Understanding the Impact of Motivation on the Effectiveness of Various Content Delivery Methods in Training Program Development: A Mixed-Methods Evaluation

The purpose of this study was to evaluate an online training program designed for part-time undergraduate Desk Assistants (DAs) employed by Louisiana State University’s (LSU) department of Residence Education. The evaluation of the training program included a comparison of video and lecture versions of a training program with comparable content to determine the effectiveness across a set of four outcomes: motivation during training, motivation after training, satisfaction, and learning. Additionally, this research contributed to the understanding of the impact of technology-mediated learning in training by examining factors that may differentially benefit or challenge the effectiveness of the training delivery method. Specifically, learner characteristics and motivation to learn were measured as antecedents. Data collection included both quantitative and qualitative methods. Quantitative analyses focused on changes in knowledge and motivation as a result of delivery method, as well as the impact of learner characteristics on overall training effectiveness. Knowledge tests and self-report scales were used to collect quantitative information. Qualitative data was collected via survey, discussion, and behavior observation, then analyzed for themes that help to more fully clarify the role of motivation by providing data regarding the factors that benefit or challenge trainees as they go through the training program. Results suggest an advantage for video training over lecture. However, the overall effectiveness of the training program was influenced by both learner characteristics and motivation. Although new employees showed learning gains regardless of motivation, learning was correlated with motivation for returning employees, such that those with higher motivation scores demonstrated knowledge gains, whereas returning employees with poor motivation did not. Implications and interventions for improving future training based on study results are discussed

Service on the community college campus: The Millennial generation perspective

The purpose of this phenomenological study is to explore how Millennial generation students (born 1982 or after) experience the services they receive in the community college setting at Kirkwood Community College, a comprehensive community college in a suburban setting in eastern Iowa. The overarching research question for the study is: How do Millennial generation students describe their experiences with service staff on the Kirkwood campus? Among the secondary research questions include: How widely do Millennial generation students describe themselves as customers of the community college? How can the characteristics of the Millennial generation help community colleges understand the relationship between the Millennial students and the community college service staff? With over 90 million Millennials living in the U.S. (Howe and Strauss, 2007), community colleges are experiencing the first wave of the Millennial students arriving on campuses. In order to thrive, community colleges need to more effectively serve the needs of this generation as community colleges compete for students with four-year institutions and proprietary colleges. The quality of instruction will not be the only deciding factor for attracting students; early indications note Millennial students and their parents will also expect quality service in the whole college experience. In this study, Millennial generation students consistently described their experiences with service staff at Kirkwood Community College in a positive light. Overall, they were very satisfied with how they were treated and with the service they received. The participants seemed to agree that the constructed environment (Strange & Banning, 2001) is positive and a good service experience. Even when less than positive experiences were discussed, the participants usually shared that these services were justified or easily explained. The majority of the Millennial participants in this study believed the term customer described their out-of-the-classroom experiences but not the full community college experience. Consequently, the use of the term customer on the community college campus was not widely used; when used it was usually qualified by the participants to exclude classroom experiences. The results of this study can be used to inform professional development opportunities for service staff at community colleges, as well as at other institutions of higher education. Professional development activities should acknowledge the importance of student expectations related to the service experience. Equally important, community college staff professional development programs should consider drawing the distinction between classroom experiences and those interactions with community college personnel that happen outside the classroom

Dietary Habits of Children 0-23 months in Rural Kansas: Early Life Diets of Rural Children

Introduction. Children in rural areas face increased rates of obesity compared to their urban counterparts, and diet in early childhood may influence the development of diseases related to food intake. This study sought to determine current diet of children 0-23 months of age in rural Kansas. Methods. Medical students participating in summer rural clinical experiences offered the survey to caregivers of children 0-23 months, born at term as singletons without a specialized diet. Recruitment occurred at appointments over 6 weeks in primary care offices. The survey was in the style of a validated Food Frequency Questionnaire for infants with an image for estimating portion sizes. Diets were compared to guidelines set by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025. Results. Of 44 participants in the study, there were 21 children aged 0-5 months, 7 aged 6-11 months, and 16 aged 12-23 months. Breastfeeding rates were nearly double reported national averages. All children in the 0 to 5 month age group met guidelines. None of the children 6 to 11 months or 12 to 23 months met guidelines. In the 6 to 11 month group, 4 consumed food in addition to breastmilk or formula (complementary foods). In the 12-23 month group, protein and dairy foods were lower than, and whole grains and vegetables were higher than, reported national averages respectively. Conclusions. Children may fall short of dietary recommendations due to the amounts and types of food complementary to breast milk received in the diet

Are Investors the Bad Guys? Tenure and Neighborhood Stability in Chelsea, Massachusetts

In this article, we examine the role of investors and occupant-owners in an urban context during the recent housing crisis. We focus on Chelsea, Massachusetts, because it is a dense city, dominated by multifamily housing structures with high rates of foreclosure for which we have particularly good data. We distinguish between occupant-owners and investors using local data, and we find that many investors are misclassified as occupant-owners in the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data. Then, employing a competing risks framework to study ownerships during the period 1998 through mid-2010, we find that local investors, who tend to invest more in relation to purchase prices and sell more quickly, experienced approximately 1.8 times the mortgage foreclosure risk of occupant-owners, conditional on financing. Nonlocal investors have no statistically significant difference in foreclosure risk from occupant-owners. Nonetheless, those owners with subprime purchase mortgages (most of whom are occupant-owners) faced the highest foreclosure risk when house prices fell

