Growing Minds: The Role of Family Residence Green Spaces and Household Chaos on Children’s Executive Function

This study examines the relations between access to family residence green spaces, household chaos, and children’s executive function, a critical component of cognitive development. The study analyzed data (N = 468) from families participating in a larger U.S. longitudinal birth cohort study when children were 24, 48, and 60 months. Findings suggest that some early access to green space and outdoor items can influence children’s cognitive capacities and household environment. This research emphasizes the importance of promoting green spaces and reducing household chaos to support children’s executive function development and overall well-being. Implications for education and policy are discussed.&nbsp

Fish Oil Free Odorless Chamois Leather Making using Tung Oil - A Short Communication: Renganath Rao Ramesh, Bindia Sahub and Muthukumaran Ponnuvela

Traditionally, chamois leather is made predominantly using fish oil. The significance of fish oil is mainly attributed to the presence of highly unsaturated chains that are susceptible to oxidation and polymerisation, leading to the generation of aldehydes and free radicals, which can stabilise collagen during the oil tanning process. Due to the pungent smell of fish oil, Tung oil has been tried as a replacement for the oil tanning of sheep and goat skin in this research work. The potassium and ammonium persulphate have been used as inorganic catalysts to accelerate the oxidation process, reducing the process time from 10-15 to 4-5 days. The characteristic properties of experimental leathers, such as tensile, tear and water absorption, were better than those of fish oil-tanned leathers. Therefore, these results suggest that tung oil can be an alternative to fish oil in chamois leather production

Using a Custom GPT to Support Theory Application and Reflective Practice in a Graduate-Level Organization Theory Course

This personal narrative describes my integration of a custom GPT into a graduate-level organization theory course to promote critical thinking and ethical leadership. In response to students using A.I. to shortcut the course project, I structured assignments and grading rubrics to require detailed organizational context and theory application, making uncritical A.I. use ineffective. A course-specific GPT, trained on class materials and guidance, supported students as a reflective partner in developing insights and applying theory. My observations from three sections (n = 46) suggest improved engagement, clarity, and relevance in student work, though some still misused A.I., resulting in Cs

Designing a Stuttering Chatbot: A speech-language pathologist\u27s exploration of AI for clinical teaching

In my first two years as a clinical lecturer, I turned to AI with curiosity as I attempted to find and define my teaching philosophy. Drawing on my clinical background as a speech-language pathologist, I designed AI-based simulations- including a custom chatbot that stuttered- to help graduate students practice counseling skills in realistic, emotionally charged scenarios. This reflection explores how embracing generative AI transformed my novice teaching practice and established my identity as an educator. Rather than replacing the human elements of teaching, AI helped reveal them- offering space for risk and resulting in growth.

Ask… and Tell: Acknowledgement of AI Use in Course Syllabi

This article outlines the strategy I have utilized in beginning to integrate Artificial Intelligence into my undergraduate courses. I have taken the approach of first and foremost naming it. I communicate an awareness of AI to make it clear that I know that AI exists and how it can be used, and misused. I also acknowledge that I do not know everything about it at this juncture, and I invite my students to embark on the journey of discovery with me, holding true to one of the core mission values of our university: faculty and students supporting each other in lifelong learning. Finally, I name the rules of engagement, indicating when it is acceptable to use AI and when it is not. I am also able to remind students that any time they consult outside sources for their writing they must cite those sources appropriately, even if that source is AI, turning this into a pedagogical experience on multiple levels

Natural Language Processing of Supervising Manager and College Intern Explanations of Work Ethic and Professionalism

