Exploring (Mis)alignments between First-Year Students’ Expectations and Experiences

Understanding what expectations first-year students have for their first semester of college can help university faculty, staff, and administrators have a better understanding of how to best provide support and resources that meet the needs of their students and lay the necessary foundations for their academic and social success early on. Unfortunately, many students report a variety of social, academic, personal, and environmental experiences that do not fully match their expectations. The purpose of this study was to examine what expectations and experiences first-year college students had about their first semester and how they interpreted both alignments and misalignments between their expectations and experiences. The research questions of this study were explored in two phases using an explanatory sequential mixed method design. In phase one, quantitative matching pre- and post-surveys were given to traditional first-year students to understand what (mis)aligned expectations first-year students had at the beginning of their first semester of college (pre-survey), and what they reported experiencing (post-survey). For the first phase of the experiment, 96 participants completed all or most of the initial expectation survey and 52 participants completed the entire follow-up experience survey. A paired t-test analysis was conducted on the matching pre- and post-survey questions to explore which areas of student experiences had the most significant (mis)alignments. Using descriptive statistics, individuals were scored and assigned a (mis)alignment score, falling on a spectrum of having overestimated expectations (entered college with higher expectations, but reported lower experience scores), aligned expectations and experiences, or underestimated expectations (entered college with lower expectations, but reported higher experience scores). Six individuals representing the various (mis)alignment options were invited to an interview to explore how students with varying alignment and misalignment scores perceived their experiences and expectations. Thematic analysis was used to create six themes from the student interviews that provided a more in-depth understanding of the types of expectations students had for their college experience and how they felt about any (mis)alignments they might have experienced. The results of this study echo the general literature and research base on student expectations: 1) they do matter, 2) they come from a variety of sources, 3) they impact each individual student’s experience and perception of college in unique ways, and 4) students tend to hold higher expectations than they should. The results of this study indicated that academic and social expectation and experience (mis)alignments are the most significant for students. However, the results also indicated that (mis)alignments in expectations and experiences are not always a bad thing and can lead to the development of adaptability and resiliency skills that help students create more realistic expectations and decision-making processes in the future. Recommendations for future studies on expectations and experiences (mis)alignments could explore how to better utilize technology, social media, and student programming to help shape the student expectation formation process both before students move in and early in their college career to help them develop healthier and more realistic expectations overall

Presence In Virtuality \u3e Reality | Review & Commentary

Presence In Virtuality \u3e Reality | Review & Commentary Meyers, M., & Sonnenfeld, A. Presentation It has been demonstrated in previous literature that participants may feel more present in virtuality than in reality. Why is this? Our team of researchers propose that this phenomenon neither suggest invalidity in both objective and subjective presence measurement - nor invalidity of the construct itself. Presence, as the experience of being in an environment, is refined in our review from insight gained from three psychological schools of thought which have conflicted for over twenty years. Just as our definitions of presence evolved over the last two decades, however - so have we as a society. If individuals are capable of experiencing a heightened sense of present in virtuality than reality, then we must understand what the root cause of this contradiction is - and discuss the implications of such a phenomena for our own experiences in the real world. What does it mean to experience an environment – to feel present – and how do we measure this phenomenon? What could cause individuals, both in the present and future, to feel more present in a virtual world than a real one? To what extent have our virtual interactions taken precedence over our daily interactions? Does our embodied presence impact our lives more so than our physical presence? How can we – living in reality – design our experiences to match the involvement and immersion afforded by computer interfaces and virtual environments? The researchers attempt to answer these questions using the support of previous research in this domain – combining the perspectives of human factors and applied psychological research, human-computer interaction, business (via experiential design), and philosophy. The researchers identify what elements of virtuality make it more appealing to the experience of the individual than reality, propose design solutions for our experience in reality, and outline a foundation for future research. Without continued investigation with support of the scientific community, modern society may remain unguided – perpetuating toward a future in which it will be impossible to feel present in reality, when virtual alternatives are both just as easily accessible and significant

