A Plan to Assist in the Recruitment of Central Washington University Freshman in the State of Washington

The purpose of this project was to develop a recruitment plan to increase Central Washington University\u27s enrollment of freshmen students from the state of Washington. To develop this plan, current research and literature related to increasing ·enrollment at institutions of higher education were researched and reviewed. A review of current strategies was also conducted and the new plan developed. The plan will be offered to the Director of Admissions at Central Washington University for consideration for implementation

Mishoonash in Southern New England: Construction and Use of Dugout Canoes in a Multicultural Context

This thesis examines the history of New England’s dugout canoes – a history that can be traced from 8500 BCE to the twenty-first century. The historical record and archaeological evidence surrounding dugout canoes suggests that the use of dugout canoes changed significantly over time, and that their form varied considerably in different regions of New England. While historians have claimed that these varied forms represent European and colonial influences, I argue that the Eurcolonial influence on dugouts was much more visible in the way the canoes were used than in the shape the vessels took. In addition to analyzing the canoes, this study analyzes the ways in which dugout canoes have been exhibited and interpreted in museums and offer suggestions as to best practices in the interpretation of mishoonash as artifacts of contested cultural attribution

Prior learning assessment for credit at the University of Central Missouri : a program evaluation

Field of study: Educational leadership and policy analysis.Dr. Sandy Hutchinson, Dissertation Supervisor.Includes vita."May 2018."Institutions of higher learning have focused recruiting, retention, and persistence efforts on the "traditional" student. In doing so, the retention and persistence rates of the highest growing population in higher education (the nontraditional student) is even lower than traditional students. Tinto (2012) described the relationship between the student and the institution as a moral contract in which the institution is obligated to provide an environment for success, particularly in the classroom so those students who are willing can achieve their goals. Unfortunately, the lack of specific policy or recognition of adult learning in higher education has resulted in the breaking of this contract for many adult students. This is validated through their decision not to return. Knowles' (1973) adult learning theory addressed the differences between traditional and nontraditional students. His focus was on how to enhance the learning environment for adult learners. One of the key aspects of his theory was the importance of the experiences the nontraditional or adult learner brings with them to the classroom. One way to improve adult student retention is through the recognition of their life/work experiences. Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) for credit consideration provides this opportunity. The focus of this research was to determine the effectiveness of the University of Central Missouri's PLA program. To accomplish this task, Patton's (2008) utilization focused evaluation method was selected. The intended purpose of this evaluation was "formative improvement and learning" (p. 139). To accomplish this task, the participant's perceptions and understandings of the policies and practices were essential, making a qualitative design the preferred approach. Four research questions were developed in coordination with the key stakeholder: 1) What do faculty assessors perceive as the barriers to accepting credit for prior learning; 2) What type of process do faculty assessors use to determine credit or non-credit for prior learning; 3) How visible is UCM's PLA program to faculty, administrators, and staff; and, 4) How important do administrators and faculty assessors perceive PLA to be in retention and persistence efforts of nontraditional students? For this program assessment, 330 faculty were contacted through survey, with 67 respondents. Eleven academic advisors participated in two focus groups, and 19 interviews were held with department chairs and staff directly involved in the prior learning assessment process. Through multiple participant data collection methods, several themes emerged: 1) understanding prior learning; 2) initiation of the PLA process; 3) determining credit approval/disapproval; 4) impact on student success; 5) program barriers; and 6) the future of PLA. These themes highlight key aspects of the PLA program and addressed the research questions for the program evaluation. The following recommendations for program improvement were presented to the key stakeholder for consideration: 1) A purposeful information campaign providing university policy and procedures, as well as, the types of prior learning are necessary for faculty assessors; 2) Improve the visibility of the PLA on the university webpage; 3) Recommend a committee be established to address faculty, staff, and administrators to address policy and procedures for a more systematic approval process; 4) Recognize the impact PLA has on student success and the cost savings associated with PLA to the student; and 5) Evaluate the amount of special credit is being awarded each academic year. The purpose of this qualitative utilization focused evaluation was to determine the understanding, perceptions, and experiences with prior learning assessment at UCM. This was accomplished through data collection and analysis with an opportunity for the key stakeholder to improve the program based on the suggested recommendations.Includes bibliographical references (pages 122-130)

