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Teaching Under Pressure
Get PDFThe purpose of this comparative case study was to investigate, explore, and describe the methods and practices of secondary instrumental music education in a public school setting. Two sites, a Rhode Island public school and a Rhode Island community music school, were chosen for observation. Two major ensembles, a jazz band and a concert band, were observed at each site on four different occasions. Observations were organized by the National Standards of Music Education, although the study did not focus on whether or not the programs “met” the standards. Data was also placed into the category of non-musical factors. Observations and analysis found that the non-musical factors, and themes that emerged from those factors, were the largest noticeable difference between the two sites. These factors also contributed to the disparity in the two sites abilities to address the standards. Non-musical factors such as scheduling and interruptions were the major issues facing the public school site, including split rehearsal times between ensembles and missed rehearsals due to assemblies. Both sites had significant gaps in their addressing of the standards, although the community music school met more of the standards. This may just be a result of the increase in time spent in rehearsal. This research opens the questions of whether or not the constraints facing public school music educators are hindering their ability to fully educate their students. Research can also be performed to gauge the perceptions that secondary instrumental music educators have on the standards
Paintings and Biodomes
Get PDFThe novel PYM by Mat Johnson seems on the surface to be a light-hearted, comedic, summer vacation easy read. It is parodic, but not in a cynical or harsh way, and it is relatively simple and often quite silly in its plot and structure. It would be easy to read PYM and not have any consideration of it as a piece of lasting or significant literature. There are, however, many elements in PYM that open it up to analysis, revealing an intricate and extremely well-constructed novel whose themes and implications carry a great deal of significance. Jean Baudrillard\u27s theory of simulations opens a great deal of thought when applied to the novel. In the essay “Simulacra and Simulations,” written in 1981, Jean Baudrillard describes various ways in which reality interacts with illusion and man-made non-realities. Both simulacra and simulations are seen in the novel PYM. Many elements of the novel could be analyzed and viewed through the lens of Baudrillard\u27s theory, but there are two examples that offer clear representations of both simulacra and a simulation. These two examples are the paintings of Thomas Karvel, and the biodome Karvel creates to physically manifest these paintings
Increasing Public Awareness of Venous Thromboembolism Through Social Media
Get PDFThis paper investigates the problem of public awareness of venous thromboembolism (VTE) from a nursing perspective. VTE encompasses deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE). It is a major public health problem as 600,000 people suffer from VTE annually and 100,000 deaths are attributed to it. The aim of this research study was to investigate and attempt to quantify the general public’s knowledge level of VTE. The research study included a survey in which 325 people participated. Of the 242 participants who identified themselves occupationally as nonmedical, less than 30% were familiar with both DVT and PE. Participants who identified as having medical careers had much higher levels of knowledge. The findings suggest the need for health professionals to educate patients and the public about VTE in order to decrease its incidence. A website (www.dvtaware.net) and public education campaign employing social media tools were launched to increase awareness of VTE
Proceedings of the \u3ci\u3eQuerying the Library: Digitization and its Impact Conference\u3c/i\u3e
No full textThis collection of papers represents conference presentations as proceedings from the “Querying the Library: Digitization and Its Impact” Conference hosted by the James P. Adams Library at Rhode Island College on May 31, 2013. Conference presenters were selected for their innovative, future-oriented thinking, work and advancement of the library and information science profession: transformative information carriers; engagement of writers and readers; collection stewardship; networked, interdependent distributed computing environments; and transformative, social, knowledge creation infrastructures and ecosystems.
Includes contributions from Mark J. Caprio, Christiane Marie Landry, Brendan Ryan, Julia Lovett, Andrée Rathemacher, Barbara Adams Hebard, Chelsea Gunn, Emily Powers Souza, Chris Tanguay, Kate Thornhill, Emily Toner, and Kieran Ayton
Effects of Early Experience and Plasticity on Neuronal Morphology Within the Prefrontal Cortex in a Rodent Model of Hypoxia-Ischemia
Get PDFHypoxia-ischemia (HI) is low oxygenation to the brain paired with low blood supply that can disrupt normal patterns of brain development. HI injury is characterized by many long-term cognitive and behavioral deficits including working memory. Neuronal plasticity due to early sensory or learning experience has been suggested to facilitate recovery of function after neonatal brain injury. Plasticity is the ability for the nervous system, more specifically neurons, and their synapses to modify their function and morphology due to experiences, which in turn correlate with changes in behavior. The objective of the present study was to investigate the effects of neonatal hypoxia-ischemia on the morphology of layer five pyramidal neurons within the prefrontal cortex (Cg3) of rats with or without early life working memory experience (postnatal day 36-61). We hypothesized that both HI and sham subjects exposed to 20 days of working memory training, using an 8-arm radial water maze, early in life would show distinct morphological changes in Cg3 pyramidal neurons. Findings suggest that early life working memory training regulates shifts in neuronal morphology following neonatal brain injury
Bodily Influences on Emotional Feelings: Accumulating Evidence and Extensions of William James’ Theory of Emotion
Get PDFWilliam James’ theory of emotion has been controversial since its inception, and a basic analysis of Cannon’s (1927) critique is provided. Research on the impact of facial expressions, expressive behaviors, and visceral responses on emotional feelings are each reviewed. A good deal of evidence supports James’ theory that these types of bodily feedback, along with perceptions of situational cues, are each important parts of emotional feelings. Extensions to James’ theory are also reviewed, including evidence of individual differences in the effect of bodily responses on emotional experience