Less than a decade ago, the National Association of Colleges and Employers rolled out their eight career competencies, identified as: leadership, communication, critical thinking, teamwork, professionalism/ethics, technical savviness, equity and inclusion, and career and self-development (NACE, 2016). An outpouring of time, money, and teaching resources continues by the higher education field, government, and the private employment sectors in hopes of increasing college student career readiness (Angel, 1995). However, after almost ten years of seeing the phrase “career competencies” transcend national conversations, (Human Resources-UNL, 2017, p. 1), supervising managers and college students still rate proficiency levels for competencies very differently. As Koncz and Gray point out, “in terms of graduates’ level of proficiency in the competencies, employers and college students expressed very different opinions” (2022, p. 1). Pointedly, there continues to be a concerning gap in how recent college graduates and supervising managers learn, perceive, and describe career readiness. Detecting and identifying such a language gap through direct examination of language used by graduates and supervising managers may require unrealistically large labelling efforts by researchers. Natural language processing (NLP) methods can help bridge this gap by algorithmically finding topics that may constitute such “articulation gaps.”&nbsp

Effectiveness of an Online Psychology Career Course on Undergraduates’ Career Decision Self-Efficacy, Self-Perceived Career Knowledge and Career-Related Knowledge

Many universities have established career courses in psychology, with such goals as increasing students’ knowledge of career opportunities, alleviating anxiety about and increasing students’ confidence in the career decision-making process, and helping students learn to identify and articulate their competencies related to the workforce and/or graduate programs. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a structured career course in psychology/neuroscience recently moved to the online modality and extended to a full semester.  One hundred and seventy-eight students enrolled in a career planning course required for undergraduate psychology and neuroscience majors completed assessments at the beginning and end of the semester. Results showed students’ career decision self-efficacy and self-perceived knowledge of career opportunities increased significantly from the beginning to the end of the course.  Additionally, students displayed significantly more accurate career related knowledge at the end compared to the beginning of the semester. Gender differences were found, with women scoring lower than men on career decision self-efficacy and self-perceived knowledge of career opportunities at the beginning of the semester; these differences disappeared by the end of the semester. The results of this study provide further support for the effectiveness of career courses, the online modality, and the need for additional universities, as well as majors, to incorporate career courses in their curriculum

A Course Designed to Improve Students\u27 Critical and Creative Thinking in the Life Sciences

Students in the life sciences first-year program at NC State University enroll in a course focused on critical and creative thinking. The course is discussion-based with small groups working on problems and case studies associated with the neuroscience of learning, critical and creative thinking, rhetoric in science, diversity in STEM, and experimental design. Groups also work on a semester-long project tying together many of the course topics. Course design and best practices are discussed for adoption and implementation to help grow students’ critical thinking and creative thinking skills.  Results support that group work all semester helped student learning gains, and that students rank improvement in their understanding of course content as well as skills in the area of argumentative writing and discussions.

Effect of typeface complexity on automatic reading processes

The introduction of variable fonts widened the possibilities for font applications and increased the ease with which typographers could manage their designs. Variable fonts enable typographers to easily manipulate letter characteristics that exist on a spectrum such as weight, width, or deviation from the neutral letter form. However, this fluidity may also increase visual complexity, which may contribute to the disfluency effect. This study explores the impact of typeface complexity on automatic reading processes using the well-known Stroop Colour and Word task. We show that automatic reading can be negatively affected by typefaces with extremely complex features, but that moderately complex typefaces have little effect. This suggests hard to read typefaces do impair word reading (i.e. they are disfluent) but that skilled readers are able to tolerate a high degree of complexity. It also highlights the utility of cognitive tests for identifying typefaces that are difficult to read

It Takes Two to Dance: Ethical AI Use in Research Skill Development for Security Studies Students

The introduction of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) sparked considerable discussion among educators. Integrating GenAI into course design and delivery while adhering to academic integrity standards and preventing unethical student utilization has been among the focus areas. GenAI tools can be a double-edged sword due to their potential impact on educational outcomes and ethical considerations. While proponents of GenAI highlight the potential for enhanced student engagement, opponents raise concerns about issues such as academic integrity and data privacy. This study argues that by allowing ethical student utilization of AI, educators may increase student engagement with the course material. Through careful use of generative AI technologies in education, their benefits will be maximized while mitigating the potential adverse impacts. Using data from four sections of the residential (in-person) Introduction to Research Methods courses (SS 207) of the Security Studies & International Affairs Department at Embry-Riddle University\u27s Daytona Beach campus, we find that ethical utilization of GenAI is associated with higher student engagement and success