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Authentic Leadership Practices Among Minnesota Public School Superintendents
Get PDFThe purpose of this study was to examine Minnesota public school superintendents’ perceptions as it relates to the sixteen attributes of authentic leadership as well as the four constructs of authentic leadership. This quantitative study used independent variables of gender, number of years serving in the superintendency, and district size to compare the four constructs of authentic leadership practices. After an extensive literature review on the historical role of the superintendent, current roles and issues faced by superintendents, leadership background and an authentic leadership overview, the Authentic Leadership Questionnaire (ALQ) was the survey tool selected and implemented to answer the research questions. Qualtrics, an online tool, was used to administer the survey.
A total of 145 Minnesota public school superintendents completed the survey, equating to a 45% return rate. The results of the survey showed 14 of the 16 ALQ items had a mean score between 3 (Fairly often) and 4 (Frequently, if not always), with Ethical conduct having the highest mean (3.80). The combined mean scores of the four major authentic leadership constructs of self-awareness (3.07), relational transparency (3.29), balanced processing (3.33), and internalized moral perspective (3.54) were between 3 (Fairly often) and 4 (Frequently, if not always) with combined standard deviations for each construct of less than one. Internalized moral perspective had the highest combined mean score for every disaggregated demographic category while self-awareness had either the lowest or tied for the lowest combined mean score for every demographic category.
This study found Minnesota public school superintendents self-report high levels of authentic leadership practices, according to the Authentic Leadership Questionnaire (ALQ). Minnesota public school superintendents also self-report a high degree of authentic leadership practices based on the four constructs of self-awareness, relational transparency, balanced processing and internalized moral perspective. Finally, this study found no differences in the four constructs based on the independent variables of gender, district enrollment and numbers of years serving in the superintendency
Use of Alternative and Augmentative Communication with Students who are Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder and who are also nonverbal
Get PDFThis review examines the use of alternative and augmentative communication (AAC) with individuals who have Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). In Chapter I, alternative and augmentative description is described, and Autism Spectrum Disorders are defined both operationally and theoretically. In addition, the use of AAC devices and strategies with individuals who are diagnosed with ASD are promulgated as the foci for the review. In Chapter II, research addressing the use of AAC as an intervention for the academic and social deficits as an epiphenomena of ASD that appears in the literature of education and of psychology will be reviewed. In Chapter III, the findings from the analysis are summarized, and the implications of these findings will be described
Influence of Deployment on the Returning Student Veteran to a Four Year Institution
Get PDFThe impact of deployment on the returning student veteran to a four-year institution is unknown to the majority of the general population. With less than 5% of the population having served in the military and even fewer of those deployed overseas for greater than one year, it can be expected that there is little research on this topic at this institution of higher education. The purpose of the narrative inquiry qualitative research study is to fill the knowledge void and add to the current literature. The research participants are current or former students (graduates) within the last ten years, whose academic programs were interrupted at least once by a military deployment. These student veterans includes current and alumni undergraduate and graduate students. The theoretical framework used for this study was Transition 2.0: A Theoretical Critique of Tinto’s Model for Exploring Student-Veteran Persistence. This research utilized the narrative inquiry method to gain the lived experiences of the research participants. The sample consisted of 9 participants from an upper Midwest regional state university. Interviews were recorded and later analyzed using NVivo Software; interview notes supplemented transcripts for non-verbal messaging. Analysis of the participant narratives identified three themes that support the Theoretical Framework presented above: Goals/Commitments, Institutional Commitment, and Development and Integration. Student-veterans shared their experiences and thoughts about how they felt as students returning to the same institution regarding academics, fellow students, and the administrative processes. In summary, all participants reported a positive experience with suggestions for improvements
Effective Detection of Local Languages for Tourists Based on Surrounding Features
Get PDFThe tourism industry is a trillion-dollar industry with many governments investing heavily in making their countries attractive enough to entice potential visitors. People engage in tourism due to different reasons which could range from business, education, leisure, medical or ancestral reasons. Communication between intending visitors and locals is essential, given the non-homogeneity that occurs across cultures and borders. In this paper, we focus on developing a cross-platform mobile application that listens to surrounding conversations, is able to pick certain keywords, automatically switch to the local language of its location and then offer translation capabilities to facilitate conversations. To implement this, we depend on the Google translate API for the translation capabilities of the application, starting with the English language as our base language. To provide the input (speech) for translation, we solely employ speech recognition software using the Speech-to-Text package available on Flutter. The output with the correct pronunciation (and local accent) of the translation is done with the Text-to-Speech package. If the application does not recognize any keywords, the local language can be determined using the geographical parameters of the user. Finally, we utilize the cross-platform competence of the Flutter software development kit and the Dart programming language to build the application
“It’s Like You are Supposed to be There”: The Meaning of Institutional Fit for First-Generation Students and Implications for Policy and Practice in Higher Education
