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Perceptions of Undergraduate Nurse Faculty Regarding Social Emotional Learning Within Nursing Academia
Full text linkThe growing nursing shortage is a critical issue for healthcare systems worldwide. The demand for nurses and an urgent need for workforce stability require nursing students to be equipped with both knowledge and social and emotional skills for resiliency and coping before graduation. The social and emotional learning (SEL) framework provides specific competencies that emphasize the development of skills such as self-awareness, self-management, responsible decision-making, social awareness, and relationship skills. Incorporating SEL that emphasizes these skills into nursing education might provide the necessary tools not only for sustainability in the discipline, but academic and overall social-emotional competence.
The purpose of this study was to explore the integration of SEL in nursing academia, specifically examining how SEL core competencies could contribute to the development of social and emotional skills to positively impact learner well-being, mental health, and academic performance. Twelve undergraduate nursing faculty members from across the United States participated in this descriptive qualitative study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, recorded, and analyzed by the researcher to identify themes. Constant comparative analysis revealed four themes and eight sub-themes: (1) It Starts With Us, (1a) Changing Demographics of Educators (1b) Faculty Role Within SEL, (1c) Knowing The Student; (2) Forces Affecting Students, (2a) Student Behaviors, (2b) External Factors, (2c) The Faculty-Student Relationship; (3) Defining Success Is More Than A Test; and (4) Institutional and Operational Barriers, (4a) Faculty Responsibility, and (4b) SEL Professional Development Is Lacking. These themes represented the general beliefs of current nurse faculty regarding the potential benefits of and challenges or barriers to implementing purposeful inclusion of SEL in nursing academia. Furthermore, the discussion provided several recommendations for nursing faculty to incorporate and evaluate SEL within nursing academia, and ideas for future research
Examining the Effects of Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Activation on Gut Immune Responses
Full text linkPrevious studies conducted in our laboratory suggest that activation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) activation with the prototypical ligand 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) initially suppresses both fecal and serum antigen-specific IgA responses, but fecal antigen-specific IgA levels recover from suppression while serum IgA levels do not. The purpose of the research detailed in this dissertation was to explore two potential mechanisms allowing for the more rapid recovery of antigen-specific IgA in the feces relative to the serum: (1) an increase in myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) that enhance IgA antibody responses in intestinal tissues, and (2) an increase in the migration of antibody-secreting B cells to the intestines. Additionally, this research aimed to determine if sex plays a role in the differential regulation of IgA responses we have observed. We used a model in which mice were treated with vehicle (peanut oil) or TCDD and then orally immunized with cholera toxin (CT) to create a robust antigen-specific IgA response. In our sex-based studies, CT-specific IgA levels in the feces and serum of both male (n = 25) and female (n = 15) mice were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). We found that males and females are differentially impacted by TCDD treatment. In females, fecal CT-specific IgA levels recover from suppression within 3 weeks of treatment, while IgA levels in male mice do not recover by that time. To examine the effect of TCDD treatment on the number of MDSCs, we used the same treatment and immunization model as previously described in female mice only (n = 32 per treatment group). The number of MDSCs present in both gut-associated and blood-associated lymphoid tissues was determined by flow cytometry. We found that TCDD treatment significantly increased the number of MDSCs in the Peyer’s patches, but did not alter the number of MDSCs in the spleen, mesenteric lymph nodes, or small intestinal lamina propria. To examine the effect of TCDD treatment on B cell migration, we determined the number of B cells present in spleen, bone marrow, and lamina propria of control and TCDD-treated mice. Female mice (n = 36 per treatment group) were treated using the same treatment and immunization model as previously described. The number of B cells in each tissue was determined by flow cytometry. We observed no significant differences in the number or percentage of CD19+ or IgA+ B cells in any tissue examined. Together, these findings indicate that MDSCs play a role in regulating fecal CT-specific in our model. While our B cell data do not directly support our hypothesis that TCDD treatment enhances B cell migration to the gut, they are consistent with our previous findings
Empowering Students as Advocates: Advancing OER Awareness by Collaborating with Student Employees
Full text linkOpen education advocates know that OER and open pedagogy offer significant benefits for students. OER reduce financial barriers to degree completion and support student success by promoting higher course completion rates. Through open pedagogy, students engage more deeply with course content and support future learners through collaborating on renewable assignments. A gap in many discussions of the advantages of OER, however, are the benefits students gain in the process of advocating for open education, in which they help spread awareness and garner support for OER and open pedagogy.
