Chapter 2- Preparing Students With Habits of Mind for the First Day of Class

Students often come to university with preconceived but in many cases inaccurate notions of what the university experience is like. They have been told that they need to go to college to get a good job; that their professors do not care about how they do; and that they are now on their own. This can be an overwhelming perspective to have when starting a new chapter in life. College students, including those who may not have experienced even minor academic failures to this point in their lives, are particularly impacted by this mentality. It should come as no surprise, then, when many first-year students find themselves lagging and failing to persist with their academic studies. At Utah State University (USU), we believe programs that support academic success within the first year must encompass Habits of Mind, so much so that USU has instituted a first-year student program called Connections. One of the goals of Connections is to model Habits of Mind of the successful student to normalize these habits for all our students

Outcomes of Rotator Cuff Surgery in Utah Workers’ Compensation Patients

Currently, rotator cuff injuries are the most common problem for the shoulder and accounted for 4.1 million physicians visits. Partial and full thickness tears are more common in people over the age of 50. The increased prevalence of rotator cuff injuries in the United States population certainly affects the working population and often represents a significant economic burden for employers. Few studies have examined outcomes in worker compensation patients or considered biopsychosocial predictive variables for rotator cuff repairs. The current study aimed to characterize injured workers who have undergone rotator cuff repairs across a number of pre- and postprocedural variables, evaluate multidimensional functional and quality of life outcomes, and examine biopsychosocial variables predictive of success and failure in this sample. The current study examined 93 injured workers who had undergone at least one rotator cuff repair within the past five years. Participants were solicited through the Worker’s Compensation Fund of Utah (WCF) computerized database. The current study used a retrospective cohort design, patients’ medical charts were reviewed, and various preprocedural variables were coded for analysis including age at the time of the rotator cuff repair, lawyer involvement in the claim, prior shoulder surgery history, and quantity of other compensation claims. Of the total sample, 47 patients (50.5%) were contacted and completed outcome surveys that assessed patient satisfaction, shoulder functional impairment, disability status, and general physical and mental health functioning. Findings revealed that approximately one third of the patients were totally disabled (29.8%), had poor shoulder specific functioning (36.2%), and were dissatisfied with their current shoulder condition (31.7%). A multivariate regression model was utilized in predicting patient outcomes. Specifically, the number of WCF claims of the patient was a robust predictor of multidimensional outcomes, while age and gender were less predictive of outcomes, and the presence of a prior shoulder surgery reflected no predictive power. Results of descriptive, correlational, and regression analyses are compared to existing data for rotator cuff repair patients when available or to other surgical procedures with similar populations. The study limitations are discussed, such as small sample size, the retrospective design, and lack of matched controls

Chapter 19- The Connections Program: Integrating Mentoring Into the First-Year Experience

In this chapter, we will offer a model of successful integration of evidence-based mentorship practices within a robust first-year experience program at Utah State University. The mentoring aspect of the program was built to address the problem of attrition rates of first-year students transitioning to the second year. This approach provides faculty mentoring for every student in the program and addresses how it can be scaled to a large student population. We will discuss how the most at-risk students receive extra focus within this model to help students who lack the educational and social capital to gain mentorship experiences on their own with faculty. We will discuss the use of assessment data to maintain the rigor of the program and triage our most vulnerable students’ needs so that they receive the most high-touch mentoring experiences. This chapter will provide an evidence-based model that could be easily adapted for successful use at other universities

Basic Need Challenges of Today\u27s Students: How to Best Support These Needs

College students face a vast array of basic needs challenges that can impact their ability to thrive inside and outside of the classroom. Basic needs can include (but are not limited to) food and housing security, healthcare for mental and physical health/well-being, childcare, resources for personal hygiene, and more. Utah State University has many programs and services that aim to support the basic needs of students. In addition, there are many off campus resources that students are often eligible for. Being aware of the resources available and connecting students to those resources is essential when helping students navigate these hardships. This panel of USU faculty will address the challenges USU students face with food security, housing security, and mental health. The panel will discuss on and off campus programs and services available to support students in meeting these basic needs during their time at USU

Project Exodus

A design for a manned Mars mission, PROJECT EXODUS is presented. PROJECT EXODUS incorporates the design of a hypersonic waverider, cargo ship and NIMF (nuclear rocket using indigenous Martian fuel) shuttle lander to safely carry out a three to five month mission on the surface of Mars. The cargo ship transports return fuel, return engine, surface life support, NIMF shuttle, and the Mars base to low Mars orbit (LMO). The cargo ship is powered by a nuclear electric propulsion (NEP) system which allows the cargo ship to execute a spiral trajectory to Mars. The waverider transports ten astronauts to Mars and back. It is launched from the Space Station with propulsion provided by a chemical engine and a delta velocity of 9 km/sec. The waverider performs an aero-gravity assist maneuver through the atmosphere of Venus to obtain a deflection angle and increase in delta velocity. Once the waverider and cargo ship have docked the astronauts will detach the landing cargo capsules and nuclear electric power plant and remotely pilot them to the surface. They will then descend to the surface aboard the NIMF shuttle. A dome base will be quickly constructed on the surface and the astronauts will conduct an exploratory mission for three to five months. They will return to Earth and dock with the Space Station using the waverider

The novel mTOR inhibitor RAD001 (Everolimus) induces antiproliferative effects in human pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor cells

