Framing the Mechanical Voice: Generic Conventions of Early Phonograph Recording

Article

1955, October 12 - Mayme Feaster

Series 1.1.2 - Fay Webb Gardner; Personal Papers; Correspondence Correspondence from Mayme Feaster. Handwritten.https://digitalcommons.gardner-webb.edu/fay-webb-gardner-correspondence/1019/thumbnail.jp

Serious Toys: Teaching Computer Science Concepts to Pre-Collegiate Students

Advancements in science and engineering have driven innovation in the United States for more than two centuries. The last several decades have brought to the forefront the importance of such innovation to our domestic and global economies. To continue to succeed in this information-based, technologically advanced society, we must ensure that the next generation of students are developing computational thinking skills beyond what was acceptable in past years. Computational thinking represents a collection of structured problem solving skills that cross-cut educational disciplines. There is significant future value in introducing these skills as early as practical in students\u27 academic careers. Over the past four years, we have developed, piloted, and evaluated a series of outreach modules designed to introduce fundamental computing concepts to young learners. Each module is based on a small embedded device a \u27serious toy\u27 designed to simultaneously engage visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners through lectures, visual demonstrations, and hands-on activities. We have piloted these modules with more than 770 students, and the evaluation results show that the program is having a positive impact. The evaluation instruments for our pilots consist of pre- and post-attitudinal surveys and pre- and post-quizzes. The surveys are designed to assess student attitudes toward computer science and student self-efficacy with respect to the material covered. The quizzes are designed to assess students\u27 content understanding. In this dissertation, we describe the modules and associated serious toys. We also describe the module evaluation methods, the pilot groups, and the results for each pilot study

The Interpretation and Memory of Places for Segregated Education: A Comparative Analysis

One of the greatest tasks before the United States at the end of the Civil War was to educate the freed slave. Even though efforts to educate African Americans existed long before the beginning of the war, those efforts were often clandestine and illegal in Southern states. After the war ended, this endeavor was undertaken by various religious denominations, philanthropic Northerners, and the newly created public schools systems within Southern states. Many schools were constructed to provide segregated education, often with one or two rooms for instruction, but sometimes including multi-building campuses. These buildings and campuses served as beacons in their communities, alongside places of worship, as a symbol of hope and opportunity--an emblem for change. As the racial climate in America changed and it became illegal to mandate segregated education, these buildings began to fade into the background, sometimes absorbed by school districts, converted into community centers or homes; however, they were usually, abandoned. Along with the memories of the teachers that taught generations of children and changed their lives, these buildings should be remembered, restored and returned to the prominence they once held in the African-American community. Therefore, this thesis asks questions about how buildings and landscapes significant to the African-American experience, specifically segregated schools, are remembered in our society and whether preservation and interpretation are effective tools to protect or reestablish memories. This thesis also examines the concept of social memory as it applies to the formation of group identity and cultural heritage. It also examines how the social memories of sites important to minority groups may not have survived or were altered because of social, political and economic forces that impact the development of cultural identity over time. The final aim of this thesis is to observe four schools and evaluate how they utilized principles of preservation and interpretation to reestablish and continue their memories. The case studies are: Lyles Consolidated School in Lyles Station, Indiana; Division Street School in New Albany, Indiana; Brainerd Institute in Chester, South Carolina, and Bettis Academy in Trenton, South Carolina

COST COMPARISONS OF GROCERY DEPARTMENTS IN CONVENTIONAL SUPERMARKETS AND SUPER STORES WITH IMPLICATIONS FOR TRAINING

Agribusiness,

Education of Nurses on the Use of the INTERACT Tool

Abstract Research reveals long-term care facilities face challenges with unnecessary transfers to acute care facilities. Use of the INTERACT quality improvement program has been effective in decreasing rehospitalizations in long-term care facilities. The researcher used a 15-question survey regarding the components of the INTERACT tool to assess the knowledge base of licensed nurses in long-term care facilities and develop a one-hour education session to bridge the knowledge gap. After the education session was held, a posttest was administered to test the licensed nurses’ knowledge of the INTERACT program. Using a paired-samples t test, the researcher found an overall increase in knowledge of the components of the INTERACT tool. Keywords: rehospitalizations, long-term care, INTERACT, licensed nurses, post-acute care, unnecessary hospitalizatio

Supporting Novice Teachers in Struggling Schools: Exploring a Mentoring Program\u27s Components

This study addressed the problem of retention for novice teachers in struggling schools. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore a mentoring program in a large school district in Louisiana. Data were collected using questionnaires derived from the teacher questionnaire of the National Teacher and Principal Survey 2015–2016 School Year, in-depth mentor and novice teacher interviews, and mentoring artifacts. Findings indicated that friendships, relationships, common planning times, modeling, feedback, reflection, and training were critical to the success of novice teachers. Additional findings revealed that the end-of-year reflection, cohesiveness, communication, and reciprocity were the most effective components of the mentoring program for the mentor teachers. For novice teachers, cohesiveness, communication, and reciprocity were the most effective components. It was concluded that this study’s district should consider having mentors meet their novice teacher at the beginning of the school year and provide additional training on the curriculum, classroom management, and relationships. In addition, novice teachers need training on teaching special needs and English Language Learners and school processes such as providing remediation for struggling students and tracking students’ progress. Mentors and novice teachers would benefit from having a schedule that allows for common planning times and availability to improve the components of classroom observations, observation feedback, and end-of-year reflection. It was recommended to increase the number of days for the induction program to reduce stress for the novice teachers

The best interest of the child : an exploration of the sociocultural agendas associated with the care of orphaned and vulnerable children in China.

The purpose of this study is to explore the set of sociocultural agendas that emerge around the care of orphaned and vulnerable children (OVC) in China. While there is general agreement among stakeholders about the need to work for the best interests of OVC, there is significant variance in how these best interests are constructed and defined. An ethnographic scan of attitudes and awareness of OVC and OVC care in Henan Province, China, provide the initial context for exploration. This context is the basis for the subsequent nested case study of a multi-party, intergovernmental cooperative project designed to develop and disseminate alternative non-institutional care systems for OVC in China. Central to this project was the proposed re-purposing of China\u27s Child Welfare Institutes (CWIs), the large state-run congregate orphan care institutions that represent the core of China\u27s OVC care strategies and policies. Organizations involved in the development, funding, and implementation efforts include both Chinese and US faith-based NGOs, and Chinese and US Governmental bodies. A case study analysis of the participating organizations and their interactions provide the basis for identifying the behaviorally-expressed agendas advanced by these stakeholders in the context of OVC care. The results of this analysis illustrate that the essence of the debate around the best interests of OVC is not primarily a Chinese vs. Western set of sociocultural agendas, but rather is a conflict between traditional Western models of institutionally-based orphan care and a Progressive/Universalist model of family- and community-based OVC care