Don’t Share This Item! Developing Digital Collections and Services in a Consumer‐Licensed World

Libraries have always faced unique challenges in providing non‐academic content for academic use, but the digital age has brought particular problems of “one size fits all” consumer purchase models and vexing methods of digital rights management (DRM), wrapped up with a large bow of legal uncertainty for many institutions. These proceedings describe some practices for sharing consumer‐licensed popular materials and confronting legal and technical barriers, as well as what some libraries are considering and encountering in applying the law, fair use, user expectations, and common sense in developing collections and services around digital content that is geared directly to end users

Growth and Lipid Content of Osmo-Tolerant and Sensitive Algae

Drought tolerance in a number of crop species has been correlated with changes in and composition of cell membrane lipids. Since membrane stability is a function of the physical properties of the lipid constituents, recent studies have focused on lipid changes in response to natural and artifically-induced water stress. Such studies have clearly shown that lipid adjustment and composition differs in drought-resistant and -tolerant species. A difficulty in working with higher plant systems is that vascular plants make structural and functional level adjustments which aid in drought resistance and which affect the process of adjustment at the cellular level. For this reason, in vitro cell culture techniques have many advantages in studying stress responses. Thus, the objectives of this research were to determine the effects of polyethylene glycol (PEG) -induced osmotic stress on the lipid and sterol composition of osmotic tolerant and susceptible species of unicellular algae belonging to the genus Chlorella

Detecting Proteins in Highly Autofluorescent Cells Using Quantum Dot Antibody Conjugates

We have applied quantum dot (Qdot) antibody conjugates as a biomolecular probe for cellular proteins important in biogeochemical cycling in the sea. Conventional immunological methods have been hampered by the strong autofluorescence found in cyanobacteria cells. Qdot conjugates provide an ideal alternative for studies that require long-term imaging of cells such as detection of low abundance cellular antigens by fluorescence microscopy. The advantage of Qdot labeled probes over conventional immunological methods is the photostability of the probe. Phycoerythrin bleaches in cyanobacterial cells under prolonged UV or blue light excitation, which means that the semiconducting nanocrystal probe, the Qdot, can yield a strong fluorescent signal without interference from cellular pigments

Detecting Proteins in Highly Autofluorescent Cells Using Quantum Dot Antibody Conjugates

We have applied quantum dot (Qdot) antibody conjugates as a biomolecular probe for cellular proteins important in biogeochemical cycling in the sea. Conventional immunological methods have been hampered by the strong autofluorescence found in cyanobacteria cells. Qdot conjugates provide an ideal alternative for studies that require long-term imaging of cells such as detection of low abundance cellular antigens by fluorescence microscopy. The advantage of Qdot labeled probes over conventional immunological methods is the photostability of the probe. Phycoerythrin bleaches in cyanobacterial cells under prolonged UV or blue light excitation, which means that the semiconducting nanocrystal probe, the Qdot, can yield a strong fluorescent signal without interference from cellular pigments

The Weather Analysis Display (WAND) Tool: Developing a Meteorological Data Display Tool for Situational Awareness During Day-Of-Launch of Space Launch Vehicles Using Python

Atmospheric conditions are an important driver in the design and operation of space launch vehicles. The Profile Envision and Splicing Tool (PRESTO) was developed by NASAs Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) Natural Environments Branch (NE) to generate vertically complete atmospheric profiles from various data sources at NASAs Kennedy Space Center (KSC), co-located on the United States Air Force (USAF) Eastern Range (ER), for NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) day-of-launch (DOL) loads and trajectory analysis. PRESTO was designed solely to generate a vertically complete atmospheric profile (Orcutt et al., 2017). However, NE has also been tasked to provide a quality assessment of meteorological data examined on DOL, which goes beyond PRESTOs utility. Thus, NE developed the Weather Analysis Display (WAND) to visualize data from all available observation systems in conjunction with climatological databases. WAND can display data from various sources in multiple ways, including Skew-T Log-P plots, time-height cross sections, and time series. WAND was developed in Python 3 taking advantage of common packages, such as NumPy for data handling, SciPy for mathematical functions, Matplotlib for data visualization, and Tkinter for the execution of the Graphical User Interface (GUI)