Get PDFThe purpose of this interpretive phenomenological study is to better understand what the concept of institutional fit means to first-generation college students so that higher education institutions can be better informed about the services and programs necessary to help first-generation students be more successful in their higher education endeavors. The research question that guided this study was: What constitutes the essence of good institutional fit for first-generation students attending a small, midwestern institution of higher education? Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 first-generation students. There were four main themes or commonalities that resonated throughout the interviews as these 11 students deciphered what having good institutional fit meant to them: having the academic and financial resources they need to succeed; the university having their major program of study and faculty that were approachable; having an environment that was comfortable, safe, and inclusive; being on a campus and in a community where they felt they could engage, and finally, having a sense of belonging and/or a social support network. Having expectations that aligned well with the reality of transition to college life around the themes that were important to them was how they defined what institutional fit meant to them. Based on these findings, higher education needs to put aside the deficit approach to first-generation students and instead look at the strengths of these students and the successes they are having in the post-secondary environment and build on these successes to create more diverse, inclusive, and empowering learning environments for first-generation students
GUIDE FOR THE COLLECTION OF INSTRUSION DATA FOR MALWARE ANALYSIS AND DETECTION IN THE BUILD AND DEPLOYMENT PHASE
Get PDFDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, when most businesses were not equipped for remote work and cloud computing, we saw a significant surge in ransomware attacks. This study aims to utilize machine learning and artificial intelligence to prevent known and unknown malware threats from being exploited by threat actors when developers build and deploy applications to the cloud. This study demonstrated an experimental quantitative research design using Aqua. The experiment\u27s sample is a Docker image. Aqua checked the Docker image for malware, sensitive data, Critical/High vulnerabilities, misconfiguration, and OSS license. The data collection approach is experimental. Our analysis of the experiment demonstrated how unapproved images were prevented from running anywhere in our environment based on known vulnerabilities, embedded secrets, OSS licensing, dynamic threat analysis, and secure image configuration. In addition to the experiment, the forensic data collected in the build and deployment phase are exploitable vulnerability, Critical/High Vulnerability Score, Misconfiguration, Sensitive Data, and Root User (Super User). Since Aqua generates a detailed audit record for every event during risk assessment and runtime, we viewed two events on the Audit page for our experiment. One of the events caused an alert due to two failed controls (Vulnerability Score, Super User), and the other was a successful event meaning that the image is secure to deploy in the production environment. The primary finding for our study is the forensic data associated with the two events on the Audit page in Aqua. In addition, Aqua validated our security controls and runtime policies based on the forensic data with both events on the Audit page. Finally, the study’s conclusions will mitigate the likelihood that organizations will fall victim to ransomware by mitigating and preventing the total damage caused by a malware attack
English Language Learners’ Perceptions Regarding Media as Learning Technology
Get PDFWith the education field of English language teaching constantly evolving and the COVID-19 pandemic temporarily leading to more classes becoming on an online format, I wanted to see what English Language Learners (ELL) preferred when it came to learning English as an additional language in today’s day and age.
The Research Questions in this study consist of:
1. Do students prefer textbooks and hands-on activities over assignments done online?
2. Do students have a preference for particular forms of instructional media?
This paper analyzes the media preferences of English Language Learners. Using a Likert Scale, participants select from four answers, Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Agree and Strongly Agree. The statements cover a variety of instructional media styles, from low-tech media of handwriting all the way to social media.
The research conducted in this study found that tactile learning and social media was the most preferred type of instructional media for learning English. With these results, I hope that teachers can incorporate more tactile learning strategies, activities, and tools that students use every day in their daily life. Lastly, it is important that teachers see what their students prefer and try to make changes to support their English language learning journey
Pop-up Seminar: Ukraine vs. Russia
No full textThe School of Public Affairs held its first pop-up seminar of the year February 8: “Ukraine vs Russia” where faculty with close ties to that region of the world hosted a 1-hour webinar to discuss the latest headlines, implications, and what it means to people living near the border.
The School of Public Affairs pop-up seminar discusses questions of immediate importance to our local and global communities. “Ukraine vs Russia” was a collaboration between St. Cloud State University\u27s School of Public Affairs, College of Science and Engineering, Department of Geography & Planning, and Department of Political Science.https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/sopa_seminars/1001/thumbnail.jp
School of Public Affairs 2021 Annual Report
Get PDFWe are celebrating our first 10 years!
The School of Public Affairs’ annual report presents a magazine-style look back at the school’s year. Contents include the stories and accomplishments of current students, alumni, faculty, and other community partnerships. It also celebrates the generous giving of donors. A limited amount of print copies are produced and mailed to constituents. Support and collaboration of the annual report is regularly given by University Communications, the St. Cloud State University Foundation, St. Cloud State University Alumni Relations, University Archives, and the Departments of Criminal Justice, Economics, Geography & Planning, and Political Science.
Note: The School of Public Affairs annual report evolved from seasonal newsletters. The first issue was published in April of 2018