In this presentation, learn how the University of Northern Colorado (UNC) has integrated student employees into our campus-wide open education advocacy efforts. Co-presented by the Textbook Affordability Librarian and the Affordable & OER Graduate Assistant, this session will share how UNC students have been involved in OER advocacy work. We’ll outline specific projects student employees have taken on, explore how we’ve worked to harness student employees’ background and experience in their advocacy work, and explore how these initiatives not only advance open education but also help students build skills that contribute to their professional development
“They’ll Be Needing Us”: A Mixed Methods Study of the Lived Experience of Secondary English Teachers
Full text linkThe purpose of this explanatory sequential mixed methods study was to explore the lived experience of secondary English teachers and the complex interactions between those teachers’ working conditions and the other dimensions of the school ecology. In particular, the researcher was interested to discover how the consideration of teacher working conditions as part of the school ecology can help education leaders reform schools. The teachers in this study worked in a large urban school district in the Rocky Mountain West of the United States. The study was iterative, which ensured credibility and validity in the results. From a quantitative survey of 58 secondary English teachers, qualitative interviews of ten of those teachers, observations of three of those teachers, and a third-person self-portrait, the researcher distilled these three primary findings: 1) secondary English teachers value human connection, which makes the working conditions of workload, lack of time, and lack of autonomy primary obstacles to their work; 2) in order to protect that value of human connection and to persist in the profession, secondary English teachers engage in principled resistance; 3) in spite of the challenges, these English teachers feel the work is worth it. These findings should compel education leaders to focus on improving the crucial aspects of workload, time, and autonomy for English teachers in order to better support teaching and learning in secondary English
Development and Validity Analysis of the Pragmatic Assessment of Role Transition and Onboarding for Midwives (Parto-M) Instrument: An Exploratory Study
Full text linkThis exploratory study addressed the significant gap in research regarding the transition of newly qualified midwives to practice. The purpose of this study was to develop an instrument to identify the areas of strength and domains of challenge for new graduate midwives in their role transition to independent practice. The study sought to answer the following research questions:
Q1 What is essential to measure in an instrument assessing what is necessary for a new midwife to successfully bridge from education to orientation and onward after evaluation by new graduate midwives and subject matter experts?
Q2 What is the calculated content validity index (CVI) of the Pragmatic Assessment of Role Transition and Onboarding for Midwives (PARTO-M) instrument as rated by the subject matter experts?
The first phase entailed the creation of the PARTO-M instrument, which was constructed by leveraging an extensive literature review, the core competencies of the American College of Nurse-Midwives and the International Confederation of Midwives, and the researcher’s expertise as a midwife educator and midwifery practice director. The second phase focused on the assessment of the instrument\u27s face and content validity. This phase involved deploying surveys to subject matter experts and new graduate midwives to gather critical feedback. The study involved two samples—17 subject matter experts and 14 new graduate midwives, which were considered adequate for the determination of content validity and avoiding chance agreement. The final phase of the study was dedicated to a thorough data analysis, refinement of the tool based on the data and feedback received, and ensuring the instrument\u27s relevance, clarity, and applicability in real-world settings.
