Theoretical Foundations of Learning Communities

This chapter describes the historical and contemporary theoretical underpinnings of learning communities and argues that there is a need for more complex models in conceptualizing and assessing their effectiveness

What’s the Point?: An Exploration of Students’ Motivation to Learn in a First-Year Seminar

This qualitative case study explores how undergraduate students and their instructor made meaning of students’ motivation to learn in a one-credit, pass/fail first-year seminar. The findings point to the importance of addressing structural motivational barriers and ensuring that instructors possess the instructional, motivational, and developmental strategies necessary to foster motivation

Exploring Students’ Perceptions of their Experiences in a Social Justice Living–Learning Community

Contemporary higher education leaders continue to deem the development of civic-minded graduates as among the primary goals of postsecondary education (Astin, 1996Astin, H. S. (1996). Leadership for social change. About Campus, 1(3), 4–10. doi:10.1002/abc.v1.3[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]; Cress, Burack, Giles, Elkins, & Stevens, 2010Cress, C., Burack, C., Giles, D. E., Elkins, J. E., & Stevens, M. C. (2010). A promising connection: Increasing college access and success through civic engagement. Boston, MA: Campus Compact. [Google Scholar]; Hurtado, Ruiz, & Whang, 2012Hurtado, S., Ruiz, A., & Whang, H. (2012). Assessing student social responsibility and civic learning. Paper presented at the 2012 Annual Forum of the Association for Institutional Research, New Orleans, Louisiana. [Google Scholar]). Today’s undergraduates are poised to engage with their communities in numbers greater than their predecessors in previous generations, believing it is their responsibility to make society better (Kiesa et al., 2007Kiesa, A., Orlowski, A. P., Levine, P., Both, D., Kirby, E. H., Lopez, M. H., & Marcelo, K. B. (2007). Millennials talk politics: A study of college student political engagement. New York, NY: The Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning & Engagement. [Google Scholar]). In 2012, more than two-thirds of postsecondary students reported participation in community service over the past year, despite their overwhelming disillusionment with the United States government and social institutions (Levine & Dean, 2012Levine, A., & Dean, D. R. (2012). Generation on a tightrope: A portrait of today’s college student. San Francisco, CA: Wiley. [Google Scholar]) Civic engagement lacks a common definition in the literature (Jacoby, 2009Jacoby, B. (Ed.). (2009). Civic engagement in higher education: Concepts and practices. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. [Google Scholar]), however it typically includes involvement in the community with the purpose of “enhancing students’ understanding of civic life” (Cress et al., 2010Cress, C., Burack, C., Giles, D. E., Elkins, J. E., & Stevens, M. C. (2010). A promising connection: Increasing college access and success through civic engagement. Boston, MA: Campus Compact. [Google Scholar], p. 4). A growing body of research raised concerns with community service, service-learning, and other forms of civic engagement as reinforcing stereotypes (Dooley & Burant, 2015Dooley, J. C., & Burant, T. J. (2015). Lessons from pre-service teachers: Under the surface of service learning. In O. Delano-Oriaran, M. Penick-Parks, & S. Fondrie (Eds.), Service-learning and civic engagement: A sourcebook (pp. 325–332). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]). These studies urged greater care when designing community involvement opportunities, including attention to students’ development and previous experience, meaningful curricular connections, and adequate contextualization and reflection (Dooley & Burant, 2015Dooley, J. C., & Burant, T. J. (2015). Lessons from pre-service teachers: Under the surface of service learning. In O. Delano-Oriaran, M. Penick-Parks, & S. Fondrie (Eds.), Service-learning and civic engagement: A sourcebook (pp. 325–332). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]). Some campuses have linked social justice to civic engagement to advance students’ knowledge about inequity, thus moving them away from a savior orientation (Dooley & Burant, 2015Dooley, J. C., & Burant, T. J. (2015). Lessons from pre-service teachers: Under the surface of service learning. In O. Delano-Oriaran, M. Penick-Parks, & S. Fondrie (Eds.), Service-learning and civic engagement: A sourcebook (pp. 325–332). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]) and deepening their understanding of the experience (Prentice, 2007Prentice, M. (2007). Service-learning and civic engagement. Academic Questions, 20(2), 135–145. doi:10.1007/s12129-007-9005-y[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]). Although conceptualized in varying ways, for this article social justice is defined as work toward ending the system of oppression giving certain social groups greater privilege and power over other groups (Broido, 2000Broido, E. M. (2000). The development of social justice allies during college: A phenomenological investigation. Journal of College Student Development, 41(1), 3–18.[Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). When coupled, the terms civic engagement and social justice often indicate the educators’ desire to situate students in their broader communities and increase their awareness of social inequity, which may inspire them to work for social change at the individual, cultural, and institutional levels (Boyle-Baise & Langford, 2004Boyle-Baise, M., & Langford, J. (2004). There are children here: Service learning for social justice. Equity & Excellence in Education, 37(1), 55–66. doi:10.1080/10665680490422115[Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). Living–learning communities (LLCs) are increasingly utilized to deepen and cohere students’ collegiate experiences (Matthews, Smith, & MacGregor, 2012Matthews, R. S., Smith, B. L., & MacGregor, J. (2012). The evolution of learning communities: A retrospective. In K. Buch & K. E. Barron (Eds.), New directions for teaching and learning: No. 132. Discipline centered learning communities (pp. 99–111). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]). Although variation exists in thematic and organizational type, these communities typically group students together in a residence hall, offer a shared academic experience, and provide co-curricular activities related to a theme (Inkelas & Soldner, 2011Inkelas, K. K., & Soldner, M. (2011). Undergraduate living–learning programs and student outcomes. Higher Education: Handbook of Theory and Research, 26, 1–55.[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]). Social justice LLCs, which focus on increasing students’ awareness of social inequity and providing them with opportunities to work for social change, are often found on college campuses (Inkelas, 2007Associates; Inkelas, K. K. (2007). National study of living–learning programs: 2007 report of findings. College Park, MD: Authors. [Google Scholar]). Yet little formal research has been done that explores the impact of these communities on students. Thus, the purpose of this study was to explore students’ experiences throughout their time in a social justice-focused LLC (hereafter referred by the pseudonym SJLLC) and one year after participation, focusing on how students described their participation in SJLLC and what aspects of the LLC had a lasting impression on them