A Survey of Educators\u27 Needs when Accommodating Students with Physical Disabilities in Regular Education Classrooms

Background and Purpose. Students with physical disabilities have been included in regular education classrooms, under IDEA, since the 1970\u27s. Research has shown that many teachers do not feel adequately prepared for adapting their classrooms for a student with physical disabilities. The purpose of this study is to assess the perceived needs of regular educators in North Dakota and determine what ways physical therapists can offer assistance to educators when accommodating for a student with physical disabilities. Subjects and Methods. Six hundred and fifty questionnaires were sent out to randomly selected, North Dakota teachers via the mail (325) and email (325). The questionnaires requested information regarding: demographics, perceived competencies, where they seek assistance, and areas of need for more information. A descriptive analysis was then performed comparing the returned survey responses. Results. Of the 650 questionnaires sent out, 324 (49.8%) fit the criteria to be analyzed for purposes of this study. Women (x2=.049) and elementary teachers (p=.031) significantly felt the most competent in adapting their classrooms for students with physical disabilities, and were more likely to utilize outside resources such as occupational (x2\u3c.001) and physical therapists (x2\u3c.001). High school teachers were least likely to feel competent (p=.031). There was not a significant difference between general and special educators\u27 feelings of competency, however, special educators perceived themselves slightly higher than regular educators in all categories. North Dakota educators indicated need for education in adapting environments (62.3%), handling and positioning techniques (59%), defining roles and responsibilities of team members (54.3 %), sources for adaptive equipment (51.2%), and basic guidelines for medical procedures (45.7%). Discussion and Conclusion. This study corresponded with other recent research in showing a need for further teacher education on the inclusion of students with physical disabilities into the regular education classroom. The responses indicated a request for moderate to maximum assistance in all topic areas related to physical disabilities. Physical therapists may be of assistance in this area because of their knowledge of physical disabilities. More research is needed in this area, as North Dakota teachers were the only representatives of this study

Strategies of Resource Allocation by Diatoms under Dynamic Light

University of Technology Sydney. Faculty of Science.Diatoms are the evolutionarily youngest phytoplankton group and considered to be the most productive across diverse ocean, coastal and freshwater environments. Based on their evolutionary history in diverse environments, diatoms have acquired unique diverse mechanisms to cope with fluctuating availability of resources required for cellular maintenance and growth. Yet how these mechanisms actually operate to moderate metabolic functioning by the energetic tracking of light energy to carbon capture – commonly measured as “emergent signatures” or photosynthesis rates via fluorescence, O2 evolution and/or CO2 uptake –remains somewhat of a black box. This thesis addresses the response of diatoms to light, with particular emphasis on the gaps in current energy budgets that quantify trade-offs in O2 evolution and carbon-assimilation. An initial assessment of a variety of diatom species revealed distinct categories of photo-protective capacities (i.e. nonphotochemical quenching) that correlated with ecological niche, i.e. taxa originating from estuarine, coastal and open ocean environments. Low capacity to dissipate light energy via nonphotochemical quenching by open ocean diatoms was compensated for by an upregulation of midstream oxidase activity highlighting a key trade-off between light harvesting and light utilization strategies. Diurnal monitoring of diatoms with divergent photo-protective capacities further revealed species-specific dynamic respiratory trends, whereby diatoms with high nonphotochemical quenching capacity exhibited more dynamic RDARK while diatoms with low nonphotochemical quenching capacity exhibited more dynamic light-dependent respiration (LDR). Fluorescence-derived measures of photoacclimation (Ek,YII) were found to be significantly correlated to oxygen cycling and carbon retained as biomass. Subsequent metabolomic profiling provided deeper insight into these processes via the underlying light-driven metabolite reorganisation. Using the model coastal diatom (T. pseudonana), high light metabolic profiles were reflective of pathways that support higher growth rate (e.g. glycolysis and TCA cycle) compared to low light metabolic profiles associated with carbon conserving pathways (e.g. gluconeogenesis and glyoxylate cycle). Together these outcomes uncovered previously hidden dynamics of energy processing by diatoms –including dynamic respiration rates between taxa and with time of day, which also mapped differences in inherent metabolic pathways as well as “emergent” metabolic signatures (e.g. fluorescence, O2 and CO2 measures of primary productivity). Combining information from cellular currencies (fluorescence, oxygen and carbon) thus provides a more robust mechanistic understanding of metabolic processes. This thesis has created a foundation for future research to compile more comprehensive energy budgets and a framework for improved estimates of primary productivity models

Responding to User Feedback about Digital Newspaper Collections

Presentation sharing how the University of North Texas Digital Libraries manages user feedback and requests for The Portal to Texas History. It was presented at the National Digital Newspaper Program Awardee Meeting held on September 29, 2022