Journals@UC (University of Cincinnati)
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A Teacher\u27s Paradox: Balancing learning and integrity in undergraduate biology
No full textThe core value of AI lies not in its ability to info dump but in the low-stakes practice it affords for foundational competencies—precise question formulation, goal-directed problem solving, and rigorous evaluation of its outputs. The pedagogical challenge is to channel its imperfections into durable discernment.
Emphasizing Process Over Product in Student Writing
Full text linkA personal reflection on teaching the humanities in the era of generative AI, this piece offers several concrete suggestions for tactics and assignment strategies that will discourage inappropriate AI usage as well as render it detectable before grading. More important, however, and more pedagogically significant, is the fact that these strategies can be implemented in ways that arm students with understanding about the limits of current AI technology so that they are more likely to make wiser choices.
Lifting Weights with a Forklift: Redesigning assignments for personal growth in Anatomy and Physiology
Full text linkI outline two sample STEM assignments that help students use AI to learn more about course topics: "Explain [course topic] in the style of..." and "Ask me three times..." 
Estimation of Particle Dimension and Particle Size Distribution (PSD) of Ground Leather using a Digital Image Processing Method (DIP) : Rosario Mascolo, Felicia Vietri, Luca Giorleo and Alfonso Martone
No full textIn the tanning industry, the use of solid waste as a polymer filler/ reinforcement to produce new circular materials is widespread. For example, leather fiber boards have already been on the market for some time, which are sheets for upholstery use consisting in shaving powder (generally chrome-tanned) incorporated in a polymeric matter. To respond to the need for circular and sustainable processes, numerous studies on composites with polymeric matrix filled with particulate reinforcement or tanned leather fibers have been carried out. These studies focus mainly on the characterization of the mechanical properties of the final product containing different concentrations of the filler. In literature, only in a few cases has the Particle Size Distribution (PSD) of fibers/particles (namely the dimensional distribution curve of the size of the particulate) been characterized. The dimensional quantification has always been performed on linear measurements using a microscope, but, considering a filler of milled leather fibers, linear measurements are not adequate for the characterization of the PSD, because the milling process of leather does not produce linear fibers, but agglomerates of different densities also linked by fibrous elements. The PSD analysis using a Digital Image Processing Method (DIP) on three ground samples at different sieves (4.0, 1.5 and 0.5) showed that the use of the thinner mesh led to a uniform particulate (7k square microns) but with a lower aspect ratio while a sieve of 1.5 mm allows a uniform distribution combined with slender particulates
Performance Evaluation and Sustainable Application of a Ternary Composite Non-Chromium Metal Tanning Agent for Breaking the Chrome Tanning Paradigm: Wei Ding, Tengteng Zhang, Kanglei Wang and Haiteng Liu
No full textThe environmental risks associated with chrome pollution in the leather industry are escalating. Developing easy-to-use chromium- free tanning technologies is imperative to ensure the sustainable development of the leather industry. Herein, a facile ternary composite non-chromium metal tanning agent (TCMT) was prepared by blending aluminum, zirconium, titanium salts, sodium citrate, and white zeolite powder. Then, the tanning performance of TCMT combined with an amphoteric phenol-based synthetic tannage (Shenotan JAN) was systematically evaluated through comparative analysis against a commercial zeolite tanning agent (ZLR-100). Results showed that the preferred tanning protocol involved initially treating the pickled sheep skin with JAN, followed by subsequent TCMT tanning in the same bath. The optimized dosages of JAN and TCMT were 2% and 8% based on twice the weight of pickled sheep skin, respectively. Under this condition, the tanned leather had a shrinkage temperature up to 83.4°C, along with a well-dispersed collagen fiber network, which was better than that of leather tanned by ZLR-100. Besides, the TCMT-JAN-tanned crust leather exerted much higher tensile (19.7 vs. 14.9 N/mm²) and tear strengths (49.3 vs. 41.3 N/mm) than ZLR-100-tanned crust leather, as well as comparable elongation at break (77.4% vs. 76.7%), softness (6.6 vs. 6.4 mm), fullness, and grain smoothness. Overall, this work provides innovative insights into developing user-friendly and facile chromium-free tanning agents, thereby contributing to the sustainable advancement of the leather industry through eco- efficient technological implementations
Natural Language Processing of Supervising Manager and College Intern Explanations of Work Ethic and Professionalism
Full text linkLess than a decade ago, the National Association of Colleges and Employers rolled out their eight career competencies, identified as: leadership, communication, critical thinking, teamwork, professionalism/ethics, technical savviness, equity and inclusion, and career and self-development (NACE, 2016). An outpouring of time, money, and teaching resources continues by the higher education field, government, and the private employment sectors in hopes of increasing college student career readiness (Angel, 1995). However, after almost ten years of seeing the phrase “career competencies” transcend national conversations, (Human Resources-UNL, 2017, p. 1), supervising managers and college students still rate proficiency levels for competencies very differently. As Koncz and Gray point out, “in terms of graduates’ level of proficiency in the competencies, employers and college students expressed very different opinions” (2022, p. 1). Pointedly, there continues to be a concerning gap in how recent college graduates and supervising managers learn, perceive, and describe career readiness. Detecting and identifying such a language gap through direct examination of language used by graduates and supervising managers may require unrealistically large labelling efforts by researchers. Natural language processing (NLP) methods can help bridge this gap by algorithmically finding topics that may constitute such “articulation gaps.” 
