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Generative AI and the Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm
No full textA group of seven faculty members, the Digital Teaching Fellows (DTF), were formed in 2023 to explore issues related to generative AI at a Jesuit university in the United States. The group incorporated generative AI assignments into their courses and conducted a survey assessing students’ experiences with generative AI in the course. Drawing from both quantitative and qualitative analysis, the DTF reached two key conclusions. First, despite their reservations, students’ overall receptiveness to generative AI integration creates a fitting moment for thoughtful pedagogical innovation. Second, our findings reveal a critical gap between generative AI’s current implementation and its potential to support higher-level learning goals. To address the two findings, the DTF propose a systematic, Ignatian pedagogy-driven approach to generative AI integration
Teaching STEM Courses using Ignatian Pedagogy
No full textDespite the impact of the Jesuit educational endeavor on the rise of science, the Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm (IPP), the signature Jesuit Pedagogy, is not frequently used to teach courses in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), and very little literature exists documenting any such attempts. In this paper, I describe a framework for how to apply the IPP to STEM courses using active-engagement strategies and assessment tools from disciplinary-based educational research (DBER). I provide three examples of how I have implemented the IPP in physics courses at various levels in the curriculum at a Jesuit University complete with assessment results that demonstrate student learning. I stress that beyond the technical, cyclical elements of the IPP, a truly Ignatian course needs to pay close attention to Jesuit charisms such as cura personalis, magis, and educating men and women with and for others
Leading from Within: Integrating Ignatian Pedagogy into a Theoretical Framework for Leadership Preparedness
No full textIn Jesuit higher education institutions, enduring principles and values invite educators and students from all backgrounds to consider integrating the essence of Ignatian pedagogy into their own practices as well as develop leaders who are prepared to confront, transform, inspire, and participate in leadership globally. It requires both institutional investment and student involvement in the learning process. Using the Ignatian pedagogical model, constructivism theory of learning, Dewey’s theory of experience, and past literature on leadership preparedness, this article presents a dynamic self-exploration for leadership preparedness (SELP) framework. It is a theoretical framework rooted in self-discovery through reflection and growth. The SELP framework has three components: internal elements, external elements, and personal reflective analysis. It is a tool designed to support the mission and values of Jesuit education. In this article, the SELP framework was used as a blueprint to design two theoretical applications which can be tested in a real college setting. Guidelines for facilitators and a student reflection worksheet are also included in this article. Although not prescriptive, in a small way, the framework addresses the complex and real-world problem of leadership preparedness and the individual work needed along the way
Tangible Recommendations to Execute California Assembly Bill 3099: A Proactive Approach to Combatting the Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Crisis
No full textIndigenous people across the United States experience disproportionately high rates of violence and relatedly high rates of murders and disappearances. This phenomenon has been coined the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples Crisis (MMIP), and as a state with one of the largest Indigenous populations, California also has one of the largest MMIP caseloads. While California has recently taken action towards combatting the MMIP crisis, these have been largely “reactive” steps aimed at bolstering law enforcement responses to already occurring MMIP cases. As it stands, there is a gap in solutions that have a “proactive” focus aimed at lessening the risk of MMIP cases occurring before they happen.
