Investigating Faculty across the Disciplines Perceptions and Practices of Reflective Writing in Community Engaged Courses: A Comparative Study

Recently, research in composition studies and Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) has focused on understanding better how student reflective practices assist on their transfer of writing knowledge across contexts (Yancey et al., 2014; Taczak & Robertson, 2017, Lindenman et al., 2018). However, not much research has been done that investigates faculty beliefs and practices about reflective writing, how they use it to measure student outcomes and achievement in community engaged courses and the implications this might have for the transfer of knowledge and practice of writing. This study draws primarily on activity theory to better understand whether there is a difference in values, assumptions and practices regarding reflective writing between disciplinary faculty and writing faculty teaching service learning and community-engaged courses

Bright Sparks: A Study of the Availability of Gifted Education Programs Within Seventh-day Adventist Primary Schools Within Australia

This study investigated the provisions made for gifted students in Seventh-day Adventist Primary Schools in Australia, with particular reference to six aspects of gifted education, namely: (1) identification, (2) gender equality, (3) priority, (4) the extent of provision, (5) forms of gifted education, and (6) the qualification and professional development of teachers in the Seventh-day Adventist Education System. Data was collected from 27 principals of Seventh-day Adventist Primary Schools in Australia using a survey instrument specifically designed for this study. Qualitative and quantitative analyses were used to analyse the data derived from the survey instrument. The findings of this study have shown that in the majority of cases, Seventh-day Adventist Primary Schools may not be adequately providing for the needs of gifted children in their care. Although some schools were found to provide better provisions for gifted students than others, many schools failed to even identify minimum expected proportions of gifted students. It was found that an equal overall proportion of males-females were involved in a gifted education program, but that the extent of provision for gifted students was generally quite limited. The various schools identified an awareness of a variety of programming strategies, although these strategies were not always implemented. It was also found that a lack of teacher qualifications and professional development in relation to gifted education was present in many schools. Recommendations and suggestions for further research are included in the stud

The Ohio State University College of Optometry

Prepared for the Centennial of The Ohio State University

Reading Daniel as a theological hermeneutics textbook

Reading Daniel as a Theological Hermeneutics Textbook is a thesis that sets out to read the book of Daniel as a narrative textbook in the field of theological hermeneutics. Employing such disciplines as historical criticism, literary criticism, narrative theology and hermeneutics, this thesis seeks to maintain an interdisciplinary critical outlook on the book of Daniel. Two particular perspectives come to light in this reading of Daniel, both of which are inherently linked to one another. Firstly, is the perception that the character of Daniel is the paradigm of the good theological hermeneut; theology and hermeneutics are inseparable and converge in the character of Daniel. The reader must recognize in Daniel certain qualities, attitudes, abilities and convictions well worth emulating. Essentially, the reader must aspire to become a ‘Daniel’. Secondly, is the standpoint that the book of Daniel on the whole should be read as a hermeneutics textbook. The reader is led through a series of theories and exercises that are meant to be instilled into his/her theological, intellectual and practical life. Attention to the reader is a constant endeavor throughout this thesis. The concern is primarily with the contemporary reader and his/her community, yet with sensible consideration given to the historical readerly community with which the contemporary reader finds continuity. Greater attention on what the book of Daniel means for the contemporary reader is given than on what the book of Daniel meant in its historical setting. Yet, we must be sensitive to the ‘historical’ reasons (theirs and ours) that demand the acquisition of finely tuned hermeneutic skill. In the end the reader is left with difficult challenges, a sobering awareness of the volatility of the business of hermeneutics, and serious implications for the reader to implement both theologically and hermeneutically

Becoming Transfronterizo Collaborators: A Transdisciplinary Framework For Developing Translingual Pedagogies In Wac/Wid