A Conceptual Model of Transfer of Training via Virtual Environments

A Conceptual Model of Transfer of Training via Virtual Environments Sonnenfeld, N.A., & Meyers, M. Presentation A review of Transfer of Training (ToT) literature over the last several decades reveals both significant advancements and gaps in our conceptualization of the transfer process and its contributing factors - especially in the domain of training via the use of virtual environments. Updating our current model of the transfer of training process is necessary to ensure adequate preparation for personnel operating in extreme environments - particularly for those training for small unit operations in dynamic environments for extended periods of time - such as those in combat warfare, space exploration & operations, the medical operation room, and other domains in which lives are at stake. A general recognition of the impact of trainee characteristics, training design, and work environment upon transfer is not enough for the quantification and analysis of training and systems. Building from the Baldwin & Ford (1988) Transfer of Training model, the researchers expand upon existing literature regarding the inputs, outputs, and outcomes of training transfer to propose a synthesized model of transfer of training via the use of virtual environments, as a foundation for future inquiry into this dynamic process. Inclusion of previous reviews – among novel perspectives on the virtual experience, learning in virtual environments, presence, experiential design, and on the assessment and evaluation of the Transfer of Training construct - enable this fundamental work to inspire and provide framework for the next generation of applied training research

The First Fleet in Iowa Concerts

The green room is trashed. Peanut butter is caked on the floor, while empty beer cans and cases of energy drinks are scattered around the room. Cups of liquor are still sitting on the floor. A computer chair is in the shower. As Sam Summers makes his way through the wreckage and sits down on one of the couches, a dried pickle rests near his foot. He explains that no one has cleaned things up yet in the basement of People’s Court

Does Leptin Signaling in T Cells Enhance Hyperglycemia in Diet-Induced Obese Mice?

Obesity is a serious public health threat, claiming millions of lives each year worldwide. It is thought that many of the complications associated with obesity are the result of adipose inflammation that has a spillover effect leading to a systemic state of low-grade, chronic inflammation in the body. While scientists debate the exact causal mechanism of adipose inflammation, researchers agree that many players are likely, including adipocytes, macrophages, and other immune cells. More specifically, recent research has indicated that T cells play an active role in the progression of adipose inflammation. Based on a recent study, Deng et al. suggests that increased leptin levels as a result of excess adiposity cause the activation and proliferation of Th1 inflammatory T cells, thus contributing to the obesity inflammatory cascade. Because insulin resistance and the resultant hyperglycemia are thought to be a result of adipose inflammation, we hypothesized that leptin signaling to T cells enhances hyperglycemia during obesity. To test this hypothesis, we utilized a conditional knockout diet-induced obese mouse model where leptin receptor had been truncated only in T cells, thus preventing leptin from signaling to T cells. Male mice were fed a chow or high fat diet for 12-16 weeks, after which fasting blood glucose levels were taken after a 14-hour fast. As expected, lean mice exhibited significantly lower levels of hyperglycemia compare to obese groups. In comparing the control obese group to the knockout obese group, the control obese mice had slightly higher levels of hyperglycemia compared to the knockout obese mice. However, these results were not significant. Although no significant results were found, this study should be repeated with a larger sample size to further understand whether leptin signaling to T cells in obese mice could lead to hyperglycemia.Bachelor of Science in Public Healt

Fluvial Processes Affecting the Texture of a Gravel Bed with an Emphasis on Salmon Spawning Habitat