Enhancing Instructor Social Presence in Asynchronous Courses Using Weekly Videos
Full text linkUnderstanding best practices in online learning environments has become an important area of research in recent years, both before and during the pandemic. Instructor social presence has been studied as a way to increase student learning and engagement, though more research is needed to understand the most effective ways to increase instructor social presences in various contexts. The current study sought to understand the extent to which asynchronous weekly videos impacted instructor social presence. Participants included four sections of online asynchronous courses, two of which were undergraduate level courses and two of which were graduate level courses. An exploratory action research design that included surveys (n=36) and course evaluations was implemented to explore student perceptions of the asynchronous weekly videos. Findings demonstrate that the weekly videos increased student perceptions of instructor social presence and their understanding of course materials. Implications for student outcomes and instructor planning in online courses are discussed.
Student Perceptions of the Use of TikTok in Education
Full text linkThis study investigates student perceptions of TikTok and its potential to be used as an educational tool. TikTok’s popularity has prompted educators to examine its use in the classroom, especially through the lens of microlearning, though its use as an entertainment source may affect the way students perceive it in an academic context. This research looked at a sample of undergraduate and graduate students who participated in courses in which creating a TikTok was an optional component of an assignment. Participants completed a survey to share their opinions on the inclusion of TikTok in the assignments and their broader perceptions of the app in personal and professional settings. Results show a range of perceptions about TikTok in both settings, highlighting creative possibilities for educational settings but also hesitation from students about TikTok’s credibility as a platform for digital learning. The study highlights the need to more carefully examine student attitudes toward popular apps like TikTok in education and how they may affect desired learning outcomes. This research is framed in the scholarship of teaching and learning, where the researchers collaborated on practical pedagogical experiences through the integration of a new technology and assessment of its effectiveness in the classroom
The Human and Machine: Google, Google Docs, Grammarly, Quillbot, OpenAI, and OpenAIChatGPT Duration: 22:76:00 / 4552 words1
No full textThis paper is a methodological exploration of human-AI collaboration in academic writing and publishing. Using critical autoethnography, the author engages in a process of becoming with the technologies and, because of this, shows us ways of embodying change. The narrative weaves together the mutually influential relationship between personal experience, the happenings of culture, and emerging AI technology. It is a tracing of practice, a way of thinking with and through—asking questions about and acting on—these experiences and happenings. In the context of communication futures, theory is not a static body of knowledge or an autonomous set of ideas, objects, or practices. Instead, theorizing is an ongoing, fluid process that links the concrete and the abstract, thinking and acting, aesthetics and criticism. (Holman Jones 2016, 229)
Credited solely to the author, this piece provides a case study of academic writing developed with the unwavering assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). What remains hidden from the reader is the back-and-forth interaction between the author and the AI assistant—these interactions typically involve the author asking the machine to comment on fluency, so that the author can then make micro-adjustments to things such as spelling, grammar, and sentence structure. On occasion, it involves learning about paraphrasing by observing how the AI paraphrases. In the final manuscript, this level of interaction is not visible because it would disrupt the reader\u27s flow and comprehension, as well as obscure the author\u27s intent. There are instances, however, where the dialogue is less entangled, which allows the author to italicize their prompts to the machine and the machine\u27s responses to be highlighted. In addition to AI technologies, uncertainty is engaged with as ‘generative technology’ for imagination, experience, and action. (Akama, Pink, and Sumartojo 2018, 46) By embracing both uncertainty and AI in practice, the author seeks to better understand how emerging technologies might serve to support, limit, and enhance the author’s ability to write about their practice.
This article hypothesizes that communication futures will involve collaboration between humans and human-AI technologies and that the significance of critical thinking and creativity will remain pertinent. It also proposes that to produce thoughtful, contextually appropriate, and non-biased outcomes, we must embrace collaborative mindsets and adopt respectful, participatory, inclusive, and diverse processes that build capability.