There were seven domains of the instrument: outpatient skills, outpatient management, inpatient skills, inpatient management, orientation and onboarding, role transition, and midwifery demographics. Data analysis involved calculating the item content validity index and the scale content validity index (S-CVI) in each domain of the instrument. Significant content validity indices were achieved for the majority of instrument items. Per Polit et al. (2007), the S-CVI is significant if it is 0.90 or greater. The overall instrument S-CVI for relevance was significant with S-CVI of 0.953 for the subject matter experts and 0.908 for the new graduate midwives. Despite the overall high content validity, some items required refinement. For instance, the relevance S-CVI for the domain of outpatient skills did not meet the threshold of significance for either sample at 0.894 for both. During the survey process, qualitative insights reinforced the quantitative data. For example, the need for robust orientation programs and effective mentorship was repeatedly underscored by both new midwives and subject matter experts. Participants highlighted professional challenges such as imposter syndrome and burnout, advocating for more structured support, and training during the transition period. Through comprehensive analysis and iterative feedback, the PARTO-M instrument was validated, resulting in a foundational tool that paves the way for future research aimed at enhancing midwife role transition and retention. By addressing the systemic issues and providing a validated tool for assessing the transition experience, this study contributed valuable insights and a new instrument that could inform the development of supportive structures and interventions for new midwives
From Assessment to Action: The Essentials of Closing the Loop
No full textDiscover how to move beyond data collection and use assessment results to drive meaningful change. This session will focus on strategies for “closing the loop” by translating assessment findings into concrete actions that enhance student learning and program effectiveness
Accessing Program Data for your 5-Year Program Review
No full textLearn how to efficiently locate, interpret, and utilize program data for a successful 5-year program review. This session will provide guidance on accessing key institutional data sources, making sense of assessment results, and using data to inform program improvements
Using Canvas to Streamline Learning Outcomes & Program Data
No full textDiscover how to leverage Canvas to efficiently track learning outcomes and manage program assessment data. This session will provide practical tips for using Canvas tools to collect, analyze, and report data, making assessment more seamless and impactful
Assessing K-Nearest Neighbors Imputation Methods for Missing Data: A Simulation Study
No full textMissing data poses significant challenges in data-driven decision-making, often leading to biased estimates and reduced statistical power if improperly handled. Although K-nearest neighbors (KNN) imputation is widely adopted for its simplicity and effectiveness, the impact of distance metric selection on its performance under varying data conditions such as sample size, dimensionality, and proportion of missingness remains underexplored. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the performance of different distance metrics in the K-Nearest Neighbors algorithm for imputing missing values. This study evaluates the performance of five distance metrics (Euclidean, Mahalanobis, Manhattan, Minkowski, Chebyshev) in KNN imputation under these conditions. Specifically, the study addresses three research questions: (1) How does varying distance metrics affect KNN imputation accuracy (measured by mean squared error (MSE), mean absolute error (MAE), and root mean squared error (RMSE)) as the proportion of missing data increases? (2) How does varying distance metrics affect accuracy as data dimensionality increases? (3) How does varying distance metrics affect accuracy as sample size increases? A simulation study was conducted using a fixed neighborhood of k=5 to isolate the metric’s effect, generating datasets with controlled sample sizes (100, 500, 1000), dimensionalities (50, 200, 500), and proportions of missingness (2%, 15%, 30%) under a missing-at-random mechanism. Performance of each distance metrics in KNN imputation was evaluated using MSE, RMSE and iii MAE. Additionally, the Iris dataset was used for empirical validation. Findings indicate that Mahalanobis distance excels in low-missingness scenarios (\u3c 15%) and high-dimensional data, though its performance shows a U-shaped curve with dimensionality and comes at a higher computational cost. Euclidean distance is robust for high missingness (\u3e 20%) and low-dimensional data. Manhattan distance, however, proved consistently less effective. These findings emphasize that metric choice must be data-driven and deliver practical, actionable guidance for optimizing KNN imputation in practice
The Big Five, Impulsivity, and Problem Gambling in Online Sports Betting
No full textThe rapid expansion of online sports betting in the United States following the repeal of PASPA in 2018 has prompted increased concern regarding problem gambling behaviors specific to this modality. Despite growing accessibility and engagement, relatively little is known about the individual differences that may predict increased risk severity for problem gambling among online sports bettors. This purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among personality traits according to the Big Five, impulsivity, and problem gambling risk severity within a U.S.-based sample of adult online sports bettors. The following research questions were explored in this study:
Q1 Do the Big Five personality traits predict problem gambling risk severity for online sports bettors, as defined by the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) and the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS)?
Q2 Do the five components of impulsivity (i.e., negative urgency, positive urgency, lack of premeditation, lack of perseverance, and sensation-seeking) predict problem gambling risk severity for online sports bettors?
Q3 Is there a significant difference between problem gambling risk severity scores on the PGSI and on the SOGS for online sports bettors?
Q4 Do the demographics and betting behaviors of online sports bettors correlate with the Big Five, problem gambling risk severity, and the five components of impulsivity?
A total of 178 participants completed self-report questionnaires related to the Big Five personality traits, impulsivity, and problem gambling risk. Multiple regression models, among other statistical analyses, were used to investigate potential personality and impulsivity-related predictors for increased problem gambling risk. Findings indicated that higher levels of positive urgency were significantly associated with increased problem gambling severity. Among the Big Five traits, lower conscientiousness and higher extraversion were also uniquely predictive of heightened problem gambling risk. Implications of these findings for theory, clinical work, practical applications, counseling psychology as a field, and future research were discussed