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A Comparison of the Relationship Between Campus Writing Centers and Developmental Writing Programs at Two- and Four-Year Institutions
No full textThroughout the history of American composition instruction in higher education, the question of how best to support students who struggle with or come into college unprepared for academic writing has been a debated one. Two of the most commonplace models for additional student writing support are basic writing courses and writing centers, and institutions often have both. Furthermore, there is also a distinction between writing education at the four-year college level and writing education at the two-year college level, and this distinction comes into particularly sharp focus when it comes to examining both basic writing pedagogies and well as the structure and philosophy of campus writing centers. These separate but interrelated phenomena formed the basis of this study, which seeks to examine the use and perception of writing centers by developmental or basic writing students at a two-year college versus a four-year college.
To investigate this question, I studied two institutions: Northeast Community College and the University of Nebraska at Kearney. I devised a student survey, interviewed basic writing and writing center faculty/staff, and gathered writing center visit data for each institution to attempt to piece together a picture of basic writers’ relationship with the writing center at each school. The primary finding of this study was that basic writing students tend not to use the writing center in significant numbers at either institution. This provides a crucial starting point for investigations into how to encourage students to use the writing center and how basic writers are defined within institutions of higher education
Evoking Compassion, Increasing Awareness, and Moving the Reader Toward Action: An Examination of Barbara Kingsolver\u27s Narrative Strategies
No full textBarbara Kingsolver is an American best-selling author whose novels have a strong emotional impact on readers. Her texts cover a wide range of socially relevant, yet often stigmatized, controversial, or dismissed topics, and she skillfully creates characters and stories that elicit reader empathy and develop reader awareness. This study analyzes the approaches that Kingsolver uses across Demon Copperhead (2022), Flight Behavior (2012), and The Poisonwood Bible (1998) to facilitate deep and meaningful reader engagement by eliciting powerful emotions, increasing awareness of culturally relevant topics, and offering avenues to spark change. I engage in close analysis of these novels through the lenses of narrative theory and affect theory, applying the work of a range of literary critics. I explore the ways in which Kingsolver uses storytelling and emotions to create powerful critiques of sociopolitical issues such as racism, misogyny, climate change, and corrupt social and government systems in a way that facilitates a sense of authenticity and that sticks with the reader long after reading. Finally, I draw conclusions about the similarities and differences across her approach to each novel and identify where she is most effective at building reader compassion and critical thinking, both of which I argue are strong motivators for action and advocacy for change
New Frontiers 2024-2025
No full textNew Frontiers 2025 Features: Sacred Sounds - Sharon Campbell Exploring the Quantum Frontier - EQUATE Building Biomedical Excellence - INBRE Public History with a Purpose - Will Stoutamire Protecting the Nation - NSRI Shared Solutions - KNEWhttps://openspaces.unk.edu/new-frontiers/1016/thumbnail.jp
Consumer Response to AI Technology in Beauty Product Marketing
No full textThis research investigates consumer interactions with AI-powered shopping assistance in skincare retailing. Skincare presents a compelling context where vast product selections intersect with consumers\u27 diMiculty assessing skin conditions. AI technology can enhance decision quality through instant skin diagnosis and recommendations, but it requires understanding how consumers respond to such technology. Our multi-method approach combines focus groups, laboratory experiments, and field experiments using an AI-powered skin analysis system. Focus groups reveal positive responses to the technology\u27s detailed diagnoses, with participants showing heightened sensitivity to visual information and social comparative metrics.
Our lab experiment (2×2 between-subjects design) examines how visual presentations and social comparisons reshape consumer behavior through three mechanisms: perception recalibration, importance reevaluation, and confidence adjustment. Results show asymmetric eMects, where positive comparisons have a significant impact on self-perception and importance ratings, while visual elements broadly enhance engagement with skin concerns.
Our next phase will be a field study to evaluate the real-world business impact of implementing this technology in retail, measuring outcomes such as store traMic and sales performance
Time Travel Validation for Time Series Data
No full textModel validation is necessary to evaluate the predictive effectiveness of time series forecasts. The standard validation method is to start at the earliest point in the data, train on two of the minimum meaningful number of periods or cycles of periods (i.e., two or more blocks) then test on the next block. Subsequent models are tested by extending the training period one block at a time and testing on the following block. Alternatively, the last block can be substituted for the following block. Other forward progressions can be used including forms of cross validation. In any case, the forecaster chooses the model with the best metric. The time travel validation method reverses the sequence. It begins by testing the model on the last or ultimate block using the antepenultimate and penultimate blocks. It extends backward one block at a time until it reaches the first block. The forecaster selects the best performing time travel model. Results show that time travel validation produces better than the standard method for many time series datasets
Long live the king and luxury shopping! The change of monarch and luxury consumption
No full textFor countries with a monarch as head of state, a change on the throne is an occasion of historic significance that usually occurs once every few decades. This research examines how such an event might impact consumers’ propensity to engage in luxury shopping. Study 1, conducted in the aftermath of Queen Margrethe II’s abdication, shows that Danish consumers were more likely to buy luxury products after (vs. before) their monarch’s abdication announcement. Study 2, conducted during the official period of mourning following Queen Elizabeth II’s death, demonstrates that residents of the United Kingdom were more likely to purchase luxury items during (vs. before) this period. This increase in luxury shopping propensity in the aftermath of Queen Elizabeth II’s passing was driven by consumers’ heightened desire for impulse buying (Study 3). Framing this event as King Charles III’s accession (instead of Queen Elizabeth II’s passing) led to the same results (Study 4), demonstrating the robustness of the predicted effects. The article concludes by discussing these findings’ implications for luxury retailers
Senate Bill 2025-01
Full text linkBill to appropriate Student Government funds to contribute to the on-campus sand volleyball construction project, beginning in 2025