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Curation of the lichen and bryophyte collection in the Ronald L. Jones herbarium
No full textLichens and bryophytes are often considered ‘cryptograms’, which are organisms that are difficult to identify by morphology alone. They are also difficult to curate in traditional herbaria as they are often not pressed into a two-dimensional format as other plants are. This project developed a method to curate the lichen and bryophyte collections in the Ronald L. Jones (EKY) herbarium, which is the largest repository of scientifically documented plants in the state. This is a great scientific resource for local botanists and international botanists that seek to observe properly curated and imaged records or use occurrences in their scientific research and conservation practices. In the EKY herbarium, many ‘cryptograms’ are in need of curation. This project helped address these needs by inventorying the cryptograms, testing a newly developed mounting protocol, and integrating into the SERNEC database to share these collections globally
Assessing the Impact: Retrospective Analysis of Department Initiatives on Students\u27 Success in Standalone Occupational Therapy Anatomy Course
Get PDFStudent success in anatomy courses is critical for entry-level occupational therapy doctorate (OTD) programs, yet many students struggle to master this foundational subject. Research on effective academic interventions to support anatomy learning in OTD programs is limited, leaving a gap in understanding the impact of supplemental resources. This study examined the effectiveness of targeted academic interventions, such as an anatomy bootcamp, peer-led tutoring, and the Anatomage Table for virtual dissection, in improving student performance in a standalone anatomy course. A retrospective cohort design compared two groups of students enrolled in the course during Fall 2022 (FA22; n=36) and Fall 2023 (FA23; n=36). The FA23 cohort had access to the supplemental resources, while the FA22 cohort did not. Mann-Whitney U tests were conducted to assess differences in performance on written and practical exams. Although no statistically significant differences were found in final course grades, the FA23 cohort demonstrated higher mean scores on all assessments, with a significant improvement observed in practical exam 3. These findings suggest that supplemental resources may enhance practical application skills and overall student understanding of anatomy, offering valuable insights for OTD programs seeking to improve academic outcomes
Exploring Perceptions of Occupational and Physical Therapy Faculty of Entry-Level Graduate Programs Post COVID-19: A Mixed Methods Study
Get PDFThis study aimed to explore graduate-level occupational therapy (OT) and physical therapy (PT) faculty’s perspectives on their academic responsibilities, well-being, and the needs of students following the COVID-19 pandemic. The researchers hypothesized that a decrease in job satisfaction and overall well-being would be evident, indicating burnout syndrome in the faculty participants. A mixed-methods approach was utilized. Potential participants were recruited from websites of graduate-level OT and PT programs via email. Participants were included if they were currently teaching in a graduate-level OT or PT program, teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic, and working full-time. Data were collected through Google Forms from May 20th, 2024, to June 20th, 2024. The survey consisted of the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI), the World Health Organization Five Well-Being Index (WHO-5), and five open-ended questions. Descriptive statistics were utilized for demographics, the OLBI, and the WHO-5, and themes were derived from the open-ended questions. Of the 123 responses received, 97 met the inclusion criteria, the majority of which were female and teaching in OT programs. Although the quantitative data did not indicate a consensus of burnout syndrome, three themes were identified: students have changed, faculty responsibilities have increased, and faculty have new needs. Significant challenges were identified by participants’ responses to the qualitative questions. Suggestions for mitigating the challenges included increasing faculty and staff, and provision of additional supports surrounding technology and mental health. Universities should attend to the needs of faculty to improve job satisfaction and retention and promote a positive work-life balance
Learning by Doing: Using Immersive Scenarios for Student Engagement
Get PDFBloom’s revised taxonomy is useful for restructuring liberal arts courses. A sample liberal arts course, Great American Speeches, incorporates all learning elements in the learning pyramid and culminates in an “immersive scenario” assignment that has students engage with, and learn, the course material. “Immersive scenario” strategies are effective experiential learning activities
The petrology and geochemistry of the Montagna Grande-Monte Gibele trachytic shield volcano (Pantelleria, Italy).