Postsettlement growth of two estuarine crab species, Chasmagnathus granulata and Cyrtograpsus angulatus (Crustacea, Decapoda, Grapsidae): laboratory and field observations

The estuarine grapsid crabs Chasmagnathus granulata and Cyrtograpsus angulatus belong to the most typical and dominant inhabitants of brackish coastal lagoons in southeastern South America. In a combined laboratory and field investigation of juvenile growth, we measured the increase in body size in these species under controlled conditions as well as in field experiments (in Mar Chiquita lagoon, Argentina), seasonal changes in size frequency distribution of a natural population, and growth related changes in selected morphometric traits of male and female juveniles (relations between carapace width, carapace length, propodus height and length of the cheliped, and pleon width). At 24°C, Cy. angulatus grew faster than Ch. granulata; it reached the crab-9 instar (C9; 13 mm carapace width) after 92 days, while Ch. granulata required 107 days to reach the C8 instar (7.4 mm). At 12°C, growth ceased in both species. The pleon begins to show sexual differences in the C5 (Cy. angulatus) and C8 instar (Ch. granulata), respectively, while the chelae differentiate earlier in Ch. granulata than in Cy. angulatus (in C4 vs C6). In the field, growth was maximal in summer, and was generally faster than in laboratory cultures. However, there is great individual variability in size (about 25% even in the first crab instar) and in size increments at ecdysis, increasing throughout juvenile growth. Our data indicate that, in the field, small-scale and short-term variations in feeding conditions, temperature, and salinity account for an extremely high degree of variability in the absolute and relative rates of growth as well as in the time to sexual differentiation

