University of Southern Mississippi
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The Role of Information Communications in the Educational Environment of Higher Education Institutions
Get PDFIn a rapidly evolving world with advancing technology and digital tools, understanding the role of information communications in higher education has become highly relevant. This study aims to determine the impact of information communications on the educational process and student communication and proceeds from the need to understand this impact in the context of the growing digitalization of society. The research objective was accomplished through the utilization of an analytical approach, involving the examination of available data and relevant literature in the field. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were employed to analyze the data, enabling the formulation of impartial conclusions regarding the influence of information communications on the higher education institution’s educational environment. The main results found that using information communications in higher education had a positive impact, including the creation of interactive learning materials that engaged students and boosted motivation. Virtual communication and knowledge sharing also enhanced students’ communication skills for their future careers
Humanitarian Disciplines in the Conditions of Distance Learning at the Stage of Higher Education Transformation in Ukraine
Get PDFHumanities play a vital role in shaping intellectual, social, and emotional aspects in children. The COVID-19 pandemic and the rise of distance learning have transformed humanities education in Ukrainian universities. It is essential to examine the specific changes brought about by distance learning and their impact on humanities education in the country. The main research methods used were analysis, abstraction, and forecasting. The study reviewed the challenges faced by teachers and students in Ukraine regarding the introduction of digital technologies in education, particularly in the humanities. Furthermore, the role and possibilities of using technology in distance learning were described, as well as the importance of live communication for learning the humanities. The study also assesses the practice of distance learning in different countries. It was noted that countries with supranational organisations involved in the development of distance learning platforms have a more developed infrastructure and a wider range of available resources. Interactive teaching methods and digital educational materials are widely used in foreign institutions, promoting independent learning and improving access to knowledge. The study showed different approaches to distance teaching and describes how feasible their implementation was in the Ukrainian context
Out of Many, One Voice: A Fundamental Map to Performing Shirley J. Thompson\u27s Opera—Women of the Windrush
Get PDFWomen of the Windrush, composed by Shirley J. Thompson, is a mono-opera for soprano, film, and chamber orchestra. Thompson uses Women of the Windrush to rewrite history and effect change in the way women are portrayed in opera—from weak characters to heroic figures. A prolific composer of pure originality, Thompson has made her music accessible through written compositions and successful performances. As one of the leading composers in England, Thompson is progressively recognized for her contributions to the body of music literature, nationally and internationally. This doctoral project seeks to promote women composers and undertakes the significant contributions of a pioneering composer, Shirley J. Thompson.
The project provides biographical information on the composer, discusses her compositional style and influences, gives details on the social context and history of Women of the Windrush, and an interpretation of its text and music. Alongside examining the music and text, performance recommendations on characterization, use of language, and vocal delivery are provided. The overall intention of this doctoral project is to guide readers, especially curious musicians, in learning, teaching, and performing Women of the Windrush
Impact of Thermal-hydric Stress of Physiological Performance and Mating Behavior of Fiddler Crabs
Get PDFFiddler crabs live on the edge of their thermal tolerance limits, balancing the need to thermoregulate with the need to mate. Previous research suggests that increased temperature reduces fiddler crab surface activity time, thus decreasing mating opportunities, throughout the range species with greatest impacts to low latitude populations. The less studied missed mating opportunities associated with behavioral compensation for thermal stress are crucial to understanding species vulnerability to climate change. In this dissertation, I describe a combination of experimental and observational approaches in the field and in the laboratory to investigate the physiological and behavioral responses of fiddler crabs to thermal stress, and behavioral mechanisms for mitigating this stress.
Using habitat quality data and physiological stress measurements of males from three populations, I found that Leptuca pugilator regulate temperature and hydration within optimum levels throughout their latitudinal range, though physiological condition, thermal tolerance limits, and acclimation ability was greatest in the northern most population. In the context of male burrow retreat vs. continued courtship, I found that behavioral decisions depend on the degree of thermal risk, likelihood of attracting a mate, and degree of competition. High temperatures limited time males spent on the surface, representing direct opportunity cost of thermoregulatory behaviour. When the chance of attracting a mate was high, males took greater thermal risk by staying on the surface longer at all observed in situ temperatures. However, males took the greatest thermal risk at lower temperatures when there were waving males nearby, despite the presence or absence of a female
Peer Victimization in College Student Mental Health and Well-Being: Moderating Effects of Perceived Social Support
Get PDFPeer victimization is associated with several short- and long-term psychosocial consequences for both children and adults. Although there is evidence that peer victimization negatively impacts college students, the degree to which it may affect students’ mental health and well-being remains unclear. Most studies of peer victimization among college students focus only on retrospective accounts of childhood victimization, leaving many unknowns about how recent or ongoing victimization may impact students. The present study examined both retrospective and recent experiences of peer victimization in a college student sample (N = 366, 18-29 years old) while considering the moderating role of perceived social support on trauma symptoms and psychological well-being. A conditional process model showed that peer victimization occurring prior to college predicted experiences of peer victimization during college and recent post-traumatic stress symptoms. Moreover, peer victimization during college mediated the relationships of prior victimization to both post-traumatic stress symptoms and well-being. Finally, perceived social support did not moderate any of the relationships between victimization prior to college or during college on post-traumatic stress symptoms or well-being. These findings provided partial support for the hypothesized moderated mediation model, highlighting the complex associations between experiences of peer victimization, mental health outcomes, and social support
The Pedagogical Impact of Injury Through The Experiences of Three Professional Trombonists
Get PDFAs the stigma surrounding performance-related injuries in the brass community is slowly lifting, more musicians are openly seeking assistance for injuries, more musicians are willing to share their experiences with injury, and the musical community is becoming more knowledgeable in the realm of musician health. This research is aimed at preventing future dysfunctions in brass players, offering avenues of recovery for musicians currently experiencing an injury, and examining the current state of trombone pedagogy through the experiences of three performing trombonists.