Given that pedagogical approaches that challenge dominant language ideologies are not yet well represented in WAC/WID scholarship, this chapter outlines a transdisciplinary framework for developing translingual pedagogies. The framework is built around the notion of transfronterizo/ a collaborators because before instructors can engage their students in exploring and challenging their views toward language, instructors must first critically interrogate their own. This interrogation must consider the unique political, social, economic, and linguistic exigencies of where an institution is located. The chapter concludes by showing that a transdisciplinary and translingual collaboration that is mutually transformative changes faculty collaborators in how they perceive their linguistic histories and abilities, challenges/enriches their instructional practices, and expands/complicates their scholarly knowledge. This chapter seeks to assist WAC/WID faculty interested in developing translingual and transdisciplinary collaborations in institutions where no professional development opportunities that focus on language difference exist or as an addition to a workshop setting

A novel function for HEG1 in promoting metastasis in hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths around the globe. For patients receiving liver tumour resection, the risk of reoccurrence and metastasis is high. Cancer metastasis can occur as a consequence of a physical change known as epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT). In this instance, cancer cells acquire migratory and invasive characteristics that allow the cells to move into adjacent tissue or enter the bloodstream to reach a secondary site, where they begin to form a new tumour. Targetting proteins involved in the signalling pathways that induce the mesenchymal phenotype has been an ongoing field of research. A recently published study has described a novel role for the heart development protein with EGF-like domains (HEG1) in promoting EMT. This research provides new insights into the biological function of this protein in HCC. Furthermore, the research indicates a new target for future prognostic and therapeutic research in HCC

A novel role for polymeric immunoglobulin receptor in tumour development: beyond mucosal immunity and into hepatic cancer cell transformation

Chronic inflammation is well known as a significant driver of carcinogenesis in settings of human disease, including liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is one of the major causes of HCC due to the oncogenic nature of the virus and the robust inflammatory response in the infected host. Fc receptors (FcR) are specialized receptors found on innate immune cells that recognize and bind to antigen-presenting antibodies, linking the innate and adaptive immune system to respond to circulating foreign bodies, such as viral DNA (1). Increased B-cell activation and antibody production in response to HBV infected liver will lead to increased FcR signalling on circulating innate immune cells and resident-macrophages (Kupffer cells), further enhancing the inflammatory response. Progression to chronic liver inflammation is associated with hyperactivity of B cell immunity, increasing the risk of cancer development due to constant infiltration of immune cells and accumulation of damaged hepatocytes. FcR activation has been previously implicated in carcinogenesis by creating a ‘pro-tumour microenvironment’ within inflammation-mediated damaged tissue through promotion of angiogenesis, epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT), and increased cell survival (2). Of recent interest is the polymeric immunoglobulin receptor (pIgR), a member of the Fc receptor family, that is widely expressed on epithelial cells and is responsible for transcytosis of IgA/IgM at mucosal surfaces. Few studies have investigated the role of pIgR in cancer, although most have implicated pIgR to be downregulated in cancers of various epithelial origin (3). In this sense, the dysregulation of pIgR in mucosal membranes could limit the first line of defence for immunity against carcinogenic cells, and possibly contribute to malignant transformation

Negotiating the Messiness of Teaching Linguistic Justice Online: Reflections of Multilingual Writing Instructors During COVID

This qualitative phenomenological study explores how multilingual writing instructors define linguistic justice and how they incorporate linguistic justice in their online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. The global health crisis officially declared in March 2020, pushed educators around the world to become online instructors overnight. This rapid move to an online environment magnified technology, language, race, and socioeconomic inequalities. In higher education, online environments are prone to linguistic inequalities and linguistic racism. For decades, scholars in the field of composition have argued that in order to dismantle elitist monolingual ideologies, writing instructors, multilingual and monolingual alike, should investigate their own positions and pedagogical practices regarding language (teaching) practices. Thus, through the use of reflexivity, the authors served as researcher-participants and collected four different sources of data. The findings demonstrate that while the authors implement linguistic justice in their courses, their translinguistic histories impact their pedagogies differently. Furthermore, the data suggest that reflexivity prompts them to monitor their own attitudes, ideas, and actions by putting them on pause and allowing them to become uncomfortable – even frightened at times – about their experiences at the intersection of teaching and practicing linguistic justice. An implication of this study is that through reflexive interactions, practitioners can begin to make sense of their nuanced positionalities and become more transparent about their teaching roles and responsibilities as well as their identities in other areas of life in relation to linguistic justice