Spawning salmon depend on fluvial processes to maintain the bed texture of gravel bedded rivers as suitable spawning and incubation habitat. The coarse texture of a gravel bed is maintained by flow strengths capable of moving the gravel and removing fine sediments, thereby providing loose substrate that enhances its ability to conduct flow (i.e., its hydraulic conductivity). The flow strength that corresponds to the beginning of movement (i.e., entrainment) of a grain on a gravel bed is variable and, therefore, it needs to be measured to predict flow levels capable of bed texture maintenance. Lower flows can deliver fine sediment, which may accumulate in the gravels overlying salmon nests (i.e., redds) reducing the hydraulic conductivity and impairing salmon embryo development. I examine these processes to explain the variability in (i) the rate of change in the proportion of a gravel size fraction entrained as a function of flow strength and (ii) the rate of decrease in hydraulic conductivity as a function of the cumulative transport of fine sediment that depends on flow level.I used tracer gravel and cobble grains and a two dimensional flow model to determine the flow strengths capable of gravel bed entrainment using binary plots of the occurrence or absence of tracer movement to approximate the fraction of the bed sediment entrained as a logistic function of increasing flow strength. The method provides an approximation of the flow strength capable of entraining the least resistant through the most resistant grains, thereby providing a new method to approximate the flow strength that is capable of fully entraining the bed. The results are confirmed by comparing the measurements of two study sites.To measure the resistance of individual gravel and cobble grains to downstream movement, I used force gages and a theoretical force balance model that incorporates the frictional resistance of a grain and the lift and drag forces applied by stream flow. I measured the frictional resistance of grains at six sites with different morphologies to evaluate influences on grain resistance. Grain resistance varied depending on the grain size and sorting, amount of infiltrated sand, streamwise position along a gravel bar, and degree of fluctuation in the flow strength. The force balance model predicts that the dimensionless instantaneous flow strength capable of entraining a given proportion of a relative grain size varies along a bar. I tested the force balance model predictions by comparison with the tracer measurements from the tracer study. The differences between the force balance predictions and the tracer entrainment measurements are due to the definition of the flow strength as the time-averaged value from the 2D flow model and the instantaneous value from the force balance model. Adjusting the force balance model predictions by a simple factor that quantifies their difference and that corresponds with an index describing the fluctuations of the instantaneous flow strength about its time-averaged value produces agreement with the tracer measurements. This adjustment to force gage measurements from two sites on opposite limbs of a bar indicates that the time-averaged dimensionless flow strength capable of entraining a given proportion of a relative grain size is constant along a bar.I constructed artificial redds at five sites to monitor changes in hydraulic conductivity and sand accumulation with cumulative bed load transport. I applied two backfill treatments to examine the effects of the presence and absence of grains smaller than 6.4 mm. Hydraulic conductivity varies temporally due to sand deposition and spatially due to the initial sand content of the backfill and the local sediment supply rate. The rate of change in hydraulic conductivity as a function of increasing cumulative transport is statistically significant but does not differ between backfill treatments or with location. I predicted the effect of flow on egg survival using an empirical relationship between hydraulic conductivity and egg survival with results that indicate hydraulic conductivity is dependent on sediment transport rate as a function of flow rate. This work provides additional understandings of the relationship between flow and bed texture maintenance processes and useful tools for managing gravel bed rivers

The relationship between environmental factors and cyanobacteria population in Lake Bloomington and Evergreen Lake in McLean County, Illinois

This thesis investigates cyanobacteria on two lakes in McLean County, Illinois from the months of August to October. Data was collected every other week.Cyanobacteria are prokaryotes that may be unicellular, colonial or filamentous in form. These cells can be known to be toxic or non-toxic. The factors that control the reproduction of cyanobacteria are the temperature and nutrients of nitrogen and phosphorus. These microorganisms are located in marine and terrestrial settings worldwide. The focus of this study was at two man-made lakes which are Lake Bloomington and Lake Evergreen. Sampling and collection of data was done on two lakes to view the cyanobacteria concentration. The data collection was done using a YSI Exo Sonde 1 to profile the water column for two main reasons which are chorlophyll a and phycocyanin. The other sensors on the probe also collected data for temperature, depth, conductivity, and dissolved oxygen. Samples were taken for the use of a FlowCam, Flow Injection Analysis for nitrogen and phosphorus, and chlorophyll a analyses. Results showed that cyanobacteria increased with the rise of water temperature and a higher concentration of nitrogen and phosphorus in the water

From Bad to Good: Fitness Reversals and the Ascent of Deleterious Mutations

Deleterious mutations are considered a major impediment to adaptation, and there are straightforward expectations for the rate at which they accumulate as a function of population size and mutation rate. In a simulation model of an evolving population of asexually replicating RNA molecules, initially deleterious mutations accumulated at rates nearly equal to that of initially beneficial mutations, without impeding evolutionary progress. As the mutation rate was increased within a moderate range, deleterious mutation accumulation and mean fitness improvement both increased. The fixation rates were higher than predicted by many population-genetic models. This seemingly paradoxical result was resolved in part by the observation that, during the time to fixation, the selection coefficient (s) of initially deleterious mutations reversed to confer a selective advantage. Significantly, more than half of the fixations of initially deleterious mutations involved fitness reversals. These fitness reversals had a substantial effect on the total fitness of the genome and thus contributed to its success in the population. Despite the relative importance of fitness reversals, however, the probabilities of fixation for both initially beneficial and initially deleterious mutations were exceedingly small (on the order of 10(−5) of all mutations)