Background/Aim: Tumors exhibiting constitutively activated PI(3) K/Akt/mTOR signaling are hypersensitive to mTOR inhibitors such as RAD001 (everolimus) which is presently being investigated in clinical phase II trials in various tumor entities, including neuroendocrine tumors (NETs). However, no preclinical data about the effects of RAD001 on NET cells have been published. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effects of RAD001 on BON cells, a human pancreatic NET cell line that exhibits constitutively activated PI(3) K/Akt/mTOR signaling. Methods: BON cells were treated with different concentrations of RAD001 to analyze its effect on cell growth using proliferation assays. Apoptosis was examined by Western blot analysis of caspase-3/PARP cleavage and by FACS analysis of DNA fragmentation. Results: RAD001 potently inhibited BON cell growth in a dose-dependent manner which was dependent on the serum concentration in the medium. RAD001-induced growth inhibition involved G0/G1-phase arrest as well as induction of apoptosis. Conclusion: In summary, our data demonstrate antiproliferative and apoptotic effects of RAD001 in NET cells in vitro supporting its clinical use in current phase II trials in NET patients. Copyright (c) 2007 S. Karger AG, Basel

T-CaST: an implementation theory comparison and selection tool

Abstract Background Theories, models, and frameworks (TMF) are foundational for generalizing implementation efforts and research findings. However, TMF and the criteria used to select them are not often described in published articles, perhaps due in part to the challenge of selecting from among the many TMF that exist in the field. The objective of this international study was to develop a user-friendly tool to help scientists and practitioners select appropriate TMF to guide their implementation projects. Methods Implementation scientists across the USA, the UK, and Canada identified and rated conceptually distinct categories of criteria in a concept mapping exercise. We then used the concept mapping results to develop a tool to help users select appropriate TMF for their projects. We assessed the tool’s usefulness through expert consensus and cognitive and semi-structured interviews with implementation scientists. Results Thirty-seven implementation scientists (19 researchers and 18 practitioners) identified four criteria domains: usability, testability, applicability, and familiarity. We then developed a prototype of the tool that included a list of 25 criteria organized by domain, definitions of the criteria, and a case example illustrating an application of the tool. Results of cognitive and semi-structured interviews highlighted the need for the tool to (1) be as succinct as possible; (2) have separate versions to meet the unique needs of researchers versus practitioners; (3) include easily understood terms; (4) include an introduction that clearly describes the tool’s purpose and benefits; (5) provide space for noting project information, comparing and scoring TMF, and accommodating contributions from multiple team members; and (6) include more case examples illustrating its application. Interview participants agreed that the tool (1) offered them a way to select from among candidate TMF, (2) helped them be explicit about the criteria that they used to select a TMF, and (3) enabled them to compare, select from among, and/or consider the usefulness of combining multiple TMF. These revisions resulted in the Theory Comparison and Selection Tool (T-CaST), a paper and web-enabled tool that includes 16 specific criteria that can be used to consider and justify the selection of TMF for a given project. Criteria are organized within four categories: applicability, usability, testability, and acceptability. Conclusions T-CaST is a user-friendly tool to help scientists and practitioners select appropriate TMF to guide implementation projects. Additionally, T-CaST has the potential to promote transparent reporting of criteria used to select TMF within and beyond the field of implementation science

Habits of Mind: Designing Courses for Student Success

Although content knowledge remains at the heart of college teaching and learning, forward-thinking instructors recognize that we must also provide 21st-century college students with transferable skills (sometimes called portable intellectual abilities) to prepare them for their futures (Vazquez, 2020; Ritchhart, 2015; Venezia & Jaeger, 2013; Hazard, 2012). To “grow their capacity as efficacious thinkers to navigate and thrive in the face of unprecedented change” (Costa et al., 2023), students must learn and improve important study skills and academic dispositions throughout their educational careers. If we do not focus on skills-building in college courses, students will not be prepared for the challenges that await them after they leave institutions of higher education. If students are not prepared for these postsecondary education challenges, then it is fair to say that college faculty have failed them

Teaching and Generative AI

With the rapid development of generative AI, teachers are experiencing a new pedagogical challenge, one that promises to forever change the way we approach teaching and learning. As a response to this unprecedented teaching context, this collection—Teaching and Generative AI: Pedagogical Possibilities and Productive Tensions—provides interdisciplinary teachers, librarians, and instructional designers with practical and thoughtful pedagogical resources for navigating the possibilities and challenges of teaching in an AI era. Because our goal with this edited collection is to present nuanced discussions of AI technologies across disciplines, the chapters collectively acknowledge or explore both possibilities and tensions—including the strengths, limitations, ethical considerations, and disciplinary potential and challenges—of teaching in an AI era. As such, the authors in this collection do not simply praise or criticize AI, but thoughtfully acknowledge and explore its complexities within educational settings

Making Connections: A Handbook for Effective Formal Mentoring Programs in Academia

This book, Making Connections: A Handbook for Effective Formal Mentoring Programs in Academia, makes a unique and needed contribution to the mentoring field as it focuses solely on mentoring in academia. This handbook is a collaborative institutional effort between Utah State University’s (USU) Empowering Teaching Open Access Book Series and the Mentoring Institute at the University of New Mexico (UNM). This book is available through (a) an e-book through Pressbooks, (b) a downloadable PDF version on USU’s Open Access Book Series website), and (c) a print version available for purchase on the USU Empower Teaching Open Access page, and on Amazon