Megumi Kanda, Colin Williams, and David Vining are professional trombonists and educators who have experienced an embouchure dysfunction or injury and have successfully recovered. These musicians have been interviewed with the overarching questions of: How has your experience with injury altered your approach to playing and teaching the trombone? And, what are you doing differently now? In the interviews these musicians discussed their playing habits before and leading up to their injury, their methods of recovery, their daily playing habits post-injury, their application of what they have learned in an educational setting, and what pedagogical materials they use, avoid, or have created based on their experience.
Due to the varying dysfunctions that these musicians experienced, their paths to recovery were different. Vining undertook movement-based therapies and re-learned how to play the trombone. Kanda and Williams took several months off and worked with mentors and other brass musicians who had been injured and successfully recovered.
While the injuries and recoveries of these musicians differ, the paths that led to their injuries have similarities including excessive hours of playing each day and lack of efficiency in the manner that they were playing; particularly the amount of air being used and tension in the body. As a result of their injuries, each of these musicians have developed shorter, more efficient practice methods that they use as a basis for their teaching and playing. The information gathered from this research will help future musicians and music educators prevent and identify the signs of impending injuries and offer education for musicians suffering from an embouchure dysfunction
Glitch, Michigan
No full textGlitch, Michigan uses intentional language error, fragmentation, borrowed and remixed text from other authors, and unreliable temporalities to create a trauma- and disability-encoded text. I have grouped the above strategies under the term narrative stutter and used poets Lyn Hejinian, Anne Carson, Shane McCrae, and others to situate Glitch, Michigan are arising from, and working within, a linage of avant-garde poetics. I have also used disability studies scholars – Ato Quayson, Lennard Davis, and others – to support and contextualize my argument about narrative stutter’s ability to create a text that accurately portrays trauma and disability
Evaluating Technology Delivered Repeated Reading with Diverse Learners
No full textStruggling readers exhibit reading fluency issues that can hinder their academic progress. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is a standardized test used to evaluate the reading performance of students. The transition to virtual learning amidst COVID-19 impacted the reading performance among diverse students. The Nation’s report card indicated that 83% of Hispanic/Black and 44% of Asian American students struggled with reading fluency. This also highlighted a substantial gap with students from diverse backgrounds (NAEP, 2022). Previous study findings provide evidence that the application of Repeated Reading (RR) is an evidenced based intervention that can improve reading fluency. This study investigated the impact of technology-delivered RR with diverse learners for Tier 2 support at an afterschool program. To evaluate the impact of the students’ Oral Reading Fluency (ORF) correct words per minute (CWPM) and error words per minute (EWPM) were measured. The research used a multiple baseline design with three third-grade students
Mate Choice Between Two Species of Topminnows from Dissimilar Hybrid Zones
Get PDFUnderstanding the origins of reproductive isolation between closely related species is foundational to evolutionary and ecological research. Recent reviews have documented contemporary hybridization between a large portion of species. A greater knowledge of reproductive isolation and its components are vital to expanding conservation efforts for threats such as those to species persistence and community processes. However, there is a lack of clear understanding of how isolating mechanisms evolve throughout many systems where hybridization is prominent. Individuals within the Fundulus notatus species complex (F. notatus, F. olivaceus, and F. euryzonus) readily hybridize at many contact zones replicated throughout their broadly overlapping ranges in the southeastern United States. However, recent work has highlighted high variability in hybridization rates across replicated zones (zones range from 30% individuals of hybrid ancestry). To better understand the mechanisms controlling hybridization rates across species contact zones, I conducted mate-choice trials between individuals from populations within the Fundulus notatus species complex that freely hybridize and those that do not. The experimental set up allowed individuals free choice of a conspecific or heterospecific over the course of 6-hour trials. During that time, movement was monitored and tracked for each individual through an artificial intelligence software integrated into video cameras. From there, I used temporal proximity of individuals as a metric of mate preference and to quantify the mode of sexual selection. I observed significant species and population differences in mate preferences. Female F. notatus exhibited greater selectivity compared to F. olivaceus. Within F. notatus, there were different levels of species recognition among the two populations (Ouachita population and Pascagoula population). Additionally, body size influenced mate choice differently between the species. My results allow us to consider sexual selection as the driver of reproductive isolation among the F. notatus species complex. Future research on the genetic basis of species recognition and mate choice behaviors offers promising opportunity to deepen the understanding of reproductive isolation between closely related species