No full textThe 45.7 ± 1.0 ka (2σ) eruption of the compositionally zoned (comenditic trachyte to pantellerite) Green Tuff ignimbrite on the volcanic island of Pantelleria, Italy, was followed by the extrusion of a series of post-caldera metaluminous to mildly peralkaline trachyte lavas between 26.2 ± 2.0 and 22.3 ± 2.9 ka (2σ). This study uses whole-rock major- and trace-element compositions, mineral compositions, geothermobarometry, and petrogenetic models to examine the role of trachytes in the evolution of the Pantelleria magma system. Although previous studies have suggested that all of these units are consanguineous and form a liquid line of descent (LLOD) from metaluminous trachyte to peralkaline trachyte and pantellerite, mineralogical and geochemical evidence, as well as the results of modelling, suggest a much more complex origin. The crystallization of alkali feldspar from metaluminous trachyte liquids (descended from alkali to transitional basaltic magma via fractional crystallization) drives the composition of the residual melt to increasingly peralkaline compositions: pantelleritc trachyte first and then, after \u3e65 % crystallization, to pantellerite. This also results in the formation of a syenitic cumulate. Later intrusion of new mafic melt into the cumulate initiates partial melting, which produces comenditic trachyte melts characterized by low concentrations of incompatible trace elements (Rb, Zr, Nb, Th), high concentrations of Ba and Sr, and strong positive Eu anomalies. Entrainment of trachytic alkali feldspars into these melts as antecrysts further enhances these characteristics in whole-rock compositions. The origin of compositional zoning in the Green Tuff can be attributed to fractional crystallization from metaluminous trachyte within the lower pantelleritic portion and to partial melting of the syenitic cumulate for the upper comenditic trachyte portion
All Things to All People: Identifying Factors Influencing Superintendent Salary
No full textThis research investigates the factors influencing superintendent salaries in Kentucky, focusing on the linear relationship between seven independent variables and superintendent salary. These variables include student enrollment, average teacher salary, total number of certified staff, per pupil assessment, student poverty, student disability, and student achievement. The study utilized data from 169 Kentucky public school districts during the 2022-2023 school year, collected from various public sources like the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE). The primary method of analysis was the Pearson correlation coefficient, which examined the strength and direction of the relationship between each independent variable and superintendent salary. This study offers valuable insights for superintendents, school boards, state legislatures, and educational consultants as they address challenges related to teacher shortages, leadership development, and community engagement. Despite significant research on superintendent salaries, recent quantitative studies on the relationships between district variables and superintendent salaries are lacking, particularly in Kentucky. Findings from this research may reveal key trends, such as disparities in superintendent salaries across districts, potentially driven by district wealth, student demographics, and other variables. The results can inform policy decisions and support equitable salary practices in school districts across Kentucky and the national educational landscape
Student Psychosocial Well-being and Burnout During Level II Fieldwork: An Explanatory Mixed Methods Analysis
Get PDFThe purpose of this study was to explore the influence fieldwork educator support has on stress, burnout, and self-efficacy, and examine how both students and fieldwork educators support student psychosocial well-being and protective factors during Level II fieldwork (FWII). An explanatory sequential mixed method design was used, including a student cross-sectional survey (n=129) followed by one student (n=5) and two fieldwork educator focus groups (n=12). Outcome measures utilized for the cross-sectional survey included the Perceived Stress Scale, self-developed Perceived Fieldwork Educator Support Questionnaire, Oldenburg Burnout Inventory, and New General Self-Efficacy Scale. Results showed that statistically significant correlations existed among perceived fieldwork educator support and the following: stress (r=-0.443, p\u3c.01), self-efficacy (r=0.221, p\u3c.05), and burnout (r=-0.468, p\u3c.01). Findings of this study demonstrate that greater perceived fieldwork educator support was linked to lower stress, lower burnout, and greater self-efficacy. Themes identified included factors that influenced fieldwork student well-being during FWII; roles perceptions and expectations affected experiential education success; communication was key for promoting student well-being and collaborative relationships; and opportunities to improve experiential education. Protective factors preventing the development of stress and burnout for students included high self-efficacy and perceived fieldwork educator support. Results from this study can assist fieldwork coordinators and fieldwork sites with program development that promotes student psychosocial well-being and supportive relationship building between students and fieldwork educators during FWII