History of Sexual Violence in Higher Education

In this chapter, we describe the history of sexual violence as it pertains to postsecondary institutions, focusing on social movements, research, and policy, and their implications for higher education

THI safety system

International audienceFor several years, GANIL has been allowed to reach a maximum beam power of six kilowatts (400W in normal mode) thanks to the THI system (High Intensity Transport System). Three modes of running are necessary to accelerate a THI beam ("Injector" mode, "tuning" mode and "surveillance" mode). The "surveillance" mode requires a safety system to protect equipment against beam losses. Inside cyclotrons, diagnostics measure beam-loss currents at the injection and extraction devices. Along beam lines, diaphragms measure beam-loss currents at the input and output of dipoles. Current transformers are used for beam transmission measurements through beam lines and the cyclotrons. The safety system controls beam losses and quickly cuts the beam with a chopper if losses exceed thresholds. These thresholds can be seen and changed by software

Optimization of DNA extraction from human urinary samples for mycobiome community profiling.

IntroductionRecent data suggest the urinary tract hosts a microbial community of varying composition, even in the absence of infection. Culture-independent methodologies, such as next-generation sequencing of conserved ribosomal DNA sequences, provide an expansive look at these communities, identifying both common commensals and fastidious organisms. A fundamental challenge has been the isolation of DNA representative of the entire resident microbial community, including fungi.Materials and methodsWe evaluated multiple modifications of commonly-used DNA extraction procedures using standardized male and female urine samples, comparing resulting overall, fungal and bacterial DNA yields by quantitative PCR. After identifying protocol modifications that increased DNA yields (lyticase/lysozyme digestion, bead beating, boil/freeze cycles, proteinase K treatment, and carrier DNA use), all modifications were combined for systematic confirmation of optimal protocol conditions. This optimized protocol was tested against commercially available methodologies to compare overall and microbial DNA yields, community representation and diversity by next-generation sequencing (NGS).ResultsOverall and fungal-specific DNA yields from standardized urine samples demonstrated that microbial abundances differed significantly among the eight methods used. Methodologies that included multiple disruption steps, including enzymatic, mechanical, and thermal disruption and proteinase digestion, particularly in combination with small volume processing and pooling steps, provided more comprehensive representation of the range of bacterial and fungal species. Concentration of larger volume urine specimens at low speed centrifugation proved highly effective, increasing resulting DNA levels and providing greater microbial representation and diversity.ConclusionsAlterations in the methodology of urine storage, preparation, and DNA processing improve microbial community profiling using culture-independent sequencing methods. Our optimized protocol for DNA extraction from urine samples provided improved fungal community representation. Use of this technique resulted in equivalent representation of the bacterial populations as well, making this a useful technique for the concurrent evaluation of bacterial and fungal populations by NGS

Irradiation control of the "SPIRAL" target by measuring the ion beam intensity via a fast current transformer

International audienceIn order to obtain a more precise control on the irradiation of the targets of the "SPIRAL" installation, a new criterion of safety must be respected. To control this latter, an AQ system has been put in operation and more specifically a new device has been set up in order to measure the ion beam intensity and to calculate the number of particules per second. This value can then be integrated over time. This device consists of two Fast Current Transformers integrated in a mechanical unit placed in a vacuum chamber. These sensors reproduce the image of the pulsed beam at 10MHz and we take from the amplified signal of each sensor, the amplitude of the 2nd harmonic. Each one of these amplitudes is detected by a Lock-in Amplifier, which is acquired via a real time industrial controller. The intensity is calculated by the Fourier series relation between the amplitude of the 2nd harmonic and the average intensity. These equipments can be remotely tested by integrating a test turn on the sensors. They are redundant. The accuracy of measurement is estimated taking into account the variation of beam, of the environment and of the installatio