This Note will explore the complexities of the crisis in detail, including the widespread distrust of local law enforcement agencies within Indigenous communities and the prevalence of risk factors making Indigenous communities vulnerable to violence. It will also examine the “reactive” steps that California has taken thus far to combat the crisis. Following, this Note will examine California Assembly Bill 3099, one piece of legislation that has the potential to be a more “proactive” solution to the crisis. This Note will provide a tangible recommendation for achieving one of AB 3099’s explicit goals of improving communications between law enforcement and tribal communities. This proposed recommendation is to create paired response teams of local law enforcement and qualified, culturally competent professionals to improve day-to-day encounters with tribal communities, and, in turn, build trust within Indigenous communities and lessen the risk factors that make Indigenous individuals vulnerable to violence
The Ascot App – A Plant Tracking Smartphone Tool for Field-based Community Science
No full textUrban tree planting efforts have accelerated globally, but systematic monitoring of planted trees, particularly of survivorship and growth, lags behind. To help address this challenge, we developed and implemented the Ascot App, a free, mobile-based tool designed to streamline citizen science data collection in urban habitat restoration projects. Deployed at a Miyawaki-style microforest in Ascot Hills Park, Los Angeles, the app enables volunteers with minimal training to scan QR-coded tags on seedlings and submit standardized, timestamped plant health data via an intuitive interface. The app reduces user error through simplified prompts and integrates directly with a web-based administrative portal for data export and management. Over the reported 14-month period, more than 2,100 monitoring entries were contributed for the 250 targeted seedlings representing 32 native California species. We estimate ~150 volunteers used the app and contributed to these data. Furthermore, plant survivorship was 96% and plant height increased 3-fold, with variation among species. Although we did observe instances of user errors (e.g., misidentification of deciduous trees as dead), the regular monitoring enabled longitudinal data validation. We also share lessons learned from our deployment, challenges with training modality, and analysis workflow. Ultimately, the app proved effective in democratizing data collection, reducing the time burden on researchers, and increasing consistency in field observations. The Ascot App demonstrates how smartphone-based tools can expand the scope and rigor of urban tree monitoring by leveraging the enthusiasm and contributions of the local community
Movilla Galarcio et. al. v. Colombia
No full textThis case is about the forced disappearance of a trade unionist and political militant in Colombia. Colombia partially admitted responsibility. The Court found Colombia in violation of several articles of the American Convention and of the Inter-American Convention on Forced Disappearance of Persons
Naming Names of Enslaved People in the Senegal Liberations Project
No full textEnslavement is linked to enduring and systemic inequalities, hierarchies, and to the erasures of enslaved people\u27s histories, including their names. Such erasures meant and continue to mean different things to different populations of formerly enslaved people. Descendants of enslaved people, especially in the diaspora, turned to well-established means of genealogical research and new forms of DNA research to trace their ancestors. However, in West Africa and in other parts of the world where obvious racialized markers do not automatically hint at an enslaved ancestor, many former enslaved people “would rather forget” their enslaved past or that of their ancestors, precisely because descent from enslaved ancestry remains stigmatized. Ethical considerations of conducting digital historical research on slavery and emancipation have been hotly discussed for a number of years, and given the public-facing character of many of these digital projects, the stakes of naming versus anonymity are high. This article suggests a way forward for those people recorded in the Registers of Liberation in colonial Senegal
Navigating Your Boundaries: Transitioning from EGS to Pure4EGS Without Altering Your Job Description
No full textLoyola Marymount University’s William H. Hannon Library recently transitioned from Expert Gallery Suite (EGS) - Selected Works to Pure4EGS. Previously, EGS was managed by authors with support from the scholarly communications librarian when they deposited works into our institutional repository, Digital Commons @ LMU & LLS. EGS was a secondary, but underutilized component, of our scholarly communication services. However, the migration to Pure4EGS gave the library an opportunity to be part of the reporting workflow of research activities and publication data for administrators, faculty, and staff across campus.
Our Pure4EGS platform, Scholars @ LMU, is managed by a single librarian and a team of undergraduate student assistants. The new research information management system generated significant excitement and interest from potential stakeholders eager to collaborate on new projects to uplift faculty activity and research. Amidst this enthusiasm, I faced the challenge of promoting and building up our new Pure4EGS instance without letting it become my job responsibility.
This presentation will explore how I established boundaries for our services during campus presentations and stakeholder discussions, while clearly expressing my interest in collaboration. I will also discuss how I integrated the marketing of Pure4EGS and Digital Commons. Additionally, I will reflect on the lessons learned throughout the migration process from EGS to Pure4EGS. The presentation will offer strategies for engaging in conversations about how Pure4EGS can support faculty without overextending your job responsibilities
Distributed Monitoring of Moving Thermal Targets Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Gaussian Mixture Models
No full textThis paper contributes a two-step approach to monitor clusters of thermal targets on the ground using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and Gaussian mixture models (GMMs) in a distributed manner. The approach is tailored to networks of UAVs that establish a flying ad hoc network (FANET) and operate without central command. The first step is a monitoring algorithm that determines if the GMM corresponds to the current spatial distribution of clusters of thermal targets on the ground. UAVs make this determination using local data and a sequence of data exchanges with UAVs that are one-hop neighbors in the FANET. The second step is the calculation of a new GMM when the current GMM is found to be unfit, i.e., the GMM no longer corresponds to the new distribution of clusters on the ground due to the movement of thermal targets. A distributed expectation-maximization algorithm is developed for this purpose, and it operates on local data and data exchanged with one-hop neighbors only. Simulation results evaluate the performance of both algorithms in terms of the number of communication exchanges. This evaluation is completed for an increasing number of clusters of thermal targets and an increasing number of UAVs. The performance is compared with well-known solutions to the monitoring and GMM calculation problems, demonstrating convergence with a lower number of communication exchanges