Effects of Acute Pain with Cold Water Limb Submersion on Cognitive Performance of Simple Span Tasks
No full textPushing through aches and pain is a ritual for many. It is often overlooked that pain is a physical as well as mental phenomenon. It is well established that chronic pain increasingly affects performance the longer the duration and the higher the intensity. Performance in acute pain is less established for complex and simple span tasks. Previous research suggests only complex tasks are negatively affected by painful stimuli. This study seeks to confirm previous literature on complex span tasks and test if simple span tasks are affected by performance and pain intensities. 34 participants completed either the digit span test (DGS) for the simple span task or the paced auditory serial addition test (PASAT) for the complex span task. Ice was used as the painful stimulus. Results indicate improvements in PASAT performance in ice due to learning effects, with a slight decrease in performance on the DGS. Pain for the PASAT and DGS increased incrementally, with the DGS climbing pain ratings faster. Higher performance correlated to lower pain in the PASAT, whereas higher performance correlated to higher pain in the DGS. There were no gender differences in performance. These results suggest the PASAT utilizes more cognitive resources. A larger computerized study is needed to remove human error and expand our understanding of what affects the mechanisms of storage and processing information for better transfer to long-term memory
Natural history collections: how does EKU’s insect teaching collection compare to iNaturalist?
No full textNatural history collections are important tools for scientists and students alike. Incorporating natural history collections into undergraduate learning helps students understand the importance of taxonomy and encourages active learning and critical thinking. However, with decreased funding for natural history collections and a rise in digital collections like iNaturalist, this study aims to compare the differences in composition within both collections and how they may be utilized in research projects. This study specifically looks at beetle family composition between EKU’s insect teaching collection and iNaturalist’s Kentucky database. Counts of beetles in each family were taken, along with total counts for each collection. Family evenness was conducted using Pielou’s evenness index in RStudio, with a permutation test to determine the difference between the two collections. Results were visualized in Excel, with pie charts of selected groups of beetles. No significant difference in family evenness was found between the teaching collection (M = 0.76, 95% CI [0.671, 0.844]) and iNaturalist (M = 0.73, 95% CI [0.657, 0.801]), but larger differences appear among smaller groups of beetles (infraorders and suborders). Both collections have biases, including collection methodology (lethal collecting or photographs). Considering the results of this study, along with collection biases and the specific needs of a project, individuals can decide which collection best suits their project, and better understand where significant differences in collection data lie. Overall, both collections have pros and cons, but both are great data resources, depending on the taxonomic level and scope of a study
Why Occupational Therapy?: A Qualitative Analysis of Incoming Students’ Reasons for Entering the Profession
Get PDFInsight into students’ views and understandings of what occupational therapy (OT) practitioners do and what a career will be like can shed light into how the profession is socially perceived. Additionally, this knowledge can be useful for recruitment, retention, and curriculum design, especially for addressing misunderstandings and inaccurate perceptions. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine the narratives of incoming OT students when asked why they chose to enter the profession of OT. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze sociodemographic data, and then thematic analysis was used to analyze qualitative data about why participants wanted to become occupational therapists. The qualitative analysis of narratives from 67 incoming OT graduate students resulted in five themes: (1) understandings of disability; (2) caring/helping; (3) a healthcare profession – but different; (4) perceptions of day-to-day practice; and (5) past exposure to OT. The findings from this study identifies that many people choose a career in OT specifically because of its unique blending of artistry and science as a health profession. However, many of these individuals enter the profession with misperceptions of disability and barriers to occupational participation that clients/patients face. Faculty can use the findings of this study to recognize students enter the academic world with many misperceptions, including of living life as a person with disability. Additionally, the findings may identify approaches for leveraging what makes OT distinct in the eyes and minds of students exploring and considering careers in healthcare