez-Dacosta Dr.

FDLA Journal

Discrepancies between the processes of Teaching and Assessment of English of the Middle Level. Dr. Pedro Tavárez DaCosta: 2016. Freelance Researcher, for the Regional Office of Education 11-02 in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic Teacher's Evaluation / Evaluation Criteria / Summative and Formative Evaluation / Program for Evaluation Improvement in Language Teaching. This research work consisted in the implementation of a plan in which, by way of treatment, it was possible to improve the levels of assessment competences of the foreign language, of the non-qualified teachers of English of the middle level, Districts 11-01 and 11-02 of the Regional of Education …