Educational Innovation Brief: Educating Graduate Nursing Students on Value Based Purchasing
Get PDFThe Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act implemented value-based purchasing to raise the bar on quality care and patient satisfaction in healthcare facilities. The time has come to educate graduate nursing students on the reality of quality indicators and the impact that advanced practice nurses will have on these initiatives. This educational brief describes implementation of an educational session developed for graduate nursing students on VBP and the APN role. The content for the education was derived from an extensive literature review, The Essentials of Master’s Education in Nursing, and the clinical experience of the author. The education was presented to 12 Master’s in nursing students utilizing a presentation with a pre-/post-test, followed by a question and answer session. Pre/post test scores showed an average increase in mean score of 17 points. Students’ enthusiasm indicated that the content would be of benefit to them as they transitioned to the APN role. Consistent with The Essentials of Master’s Education in Nursing, specific to Essential III (Quality Improvement and Safety), it is recommended that current quality initiatives specific in the APN role be integrated into the curriculum
A Study of High School Teachers\u27 Experiences of the Phenomenon of Effective Instructional Leadership
Get PDFInstructional leadership is focused on elevating teaching and learning for the purpose of improved student achievement (King, 2002). There are many styles of school leadership represented in educational leadership research, yet there is not an abundance of research on high school teachers’ perspectives regarding instructional leadership. The purpose of this study was to examine the phenomenon of effective instructional leadership through teachers’ experiences. Using six core practices of effective instructional leadership as the frame for the phenomenological study, eight teachers were interviewed from two high schools in two school districts in Rhode Island. Four teachers from each school shared their experiences and provided details about what they understood to be an effective instructional leader through one-on-one interviews. Using transcendental phenomenology as the methodology to analyze the interview data, I compared and contrasted the findings of teachers at both high schools. My conceptual framework was based primarily on the works of Darling-Hammond, Meyerson, LaPointe, and Orr (2010) and Leithwood, Harris, and Hopkins (2008). I analyzed the data by developing structural and textural themes to examine the teachers’ experiences in describing the phenomenon of effective instructional leadership. The result of this study is a composite textural-structural description of the essence of the core practices that embody effective instructional, school leadership. The study focuses on how the teachers have made sense of and understood the practices of instructional leaders. The major core essence is building interpersonal skills with teachers through setting goals, establishing open communication, and building trust. This study offers a unique view into teachers’ lived experiences and perspective of effective instructional leadership
Studying Science
Get PDFAlthough nearly equivalent percentages of black and white students entering college aspire to earn degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), a much smaller percentage of black students than white undergraduates complete STEM degrees (HERI, 2010). Thirty-six percent of black undergraduates who initially pursue STEM fields and go on to earn bachelor’s degrees switch to non-STEM majors, and 29.3 percent leave college before graduating, a rate 10 percentage points higher than that of their white counterparts (19.8 percent) (Chen, 2013). In the environmental sciences, of the 4,802 degree recipients in 2010, 81 percent (3,879) were white and only 2 percent (97) were black (NSF Table 5-7, 2010). As has long been recognized, America is producing too few scientists and far too few from the groups historically underrepresented in higher education. The situation is especially acute in the environmental sciences. Interventions designed to address these disparities have concentrated on programmatic and pedagogical enhancements, but most lack a theoretical explanation for the positive outcomes they claim to achieve.
This study employed interviews with fifteen black and white undergraduates who enrolled in introductory environmental science/studies at a selective liberal arts college. Applying the theory of Community of Practice, along with insights and concepts from Critical Race Theory and Stereotype Threat, the study shows how interactions with faculty and peers affected the extent and quality of involvement students had with the field of environmental sciences. Looking at the factors that discouraged students from participating in the Community of Practice of the environmental sciences, the study draws conclusions about effective practices and makes recommendations for attracting students from underrepresented groups to scientific fields and the careers for which degrees in those fields can prepare them
Rental Premiums for Eco-Retrofits
Get PDFThis paper examines how obtaining Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) affects the rent that market participants are willing to pay for commercial space. While recent studies have verified the existence of a rental premium for LEED certification in general, this paper provides a more precise analysis by focusing solely on one particular LEED subsystem, LEED for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB). Further, it examines the premiums associated with each of the four certification levels found within that subsystem, as well as regional differences to the premium for LEED-EB. Testable hypotheses are developed based on the Fuerst and McAllister (2011) study and empirically tested with a hedonic real estate pricing model using Ordinary Least Squares. Using data obtained from the CoStar Commercial Real Estate Database, this study find that tenants are willing to pay an effective rental premium of about 11% for space in buildings with LEED-EB certification over otherwise-comparable buildings. However, the results also show that tenants’ willingness to pay up does not increase as the certification level increases. The market does not appear to differentiate amongst the different iterations of LEED. Finally, results show that regional differences to the premium exist. Regions with higher premiums tend to have a smaller percentage of LEED-certified buildings, suggesting that the premium arises not only from increased demand for certified buildings, but a constrained supply as well